I have been fortunate to travel for 9 months of the past 2 years.  I have found the more I have experienced the fussier I am getting about the next place I want to travel to. When you discover the history, culture and cuisine of one place - it's hard to have all your expectations fulfilled when you venture to another place.  The one country for me that has exceeded my expectations so far is Cambodia; it had a feel to it like no other place.

My time was limited to only 4 nights in Cambodia so I based my self in Siem Reap. From the moment I stepped off the plane to driving into the main town  - my mind was already made up that I would extend my stay.  I was immediately drawn to the peacefulness that the Khmer people portrayed and the simple lifestyle that these people so happily lived.  It's an amazing feeling to step into a country where you are made to feel so welcome by locals because they look you right in the eye and greet you with a smile. 

Not only did the people of Cambodia make it such a beautiful place to visit - but the mysterious historical temples where like no other temples I had seen before.   Many people go to Cambodia to see the beautiful temple of 'Angkor Wat'  - little did I know that this was one of over a hundred temples all situated in a radius of 200 square kilometres of Siem Reap and were built between the 9th and 13th centuries to glorify the succession of the Khmer Kings.

To make the most of these temples I purchased a 3-day pass, which allowed me access to all the temples. As boring as this may sound to you - let me convince you that these are not your ordinary temples.  Each temple is unique in its architecture, layout and surroundings.  One thing that surprised me was that there are very few places throughout the world where you are free to roam around a landmark or monument at your own discretion.  Being a keen photographer - this to me was a dream come true as there we no boundaries or ropes restricting you to paths which gave you the freedom to explore and discover all facets of these amazing temples. 

Standing before Angkor Wat while the sun rose was certainly a highlight however having heard so much about his temple I assumed it must have been the most impressive out of them all. In my opinion there were other temples that stood out to me as being as magnificent as Angkor Wat - they were the Bayon and Ta Phom.  Ta Phom was most outstanding as it is nestled amongst the jungle where the intricate stonework is entwined with enormous treeroots that are covered in moss and vines…I couldn't help but question what was there first - the temples or the trees??

One piece of advice is - even if you're not keen on viewing all the temples - the 3 day pass is useful if you want to go back to any temple at different times of the day as you get a totally different perspective when the light has shifted.

One other memory that has never left me from my experience in Cambodia was learning of the horrific past that the Khmers have endured.  From 1975 to 1979 - Pol Pot was a Cambodian Communist leader of the Khmer Rouge who were responsible for killing over two million of his own people. This political party came to power by carrying out a radical regime that they would create a 'classless society' by force.  This was done by closing down schools, hospital, factories and abolishing banking and currency and outlawing religion.  People were relocated, killed and made as slaves. The devastation of this became apparent to me when you can see that there is an obvious age gap in society due the families and generations that were brutally killed because of their status in society. 

A moving experience that I recommend anyone does whilst visiting Siem Reap - is visiting the 'Land Mines Museum'.  This museum is situated on a bumpy unsealed road not far from Angkor Wat.  A man called Aki Ra, whose parents died during Pol Pots Regime when he was a child, runs it. To avoid being killed by the Khmer Rouge - this man was forced to serve in the army and once the regime was put to a stop - Aki Ra opened this museum as a home to children who have been injured by the land mines that were planted throughout Cambodia.  This was very moving to meet the children of Cambodia who have not only lost their families and themselves years later been injured someway or another by the land mines that to this day still haunt the country.

Overall Cambodia is a unique place - it's a developing country with beautiful friendly people, great shopping (where you don't hassled), fascinating history and the amazing historical temples…

Alisa