Cambodia ( Siem Reap )
Siem Reap is the city built to support tourism
to the majestic Angkor temples and ruins, which
attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Built within easy reach of the
majority of the temples, Siem Reap is just far
enough away to prevent casual damage to these
long-lasting pillars of an ancient civilization.
Seen in isolation Siem Reap is a thriving little
city, with a number of shopping and leisure
opportunities, including busy markets and
extremely well-stocked bookshops. But the town
pales in comparison to the wonders of Angkor. Siem Reap is serviced by an attractive low-slung
and extremely efficient airport where tourists
disembark from other destinations in Asia.
Tourists can also choose to enter the city by
bus from Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, or
river boat, both of which are much cheaper than
flying and also allow visitors the chance to
observe live along the river.
Attractions
There is so much to see and do in Angkor that
any tourist would be well-advised to set aside
at least three days to capture most of the temples. The majority of the temples,
including three of the best known temples –
Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Angkor Thom – are
within easy range of Siem Reap and tourists can
choose to hire a bicycle, a tuk-tuk, a tourist
bus or even a car to see them.
Angkor Wat is a magnificent structure and is
surrounded by an enormous wall and moat. It is
also surrounded at every entrance – as most of
the temples are – by a swarm of local vendors
selling food, drinks and souvenirs. It is a
favourite place of many to watch the sun rise.
Ta Prohm meanwhile, is the temple that the
jungle took back, and also where a Hollywood
filmmaker chose to film scenes for the movie
Tomb Raider. The temple is literally overgrown
by trees – some of which stand on top of
buildings and have sent their roots down through
the structures into the ground.
Some of the other notable temples like Banteay
Srai and Beng Melea require a little more
planning because they are further away from Siem
Reap and will need either a committed motorcycle
rider, tour bus or hired car to reach. But they
are both worth it: Banteay Srai showcases some
of the finest stone carving to be seen in all
Southeast Asia, while Beng Melea is similar to
Ta Prohm, only bigger and less-visited.
Shopping
Siem Reap may well be the temples but that
should not stop visitors from browsing the town
looking for bargains, which can be had in
a number of places. The town is home to a number
of quality bookstores that have titles in a
myriad of languages, especially English, and
wily travelers moving on to other parts of Asia
would be well-advised to pick up a copy of
whichever Lonely Planet they want. These
knock-off copies can be had for as little as
US$3, far cheaper than the genuine article and
they are offered everywhere.
There is also an intriguing market just off the
main tourist strip in central Siem Reap that has
clothing, local food and shoes available but be
warned – the shop owners deal with lots of
tourists and know how to drive a hard bargain.
My advice – if you do not like the price you are
being offered simply walk away, it’s the best
way to find out if a shop owner is really giving
you a good price.
