Cambodia, the wonderful temples of Angkor stories and useful advice
Siem Reap, the city closest to archaeological sites, the starting point for all excursions, is a world apart that I believe has very little to do with Cambodia.
By now tourism has contaminated everything and human relations are completely distorted by money.
- Cambodia information, guide and itinerary
- Cambodia Temples of Angkor
- Cambodia how to get around
- Where to stay in Cambodia
- Cambodia what to eat
- Cambodia language, climate, time zone and currency
- Photo gallery Cambodia
Cambodia information, guide and itinerary
La Cambodia is a small town ofIndochina nestled between Vietnam, , Thailand e Laos and, currently, it is still healing the wounds inflicted in the 70s by the regime of Pol Pot, which with his Khmer Rouge it exterminated over 2 million people in four years, or a third of the population of the time.
Cambodia Temples of Angkor
Le Torri at Angkor Wat they look like lace, castles of sand, the enchanted castle of the fairies.
And then you turn around and you find a group of guys playing and someone explains to you that they are mutilated, that they have lost legs or hands on the mines and this brings you back to reality abruptly.
Most beautiful places in the world to see at least once in a lifetimeTo think that a Japanese on a plane explained to me convinced that the signs indicating mined areas are actually placed here for tourists who want to feel adventurous.
I climb up to Bakheng, a temple on top of a hill from which you can enjoy a splendid panorama.
Waiting for the sunset up here reconciles me a little with the world even though I suffer from vertigo and I am a little worried at the thought of having to go down those five truly vertiginous flights of stairs.
The rise to the Bakheng Hill it is carried out on foot or on the back of an elephant.
We were very tired and we struggled a bit, unsure what to do, then we decided to go on foot.
For three days we ran blissfully in this kind of wonderland.
I cannot describe the beauty of the Bayon, a labyrinth of corridors, terraces, arches, dominated by 54 gigantic faces with their smiles so enigmatic that they seem to change expression depending on how the sunlight hits them.
To be admired, intensely, are the "Terrace of the elephants"And the"Terrace of the Leper King”Whose walls are completely covered with bas-reliefs of every style.
And what about the Tempio at Banteay Srey, the farthest, enchanting, with thousands of bas-reliefs carved into the pink rock, or the Ta Prohm temple, completely immersed in the forest trying to swallow it again with the mighty roots of gigantic teak trees that tangle and sneak between the stones.
At the suggestion of our trusted companions on the fourth day we visited the Vietnamese fishing village on Tonle Sap Lake.
Apparently there is nothing to see if not a group of houses on the shores of the lake but the beauty in my opinion lies in observing daily life, the market, taking a boat ride and communicating with smiles with the children who they take a bath.
Unforgettable, the sensations you feel cannot be explained.
Cambodia how to get around
To visit the temples you need a pass which can be for one, three or seven days at a cost of 20/40/60 dollars and I would say that three days are just the minimum to be able to approach such a particular world.
The site is huge, 400 monuments spread over about 250 square kilometers, and it is necessary to have a means of transport, which is very easy already upon arrival at the airport.
We found two very kind and helpful guys who drove us with their mototaxis for $ 6 a day, also providing us with historical, archaeological, practical and useful advice of all kinds, as well as waterproof capes whenever it started to rain.
Where to stay in Cambodia
I had no idea what I would find in Cambodia and in order to be safe we ​​had booked a room in the hotel via the Internet.
In fact, once we were there we realized that the best accommodation was in one of the many "guest houses" in the area, if only to seek a more direct approach with the locals, so the next day we left there. 'hotel full of Japanese and we moved to the "La Noria Guesthouse".
Cambodia what to eat
Even for eating we have never encountered the slightest problem: Cambodian cuisine in my opinion is excellent and there is really only the embarrassment of choice.
I highly recommend tasting the very famous Lamb Chop.
Cambodia language, climate, time zone and currency
The main language is the Khmer o Cambodian but with the advent of fluent tourism, the locals have had no problem learning and speaking English.
The currency is the Riel and there are only banknotes.
You can easily pay in dollars as long as they are not wrinkled and credit cards are difficult to use.
The climate is tropical monsoon, hot and humid with heavy rains in the period from August to October and more moderate temperatures in the period from November to March.
The maximum temperature varies from an average of 30 ° C in January to 40 ° C in April and, at night, they never drop below 15 ° C to reach 20 ° -24 ° C in April.
As for the time zone, there are 6h more than in Spain and + 5h when summer time is in force in Spain.
It is not easy to describe the emotion one feels in front of wonders of Angkor.
The emotions were many, and very conflicting.
Here is a little taste of this wonder:
Have a good trip to all and enjoy your stay in this magnificent land.
Photo gallery Cambodia
