At Poipet were we narrowly avoided being scammed into buying a Cambodian visa for twice the price but fortunately we had been warned and recognized it right away...others however were clueless...about 15 others. I (Amanda) asked them if they were paying for any services or merely filling out forms and at that moment the owner of the establishment began to curse me saying I was ruining his business (all for a questions...) and threw me out of his office and told me to leave at once. At this point I mentioned to the others that perhaps his reaction to me mentioning money was a sign that he knew, as well as I, that this was a scam. All 15 others promptly got up and left to the sound of angry cursing and swearing as we headed for the boarder. The actual visa office was easy and honest and we arrived in Siem Reap after a short delay of a flat tire on our bus at 7:30 on Valentine's Day (mind you we left Bangkok at 5am!)
Siem Reap is the most visited city in Cambodia because of its proximity to the temples of Angkor. Angkor, and Angkor Wat (the most famous temple) is the pinnacle of national pride, being featured o the Cambodian flag. The town therefore is everything Cambodia is not; clean, orderly, spacious, has ample garbage cans, lots of good food, and lots of tourists.
The temples of Agkor were built in homage to the gods and kings who built them, a culmination of kingly ambition and spirituality, each king out doing the last in temple and city building resulting in a complex covering almost 400 square km. These temples mark the height of the Khmer empire, the major power in Southeast Asia for over 5 centuries (9th-15th century).
Siem Reap is the most visited city in Cambodia because of its proximity to the temples of Angkor. Angkor, and Angkor Wat (the most famous temple) is the pinnacle of national pride, being featured o the Cambodian flag. The town therefore is everything Cambodia is not; clean, orderly, spacious, has ample garbage cans, lots of good food, and lots of tourists.
The temples of Agkor were built in homage to the gods and kings who built them, a culmination of kingly ambition and spirituality, each king out doing the last in temple and city building resulting in a complex covering almost 400 square km. These temples mark the height of the Khmer empire, the major power in Southeast Asia for over 5 centuries (9th-15th century).