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How to Get the Most Out of the Angkor Archaeological Sites – tips from Dr Damian Evans. Bakong, the pyramid temple surrounded by a moat at the Roluos group. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

How to Get the Most Out of the Angkor Archaeological Sites – An Archaeologist’s Tips

How to get the most out of the Angkor archaeological sites near Siem Reap from one of the foremost experts, Siem Reap based archaeologist Damian Evans. Dr Evans provides tips on how to best experience UNESCO World Heritage listed Angkor Wat and the other Angkor temple ruins when you visit Cambodia.

Hire a good qualified guide, do some pre-trip reading, and get off the beaten track are just some of the tips from a Siem Reap based archaeologist on how to get the most out of the Angkor archaeological sites in Cambodia.

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Angkor archaeological sites, including Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom in Angkor Archaeological Park are undeniably a highlight of visiting Siem Reap. So there are few things more disappointing to hear than a traveller complaining of being “templed-out” after just one day exploring the archaeological ruins.

We learnt many years ago visiting Mayan and Aztec ruins on our first overseas trip to Mexico that unless you do some reading, preparation and planning, as well-preserved and as prettily-decorated as the monuments are, the archaeological sites could be any big old stone building or pile of rubble. You need to make sense of them and imbue them with meaning.

Visit with a knowledgeable, professional guide who is passionate about archaeology and history and has the ability to bring the past to life and you’ll be more engaged. Go one step further and do your own preparatory reading and you’ll be even more absorbed.

But no matter how much research you’ve done and how well your guide enlivens your experience, other factors can work against you having a great time.

Go in the debilitating midday heat of March-April and it’s hard to enjoy anything much aside from a swim in a pool. Likewise, if your visit coincides with that of a tour bus or three, and it’s impossible to get up close to admire intricate carvings or take a photo without other people in the frame shooting their selfies.

So how to get the most out of the Angkor archaeological sites? Here’s what you need to do…

How to Get the Most Out of the Angkor Archaeological Sites – Tips From A Local Archaeologist

Once again, we went to our expert archaeologist, Dr Damian Evans, former director of the University of Sydney’s Robert Christie Research Centre and now with the École Française d’Extrême-Orient in Siem Reap, to get his advice on how to get the most out of the Angkor archaeological sites near Siem Reap.

Q. How to get the most out of the Angkor archaeological sites – where should we start? How about: what is it that visitors should be getting excited about when they visit Angkor Wat and the other archaeological sites near Siem Reap?

A. Consider the scale of what was achieved here, using the relatively simple technologies at the disposal of the medieval Khmer civilisations – not just the size of the monuments, but look at the vast number of stone blocks that were brought in from quarries tens of kilometres away and the millions of cubic metres of earth, stone and water that were moved in order to create this grand vision of the cosmos rendered on earth.

To really appreciate it, I usually recommend people get up in the air above Angkor, and luckily there are a number of relatively inexpensive ways to do so.

Q. A must-do for most visitors is Angkor Wat, but what are the other not-to-be-missed Angkor archaeological sites and experiences?

A. I think the list of must-see archaeological temples is pretty well-established – there are three or four of them – and it’s possible to do them all in one long day if you have the energy… but not much else.

People should consider extending their stays, taking it easy, avoiding the crowds (which is easy enough to do if you’re an early-riser) and seeing things that are not big-ticket “must see” attractions.

Do things like walking along the walls of Angkor Thom, for instance, or participating in one of the community-based tour initiatives, such as the tour of Baray Reach Dak (see: the Natural Circuit of North Baray, Angkor Park tour), or taking a boat out on the West Baray.

Q. What’s the best time of year for exploring the Angkor archaeological sites?

A. I recommend avoiding the temples in the high season if it’s possible, unless you’re able to get out and about by 7am at the latest to beat the hordes. If you do wake up early then see a temple or two, spend the heat of the day poolside, and head out to see a couple more sites in the late afternoon.

I have no idea why there aren’t more visitors in the rainy season: everything is lush and green, the crowds are way down, it is relatively cool, and it normally only rains for an hour or two in the afternoon.

Q. For those who want to spend a few days concentrating  on the temples, what’s your best advice on how to get the most out of the Angkor archaeological sites over three days?

A. Find out what the big tour companies almost always do – sunrise at Angkor Wat, sunset at Phnom Bakheng, etc – and then use local knowledge or online resources to do exactly the opposite, or find a tour company that specializes in thinking outside of the box. To take just one example, if you go to the Bayon at about 4.30pm, you will have the magnificent bas-reliefs pretty much all to yourself.

Q. And for those who want to stay longer and get off the beaten track and experience some remote or lesser-visited Angkor archaeological sites, what do you recommend?

A. Given the remarkable improvement in the roads all across northern Cambodia in the last few years, I’m surprised that more people don’t take day trips to places like Koh Ker, Banteay Chhmar and Preah Khan of Kompong Svay.

Beng Mealea is gaining in popularity these days, but I think most people are not aware that some other formerly remote temple sites are now accessible by good roads on a 2-3 hour journey from Siem Reap, and that visiting them can be hugely rewarding. Some of the more enterprising tour agencies can organize local homestays or camping out near the temples, which can be a great experience.

Q. For visitors with an interest in art and architecture, what should they not miss?

A. If people don’t have the opportunity to see the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh then the much-maligned Angkor National Museum in Siem Reap is actually worth a visit to provide a bit of background and context and see some of the highlights of Khmer art.

For architecture, visit Banteay Samre, Koh Ker, and the lesser-visited face-towers on the gates of Angkor Thom (East, West) and Ta Prohm (North), and for art, the Roluos group, Banteay Srei, and the bas-reliefs of the Bayon.

Q. Do you think a pre-site visit trip to the museum enhance the experience of the temples?

A. I think a visit to the National Museum in Phnom Penh provides very valuable context to the temples, yes. If people don’t have the opportunity to visit the museum in the capital then there are several museums around the Siem Reap area, including the Angkor ‘National’ Museum. I would recommend doing the museum visit before heading out to the temples, to provide some background.

Q. Do archaeologists have good imaginations? When you look at a temple do you visualise it as it might have been centuries ago? Do you see elephants hauling massive stones from Kulen, see a King arriving shaded by parasols, or smell the aromas from a market?

A. Sure, archaeologists have good imaginations, but are generally a pretty cautious bunch when it comes to committing to certain accounts of the way that things were done. This is because of the inherent uncertainty involved.

Over the course of a few years however a bunch of art historians, archaeologists and other specialists have collaborated on things like a new guidebook called The Angkor Guidebook that presents some ideas about how the temples might have looked in their heyday, as well as a bunch of visualisations and animations that attempt to do the same.

It’s worth bearing in mind that there’s a lot that we still don’t know and that these visions of Angkor are not definitive, but represent a fair attempt at imagining what the temples would have looked like based on the best and latest scholarly data.

Q. For visitors who don’t have an archaeologist’s imagination and a vast knowledge of the past, what is your top tip to how to get the most out of the Angkor archaeological sites?

A. If people are very keen to gain an in-depth understanding of the temples, then a good, properly licensed Khmer tour guide from a reputable agency is essential. It’s worth noting though that this is just one of the approaches to visiting the site.

An equally rewarding way of visiting the monuments is just to wander around by yourself with no fixed itinerary or running commentary, and just sort of soaking in and appreciating the grandeur and majesty of the place, while letting your imagination and sense of wonder run with it. Or, ideally, combine both approaches.

Q. Essential pre-trip reading that you suggest people do?

A. By far the best in-depth textual guide to the finer details of the temples is Focusing on the Angkor Temples: The Guidebook by Michel Petrotchenko. It is superb. If you want a more visual reference with a more general ‘big picture’ approach then The Angkor Guidebook: Your Essential Guide to the Temples compiled by Andrew Booth is unique and indispensable.

Beyond the temples, Michael Coe’s Angkor and the Khmer Civilisation is a worthy introduction to the civilisation of Angkor, and David Chandler’s History of Cambodia is an accessible but scholarly overview of the broader contours of Khmer history from the earliest times up until the present day.

Q. Do you think Angkor Wat at sunrise is a must-do? If not, where else do you suggest people savour the sunrise or sunset?

A. Each to their own, but I personally don’t see the attraction. A good start would be to look at the places that provide great vantage points for sunset, and try experiencing sunrise at the same places.

Q. Any responsible travel tips for visitors as far as conduct and behaviour at the temples goes?

A. I would suggest that the set of outdoors ethics about “leaving no trace” is equally applicable to the temples of Angkor. The careless attitude of many foreigners towards the temples and towards the customs and beliefs of the local people to whom these are living, sacred monuments is pretty alarming for me not only as an archaeologist but also on a personal level.

This includes people touching and rubbing the reliefs and inscriptions, sitting on or climbing over carvings, flying radio-controlled toys over fragile temples without permission, scraping the artwork with backpacks, throwing rubbish around, shoving and shouting, and dressing inappropriately – or not at all!

The local authorities are faced with an essentially impossible task to prevent or police this kind of behaviour over such a vast World Heritage site, so it really falls to the visitor to educate themselves about what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour, and to make sure that what they leave behind is a positive impression among their Cambodian hosts who are allowing overseas guests to wander through their immensely important cultural heritage sites.

Q. Best place for lunch at the temples?

A. Lots of good places along the north bank of the Sras Srang. Most of them owned locally by people from Sras Srang village and serving good Khmer fare.

Q. Any final secret archaeologist tips for surviving a full day at the temples in the heat of March-April?

A. Early starts, late evenings, long siesta.

Those tips should show you how to get the most out of the Angkor archaeological sites but if you have any suggestions we’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Read part one of this interview with Dr Damian Evans here: An Archaeologist’s Guide to Angkor Archaeological Park (and what makes it special). You can find Damian Evans on Twitter at @archaeoangkor

Pictured above, the pyramid temple of Bakong, part of the Roluos Group, and one of our favourites.

For more interviews with locals from Cambodia and beyond see our Local Knowledge series of interviews with local experts and insiders from around the world.

Support our Cambodia Cookbook & Culinary History Book with a donation or monthly pledge on Patreon.

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About Lara Dunston

A travel and food writer who has experienced over 70 countries and written for The Guardian, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Feast, Delicious, National Geographic Traveller, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia, DestinAsian, TIME, CNN, The Independent, The Telegraph, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, AFAR, Wanderlust, International Traveller, Get Lost, Four Seasons Magazine, Fah Thai, Sawasdee, and more, as well as authored more than 40 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, DK, Footprint, Rough Guides, Fodors, Thomas Cook, and AA Guides.

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  1. Jeff Dobbins says

    January 28, 2016 at 11:38 pm

    I wished I’d read this before I visited last year. While I loved my couple days exploring Angkor Wat, I left feeling there was so much more to discover. I’ll just have to return ASAP.

  2. Terence Carter says

    January 29, 2016 at 9:07 am

    Hey Jeff, we’ve lived here for a couple of years and are still exploring temples. We did two more fascinating ‘off-the-beaten-track’ ones just this week and there’s still more to discover and more to ponder as the archaeologists continue their field work.
    Thanks for your comment.
    T

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Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check o Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check out our seafood recipe collection, especially if you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with a fish focused meal in the Southern Italian tradition, transformed by Italian-Americans into the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or like Australians, who celebrate Christmas in the sweltering summer, feast on seafood for Christmas Day lunch, we’ve got lots of easy seafood recipes for you.

Our recipes include a classic prawn cocktail, blini with smoked salmon, a ceviche-style appetiser, and devilled eggs with caviar. We’ve also got recipes for fish soup, seafood pies and pastas, salmon tray bake, and crispy salmon with creamy mashed potatoes.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/seafood-recipes-for-christmas-eve-and-christmas-day-menus/
(Link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating!! 

#christmas #christmasfood #seafood #fish #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #grantourismo #grantourismotravels #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you’re still looking for food inspo for Chris If you’re still looking for food inspo for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meals, my smoked salmon ‘carpaccio’ recipe is one of dozens of recipes in this compilation of our best Christmas recipes (link below). 

The Christmas recipe compilation includes collections of our best Christmas breakfast recipes, best Christmas brunch recipes, best Christmas starter recipes, best Christmas cocktails, best Christmas dessert recipes, and homemade edible Christmas gifts and more.

My smoked salmon carpaccio recipe makes an easy elegant appetiser that’s made in minutes. If you’re having guests over, you can make the dish ahead by assembling the salmon, capers and pickled onions, and refrigerate it, then pour on the dressing just before serving. 

Provide toasted baguette slices and bowls of additional capers, pickles and dressing, so guests can customise their carpaccio. And open the bubbly!

You’ll find that recipe and many more Christmas recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/best-christmas-recipes/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas!! X

#christmas #christmasfood #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #salmon #smokedsalmon #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels 
#xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I sh If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I shared a collection of recipes for homemade edible Christmas gifts — for condiments, hot sauces, chilli oils, a whole array of pickles, spice blends, chilli salt, furakake seasoning, and spicy snacks, such as our Cambodian and Vietnamese roasted peanuts. 

I love giving homemade edibles as gifts as much as I love receiving them. Who wouldn’t appreciate jars filled with their favourite chilli oils, hot sauces, piquant pickles, and spicy peanuts that loved-ones have taken the time to make? 

Aside from the gesture and affordability of gifting homemade edibles, you’re minimising waste. You can use recycled jars or if buying new mason jars or clip-top Kilner jars, you know they’ll get repurposed.

No need for wrapping, just attach some Christmas baubles or tinsel to the lid. I used squares of Cambodian kramas (cotton scarves), which can be repurposed as napkins or drink coasters, and tied a ribbon or two around the lids, and attached last year’s Christmas tree decorations to some.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/homemade-edible-christmas-gifts/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Yes, that’s Pepper... every time there’s a camera around... 

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#christmas #christmastree #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas #cambodia #siemreap
This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’ This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’s perfect if you’re just back from the fish markets armed with luxurious fresh crab meat. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and very, very moreish.

Our crab omelette recipe was one of our 22 most popular egg recipes of 2022 on our website Grantourismo and it’s no surprise. It’s appeared more times than any other egg recipes on our annual round-ups of most popular recipes since Terence launched Weekend Eggs when we launched Grantourismo in 2010.

If you’re an eggs lover, do check out the recipe collection. It includes egg recipes from right around the world, from recipes for classic kopitiam eggs from Singapore and Malaysia and egg curries from India and Myanmar to all kinds of egg recipes from Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, USA, Australia, UK, and Ireland.

And do browse our Weekend Eggs archives for further eggspiration (sorry). We have hundreds of egg recipes from the 13 year-old series of recipes for quintessential egg dishes from around the world, which we started on our 2010 year-long global grand tour focused on slow, local and experiential travel. 

We’re hoping 2023 will be the year we can finally publish the Weekend Eggs cookbook we’ve talked about for years based on that series. After we can find a publisher for the Cambodia cookbook of course... :( 

Recipe collection here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio):
https://grantourismotravels.com/22-most-popular-egg-recipes-of-2022-from-weekend-eggs/

If you cook the recipe and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either in the comments at the end of the recipe or share a pic with us here.

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I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angko I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angkor Archaeological Park, home to stupendous Angkor Wat, pictured, celebrated 30 years of its UNESCO World Heritage listing. 

That’s as good an excuse as any to put this magnificent, sprawling archaeological site on your travel list this year.

While riverside Siem Reap, your base for exploring Angkor is bustling once more, there are still nowhere near the visitors of the last busy high season months of December-January 2018-2019 when there were 290,000 visitors. 

Last month there were just 55,000 visitors and December feels a little quieter. A tour guide friend said there were about 150 people at Angkor Wat for sunrise a few days ago.

If you’re looking for tips to visiting Angkor, Siem Reap and Cambodia, just ask us a question in the comments below or check Grantourismo as we’ve got loads of info on our site. Click through to the link in the bio and explore our Cambodia guide or search for ‘Angkor’. 

And please do let us know if you’re coming to Siem Reap. We’d love to see you here x

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Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky, flavourful and succulent chicken thighs that are fantastic with steamed rice, Chinese greens or a salad, such as a Southeast Asian slaw. 

The chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours before cooking, which ensures it’s packed with flavour, then it can be cooked on a barbecue or in a pan.

Terence’s soy ginger chicken recipe is one of our favourite recipes for a quick and easy meal. I love the sound of the sizzling thighs in the pan, and the warming aromas wafting through the apartment. 

It’s amazing how such flavourful juicy chicken thighs come from such a quick and easy recipe.

Recipe here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio): https://grantourismotravels.com/soy-ginger-chicken-recipe/

If you cook it and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either here or in the comments at the end of the recipe on the site or share a pic with us x 

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Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re mak Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re making with my market haul from Psar Samaki in Siem Reap — all for a whopping 10,000 riel (US$2.50)?! 

Birds-eye chillies thrown in for free! They were on my list but the seller I spent most at (5,000 riel!) scooped up a handful and slipped them into my bag. She was my last stop and knew what I was making.

My Khmer is poor, even after all our years in Cambodia, as I don’t learn languages with the ease I did in my 20s, plus I’m mentally exhausted after researching and writing all day. I have a better vocabulary of Old and Middle Khmer than modern Khmer from studying the ancient inscriptions for the Cambodian culinary history component of our cookbook I’m writing.

So when one seller totalled my purchases I thought she said 5,000 riel but she handed back 4,500 riel! The sum total of two huge bunches of herbs and kaffir lime leaves was 500 riel.

Tip: if visiting Siem Reap, use Khmer riel for local shopping. We’ve mainly used riel since the pandemic started— rarely use US$ now as market sellers quote prices in riels, as do local shops and bakeries, and I tip tuk tuk drivers in riels. I find prices quoted in riels are lower.

Psar Samaki is cheaper than Psar Leu, which is cheaper than Psar Chas, as it’s a wholesale market, which means the produce is fresher. I see veggies arriving, piled high in the back of vehicles, with dirt still on them — as I did on this trip. 

The scent of a mountain of incredibly aromatic pineapples offloaded from the back of a dusty ute was so heady they smelt like they’d just been cut. More exotic European style veggies arrive by big trucks in boxes labelled in Vietnamese (from Dalat) and Mandarin (from China), such as beautiful snow-white cauliflower I spotted.

Note: the freshest produce is sold on the dirt road at the back of the market.

#cambodia #siemreap #foodwriter #foodblogger #foodphotography #igfood #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #instadaily #picoftheday #market #siemreapmarket #psarsamaki #marketfresh #vegetables #healthyfood #marketshopping #traveltips #foodtravel #culinarytravel #localtravel #cooking #cookingtime #curry #homemade #currypaste #grantourismotravels
My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recip My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recipe makes tender meatballs doused in a delightfully tangy-sweet sauce, sprinkled with crispy fried shallots, with carrot-daikon, crunchy cucumber and fragrant herbs. 

The dish is inspired by bún chả, a Hanoi specialty, but it’s not bún chả. No matter what Google or food bloggers tell you. Names are important, especially when cooking and writing about cuisines not our own.

This is an authentic bún chả recipe:  https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-bun-cha-recipe/ You’ll need to get the outdoor BBQ/grill going to do proper smoky bún chả meat patties (not meatballs).

My meatball noodle bowl is perhaps more closely related to dishes such as a Central Vietnam cousin bún thịt nướng (pork skewers on rice noodles in a bowl) and a Southern relation bún bò Nam Bộ (beef atop rice noodles, sprinkled with fried shallots (Nam Bộ=Southern Vietnam) though neither include meatballs. 

Xíu mại= meatballs although they’re different in flavour to mine, which taste more like bún chả patties. Xíu mại remind me of Southern Italian meatballs in tomato sauce.

In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, home to millions of Khmer, there’s bánh tằm xíu mại. Bánh tằm=silk worm noodles. They’re topped with meatballs, cucumber, daikon, carrot, fresh herbs, crispy fried onions. Difference: cold noodles doused in a sauce of coconut cream and fish sauce. 

Remove the meatballs, add chopped fried spring rolls and it’s Cambodia’s banh sung, which is a rice noodle salad similar to Vietnam’s bún chả giò :) 

Recipe here: (link in bio) https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-meatballs-and-rice-noodles-recipe/

For more on these culinary connections you’ll have to wait for our Cambodian cookbook and culinary history. In a hurry to know? Come support the project on Patreon. (link in bio)

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It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour matches the furnishings of our rented apartment. So, no, I did not colour-coordinate the interiors to match our cat’s eyes. 

I keep getting DMs from pet clothing brands wanting to “partner” with Pepper and send her free cat clothes and cat accessories. Although she did wear a kerchief for a few years in her more adventurous fashion-forward teenage years, I cannot see this cat in clothes now, can you? 

#pepper #blackcat #blackcats #blackcatsofinstagram #blackcatsrule #blackcatsmatter #cat #cats #catsofinstagram #catstagram #catlover #catlovers #catlove #catoftheday #catphoto #catpic #catpics #cambodiancat #cambodiancatsofinstagram #catlife #catloversclub #catoftheday #catgram #catstagram #cats_of_instagram #catphotography #catsofig #catsoftheworld #catsofinsta #cats🐱 #siemreap #cambodia

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