Siem Reap

After Phnom Penh we headed north to Siem Reap. The main attraction here are the temples of Angkor. We gave ourselves three days to see the temples which are many. We could have easily spent more time there, but there is only so much you can absorb at one time. Many of the temples are huge and all together they include over 400 years of history. Honestly, they are worthy of at least a weeklong trip all by themselves.

Since we're on a tight budget we decided to rent bicycles to get to and around the temples instead of hiring a tuk tuk. This was a challenge because the temples are about 12k from Siem Reap. When you factor in round trip, the oppresive heat, and the distance between the temples (they are pretty spread out) we were pretty tired by the end of the day. We're in pretty good shape at this point in the trip, but by the end of the second day we realized we were physically incapable of biking another day and we committed to shelling out the cash for the tuk tuk the next day.

We didn't regret it. Angkor is one of the highlights of a trip that's been pretty incredible every step of the way. For the first time we arrived at the temples fresh and ready to explore (except for our badly aching butts). The sheer size and beauty of them was magnificent. Some were overgrown with trees, their roots sprawled out over walls and rocks which only added to the ancient mystery of the ruins.

At it's peak Angkor included dozens of active temples and was close in size to modern day Los Angeles. As many as one million people lived in this area. To support this population they created an extensive system of irrigation that was unmatched in its time.

Cambodians are very proud of Angkor which is apparent in their modern day culture. There is a picture of Angkor Wat on the countries flag, Cambodians drink Angkor beer, there are Angkor restaurants and guest houses, etc. It is everywhere and if you ever make it to Angkor you will understand why.