The Best Trip

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The other night at a group dinner, a friend asked about the best place I have ever been. Here is my answer. The tumbled, jungle-clad ruins of Angkor Thom are intensely atmospheric and have long lured travelers. The sprawling complex of temples, gates and monuments, decorated with carvings, was built between the 9th and 14th centuries, when the Khmer civilization was at the height of its power. The largest and most famous temple of them all is the breathtaking Angkor Wat – watching the sunrise as its striking silhouette is mirrored in the still waters of the reflection pool is the ultimate experience. The beautiful Bayon Temple, evocative jungle-strangled Ta Prohm and pink-sandstone Banteay Srei are other must-sees.
I have made the trek to Cambodia and Angkor Wat three times. Ta Prohm is my favorite. We now have friends there as well. How did we ever decide to visit?
On our first trip to SE Asia, namely Bangkok, we were at a shabby lunch counter in a grocery store. As we spoke to several other travelers, many asked us if we planned to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Guess what? It became part of our itinerary on our next visit about a year later.
Little did we know that it would become my favorite place to visit in the entire world.
UNESCO's brief description:
Angkor, in Cambodia’s northern province of Siem Reap, is one of the most important archaeological sites of Southeast Asia. It extends over approximately 400 square kilometers and consists of scores of temples, hydraulic structures (basins, dykes, reservoirs, canals) as well as communication routes. For several centuries Angkor was the center of the Khmer Kingdom. With impressive monuments, several different ancient urban plans and large water reservoirs, the site is a unique concentration of features testifying to an exceptional civilization. Temples such as Angkor Wat, the Bayon, Preah Khan and Ta Prohm, exemplars of Khmer architecture, are closely linked to their geographical context as well as being imbued with symbolic significance. The architecture and layout of the successive capitals bear witness to a high level of social order and ranking within the Khmer Empire. Angkor is therefore a major site exemplifying cultural, religious and symbolic values, as well as containing high architectural, archaeological and artistic significance.

The park is inhabited, and many villages, some of whom the ancestors date back to the Angkor period are scattered throughout the park. The population practices agriculture and more specifically rice cultivation.

The complex includes 72 temples in over 400 acres. Guiness considers it the world's largest religious complex.

Just one aspect of the visit is difficult for me to imagine. And that is what life was like back when this was built and first inhabited.

On the down side, Siem Reap has turned from a sleepy little village type of town to an "electric" avenue extravaganza, full of restaurants, food and trinket vendors, loud music, and too many tourists. But it would never stop me from visiting again!

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