Cambodia Day One...March 15, 2009

We are in Nirvana, and have not even seen the temple complex at Angkor Wat. The plane ride was just about one and one-half hours, and then a short trip to the hotel in what used to be a sleepy tropical village. After UNESCO named Angkor Wat a World Heritage Center, tourists started coming in droves and financial interests began building gorgeous hotels. Our guide said that prior to 1992, there were 3 hotels here in Siem Reap. Now there are 114, and mostly very plush. This one, the Apsara Angkor, is a 4 star, and is stunning. Hardwood floors, staircases, bathroom vanities, wall carvings, all teak. With a beautiful courtyard with lush greenery surrounding a large, warm pool and jacuzzi, gym, massage/spa center, all the amenities. We are just about the only guests here. It is at the end of the "high" season (winter) and the guide said we could expect temperatures over 100 degrees tomorrow, so I expect there aren't too many people. At least not at this hotel. That would be good not fighting crowds to see the architecture tomorrow. Except for the hotels, the area looks empty, with a huge lake and lots of open space. Descending, I saw only a few scattered houses, and the map shows only a very small town down the road from this road from the hotels. This road is an interstate highway in Cambodia, linking Bangkok to Phnom Pen. More tomorrow