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Wats Up: Assault Tactics

October 22, 2008 at 12:30 PM | by | Comments (0)

This week, we're all about Angkor.

The strategy for visiting the temples of Angkor comes down to this: Divide and conquer. Paying a thorough visit to each and every temple can take weeks, with dozens of structures within the main complex and dozens of other outliers dotted up to a two-hour drive from Angkor Wat.

Tackle the temples by breaking the area into regions, and hire a tuk tuk to take you to the temples in that area. For those with only one day to visit, after a morning at Angkor Wat, here's a breakdown of the highlights.

Central Angkor:
Phnom Bakheng, Angkor Thom and its Bayon temple and, if time permits, the Prasats dotting the area.

Northeast Angkor:
Preah Khan, Neak Pean and Ta Som.

Southeast Angkor:
Sras Srang, Prasat Kravan and Banteay Kdei.

After covering the main complex, if time permits, we implore you to take the time and spend the money to visit Banteay Srei, or "Citadel of Women," about an hour outside Siem Reap. Your moto ride will take you past many man-made lakes and aqueducts along the way, exhibiting the complex agricultural system of the ancient Khmer civilization.

Once there, the pink sandstone and impeccably preserved carvings at the small temple overshadow the crumbling, gray monstrosities back in town. Khmers believe, because of the quality of the craftsmanship and the abundance of apsara nymph carvings, that women built this temple. If so, nice work, ladies.

Related Stories:
· Angkor Wat Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: Melissa's Blog]

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