Angkor Wat

Exchange Rate: $1USD = 4100r (riel).  The unofficial currency of Cambodia is the US dollar and the ATMs dispense only US dollars.

Hello:  sua s'dei

Thank you: aw kohn

Prefered method of transportation: motorbike driven tuk tuk with a 4 seat carriage in the back. The largest and most comfortable tuk tuk I have seen to date.

The Angkor Wat temples were constructed from the 9th through 13th century by the ancient Khmer empire and are the largest religious temples in the world. They are magnificent. They are constructed by stone and surounded by giant moats and complex irrigation systems, even by today's standards. Words cannot describe to the enormity of the series of temples and the vast difference in styles and layout. 

The first day we spent touring the temples via tuk tuk.    A very nice tuk tuk.  Since it rains

 about 8 hours a day, the carriages have roll down sides to protect the passengers from the monsoon downpour.  We discovered this is a necessary element for the tuk tuk experience. The day was filled with a lot of driving, and walking, in the rain.  We started off visiting Angkor Wat, the largest of the temples seen to the right.  

Another highlight of the first day was Bayon, in Angkor Thom.  With 216 gargantuan faces staring at you from every direction, it is quite fascinating.   

The second day we went to a floating village in the morning.  Because of the rains, the roads on the way to the village were flooded.  The depth of the water was up to 8 inches and the cars, tuk tuks, bicycles and walkers took it like just another 'day in the life'.  Many of the homes on the side of the road were in standing water, surrounded by children playing in the monsoon lakes and people taking the flood as an opportunity to wash their car, their tuk tuk or their body.  The village was kind of a rip off at $25 per person to cruise out to the lake on a boat and be forced to stop by souvenir shops.  However, it was quite fascinating to see homes, on land during the dry season, floating in 20 feet of water.  And, we got to see a crocodile farm.

After the floating village, we went back to the temples.  The highlight of the second day was our last stop, timed perfectly to be right before the daily monsoon downpour, Pre Rup, a temple elevated to overlook the jungle and the rice fields.  After climbing the gigantic stairs (nothing in Angkor Wat is small), it was a stunning sight.

Siem Reap, the town adjacent to Angkor Wat is a French influenced town with great bars and restaurants. It is definitely a place to visit again.