Angkor complex
This is a wide area with temples, trees and ruins spanning across 150+ hectares. You feel like Indiana Jones exploring treasures of the past. There are 70+ temples with many being found as the excavations progress
Most temples have ponds with water on all four sides, a welcome path with Nagas lining the corridor, trees embracing temples in a natural way providing support. The forests provide a nice green touch to the area
The little and great circuit paths are quite standard with minor differences
Some of the temples stand out in your memory despite so many temples being similar to each other in the complex area
Bayon temple
The towers have large faces on all four sides, supposed to be Lord Brahma modeled on the face of King Jayavarman VII. Bayon temple is the central attraction of Angkor Thom
Baphoun temple
The temple with reclining Buddha which might not be very evident on first sight. You can get a nice view of the area from the top
Ta Phrom
You can see tree roots hugging and holding temple bricks very closely. They form a nice network of support
Angkor Wat
The famous emblem of Cambodia with water on all 4 sides, trees and towers at a height. Sunrise is one of the best times to visit here for a serene experience. We were here during Diwali and had a nice dash of rain greeting us
Kbal Spean
An hour away from the city, with hundreds of lingas with river water flowing across. The place resembles Sahasralinga near Sirsi, Karnataka in India. The trek inside the jungle is quite cool taking about 40 minutes to cover 2 kilometers
Banteay Srei temples
Temple with orange- brown colored stones unlike grey ones in Angkor complex. They are an hour away and typically combined with Kbal Spean visit
Tonle Sap
The life of people in Siem Reap. Tonle Sap is a lake formed by the might Mekong river. You will find an entire ecosystem in the floating village with houses, schools, markets all on the water. There are some crocodile farms and animals in not so humane conditions. Please avoid buying crocodile leather bags or other animal products
Apsara dance
You can ask your hotel to recommend a place to see Apsara dance and arrange a tuk tuk for you, or you can book online on Viator
We went to Amazon Angkor restaurant. There were 5-6 dances each for about 10 minutes, like coconut dance, Mekhala dance, fishermen dance, Tep Monorom and Apsara ballet that showcase culture of Cambodia
While the dance and music was excellent, it could get a bit slow at times. It was good that we combined it with dinner. The buffet had a good spread of vegetarian options