Siem Reap Cambodia

Siem Reap is well known for the nearby archaeological park and world heritage site Angkor Wat.
This is an extraordinary place and a must see attraction for anyone spending any significant time in SE Asia.

The main walkway into Angkor Wat

Visiting the temples is a fascinating and moving experience. The buildings are simply quite beautiful and the intricate carving of detailed patterns, people, animals and mythological figures that still remain are a testament to the aesthetic sensibilities of the builders.

Sunset over the centre of Angkor Wat

Wall carvings within Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat still remains a place of worship and pilgrimage for many Buddhists although it was initially conceived as a Hindu temple.

Monks relaxing near a Buddhist shrine inside Angkor Wat

The countryside surrounding Siem Reap is beautiful, very flat and wet, with numerous rice paddies, orchards and small pockets of jungle.

View from the road just outside Siem Reap on the way to Beng Mealea

There were plenty of opportunities for spotting wildlife around Siem Reap, particularly butterflies which were locally abundant around the temples outside of Angkor Wat and around Angkor Thom.

Gateway to Angkor Thom. 12th Century Khmer city.

Papilio demoleus (The Lime Butterfly).

Junonia hierta (Yellow Pansy) 

One of my favourite temples within the Angkor site was Bayon. Built in the 12th-13th century it was constructed when Buddhism was gaining prominence over Hinduism in the area.  The huge number of enigmatic stone faces carved into the towers and walls of the site were utterly incomparable to anything I had ever seen before.

Stone faces of Bayon

On the walls of Bayon were some wonderful stone engravings.

From the walls of Bayon

Beyond Bayon lay the ruins of Ta Prohm which were used in the set of the Tomb Raider film. These have been maintained in a 'reclaimed by the jungle' state, but work has been done to restore the ruins.

In the trees around Ta Prohm were large flocks of Parakeets, their raucous screeches adding to the lost in the jungle atmosphere. Staying high in the trees they were a real challenge to photograph.

Psittacula alexandri (red-breasted parakeet)  

Pachliopta aristolochiae (Common Rose) female laying eggs at Ta Prohm.

Some 70km or so beyond the the Angkor Wat Archaeological Park lies Beng Mealea, a smaller copy of Angkor Wat, but abandoned and overgrown by jungle. The road to Beng Mealea passed through some lovely countryside.

Water Buffalo still used in agricultural work in Cambodia. Water Buffalo carving from Bayon below

Water Buffalo swim against the backdrop of the Phnom Kulen mountains.

An Overgrown temple building at Beng Mealea

Window architecture at Beng Mealea

Multi-headed Naga Serpent Statue

Naga detail

Cethosia cyane (Leopard Lacewing) male 

Siem Reap was a friendly bustling town full of markets and well set up for tourists.  All of the archaeological sites were well worth the visit.  I would thoroughly recommend them and I hope I get the chance to visit them again someday.