Exploring Cambodia With or Without a Tourguide

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: My 2009 visit to Cambodia was one of the highlights of my nine month backpacking trip across India and SouthEast Asia. Although I was only there for about 10 days, the country left a lasting impression on me… especially Angkor Wat. To learn a bit more about why Cambodia is so special, I turn the page over to my friend David, who has this to say…

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Jetting off to a destination like Cambodia is an ideal introduction to the breathtaking landscapes and rich cultures of SouthEast Asia. Cambodia tours are the perfect way to get to grips with an exotic civilization such as this if you’ve never been to these parts before. If you’re seriously in need of a refreshing change and a break with the perhaps tired and hackneyed usual holiday destinations, then Cambodia can be highly recommended to blow the cobwebs away and gain a new perspective on life.

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Siem Reap – the Home of Angkor Wat

The fastest-growing commercial centre in Cambodia is Siem Reap, the gateway town to one of the most stupendous archaeological sites on earth and the reason that most tourists come to the country: the great temple complex of Angkor Wat.

With its weird and wonderful stone carvings of saints and demons, sweeping stone stairways lined with gargoyles that would scare the ones on Notre Dame, and air of timeless mystery, the temples of Angkor Wat are out of this world and rightfully belong in an Indiana Jones movie.

There are plenty of hotels and hostels to stay at to use Siem Reap as a base for exploring the acres of ruins. Tours of the temples generally get started early in the morning and there’s a two-hour break for lunch, so if you want some time away from the crowds you can easily time a visit to avoid them and spend some time in quiet contemplation of the lost civilization that built this, the world’s largest religious complex.

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Cambodian Beaches

For a bit of natural contrast, spend a day or so at Sihanoukville, or Kampong Som, in the Gulf of Thailand, which has some of the best white sandy beaches in the country as well as several offshore tropical islands that are completely deserted. Crowds of Cambodians come to play here during the weekends but there’s plenty of space for everyone, and a leisurely trip around the coves, bays and islands is the perfect way to relax.

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Phnom Penh – the Capital of Cambodia

Phnom Penh is one of the most exciting cities in SE Asia, and it’s here that you’ll find one of the glories of traditional architecture, the famous Silver Pagoda, situated within the compound of the Royal Palace. There are numerous treasures inside this gorgeous museum with its curved, dragon-decorated roofs, including priceless jeweled Buddha statues and richly decorated tiles depicting scenes from the epic Ramayana myth.

For a reminder of the days when Cambodia was occupied by the French and, along with neighboring Vietnam and Laos, was known as French Indo China, head up to the Bokor Hill Station which is located in the hills close to Kampot. It was constructed back in the 1920s, and French administrators came here to escape the oppressive summer temperatures in Phnom Penh. Organised tours can get access to this concrete monstrosity which is gradually being reclaimed, as it should be, by the timeless jungle.

Get on an organized tour of Cambodia to see what this jewel of a country has to offer the modern visitor interested in a rich cultural heritage and glorious natural landscapes.

About the Author: David Elliott is a freelance writer who loves to travel, especially in Europe and Turkey. He’s spent most of his adult life in a state of restless excitement but recently decided to settle in North London. He gets away whenever he can to immerse himself in foreign cultures and lap up the history of great cities.