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Cambodia
Overview
 Siam
Reap is a charming city with a river flowing through the
centre of town. It lies 7 km from the World Heritage
site of Angkor Wat and 12 km from Tonle Sap lake.
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 The
world - famous temples of
Angkor,
constitute one of humanity's most magnificent architectural
achievements. From Angkor, the kings of the Khmer Empire
ruled over a vast territory that extended from the tip of
what is now southern Vietnam northward to Yunnan in China
and from Vietnam westward to the Bay of Bengal. These 100 or
so temples constitute the sacred skeleton of a much larger
and spectacular administrative and religious centre, long
since decayed.
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 While
most visitors spend their time exploring the ancient temple
ruins, there are plenty other diversions in this city. The
Tonle Sap
Lakeake,
the heart of Cambodia, is located here and boat tours offer
visitors a glimpse into the traditional Khmer way of life. |
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Floating villages, sunset cruises and tours
of the bird reserve of
Prek Tuol
are all worthwhile. Other options include visiting the
local
stone and wood-carving school or the nearby
Silk Farm.
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 The
town of Siem Reap itself is generally run-down, by
international standards and has a 'sleepy hollow', feel to
it. There are many unpaved roads so travel can at times be
soggy, especially in the wet season. Aesthetically the more
attractive parts of town are the old French quarter and the
park area opposite the
Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor. The former has
many attractive colonial French style buildings, many of
which are used for cafes, restaurants and bars, therefore is
one of the social centres of the town. |
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 Siem
Reap is not big and serves as a base for visits to the
monuments and most of the buildings within the town are
recent, including luxury
hotels
and tourism outlets catering to the overseas visitors that
are attracted to the
historical monuments. Its recent
history has been turbulent to say the least but
todays Siem Reap is a peaceful place.
Siem Reap is small enough to walk around,
safe enough to be out after dark, close enough to
world-famous monuments and its people hospitable.
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Climate
 The
climate of Siem Reap is governed by two monsoons. The cool,
dry, north-eastern monsoon, which carries little rain and
occurs from around November to April and from May to
October, the south-western monsoon bringing strong winds,
high humidity and heavy rains.
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