Sunset at Angkor Wat
Why do you want to travel to Cambodia? For the temples at Angkor of course. The temples are UNESCO world heritage sites and are the most majestic in all of SE Asia and conveniently located only 3 miles north of Siem Reap. What you might not know is that if you search for last minute flight deals to Siem Reap, you’ll be paying almost $400 more than you would if you flew into Phnom Penh. Why you ask? Because Thai Airways knows you’re coming to Cambodia to see the temples, so do a little trickery and fly into Phnom Penh instead. Then, take a leisure tour to Siem Reap via bus or boat. Both are about six hours but the cost is around twenty-five dollars, which is practically nothing but you’ll get to see this magnificent country through the window of a moving vehicle or vessel, a delight that flying cannot give you.
When you get to Phnom Penh stop and see some sites before your departure to Siem Reap. The Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum are a couple of options and will help you understand the poverty here. This is a country that lost over a third of its population after the Vietnam War. but the Royal Palace is a must see while in the capital.
Hail to the almighty SE Asian motorbike
Because agriculture had suffered, dictator Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge regime emptied the cities of people and sent them to work in the fields by force. They beat and killed intellectuals and ethnic minorities. Can you imagine if your government took your Red brick, Ivy League or equivalent universities and slaughtered everyone inside? The repercussions would be unimaginable. But you will find the friendliest people here. Even people with little money feeding monkeys in the park in Phnom Penh will stop you to practice their English skills. Surprisingly, monks will also sometimes approach you for the same reason.
Faces of Angkor Wat
After your day in Phnom Penh head to Siem Reap. Check in to a hotel when you arrive and look into hiring a tuk-tuk with a driver to take you to Angkor , a UNESCO world heritage site, and perhaps the most important sites in SE Asia. 3-day passes are recommended,you’ll have a photo taken and put onto a pass card, which is then laminated. RECOMMEND seeing Angkor at sunset, truly magnificent. The three most famous temples here are: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm (where Tomb Raider was filmed and often referred to as the ‘Tomb Raider Temple.)’
Monks at Ta Prohm Temple
