"Gateway to Angkor Wat" a Khett Siem Reab Travel Page by Ramonq

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Buried deep inside the hot and steamy Southeast-Asian jungle, lie the remnants of one of the world's greatest ancient civilisation. Scattered around the the vast expanse just north of Cambodia's Lake Tonle Sap, are ancient reminders of a kingdom that once flourished in this region around 1500 years ago. Many of the stone structures have been cleared from the encroaching jungles by the archaelogists; but there are still a few complexes where one can see huge overgrowth of banyan trees that have literally sprouted from the moss-covered walls. Like the Mayan city of Tikal, Guatemala, this is your classic "Lost City", a surreal vision that will haunt your travel memories forever.

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The ancient capital city of the Khmer Kingdom must have been outrageously spectacular in its heydey. Angkor is littered with these fantastic huge stone structures that are achingly beautiful and have symmetry and balance. If you look closer, the walls are finely decorated with exquisite bas-reliefs of Hindu goddesses and Khmer kings. And if you look at the big picture, the complex was actually a thriving city which was served by man-made canals, moats and fresh water lakes; and the artificial islands were connected by highly-decorated stone bridges. Angkor definitely has all the hallmarks of an advanced civilisation and it has always been a mystery why its inhabitants deserted it.

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One thing amazing about Angkor is that many of the edifices are still intact, unlike some of the Roman ruins in the Middle East where one has to imagine what the fallen ruins once looked like. Although some of the bas-reliefs have faded, you can still vividly observe the incredibly fine artworks that decorate the walls. The best examples can be seen in Bantay Srei, a small complex which lies on the ancient city's peripheries, 35 kms from Angkor Wat. Here the etchings appear to have been created only yesterday! And surprisingly, many of Angkor's imposing behive-like towers on top of the temples are still standing proudly despite the ravages of time. A shining testament that the ancient Khmers were great builders and artisans.

Angkor is a World Heritage archaelogical site, and therefore, the area is protected from urban encroachment. And the place where tourists base themselves is in the thriving new town of Siem Reap, a few kilometers from Angkor. It's a town which relies heavily on tourism and so, most of the commerce here are focused on the tourist service industry. Siem Reap is a pleasant place to while around because it has some sophisticated restaurants and bars to soothe the sweltering tourist hordes. There are hotels, guesthouses, backpackers' hostels etc that cater to every type of travellers. This is the place to organise your travel needs because everything that you basically want is in Siem Reap. The people of Siem Reap are not doing too badly for a country that's still mired in severe socio-economic problems. Thanks to Angkor for that.

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History

During prehistoric times, Neolithic man roamed around the whole Southeast Asian region. The land is fertile and it's in the crossroads of two great ancient Asian civilisation: Chinese and Indian. Trade and expansion of these civilisations gave rise to contact with the nomadic Khmer people resulting in the development of a unique Khmer culture which combined Indian and Chinese influences with the Indian culture predominating its religious, artistic, scientific and political spheres. Khmer city states blossomed in the steamy jungles of Southeast Asia but these feudalistic states were in constant war with each other

It was the rise of Jayavarma II in the 9th century who conquered and united these kingdoms and he planted the seeds of the Angkorian civilisation which began at Roluos. A dynastic kingdom flourished and each succeeding king added his legacy. Yasivarnab I moved the capital to present day Angkor. Barays(water reservoirs) were built and monumental temples which have a strong Indian influence, were constructed around the area. The peak of the Angkorian civilisation during the12th century gave rise to the construction of the venerable Angkor Wat by King Suryavarman II.

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Angkor forever

For a while the future of Angkor looked precarious during the late 1970's because of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge peasant thugs who had a particular dislike for advanced civilisations. Now that the people of Cambodia have realised the importance of Angkor to their well-being, the place is now lovingly protected and honoured with the help of the international community. Angkor provides so much pride for the beleaguered Khmers that its image totally dominates the Cambodian flag. Angkor also provide a much-needed livelihood to so many people living around it, particularly in Siem Reap. There are many enterprising children getting into the action by selling postcards and trinkets which is probably more character-building than begging. The people of Cambodia love their Angkor and that's why it's here to stay forever.