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Editor's Review |
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Cambodia
With over a decade of stability since the brutal internal strife of the 1980/90’s, Cambodia is now a must-go attraction for the more enterprising traveller. The centre of the substantial 9-13th century Khmer empire, subsequent decline caused much of that civilisation to be hidden for centuries – so that the lost cities and temples are a compelling reason to visit. Ankor was the ancient capital, Ankor Wat, simply one of the grandest and best-known temples of the region. Siem Reap is a starting point for ‘temple safaris’ to many others, notably the quite staggering jungle-enfolded Ta Prohm. Cambodia is a ‘water’ country – much of its life and economy depends on the rivers, lakes, and coast. Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in SE Asia – and its river reverses direction as the Mekong delta flooding alters. That’s when the colorful, traditional boat festival takes place in Phnom Pen, the colonial-style capital and a water-based city with floating and stilted villages. If ‘temple exhaustion’ hits, relax on the unexpectedly splendid beaches at Sihanouk on the Gulf of Thailand. Remoter areas of the country contain a rich Asian wildlife – elephants, bears, panthers and the rare Indochinese tiger.
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