Angkor Wat: Tourists Do, Travelers Pass Through

Angkor Wat
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I love Cambodia and it is, undoubtedly, the best country I have ever traveled in. But I don't love it because of it's claim to fame - the astounding temples of Angkor, the site of the Khmer ancient capital. My blog's title may suggest that I think travelers should opt to skip the temples, but that would be a colossal mistake. Depending on who you ask, the temples of Angkor are some of the best sights in the world and the temple of Angkor Wat is considered by many to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. What I mean by "pass through" is that a real traveler should know that Siem Reap is not the real Cambodia. Of course, there are many things that you will see or experience that are distinctly Cambodian and it may be a good primer for the rest of your trip. But I think a real traveler should make time to go beyond the beaten track...in Cambodia, this makes more of a difference to your view of this country than you could ever imagine. Most people come to Cambodia and only got to Siem Reap and the capital city, Phenom Penh, before moving on to Thailand, Vietnam, or Laos. If you do this, you will find it difficult to reach the heart of Cambodia and really come to know and love the country and it's people.

The Bayon
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Siem Reap is the Cambodian version of KhoPha-Ngan, site of the famous full moon party in Thailand. Of course, there aren't the drunken idiots and blasting techno music, but there are tons of souvenirs and fancy restaurants that no Khmer person could ever afford to eat in. Siem Reap and Phenom Penh are really the only places in Cambodia where there are loads of tourists and so the locals in these cities act accordingly. Little children will beg or sell you books and trinkets and you are constantly harassed by them or their adult counterparts, the tuktuk and moto drivers. Buying these things jfrom the kids just encourages begging and most NGO's will tell you that if you support begging children and teens, you are helping to deprive them of a future. It's better to volunteer or donate money to a reputable NGO. Deciding who you will and won't give money to is a good thing to do before you come and see the pleading eyes and ragged clothes. These aspects of the two big cities also make it less enjoyable for a traveler, because the locals are more jaded and don't really make as many efforts to get to know you (this is with Siem Reap specifically). Siem Reap is designed to make the tourist's life easy, with western food and lots of English. Everyone comes for a few days to see the temples and then they move on.

Ta Phrom
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Of course, compared to other countries, the city of Siem Reap is far more relaxed and still retains some local flavor. But I think it's best to stay a few days and then move on to a small city in the country (or do as I did and begin your time in Cambodia spending a week or two in a smaller city). If you have this game plan, so to speak, Siem Reap will be far less annoying and you can just enjoy the temples and not worry about missing out on other things Cambodia has to offer. When I went, I stayed at a nice hotel called Garden Village Guesthouse, which was a 5 minute walk from the main strip of shops, bars, and backpacker guesthouses. I felt that this was a good decision as it was more quiet and there are many Khmers who actually live on the property. The rooms were nice and inexpensive (starting as low as $3), with a range of options and a great upstairs restaurant/bar...free Internet too! I am a firm believer that the choice of accommodations greatly affects your trip and the staff upstairs enjoyed helping me learn new Khmer words. These sorts of interactions keep the experience authentic.

When you come to Siem Reap, I would recommend getting a good moto driver to be your driver for the duration of your visit to the temples. There are many options, but a moto or tuktuk driver is most convenient and can get you easily to all the different temples, which are often many kilometers apart. You have to bargain hard and don't feel bad about it- no matter what you agree to, you will always be over paying. For two of us with a tuktuk (much cosier than a moto, but you can fit two on a moto and it is often cheaper...but not always!) we paid an average of 13.50 a day. Some people can get lower than that, but we did go to a few of the temples that were further away. We got a three day pass for the temples (40USD per person) and that felt like a perfect amount of time.

We went to the temples on the main circuits and stopped at a few others as we saw fit. All of the temples are unique and I actually found Angkor Wat to be the least impressive. It is in some of the best shape, but part of the fun of the other temples is that they are in the middle of jungle growth with trees pushing through the windows and climbing over the walls. My personal favorite was the Bayon temple, which is distinctive because of it's many carved faces. Ta Phrom is the best one for seeing the battle between the temples and the wilderness and BanteaySrai, a further flung temple with the best preserved carvings of them all. Another great reason to go to further temples is that you get to drive through the countryside and see the way locals live. It's fascinating and beautiful and represents the real Cambodia.

The Landmine Museum is also a good thing to do, very informative. It's on the way to BanteaySrai, so you can schedule it for a temple day and it will be cheaper to go (the entrance fee is only $1, but it is many kilometres from the city center). If you are interested in volunteering, the local hospital needs blood donated and there should be signs up at your hotel for various projects. My best memories of Cambodia are from when I volunteered at an orphanage. It's important to give back to the people here and help them as much as you can because they do live in abject poverty.

Going to Angkor Wat is a wonderful opportunity to see the glory of the Angkor Empire and to see truly unique temples. Out of all the temples I have seen, the Khmer style of architecture has made these my favorites. They look more like South American temples than Asian ones and the setting is spectacular. While there are tourists, it's not too overwhelming and I reccomend bringing a good book so that you can have a nice time just relaxing in a quiet ancient nook. Many people pack a lunch or bring snacks too. The temples are well worth the visit, but they only represent a part of Khmer culture and the country has much more to offer any traveler.