Phnom Penh
Admire the 5,000 sparkling silver tiles on the floor of the Silver
Pagoda, as well as its pure gold, jewel-encrusted main statue…see
the original Khmer sculpture collection in the National
Museum…visit the hilltop Wat Phnom
to see its elaborate frescoes…stroll the Art Deco style Central
Market for gold, silver, silks, and jewelry…see Wat
Ounalom, the center of Buddhist culture and the most important temple
of Phnom Penh…compare clothes, jewelry, and souvenir bargains at the Russian
Market…learn about Cambodia's sobering recent history under
the Khmer Rouge at Tuol Sleng, a museum
that was once a detention and interrogation center…travel to the city outskirts
for a visit to Choeung Ek, the "Killing
Fields" nearest to Phnom Penh.
Angkor
Stroll the massive Royal City of Angkor Thom,
including Bayon's pyramidical temple topped
by four gigantic carved heads, the Terrace of the Elephants,
and the Terrace of the Leper King…visit
the Baphuon, where bas reliefs depict Hindu
epics…take in the sunrise or sunset from Bakheng…spend
a whole afternoon roaming through Angkor Wat,
the most famous temple complex…absorb the mystical atmosphere at Ta
Phrom, where gigantic fig trees and creepers grow over the buildings…stop
by the 12th-century complex of Preah Khan
with its vast dance hall and a two story pavilion…visit the brick Roluos
group of temples, covered with carefully depicted human figures…admire
the temples of Banteay Srei, considered
by many to be the most sublime of all Angkor's remains: delicately worked in
pink sandstone, with exceptional carvings and ornamentation.
