Liz Smailes visits one of Southeast Asia’s most popular tourism sights and finds tranquility away from the crowds

There are two things you need when explor­ing the ancient city of Angkor in Cambo­dia’s Siem Reap: first -hire a quick-witted guide who can snake you in and out of tem­ples without getting tangled with tour-bus crowds. Second, a swimming pool. Cambo­dia is one hot little country and even the most intrepid temple prowler will want to slide into cool water after clambering around the tumbled ruins of these looming structures of the ancient Khmer empire.

The Angkor temple complex, once a fabulous city that thrived from 802 to 1295AD is sprawled out with several kilometers between the temples. The history, the moats, the passageways, the bas reliefs, the confusion of Hinduism that changed to Buddhism – it’s all wondrous to see, and it’s a mass of information for the mind to process.

Though Angkor was what I had come to see, finally after living four years in Southeast Asia, I found myself every bit as intrigued by the Cambodian people. It is a country that has been through so much turmoil, home to a generation carrying the skeletons of a harrowing history wherever they go, yet not a hint of bitterness was to be sensed. From the bright and canny young booksellers or my fellow native bus passengers, to the moto drivers, the temple guide and the hotel staff, a gesture of kindness and gratitude intertwined with their delightful sense of humor and endearing way of wanting to share Cambodia’s beauty – it enchanted me and typified my experience with many Cambodians in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

The closest hotel to the legendary temples of Angkor Wat, Le Méridien Angkor fuses European elegance with understated Khmer style to create an ambience that allows you to digest the day’s sights, with a gentle hint of an observed moment at the temples on every corner. Stunning architectural design, inspired interiors and all the ameni­ties of modern living, blend with the traditional to provide luxury that is contempo­rary yet inspired, to offer a haven after a day’s exploration of the breathtaking wonders of Angkor.

We hired a guide and driver for the first day, arranged through the hotel. Our first sight of Angkor Wat was just after sunrise – the crowds were beginning to cross the first bridge but there was still tranquility to be found on the grounds, the silence bro­ken only by birdsong.

Clouds hovered like magic carpets behind the dark towers of the temple. As the sun reached its midday peak, only floating lotus flowers in full bloom interrupted a mag­nificent reflection in the pond. This is just one example of a snapshot that provides visitors with a very personal moment at Angkor Wat.

Angkor Archaeological Park’s temples have been designated a World Heritage Site, and increasing numbers of tourists have found their way there since the opening in 1993. Anyone thinking the antiquities will afford a chance to commune with ancient spirits is likely to be disappointed. Tourism is on the fast track in Siem Reap with hotels mushrooming from the airport to the city centre and a guesthouse under con­struction in every alley.

One of the wonderful sights though, is the eclectic mix of tourists Siem Reap attracts. Inevitably, interested wanderers to this part of the country have a cultured interest in history and the arts, so it’s no surprise to find Siem Reap offers visitors an array of quality art and photography galleries, artisan centers of textiles and pottery, cafes and nightlife. An evening spent people watching along Pub Street reveals all generations and every nationality nurtur­ing a healthy interest in a history by day and a modern social life by night.

Unfortunately tour groups tend to dominate today– and that can include the breakfast buffet too. The trick is to create a different schedule and explore the most popular temples at sunrise and at noon after tour buses have de­parted or are having their feeding time at the local res­taurants.

One thing you really do not have to do, no matter what the guidebook may say, is to see the sunset from a hill be­side Angkor Thom. The rate at which the masses race to the top you would be forgiven for thinking it was the final cup match between Liverpool and Manchester United. It’s getting to the extreme of being dangerous, especially con­sidering the dark conditions the descent will involve and if you decide to become one amongst the flock, be prepared to see no more than the crown of the person before you. Take the advice of our guide, get to the top thirty minutes before sunset, enjoy the view, capture a wonderful pho­tograph in good light, and descend before the masses ar­rive!

Our day began at 9am at Angkor Thom, or “Great City,” thought to have housed a million people at one point after its construction during the years 1181-1220 by Buddhist king Jayavarman VII. Our day with the guide and our driver took in the odd and familiar sights at four temples. We went on to see the Scenes of Heaven and Hell intricate­ly carved along the corridor walls, a terrifying perspective of Judgment Day including hideous devils hauling sinners to hell.

Ta Prohm is a temple on everyone’s list. Here you can encounter uncanny feelings as you climb over rubble of crushed and tumbling walls, where banyan tree trunks wind like snakes through the once-grand structure. The jungle-strangled temple, discovered in the 1860s, was in­tentionally left this way, conveying the eeriness of the lost civilization. Ta Prohm was used in a scene for the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Today, an Indian funded restora­tion project has workers baffled for years on how to restore a section of the temple that originally took relatively little time to build.

Next to Bayon temple, for the last six years the French have encountered a similar headache as the Indian restoration project at Ta Prohm; trying to piece together the building blocks that originally took just one year to create a temple continues to leave modern civilization in awe of its beauty and complexity of construction.

It’s a safe bet that Cambodia’s Angkor temples will con­tinue to climb on the travelers’ list of favorites; right now Siem Reap is still a relatively small city, with Cambodi­ans eagerly learning to speak English and employing but a minimum of ways to snare your money. You will encoun­ter children selling postcards and trinkets. Although per­sistent, they are more fun than obnoxious and as long as they are practicing their entrepreneurial skills after school is out at 1pm, you don’t need to feel your commercialism is robbing them of an education.