Angkor Wat, Siem Reap

This place is absolutely fantastic!!! It was my dream since I was 14 and I finally made it reality two years ago. I choose that destination for my honeymoon so it was even more special to me. You really have to go there! For me it really was living a dream. The atmosphere is great, it is so peaceful... The temples are among nature, trees grow out of the ruins, monkeys play freely near Angkor Thom. The best of the best is of course Angkor Wat that I discovered at dusk: it was trully magic!!! Just go there, you won't regret it. It was definitely worth the flight tickets and the time. I wrote a great article about my experience on my blog, you can find it with the key words 'myactioncoach' and 'angkor'. Thanks for reading! Sylvia Gautier Proactive Life Coaching

Angkor is the largest religious site in the world and the soul of Khmer nation. The photo with the tree is Taprohm temple, another in small circuit not inside Angkor Thom, it's the temple where Tomb Raider was filmed. Angkor Tom was the last former capital of Khmer empire, which covers an area of 9 square km, it composes many temples in this compound, including the famous temple of Bayon with many towers and faces. Bayon's my favorite temple.

I got married at Angkor Wat ( Wat means Temple ) in 1995 and traveled there not as a tourist many many times my longest stay was 4 months, my family is Cambodian and myself am a white male. As stated in my previous article there are some wonders to be enjoyed in country but you are in a country that for the most part is lawless I myself have paid off numerous police and agencys for their services. One example I can give to all new arrivals is when you land and wait in the visa line wave a cop over and give him 20 or 30 dollars and you will be given a visa asap. Anyone who is stupid enough to expose anything of value is asking for it to be ripped off your neck. Cambodia and Angkor may look safe and feel safe but the have nots are watching you no bulls--t I know this my mother in law still visits her family once a year. All who are thinking of going I suggest you search the Phnom Penh post and look at the police blotter and also the Dept. of state web site for info. Granted Cambodia may have calmed down a bit as far as bullets flying but the vast majority of the population is dirt poor and they do not like it and view westerners as banks grab bags easy pickings and right they are. So if you go keep your eyes open and your neck on a swivel maybe you will enjoy the sights because that is all Cambodia has to offer. I myself have seen alot of nasty in Cambodia so my opinion is based on experience so for what it is worth good luck and always carry alot of Cambodia Reil you will need it due to all the beggars and all the people with limbs and eyes missing due to the Khmer Rouge and land mines especially at Angkor they know where the tourists go. Sincerly, One who's been.

Angkor is an ancient city name for the Khmer Empire that ruled much of Southeast Asia for almost 500 years (between 9-14th cent). Ancient Cambodians (called Khmer back then) were exceptionally skillful with craftsmanship and highly innovative. They were able to take Indian's Hindu architecture and transformed it into unique Khmer styles. Angkor Wat and many hundreds other temples stood or still standing in Siem Reap today are evidences that cannot be disputed. I have been to Angkor, Siem Reap, six times, and each time it's almost like an entirely brand new trip. There are just so much to see and learn. Just Angkor Wat alone is 1.8 sq km. Even though the five main towers is the main focus point for most tourists, the area surrounding them is no less important and providing adventurous feeling if one has time to visit (I once walked the entire perimeter of the temple). The people are amazingly nice. Even though many kids will try to sell you things (most of the time at a very good price), they are also very helpful at providing information even if you didn't buy their goods. Compared to neighboring Vietnam or Thailand, Cambodian people are most selfless. Given its large area, ranging between 400-700 sq km, Angkor can give visitors a real sense of satisfaction, a sense of adventure where jungle is just a few steps from the temple ruins. If you are a first time visitor, the inner Angkor complex is recommended for visiting, but if you have been there before, I recommend that you take a little adventure to sites such as Banteay Srei, Phnom Kulen, Rolous temple complex. These sites were created from different period of the empire, which will give you a better understanding of how vast and diversify the Khmers were. If you are looking for an adventurous, memorable trip, Angkor will guarantee just that. By Khmer Pride

I took an exact photograph of the very picture accompanying this article - along with about 200 others on my second visit to this fabulous site. The architecture is impressive in spite of having alternatively been vandalized by the Hindus and the Buddhists. I have been all over Asia including three trips to Cambodia, lugging my Nikon D700 [expensive] and have never had a problem. I've taken it into town in the evening when I went to dinner and my walk home in the dark. I've found the Khmer people unfailingly kind and generous - with a few exceptions - and have had only minor problems. I would strongly recommend visiting both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. I would not again visit Sihanoukville - it's overrun by Russians [gangsters!?] and IF you do visit do NOT eat the very tasty salads at the dozens of mini-restaurants on the beach. I got one heck of a case of gastroenteritis and it's no fun. If you go and want excellent accommodations for a small price there is no better than Mother Home Guest House. It's a four star accommodation [including breakfast] for a one star price. The owner, Mr. Kimleang, is the perfect host.

Those who haven't been there shouldn't post bad comments about this place or any place... Before ever visiting Angkor, I just thought it was another very old building. But after visiting it in 2007, my thought changed completely... Of course the whole trip to Cambodia wasn't all that pleasant; ran into fraudsters, and a few rude people. But there were also friendly people, interesting transportations, good food, and a rich culture to discover. Angkor Wat was unlike anything I've come across... walking through it, I felt I was walking into the past; the beautiful structures, amazing carvings that told the story of the people in that era... The place was magnificent. The land and man made water channel that surrounded the land and the ruin. The long stone walkway and rail... leading to the most amazing ruins. I don't know how other felt. But i felt like i was there, in the past. I could see how the people lived, the culture, how the Apsara dancers came to live.... so beautiful...... I'm hoping to experience it again someday... I would recommend this place for all travelers. Advise thou, research locations and prices so you wouldn't get ripped off. Blend in, and don't make yourself look like a tourist. Stay in contact with the people you're with and the people at the hotel. Try different foods at different stands and restaurants. Meet and talk to different people to understand their lifestyle and culture better... And lastly... Enjoy yourself... It is a vacation...

I can not believe how people during that time built such an amazing compound. It was about 1 kilometer square. It look perfect from every corner. If we look from an airplane, it look like a painting picture. It is one of the world's best architect. How could they use millions of stones putting on top each other made an incredible building without any machine.

Incredible,,, Gave me real insight to the fact that the ancient population developed world wide. Romans, South Americans, Asians developed water ways and waste water ways all in their own different ways...All ingenius in their own ways... Angkor Wat is as impressive as the Pyramids considering work involved and thought processes. I loved imagining the area in its prime with a mass population living amongst where the forest now is and was. UNFORGETTABLE...

In Siem Reap campus is really have many temples it 's really over 3000 temples and in Cambodia have many temple in other area.

The arts there are very beautiful.....:)....................... I heard there about 3000 temples located in Cambodia, is it true?