Travel Blog | About TravelBlog | World Facts | Travel Wallpaper | Travel Forum | Travel Insurance | Services | Cameras

Angkor Travel Blogs

Background: Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, whose Angkor Empire extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Subsequently, attacks by the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire ushering in a long period of decline. In 1863, the king of Cambodia placed the country under French protection; it became part of French Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia became independent within the French Union in 1949 and fully independent in 1953. After a five-year struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh in April 1975 and ordered the evacuation of all cities and towns; at least 1.5 million Cambodians died from execution, enforced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, led to a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy and the final elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. The July 2003 elections were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. Nation-wide local elections are scheduled for 2007 and national elections for 2008.



Links: Angkor Travel Blogs (771) | Angkor Travel Photos | Map of Angkor | Cambodia Travel Forum | Cambodia Facts | Map of Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia Location


Recommended Books:

Hostels in Cambodia
Latest Angkor Blog Entries
Angkor Photos











My tour through the Temples of Angkor ended with a sunrise trip to Ta Phrom. The most photographed and sought after temple next to Angkor Wat, I hoped to get there before the other tourists, and thanks to my awesome tour guide and Tuk Tuk driver I made it in time! Ta Phrom didn't fail to disappoint. The guidebooks say you feel like an Archaeologist from the 19th century when you visit Ta Phrom, where the jungle was not removed from the ruins. It was a bit strange to think of how much history, hard work and mystical energy contained in [View Full Entry]

Stephen Paul - o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
646 Words | 8 Comment(s) | 61 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: June 25th 2008 | 384 Views | [diary=281239]

Ancient Entry
The Forest Canopy, Ta Phrom
Ta Phrom sorcery

Lomaterveiset Kambotsasta! Olimme ensin Angkorissa ihailemassa temppelin raunioita josta siirryimme Phnom Pehniin ja taalla olemme edelleen. Temppelit olivat todella hienoja ja kiertelimme niita nelja paivaa. Angkorissa kavimme myos suitsuketehtaassa ja maamiinamuseossa. Kambotsassa on edelleen paljon miinoja ja monesti niiden paalle astuvat lapset tai maanviljelijat, joten raivaustyota tehdaan kokoajan. Mikko lahti Thaimaaseen ja Matin kanssa matkasimme bussilla tanne Phnom Pehniin. Tapaamme Mikon jalleen HCMc:ssa. Huomenna menemme katsomaan Killing Fields:ia. Lomailu on oikein mukavaa ja [View Full Entry]

hannalee - Hanna Pek. | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
79 Words | 2 Comment(s) | 3 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: May 29th 2008 | 26 Views | [diary=279913]

Viidakkotemppeli Beng Melea
Taakin on joku temppeli... :)

AW3
AW3
The beautiful Angkor Wat at Sunrise.
MAKE SURE YOU READ PHNOM PENH ENTRY BELOW FIRST :) Herro again everyone. So Siam Reap... the gateway to the great Angkor Wat (one of the wonders of the world) and what can we say :) it really was incredible. Very different to how you imagine it to be and during the day it is absolutely swarmed with disrespectful loud and half naked Japs and Americans but if you time your visit to each site meticulously you are rewarded greatly! We visited Ta Phrom first (where they filmed Tomb Raider) and even though there was alot of people there it was [View Full Entry]

HollyNick - Nick & Holly | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
1022 Words | 1 Comment(s) | 31 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: June 1st 2008 | 76 Views | [diary=279958]

AW1
AW23
AW22

The famous Angkor Wat
The famous Angkor Wat
Truely stunning
Backpacking around the world is rough. We stayed for 3 days in a luxury hotel in Siem Reap close to the famous Angkor Wat temples. It was part of a package and Jacky was rather excited by all the extra bits that we had with it (Many many vouchers). These included massages, swimming, free cocktails (Happy hour whatever the hour !) and a tuk tuk driver at our desposal. Oh yeah and the ancient ruins ! The temples are stunning as a few photos should hopefully give you an idea, the pyramids have nothing on this place in our opinion ! [View Full Entry]

Jonandjacky - Jon O | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
177 Words | 3 Comment(s) | 3 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: May 25th 2008 | 122 Views | [diary=279608]

Monkey
Temple detail

Day 33 Siam Reap The home of the world heritage Temples of Angkor (made famous by the Tomb raider films). Up bright and early after a good sleep we grabbed a couple bagettes for the road and eventually located our pickup to the bus station waiting out in the street. We arrived in Siam reap after a 6.5 hour bus ride from Phenom Penh ($4.50 each) to a milling pack of competing tuk tuk drivers. Being the only westerners on the bus were considered a prime target, a walking ATM or dollar sign for them. After much shouting, sceaming and even [View Full Entry]

Carly and Jez - Carly and Jez's Adventure's | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
819 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 24 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: June 3rd 2008 | 156 Views | [diary=276491]

Nice manchengoes
Jez at Bantaey Kdae
Us and the kids who blackmailed us

There isn't a train connecting Phnom Penh with Siem Reap so we were doomed to another long, hot and stinky bus ride. It was dark and raining when we arrived at the bus station and the ground was covered with mud. Tuk Tuk drivers fought with each other for our attention, some going as far as offering a free ride, hoping for a chance to be our driver for our entire stay. We decided to ride with a sweet little guy named Maury, who offered us a ride to the hotel for one dollar US. Cambodia does have it's own currency- [View Full Entry]

jenniferlpaul - jennifer paul | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
669 Words | 1 Comment(s) | 9 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: May 24th 2008 | 130 Views | [diary=279589]

Me at Angkor Wat
Smaller Angkor temple
A peaceful sleep

By arinkelli
May 13th 2008

Camodia AKON!!!!

 Asia » Cambodia » North » Angkor
Well it all started with a bus ride from the bangkokal. Left on a long bus ride to the border of thailand n cambodia. From the lonely planet guide book, Rod gaves us to borrow (thats a version from 1999) said that crossing the border of cambodia later than noon isnt safe and that terriosists rob taxi cars with AK 47s. Oh shit,,,,we took the advice not knowing what to expect on the other side only to find out that its safe just a bumpy ride to siem reap. The ruins were amazing and the photos we placed do no justice [View Full Entry]

arinkelli - kelli | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
150 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 50 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: May 20th 2008 | 82 Views | [diary=275612]

Photo 2
Photo 3
Photo 4

Buddha Eyes over an Impoverished Nation So just as my year of teaching in China was coming to an unexpected end due to visa problems, my sister Jen and her fiance Dean were flying to south-east Asia to do some traveling, and since I was only a 2 hour flight away, I couldn't NOT go to meet up with them! And I have never been one to turn down yet another visit to one of the most spectacular complexes of ancient ruins in the world, Angkor Wat. I have always cited Cambodia as one of my top-5 travel destinations. Besides the [View Full Entry]

nickkembel - Nick Kembel | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
1578 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 37 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: January 5th 2009 | 38 Views | [diary=360177]

The Dirt Road into Cambodia
Siem Reap
Nick, Angkor Wat

We arrived in Siem Reap and made straight for Dead Fish, a guesthouse chosen by Pascal (who we’d met in Phonsavan, then again in Saigon and Kratie) who had arrived a day earlier. It’s a slightly odd place, the rooms named after other hotels. Our room was the Hyatt, the Holiday Inn was just down the corridor. The oddness didn’t end in the guesthouse, the attached restaurant had multi levels and pulley systems running between the decks to carry food around. Oh and a pond with live crocodiles in one corner. We were off out reasonably early the next day on [View Full Entry]

swampgoi - Paul Swanbury | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
672 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 28 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: May 10th 2008 | 148 Views | [diary=273151]

Ta Som
Ta Prohm
Angkor Wat

By Tina B
May 5th 2008

The temples of Angkor

 Asia » Cambodia » North » Angkor
Phnom Bakheng
Phnom Bakheng
Sunset from the top of Phnom Bakheng
So we spent sunset at Phnom Bakheng, catching our first sight of Angkor Wat. After a short time we went back to the hotel to change before going into town, and watching Fulham win again. Amazing - we are now out of the bottom three and it all comes down to the last game. After a few hours sleep we were up at 4.30 am to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Sat by a lake and saw the reflection of the temple while the sun rose - beautiful. We then walked around the temple with virtually no one else there. [View Full Entry]

Tina B - Tina Barrett | Read The Full Entry | Subscribe
236 Words | 0 Comment(s) | 18 Photo(s) | 0 Video(s)
Published: May 5th 2008 | 58 Views | [diary=273093]

Phnom Bakheng
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat