Angkor - a brief history

About 1200 years ago, someone called Jayavarman II united different groups who were at war and he declared himself a universal god-king.  He was the beginning of the most powerful kingdom of that time in Southeast Asia and with him, the Angkor era began.  During this era, many imaginative building projects, complex irrigation systems, and magnificent walled cities were built.  Neighboring country, Siam, began attacking and in the 15th century, the Angkors fled into the jungles and the temples were lay hidden to the world until the 19th century, when the French rediscovered it.  

There are over 100 temples and monuments spread out over 1200 square miles (3000 square kilometers) around the city if Siem Reap.  The most famous of these temples is Angkor Wat, being the largest of the temples.


The Angkor temples are so large that most people rent a tuk-tuk for a day (which will cost around $10 on average, but we did it for $8)  This is only to take you around the main complex.  Going further out will cost more.  We saw many people throughout the whole day.  Backpackers included most western countries as well as Japanese and Chinese.  There were a few Koreans, but they mostly did tours.