Siem Reap.... temples of Angkor

On Monday, we moved from Phnom Phen to Siem Reap where the Angkor Wat temples that are located. Siem Reap is a city completely different that the capital of Cambodia. Angkor Wat is the main attraction from Cambodia, and you can find here any kind of accommodation and facility for the western people. There is even a zone in the center full of restaurants and design bars that reminds me more some village in the Spanish coast rather than Cambodia.

The food here is very good. People says that in Cambodia, the people really appreciate and take care of the food, so they know what is it when you can not eat like when there was the "Khmer rouge" regime 30 years ago. We tried everything: Khmer Amok, Lok Lak... like all the Asia's food, it's plenty of vegetables and always served with rice.

Yesterday we went all the day to visit the Angkor temples. Angkor Wat are a group of temples built around the ancient city of Angkor Thom by powerful Khmer kings during the ninth century. Angkor in Khmer means big. It took 300 years to finish them. During the 15th century they were abandoned during the invasion by Siam and forgotten about until French explorers rediscovered them in the nineteenth century. During these time that was abandoned the Nature kept his finger print and several trees grew between the stones of the temples like snakes. Now, the combination of the nature with the temples, their beautiful statues and multilayered towers remain as one of the seven man-made wonders of the world.

We woke up at 4:15 to see the sunrise in Angkor Wat, but unfortunately it was cloudy and we couldn't see anything, but at least it was not too hot. But we stayed until 5pm with the fastest tuk-tuk driver of Siem Riep visiting temples. It was a very nice day, the temples were impressive! Sometimes you feel like if you are inside an Indiana Jones movie...

Today has been a lazy day in Siem Reap, tomorrow Battambang, north west of Cambodia, close to Thailand.


Evening in Siem Reap




Temple of Ta Prohm