"SIEM REAP--GATEW ..." a Khett Siem Reab Travel Page by wanderingbilly

SIEM REAP IS THE GATEWAY TO THE STUNNING HISTORIC TEMPLES OF ANGKOR. THIS IS A PLACE THAT HAS LIVED LONG IN MY MIND THAT I WOULD SOMEDAY LOVE TO VISIT.. NOW THAT DREAM HAS COME TRUE AND ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT ANGKOR AND ITS MANY TEMPLES WILL LIVE FOREVER IN MY MEMORY AS A TRULY GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT HUMAN BEINGS ARE CAPABLE OF. TO BE ABLE TO WALK AROUND WHAT IS THE WORLDS LARGEST RELIGOUS MONUMENT IS NOTHING SHORT OF BREATHAKING..THE CARVINGS THE TEMPLES AND THE 1000 YEAR HISTORY WILL HAVE YOU CRYING OUT FOR MORE.. WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME WHEN ANGKOR HAS NEVER BEEN SO POPULAR BUT IT IS STILL POSSIBLE TO BEAT THE CROWDS AND SAVOUR THESE TREASURES IN PEACE.
TO GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE OF BEATING THE COACH PARTIES MAKE SURE YOU START EARLY..VERY EARLY. AFTER SUNRISE AT ANGKOR WE FOUND THE REST OF THE TEMPLES QUIET..THIS IS WHEN THE BULK OF TOURISTS GO BACK TO THEIR HOTELS FOR BREAKFAST..THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO MAKE THE MOST OF SOME QUIET TIME AND TAKE IN THE TEMPLES AT YOUR LEISURE...AND GET THOSE PHOTOS IN PEACE.
AS FOR SIEM REAP, WELL THIS ONCE QUIET LITTLE TOWN ON THE FRINGES OF ANGKOR WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN..MASS TOURISIM HAS ARRIVED. EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK THERE ARE NEW FIVE STAR HOTELS GOING UP AND NEW BARS AND RESTAURANTS OPENING.
BUT SOMEHOW IN THE MIDST OF ALL THIS CHANGE SIEM REAP HAS A SORT OF CHARM THAT DRAWS YOU IN AND MAKES YOU FEEL VERY VERY WELCOME...THE NIGHT LIFE IS FANTASTIC AND BAR STREET IS THE PERFECT PLACE TO HAVE A GOOD MEAL AND A DRINK AND REFLECT ON ANOTHER WONDERFUL DAY. CAMBODIA NEEDS TOURISTS AND TOURISTS WANT TO SEE CAMBODIA AND THE TEMPLES OF ANGKOR..
AND THERE IS NO BETTER BASE TO PLAN YOUR TRIP THAN SIEM REAP..
A BASE TO SEE ONE OF THE TRUE WONDERS OF THE WORLD...
ANGKOR WAT.

WHEN IN THE SIEM REAP AREA PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU TAKE TIME OUT TO GO AND SEE THE RIVER OF A THOUSAND LINGAS AT KBAL SPEAN.
IMAGES OF THE GODS HAVE BEEN CARVED INTO THE RIVERBED ALONG A 150 METER STRETCH OF THE RIVER.
ALL THIS WAS DONE SOMETIME AROUND THE 11TH TO 12TH CENTURIES,
AND WAS ONLY DICOVERED IN 1968 BY JEAN BOULBET.
CIVAL WAR HAS MEANT THAT THIS HISTORIC PLACE WAS OFF LIMITS FOR MANY YEARS AND ONLY BECAME SAFE AGAIN TO VISIT IN 1998.
THE WALK THOROUGH THE WOODS TO SEE THE CARVINGS IS WELL WORTH IT... SEE MY THINGS TO DO SECTION FOR MORE INFORMATION.

ONE THING YOU WILL SEE LOTS OF WHEN YOU VISIT THE TEMPLES OF ANGKOR ARE KIDS..
SOME PEOPLE SEE THEM AS A HASSLE.. SOME SEE THEM AS POOR KIDS TRYING TO MAKE SOME MONEY OF "RICH" TOURISTS.
WE FOUND THEM TO BE VERY SMART, QUICK WITTED AND FULL OF INFO..
BUT NEVER EVER RUDE.. YES THEY ARE OUT TO MAKE A BIT OF MONEY, AFTER ALL THESE ARE VERY POOR PEOPLE AND THEY DO NEED MONEY TO LIVE...PLEASE NEVER JUST GIVE THEM MONEY, THEY WILL COME TO EXPECT FREE HANDOUTS FROM EVERY TOURIST THAT COMES THEIR WAY..ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOU GET SOMETHING IN RETURN FOR YOUR MONEY LIKE LITTLE HANDICRAFTS OR INFO ON THE TEMPLE YOU ARE AT, THIS TEACHES THE KIDS TO WORK AND MAKE THINGS FOR MONEY, AND NOT TO EXPECT FREE HANDOUTS AS THEIR RIGHT. BUT PLEASE PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOU DONT WANT THE THINGS THEY ARE SELLING OR YOU DONT WANT THEM FOLLOWING YOU AROUND THEN A SIMPLE "NO THANK YOU" WILL DO THE TRICK, THERE IS NO NEED TO BE RUDE TO THEM..
AFTER ALL THEY ARE ONLY CHILDREN.