Cambodia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 89

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
More than one hundred Angkorian
monuments lie spread over some 3000
square kilometres of countryside around
Siem Reap. he best-known monuments
are the vast temple of Angkor Wat and the
walled city of Angkor Thom , while
jungle-ravaged Ta Phrom and exquisitely
decorated Banteay Srei are also popular
sites. he Roluos ruins are significant as
the site of the empire's first capital city
and as a point of comparison with the
later architectural styles of Banteay Kdei
and Ta Keo . Many of the artefacts on
display at the temples of Angkor are not
originals - thefts of the valuable treasures
have been a problem since the 1970s and
the majority are now copies.

TREAT YOURSELF
Siem Reap is a great place to try an
inexpensive spa treatment featuring
Khmer or other types of massage. One of
the best is Body Tune ( T 063 764141,
W bodytune.co.th), just east of Psar Chas,
where you can rejuvenate with Thai and
Swedish massage, aromatherapy and
body scrubs (from $12/hr).

★

2

to Bangkok. The government-run Siem Reap Provincial
Hospital, 500m north of Psar Chas ( T 063 963111), is basic
and to be used only as a last resort.
Internet In addition to widely available wi-fi there are
numerous internet cafés around town - try the huge (but
nameless) place near Psar Chas between X Bar and the
Haven restaurant (open 24hr; 3000 riel/hr).
Post o ce Pokambor St (daily 7.30am-5.30pm).
Supermarkets For basic provisions, there are numerous
mini-markets dotted around the centre including a
useful cluster along Sivatha Boulevard opposite the
western end of Pub St. There's a well-stocked super-
market in the Angkor Trade Centre on Pokambor Av just
north of Psar Chas.
Tourist police Junction of Sivatha St and National Route
6 T 063 760215.

Angkor Wat
Built in the twelfth century as a temple
(and subsequently mausoleum) for
Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat represents
the height of Khmer art, combining
architectural harmony, grand proportions
and detailed artistry. Approaching along
the sandstone causeway across a broad
moat and through the western gate,
you're teased with glimpses of the central
towers, but it's not until you're through
the gate that the full magnificence of the
temple comes into view. he causeway,
extending 300m across the flat, open
compound, directs the eye to the proud
temple and its most memorable feature,
the distinctive conical-shaped towers,
designed to look like lotus buds.
Continuing east along the causeway,
you'll pass between the wat's library
buildings and two ponds, and mount a
flight of steps to the Terrace of Honour .
he terrace is the gateway to the
extraordinary Gallery of Bas Reliefs , a
covered gallery which extends around the
perimeter of the first level. he carvings
cover almost the entire wall - 700m long,
2m high - depicting religious narratives,
battle scenes and Hindu epics. he
best-known carving, the Churning of the
Ocean of Milk , in the East Gallery, depicts
the myth of creation: gods ( devas ) and
evil spirits ( asuras ) churn the ocean for a
thousand years to produce the elixir of
immortality, creating order out of chaos.

THE TEMPLES OF ANGKOR
In 802, Jayavarman II declared himself
universal god-king, becoming the first
of a succession of 39 monarchs to reign
over what was then the most powerful
kingdom in Southeast Asia. So the
Angkor era was born, a period marked
by gargantuan building projects, the
design and construction of inspirational
temples and palaces, the creation of
complex irrigation systems and the
development of magnificent walled
cities. However, as resources were
channelled into ever more ambitious
construction projects, Angkor became a
target for attacks from neighbouring
Siam . Successive invasions culminated
in the sacking of Angkor in the
fifteenth century and the city was
abandoned to the jungle. Although
Khmers knew of the lost city, it wasn't
until the West's “discovery” of Angkor
by a French missionary in the
nineteenth century that international
interest was aroused.