Truly one of the world’s great wonders, the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia are part of a vast complex and city constructed by the ancient Khmer people starting around the year 900. The area served as the capital of this once-great empire until the 13th century and was later abandoned.
Located in Central Cambodia, they seem to be on every traveler’s must-do list and they were certainly on mine. I just returned from an incredible adventure to Cambodia and spent three days in Siem Reap, exploring Angkor Wat and the surrounding structures.
Angkor Wat “Angkor” means big and “Wat” means temple, literally “Big Temple. The temple is only part of a vast complex, an ancient city spread over 250 square miles. In the 11th and 12th century, this area had a population of over one million people, compared to the hundred thousand citizens of medieval London at that time. Angkor Thom is other main complex, which means “Big Town”. I recommend spending at least three full days here to really visit all the sites and experience everything.
Getting there
Direct flights into Siem Reap, Cambodia (REP) are available from a wide range of Asian cities, especially Bangkok, Thailand and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Our friends flew on Vietnam Airlines and liked it, the city is also served by Air France, bookable through Delta and / or with Delta SkyMiles.
We flew Cathay Pacific from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, then their subsidiary DragonAir from Hong Kong to Phnom Penh. Instead of flying onward to Siem Reap, we spent the night in Phnom Penh and then took a tourist bus to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. We flew Cathay’s new Premium Economy service, which offers a lot of comfort and convenience at a price slightly higher than a coach seat. I was impressed and think it offers travelers good value for money. I liked being able to board right after Business and First Class passengers, and to be able leave the plane early as well. Drinks are served before take-off and I found the seats recline quite far back and offer a lot more personal space than in coach.
Mekong Express
We took the Mekong Express bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. The trip took about six hours, but I figured although the flying time is only about an hour, with security, waiting and getting to the airport early, then out of the airport at the destination, that one hour flight would take a total of four or five hours, so the time was comparable. I also thought the bus trip would be a great way to see the interior of Cambodia, small towns and villages you miss by flying (it was). The final factor was price, the bus ticket was $12, airfare is between $100-$200.
The Mekong Bus was fun and comfortable. It was a modern, big bus and there were two attendants helping the driver. They served bottled water, and even a box lunch with a sandwich, roll and fruit. The bus had a cooler with bottled water available anytime and the seats had seatbelts. They stopped every two hours for passengers to visit the “happy room” as they called it, and these stops allowed us to explore some tiny roadside towns. One town had the camera-friendly range of exotic food for sale, including fried tarantulas, assorted bugs and pigeons. The bus even had a big flat-screen TV and we watched “The Expendables” and “The Avengers” as we rolled along.
Tickets
Tickets are required and checked often. There is a gate at the park’s entrance and also a site within the complex selling tickets. Tourist tickets are $20 for single day or $40 for a three-day pass. They take a digital picture when you purchase the ticket and it will have your face on it, so they’re really non-transferable.
