When I first went to Cambodia, I thought that Angkor Wat was the only temple there in Siem Reap. Angkor Wat is the most popular and the most magnificent of them all. There are so many temples around Siem Reap like Bayon, Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom and Banteay Srei that visitors will easily dub it as the city of temples.
When Pat Alberto and Joie Castro of Ark Travel asked me if I wanted to join them for a familiarization trip, I could not refuse the opportunity to see this magnificent city again. Our group was composed mainly of travel agents who were getting familiar with the place to sell tours to their clients. We examined a number of hotels and it was surprising to me that over 50 new hotels have been built since the last time I was there in 2003.
We first went to The Bayon, built in the early 13th century as the official state temple of the King Jayavarman VII. The Bayon stands at the center of Jayavarman’s capital, Angkor Thom. The Bayon’s most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and massive stone faces on the many towers, which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak and is the last state temple to be built at Angkor. Several other smaller temples and sights later, we headed to the grandest of them all — Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat is the most magnificent temple complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was built for the King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious center since its foundation — first Hindu, then Buddhist. It is the world’s largest religious building. Sadly though, most of the Buddha statues in the temples are already headless.
One of the new things to see — and a highlight for me — is the Angkor National Museum. The modern looking museum houses several Buddha statues and Buddha heads, colonettes, lintels and pediments from various periods of the Khmer empire. It is indeed an impressive collection to see.
The bustling markets of Siem Reap are even bigger now! Then, the place didn’t have a night market, now it has two. You can find silver, precious stones and trinkets in these markets. Make sure the silver you purchase is of best quality. And be careful also because some stones are fake. Buying from more reputable stores will cost more though.
Should one wish not to shop at night, there are several things to do. Bars are now common when their presence wasn’t popular eight years ago. There are even places for cultural shows and massage parlors in the area.
The food we sampled in our visit was as delicious as I remember it to be! Cambodian food is very similar to Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine. Don’t fail to try typical Cambodian dishes like fermented fish and pork in coconut milk (which tastes so much better than it sounds) and fish amok, which is like curried soufflé, very similar to Northern Thailand’s hormok.
Now is the perfect time to go to Cambodia! The rainy season is over and Ark can provide a complete itinerary, which is completely hassle-free as I have experienced it. I look forward to exploring the temples I never got to see on my third trip to this lovely kingdom.
(Ark Travel Express Inc. is located at Lower Ground 3&4 Alfaro Place 146 L.P Leviste St. Salcedo Village, Makati City. Tel. No: 816-199/815-2296/816-6416. Telefax: 892-0467/ 810-5785/ 892-1781. E-mail atei@arktravelexpress.com or arktravlexpressinc@gmail.com or arktravelmgc@gmail.com. Its branch office is at Unit 426, 4th floor, Metro Point Mall Edsa cor. Taft Avenue, Pasay City. Tel No.: 831-6165/ 831-6727. Telefax: 831-8471. E-mail arktravel_metropoint@yahoo.com.ph)
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