"Angkor Wat" a Angkor Wat Travel Page by leffe3

What an extraordinary place. The extensive ruins of an ancient kingdom, like so many places in the world, lost for centuries before being rediscovered by intrepid 19th and early 20th century explorers (Angkor, Petra, the Nile Delta, Mayan & Inca ruins to name but a few). But more recent tragic events (Pol Pot and the Khmere Rouge) kept Angkor out of view to the modern traveller until very recently - consequently, Angkor has yet to become the mass tourism site that it will, eventually, become.

Angkor (Thom & Wat) is only part of an extensive ancient kingdom going back centuries. The Rolous Group to the east is the oldest remaining remains - many of the buildings pre-9th century were made from semi-permanent materials and have been lost. Brick and sandstone constructions at Lolei and Bakong have survived the ravages of history and nature. But it is in Angkor Thom and, in particular the 12th century Angkor Wat that, according to critics, we see the 'pinnacle' of Khmer architecture.

The Angkor sites are some 4kms east of the village of Siem Reap - a sleepy little town on the banks of the Siem Reap river. At the moment, whilst serving tourism, it has yet to be overrun (although this will undoubtedly change in time). A few kms to the south is the Tonle Sap lake (point of arrival by ferry from Phnom Penh) and the floating Vietnamese village. Between the town and lake shores is an incredibly lush and verdant countryside and, probably, the site of many more yet to be discovered ruins.

As a religious site, Angkor remains the home of monks and novices, and throughout the area the incredible-hued orange robes can be seen, juxtaposed against the greys of the stone of the monuments and the green of the jungle.

It is appropriate that the key symbol of Angkor Thom is the enigmatic 'smile' of the carvings of the Bayon. Historians/architects etc still argue as the exact purpose of this huge structure.