Words & Photos by David Lee
One of the great benefits of living in Singapore is the opportunity to take weekend trips to some of the most exotic locations in the world. One weekend, we jumped on a flight with our friends (and neighbors) and headed to Cambodia to tour Angkor.
Angkor had been on our list of places to see for a long time. It definitely one of the places everyone must see before they kick. One hear about places that have a mystical quality but few really live up to the hype. Angkor does.
Whether it is the incredible architectural design, the miles of detailed reliefs and sculptures, the architecture that makes the buildings look different almost every moment of the day, or just the shear volume of temples; Angkor is one of the great travel experiences.
For photo hounds, it is the kind of place that allows almost every photograph to be spectacular. Angkor Wat is the best known temple and is often the moniker given to the entire site. In truth, there are more than 200 structures over 77 square miles. Some of the most famous images associated with Angkor are from sites other than Angkor Wat including the faces of Angkor Thom and the temples of Ta Prohm which provide those unforgettable shots of trees breaking through and intertwining with the temple structures.
What we learned very quickly is that unless you are there to earn your archeology degree and can spend years studying every detail; you are not going to be able to truly appreciate Angkor entirely. So don’t try. There are simply too many temples. It is a bit like trying to visit all the cathedrals in Europe in a week. It overwhelms you while, at the same time, desensitizing you. The smart way to play it is to hire a guide who can listen to what you want and take you to the best places at the best times.
We also learned that the time of day that you visit a particular site is very important. Heidi and our friend Bev visited Ta Prohm in the morning while Sammie and I went in the late afternoon. The pictures and impressions of the site were almost entirely different. Angkor Wat itself is best in the late afternoon because of the spectacular, ever-changing show of color as the sun sets over it. Most of the other sites, with the exception of Phnom Bekang are best visited in the morning.
Phnom Bakeng is a fun site at Angkor that is special not just for its ruins but for the way people gather in the evening. It is at the top of a small but rugged hill. Here one can climb up the steep side or elect to be carried up by elephant. Look out for the elephant traffic jams as there are often several going up and coming down at the same time. The scariest part for us was when a family had mistakenly decided to walk back down the elephant trail and got into the middle of small pile up. The father nearly got stepped on. They then wisely decided to walk back up and start down the path for humans (and monkeys). Prohm Bakeng provides an over look for the entire Siem Reap area including a great skyline view of the Angkor Wat temple while you and about a hundred others wait for the sun to set. We went on the second day, but we recommend you go on the last evening of your visit to make it linger in your memory.
While Angkor is the great attraction in Siem Reap, there are a lot of other things to see. We had a great guide who suggested that after two days of touring temples, we get out and see some of the life around the city. Specifically, he suggested we visit a floating village near the banks of Lake Tonle Sap.
Lake Tonle Sap is a massive lake. During the rainy season, the Mekong River, in a great oddity of geography, flows backward flooding its tributaries and raising the level of the lake. This was occurring when we were there, so we viewed the floating village at its height. It was a great side trip not only for the glimpse of village life but also for the vast beauty of the lake.
The top off for the tour is the visit to a souvenir shop / zoo boat near the mouth of the river. Here travelers can find any goofy trinket they wish to buy. Just look out for the made in China tags. You will also find a vat of what at first look like mad piranha but turn out to be hungry trout and a pit of 12-13 alligators (or crocodiles whichever are the smaller ones).
Another very interesting place to visit in Siem Reap is the Artists D’Angkor. It is a school where they bring in talented artists from rural communities and teach them a craft. Many of the people are handicapped or otherwise impaired. Their practice for developing their craft is to join an assembly line of mass produced Cambodian art that is priced well enough to allow the school to make a small profit. It is hand crafted and good quality and, more important, it is for a good cause.
Finally, if you have the money, we recommend the Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor. Suffice it to say, this hotel lives up to the Raffles name. Built in 1920, it is in the French colonial style and is more intimate than its sister in Singapore. The food is fantastic, the service is great, and the atmosphere is truly a unique experience. Unfortunately, we could not afford to stay there, but if you can afford it, you should. We stayed at the Le Meridian which is a bit closer to the sites at Angkor. It is a larger hotel and a bit disjointed, but the service was first rate and the rooms were comfortable, a great alternative for middle income folks.
About David Lee
David is Executive Producer of intotheSoup.com and Professor of Global Hospitality Operations at the Art Institute of Phoenix. He has lived and travelled throughout Europe, Asia, and Central America but is longing to go to Africa. David has been in the travel industry for 13 years with American Express as, among other things, Director of Global Airline Strategy for Asia Pacific and a Principal Consultant for the Advisory Services Consulting group. David led Business Development for iExplore.com with National Geographic and managed Leisure Tours Strategy at Sabre Holdings. He holds a Masters in International Management from Thunderbird, the School for Global Management and a Business degree from Washington University, St. Louis.
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