Cambodia, March 2026
The Khmer civilisation from the 9th to the 14th centuries must have been among the greatest in the world . No written records remain other than stone inscriptions, the testament is preserved in the glory that is the Ankor complex.
The country had a tumultuous 20th Century; French colonialism, the spill-over from the American War in Vietnam, the Khmer Rouge’s brutal attempt at agrarian communism in the 1970s which killed 2m people, around a quarter of the entire population, and the Cambodian-Vietnamese war which didn’t end until 1989. The Khmer Rouge also decimated the educated and professional classes, something that has held back the development of Cambodia to this day. The country remains one of the poorest in the world.
But, despite all this, the people we met on our brief travels were universally kind and welcoming.
Angkor Wat
My pictures simply do not do justice to the magnificence that is Ankor Wat, the most famous of the many temples in the Ankor complex. It was built in the 1100s, at a time when medieval Europe was starting to construct relatively crude stone castles. It was abandoned in the 15th Century and only reclaimed from the jungle in the 20th Century.
Angkor Wat is a short tuk-tuk ride from the city of Siem Reap where all the tourists stay and you can fly into. On our modest budget we stayed at the Central Blanche Residence - £10 a night with a swimming pool. The Angkor Hand-Pulled Noodles restaurant in town was tasty.
Sculptures and carvings
TThe temples and processional walkways are covered in carvings of exceptionally high quality telling stories of battles between gods and demons and about heaven and hell.
Surrounding temples
Angkor Wat is only one of 72 major temples in the wider complex which is spread over 400km2. We bought a 3 day temple pass ($60} to use on a 2 day guided tour - definitely worth doing. We went back to Angkor Wat by ourselves to make use of the 3rd day.
Unbelievably, with our social media tuned short attention-span lives, 'temple fatigue' can set in.If you can spread your visit over a longer time that can help with appreciating the grandeur of it all.
Hero Rats
The Apopo Hero Rats centre in Siem Reap is home to African giant pouched rats that are trained to detect landmines which are still prevalent on the Cambodia / Thailand border. Definitely worth a visit.
Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary
We spent an enjoyable week volunteering (contribute $400pp towards accommodation, food, transport) at CWS which is on a large reserve a couple of hours north of Siem Reap.
Together with 3 other volunteers we helped with foraging for elephant food (Sugar Cane, Banana Tree, Elephant Grass), cleaning animal enclosures and also teaching local children.
Battambang
A sleepy city
Bat Caves - Battambang
At dusk millions of Asia Wrinkle-Lipped Free-Tailed bats emerge from the caves at Phnom Sampeau. Because they are so small and so numerous it's quite tricky to see them, it's more a sensation of a swarm.
Royal Palace - Phnom Peng
Sunset on the Mekong River - Phnom Peng
M'Pai Bai - Koh Rong Sanloem
Eating Out
Pretty much anything is on the menu here, from insects to the fallopian tubes. Here we have some spatchcock rats. Yum.
Practicalities
If you are a UK citizen, to get into Cambodia you’ll need a e-visa, simply obtained online for $30.