Cambodia

Adventures, Cambodia

IMG 6901 1024x768 - Two Weeks in Cambodia

Compared to my almost four week stay in Thailand, I only planned about two weeks to explore Cambodia. My main goal was to see the Angkor temples, which I’m so happy I got to check off the bucket list! Knowing I didn’t have a lot of time to travel the whole country and needed to be in Phnom Penh for my flight to Vietnam, I decided to stick to the western side of the country and see the cities of Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh.

Siem Reap

Siem Reap is best known for its proximity to the Temples of Angkor, but since Bob and I were there for about five days, we did some exploring. Bob’s friends, Bryce and Bennett, joined us for a few days and had been told about this ATV tour that took you through villages and rice fields, and they were excited to try it. On a rainy Wednesday morning, we were picked up at our hotel around 7:45am and taken to the main office. There we were given safety instructions on how to drive the utility vehicles and went on test rides.

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Adventures, Cambodia

TemplesofAngkor 27 1024x683 - The Magic of the Angkor Temples

It’s safe to say that a trip to Cambodia would not be complete without a visit to the Temples of Angkor. Housing the largest religious monument in the world and grounds encompassing 402 acres, its grand scale and incredible architecture holds so much history and culture.

The temples of Angkor were built between 800AD to 1300AD. Many Khmer kings built the temples that now lie just over three miles from the surrounding city of Siem Reap. The most famous temple, Angkor Wat, was built by Suryavarman II (King of the Khmer Empire from 1113 AD to 1145-1150 AD) in the early 12th century and was constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. It was meant to function as his state temple and mausoleum when he eventually died. Angkor also served as the capital of the Khmer empire and a strategic military post. In the 14th or 15th century, the Cambodian people transformed Angkor Wat into a Buddhist temple, which continues to the present day. The temple has become a symbol of Cambodia and can be found on their national flag.

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