We added a short visit to Cambodia on our recent Singapore trip (see last week’s blog if you missed out on Singapore!) with the sole purpose of visiting Angkor Wat – the world’s largest sacred building.
Siem Reap is the gateway to Angkor Wat, and a short flight and easily accessible from Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok or Singapore.
Siem Reap is a beautiful city – spacious and pretty with a large river, streets lined with trees and architecture with a strong French influence. It’s a mixture of East meets West which is intriguing. There are great accommodation options to suit all budgets, luxurious spa resorts and the food is a fantastic fusion of different cultures. There’s lots to explore and restaurants, bars and markets are aplenty and the people are lovely and always smiling.
But the real draw card is the World Heritage listed Angkor Wat – ones of the world’s most spectacular temples and an area that spans over 500 acres. Angkor Wat was built in the 12th Century to honour the Hindu God, Vishnu by the Khmers. However, the temple was converted to being Buddhist in the 13th Century so the temple houses statues and features religious artifacts worshipping both religions, which is highly unusual.
Angkor Wat means “Temple City” and has a central tower which stands 213 foot tall, surrounded by four smaller towers and then a series of enclosure walls and finally a 200m moat. The structure is amazing and will take your breath away.
Nearby Angkor Thom and the Bayon Temple are equally remarkable. All are set in jungle, steeped in history and quite different to anything I’ve seen before, and I loved every minute of absorbing.
It really is amazing part of the world and it feels strange to see new ruins still being reclaimed from overgrown jungle, which has helped to keep it all well preserved over such a long period of time. The photos don’t do it justice, but have included few extra this week to try and give you a taste of what to expect!
My time in Cambodia was short but it was a fascinating country and one that I shall definitely return back to, so that I can explore exotic Phnom Penh and also look at adding on a side-trip to Laos at the same time.
So if you’re journeying to Vietnam, Thailand or Singapore, think about adding on a few extra days and take in Cambodia – you certainly won’t be disappointed!
