Holidays to Siem Reap, Cambodia have a profoundly mysterious aura that is constructed out of its chanting temple dwellers, static lakes and ancient, candlelit statues.
Every sight and sound appeals to the senses in a new way. Buddhist countries have a tendency to get beneath a traveller's skin in an ethereal way. The silent, steady pace of local lifestyles smooths away stress until you find yourself doing everything at reduced speeds, and with far less mental clutter. Cambodia's tragic history has begun to sink into the corners of the past, leaving behind it an optimistic country ready to face a fresh era. Immersing yourself in the culture of the region should entail some interaction with its people, and for those taking a holiday to Siem Reap, Cambodia, that means chatting with houseboat residents, listening to the chanting at the temples and, most importantly, travelling into the deepest pockets of the sacred Angkor city. Today, the ruins are home to groups of Khmer rice farmers. The surrounding landscape is a watery one, with Southeast Asia's greatest lake forming its boundaries. The moat has a more philosophical meaning, symbolising the mythical sea that is said to surround the Hindu deities' home. The temple is the largest in the world, and was founded on the Khmer people's religious leanings towards both Buddhism and Hinduism.