The 15 Most Memorable Attractions In Cambodia

Malerie Yolen-Cohen

http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Posted: 01/25/2013 

Ever since Angelina Jolie swung through temple ruins in Cambodia as Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, the place has been crawling with tourists. Siem Reap, the town closest to a vast complex of ancient Hindu/Buddhist Temples, is in fact a tourist bubble (with 127 hotels from hostel to ultra luxe) within an otherwise fearful, unkempt country. Pockets of opulence exist, but visitors should not turn a blind eye to reality in Cambodia. A good tour guide - or good itinerary - will show you everything.

1. Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap Cambodia; Everyone does it; you'd be amazed by how many tourists show up at 5:30am. You just have to know how to beat the crowds and where to sit for optimal unobstructed viewing. (Hint - get off the main walkway and sit on the steps of the outpost buildings). Angkor Wat, built over the course of thirty years in the 1100's as a home for King Suryavarman II after his death, was unknown and undiscovered until France colonized Cambodia in the mid 1800's. What they uncovered in the midst of the jungle, both overgrown and somewhat well-preserved, is now considered one of the Wonders of the World. A good tour guide will direct you to the magnificent bas-relief walls depicting many levels of heaven and hell - some quite gruesome - and to some of the 1,800 seductive Dancing Maidens carvings. One warning; beware of monkeys. They swarm the place and will grab stuff out of your hands (a few were enjoying tearing up a guidebook when we visited), and come after you if you dis them.

2. Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Locals pronounce this temple "Uncle Tom," and though it hasn't been restored to the degree of Angkor Wat, it does have several interesting elements. Angkor Thom's defining feature is an entry bridge flanked by 54 stone warriors who seem to be playing tug-of-war with the sacred Naga Snake. Most of the warriors' heads are missing (pop-up head, great photo op!), taken by looters after the Vietnam War. Bas reliefs here have less to do with the afterlife and more of the day to day aspect of this one; men playing chess, women cooking and having babies, a "Monkey 69" (use your imagination). "That would have never been on my father's Metropolitan Museum of Art Tour," quipped a friend.

3. Ta Prohm, Siem Reap, Cambodia; The "Tomb Raider" Temple, which was left as found - crumbling walls intertwined with tree roots - to show tourists the state in which the rest of the surrounding temples were discovered. See more beautiful pictures and read the full article at The Huffington Post.