Don’t get me wrong – I like a good ruin as much as the next guy. Give me a big pile of crumbling stone and I’ll clamber happily on it for hours.
Throw in a little history and some atmospheric surroundings and I’m in heaven – whether it’s the Parthenon, the pagodas of Bagan, or the pyramids at Giza.
But even the most spectacular ruins pale after a few hours in the tropical heat of South East Asia, as my wife and I discovered recently during a two-week trip to Cambodia.
We had come to see as much of the vast network of temples around Angkor as we could, from the famous Angkor Wat to remote sites only recently cleared from the jungle. And at first, we were really determined about it, getting up at dawn and staying in the ruins until evening.
Taking a Break
But as the days wore on – usually in 100-degree heat, with high humidity and sun so brutal it made your brain melt — we finally took a break.
And that’s when we discovered the amazing town of Siem Reap.
If you’ve been to Angkor, you’ve been to Siem Reap, where all the hotels and restaurants are located. But if you were there more than a few years ago, you won’t recognize the place. On my first trip, in 1999, it was just a dusty little backwater with a couple of teashops and some cheesy, Chinese-built hotels on the road to the airport. The most exciting thing about it was leaving.
But tourism has exploded in Angkor over the past decade, and Siem Reap has turned into the liveliest, hippest place in Cambodia. The town has woken up — more than a hundred new hotels have sprung up (many of them luxurious five-star palaces) and new restaurants, guest houses, clubs, spas, art galleries, internet cafes and bookstores seem to open up every week.
Unmistakble Buzz
It’s still got its small town charm, but with an unmistakable buzz. And while the temples will always be the main draw, Siem Reap is starting to turn into a pretty interesting destination on its own.
And for us –- drained after too much sun, stone and ancient history — it was blessed relief. We lazed our way around the narrow, shady streets of the old French Quarter, talking with people and exploring.
There’s a lot of traditional Cambodian life going on, but it’s mixed up with ultra-modern boutiques, lively bars and smart little cafes that look like they were just airdropped in from Paris. The feel of the place is completely informal; Siem Reap is so casual, in fact, that most of the streets don’t even have names. Read the rest of this entry »
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