More Angkor

Angkor is the most photogenic place on earth.

Angkor at sunrise

From the former royal palace, the Terrace of the Elephants

and the Terrace of the Leper King

Some recurring themes:

The Naga's Head (the mythical serpent)

Ruins

Lena admiring a lion's tush

...and the fierce lions guarding the temple gates

By popular demand, a picture of us together...

I was in Siem Reap 8 years ago, and I've never seen a place change so much.  When I was there last time, it was shortly after a coup which saw some shots fired and set back the country's fledgling tourist industry.  I had the temples at Angkor practically to myself.  I remember watching sunset from the top of the Bayon - the second-most visited temple at the complex - and being the only one there.  The town itself was a sleeply, dusty village with a few cheap guesthouses and some merchants selling t-shirts at the market. You could walk down the middle of the street, and the few motorbikes and bicycles would maneuver around you. 

Since peace has come to Cambodia, the town has exploded.  There are now literally hundreds of hotels, in all ranges.  The Grand Hotel d'Angkor - built by the French in the 50s for well-heeled tourists, and which was under reconstruction when I was last there - has been joined by dozens of luxury hotels from all the brands - Sofitel, Le Meridien, Raffles.  In addition, there are rows of new flash hotels lining the road to the airport, just one after another - mainly for the Korean tour groups who now crowd the park.  In addition, there are restaurants, travel agents, souvenir shops in all the town's regions, plus the hundreds of tuk-tuk and motorbike drivers who tout their services to anyone walking by.

While I wonder how a rural third-world town infrastructure can handle the demands on resources that all these accomodations bring, the town surely deserves its fame.  Though now packed with tourists - mostly Asian - Angkor hasn't lost any of the magic that I found there 8 years ago.  The temples are serene and beautiful, and their construction mind-boggling.  For a country as poor as Cambodia, a tourist attraction like this generates income for thousands of families.  And Cambodia has to be admired for the way it has managed the temple complex, despite the pressures to totally commercialize it. 

It was a good trip back - eye-opening and rewarding.  I haven't lost any of my wonder at the place, and I plan on returning as soon as I can.

Comments

[Colin]

Good for the Cambodians! I'm glad that they've recognized what's so wonderful about the place and made the investment in keeping it that way. Hopefully it will be the same when I eventually visit.

[Naomi]

Hey--you got a sunrise! We went, but it was cloudy in the morning! Bleh...I'm jealous! You didn't however, mention the 30 kids that beg you to buy postcards and other souvenirs when you get to Ankgor...And it's not all the Cambodians benefiting from it--More than 50% of the investment in the city goes right out of the country.

[Ari]

True, a lot of foreign investment means a lot of money is exported. But there would be a lot less investment if this wasn't possible, and the investment there is gives Cambodians jobs, brings transfer of skills and technology, and creates opportunities for other business (like more postcard-sellers).