Angkor Wat

Trip Start Sep 04, 2006
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Trip End Aug 20, 2007


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Flag of Cambodia  ,
Friday, December 29, 2006

After 2 weeks having fun on the beaches in Thailand, it felt strangely good to get the ruck-sacks back on and to be heading to our next country, Cambodia. Unfortunately, this would entail an overland border crossing, something we have become all too familiar with; they will take twice as long as you are told by the guy selling the ticket, their ideas of 'luxury' and 'air-conditioned' buses are very different to ours, there will be a scam in every transaction you make and the vehicles will be held together by a wing and a prayer - you might as well just accept it all with a smile and try to enjoy the ride!
 

The road condition from the Cambodian border to Siem Reap is a travellers' fable; pot-holes, bum-numbing 20 mph, breakdowns and zero suspension - all were true! Thankfully for us, the great group of people on our overcrowded bus ensured we all arrived in good spirits 01 First view of the infamous Angkor Wat.
01 First view of the infamous Angkor Wat.
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We stopped at Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples. These were built by the Khmer Kings as the focal point of their capital cities between 9th-14th centuries. They were then abandoned to nature and were overgrown by jungles, only coming to the attention of the world about a century ago. Most have been destroyed over time, significantly by the Khmer Rouge in the 70's but thankfully extensive restoration means that many are now as they were originally. We spent 3 days exploring the temples, spending an hour or so at each and cycling around the area. The scale of some are vast, and the detailed carvings depict scenes from Khmer life. This is a truly awe-inspiring wonder of the world and is a great source of national pride; it's on the Cambodian flag and they've even named their favourite beer after it!
 
 
 
 
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Comments

ianboak
ianboak on Dec 28, 2006 at 01:07PM

Happy Xmas and Happy New Year
Afternoon Chaz and Sonia ... just had a quick update of your travels, have to say Nepal sounded fantastic, think we may start looking into a trip there.

We are just sitting in southampton airport awaiting our delayed flight to Alderney, where we are going for a few days relaxation ... can't wait to get away from the wetherspoon pubs!!

Glad to hear all is well. Hope you have a great new year. All the best, Ian & Amy x

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