The Bayon, Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King – Siem Reap, Cambodia
Room With a View – Park Hyatt Siem Reap, Cambodia
When we visited Cambodia, we stayed at the Hotel de la Paix, one of Siem Reap’s classic hotels. Since our visit, the hotel has been renovated and is now called the Park Hyatt Siem Reap. The central courtyard swimming pool and water garden, is still the focal point of the hotel and we were fortunate to stay in a room that had a private entrance and stairway into the pool.
We found the easiest way to get to Angkor Wat and the other temples was to arrange for a local tuk tuk driver to take us there. We made arrangements directly with our tuk tuk driver who spoke a little English to transport us around for our entire stay. It was a lot easier to get around all the different temples, knowing our driver would be waiting for us each morning at the entrance of the hotel.
Ta Prohm, Cambodia
Ta Prohm is the modern name of the temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara. Located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university.
We found the combination of trees growing out of the ruins nestled amongst the jungle and the Buddhist monks visiting made for an incredible atmospheric and photogenic visit of one of the most popular Angkor temples. UNESCO inscribed Ta Prohm on the World Heritage List in 1992.
The conservation and restoration of Ta Prohm is a partnership project of the Archaeological Survey of India and the APSARA (Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap)
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Angkor Wat was first a Hindu, then subsequently a Buddhist, temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world. The temple was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum.
Breaking from the Shaiva tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious center since its foundation. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture.
The modern name, Angkor Wat, means “Temple City” or “City of Temples” in Khmer; Angkor, meaning “city” or “capital city”, and Wat is the Khmer word for “temple grounds”.
>
