Travel

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by everything happening at ground level in Times Square in the heart of New York City.  In between checking out the sights, sounds and smells of the street, I took a minute to look up

Angkor Wat. Even the name conjures up a sense of wonder and mystery, an appreciation of both the incredible feats of mankind over the millennia and the inexorable power of nature in equal measure. Or maybe that’s just me. In any case it would be fair to say that I was rather looking forward to my time at the vast Angkorian temple complex near Siem Reap in Cambodia, albeit tinged with a slight concern that perhaps it wouldn’t live up to the picture already formed in my overhyped imagination. I needn’t have worried. If your first view of the towers of the main attraction, the smiling faces of Bayon or the encroaching jungle at Ta Prohm don’t leave an indelible impression on your consciousness, I’d suggest double-checking for a pulse. It really is that sort of place, and one that you owe it to yourself to visit at least once during your lifetime. Here’s a few things I figured out while I was there to help you make the most of your time in this unbelievable part of the world.

If you’re a Tomb Raider fan, Ta Prohm is the one temple in the Angkor complex that you just can’t miss – large chunks of the move were filmed here. Enormous trees have taken over the temple, and it’s probably the most atmospheric ruin of them all. As a result it’s also one of the busiest, so try to pick your time of day to avoid the chattering tour groups.

In an idyllic countryside setting in rural Cambodia, the birds are singing. The heat of the morning sun is tempered by the welcome shade of trees overhead and a few lazy bugs are making a half hearted attempt to land on my bare arms. Children are laughing and playing in a small school next door. The grass is a brilliant shade of green and the view over the rice paddies towards Phonm Penh in the distance could sell a thousand postcards This should be just another lovely spot in a stunningly beautiful country, but it isn’t.

Svay Rieng is a sleepy little Cambodian town of around 20,000 people near the Vietnamese border, nestled in the middle of a small province of the same name. Described by Lonely Planet as having “quite literally nothing to do”, it is a far cry from the heaving backpacker bars and incessant tuk-tuk drivers of Phonm Penh or Siem Reap. Cows and chickens roam the streets while the sandals of orange-robed monks kick up small clouds of dust as they walk to and from the local wats. Other than the chance to experience a side of Cambodia that is missed by many travellers, however, I was there for another reason – to spend a few days volunteering with a couple of locally based NGO’s. With no idea what to expect on my arrival, I now suspect that this may end up being one of the biggest highlights of my time in South East Asia.