Over two days, we explored seven of Angkor’s temples, discovering a landscape shaped by centuries of Khmer history. From the immense scale and symmetry of Angkor Wat to intricately carved stone, atmospheric courtyards and temples slowly being reclaimed by the jungle, each site revealed a different side of what was once the heart of the Khmer Empire.
Our time around Angkor also took us beyond the main archaeological park to Phnom Kulen, a mountain with deep significance in Khmer history and a place of pilgrimage today. Here we visited Preah Ang Thom, an active Buddhist monastery centred on a huge reclining Buddha carved directly into the sandstone rock. Together, the temples and the journey into the mountains gave us a glimpse not only of Angkor’s extraordinary past, but of the religious traditions that remain very much alive in Cambodia today.
