Cambodia -- Siem Reap / Angkor Wat
We only spent a few days in Cambodia, and it was all in the city of Siem Reap that was built to support the tourism industry of Angkor Wat, which is a large complex of ruins dating about 800 years old. It's best known as the setting where the Tomb Raider movies were shot. Cambodia is still a fairly poor country, but a large well-off city has sprung up around these ruins to support the tourist industry.
Siem Reap is an amaziningly modern city. In fact, it looked more modern than many US cities. The main reason being is that it pretty much didn't exist 10 years ago. They have only had cars in this city for about that long, so you really don't see any old vehicles on the road at all.
Angkor Wat Passes:
The ruins are scattered around a large area. Each attraction is basically a large complex of ancient construction each spanning a few acres, but the whole site is spread out over several square miles. There is a great contrast of new and old as the city is built in between and amongst the ruins. Because of the decentralized nature of the sites, access is controlled by guards at the entrance to each one. At the park "headquarters", you purchase a 3-day photo ID pass for $40.
Joe, Angie, and Kelly
With the help of PhotoShop, Angelina Jolie poses with us at the site of her movie.
This nice old lady gave me a blessing and exorcised the evil spirits out of my body. Thankfully, she didn't take out my bad-boy.
Stairway to hell:
You gotta love third world countries! The stairs on this temple are about a foot tall and 5 inches deep. It's so steep that you can hold onto the steps above you while climbing, and it goes up about 100 feet or more. There are absolutely no guard rails, warning signs, or anything preventing people from cliimbing. Our guide even encouraged us. It was literally like climbing up a ladder.
