In 2004, I took my second big trip to Southeast Asia; the first had been in 1999. I traveled from Bangkok to Siem Reap by cheap bus. At that time, once you crossed into Cambodia the roads ceased to be paved. The bus broke down several times. We even had to push it out of a dusty ditch once in ridiculous heat. The trip to Siem Reap was a nightmare but the sight of Angkor Wat was something I’ve never forgotten. I was just able to go back to Angkor Wat 11 years later and it still blew my mind.

I have pretty much seen and done everything in Southeast Asia to be perfectly honest. If I ranked the 30 best things to see and do in Southeast Asia (which sounds like a great future post), I would probably rank Angkor Wat at the top. It is simply stupendous.

Waking up at 4:30am to make it into the Angkor Wat temple complex by sunrise around 5:30am or so is a pleasure. I personally think the best place is outside the temple walls across the large moat because you get great reflections and see both the front and the massive back spires.

There will literally be thousands of other tourists, mostly Chinese and Korean, doing the exact same thing. However, as I always say, a ton of tourists don’t go to bad places so Angkor Wat has something going for it for sure. In fact, I would put the site of Angkor Wat up there with any of the new 7 wonders of the world. In my 30 best man made sites list, Angkor Wat ranked pretty high as well. It is sensational.

After you’ve had your fill of sunrise photos, I suggest not going inside and beelining it for Ta Phrom to see the overgrown banyan trees on my favorite temple before the masses arrive. This is the famous Tomb Raider temple made famous by Angelina Jolie in the Lara Croft movie-which I’ve not actually seen…but I think she’s super hot!

Having Ta Phrom to yourself is something special and you can get some great photos and just enjoy being there. You can enter either way when you walk to it and the main site is to the right.

Angkor Thom is next and the Bayon Temple is simply awesome. There is so much to see in this massive part of the Angkor temple complex. Take some time to take it all in but without question; the Bayon Temple is the star of the show.

The rock carvings along are worth the trip. Add in the faces in the rocks, the amazing architecture and little hallways all over the place and you feel like a kid playing on the rocks!

After you’ve visited sufficiently, head back to Angkor Wat itself and head inside. Most of the sunrise tourists will be gone by then and although it will be hot as hell, it’ll be better for you.

Inside Angkor Wat’s walls is a massive area and it takes time to walk and explore it. Again, it will be very hot so bring water. Also, bring extra batteries for your camera or phone charger because you’ll be snapping away just like the Asian tourists you make fun of!

I stayed at the Le Meridien Angkor; which is pretty conveniently located right near the park. I set up my driver by using the same taxi that drove me from the airport to the hotel. I paid him $40 for driving me around all day, waiting and then driving me to the airport for my flight to Laos. It may be a little high for Cambodia but he was a good guy and deserved it.

The town or should I say city of Siem Reap has grown so much since 2004 that if I was dropped off there without knowing where I was-I’d have no clue! It is massive, noisy, polluted and buzzing with cars, tuk tuks and 5 star hotels! Tourism happens!

Sadly, I don’t think the locals are seeing much benefit from the tourism boom as foreigners are coming in. Apparently, a Vietnamese company controls Angkor Wat; as one of my Instagram followers informed me. That said, it’s still a site that’s not to be missed and should be a top priority for anyone visiting Southeast Asia. Angkor Wat 11 years later was just as good if not better and at least this time I have photos!

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