In July 2020, we took a family vacation to Siem Reap province. In Khmer, the name Siem Reap literally means ‘Siam defeated‘ while the Thai refer to the province as ‘Siemmarat‘ which literally means ‘Siam’s territory.‘

Siem Reap is the home of the ruins of the ancient city of Angkor; which was the largest pre-industrial city in recorded history. The city of Angkor was sacked by the Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Siamese nation considered the precursor to modern day Thailand, in AD 1431 marking the end of the Angkorian era but it’s decline began centuries before. Many historians believe that the fall of Angkor was rooted in the neglect of the infrastructure that made it’s growth possible. Angkor was built on some of the most impressive waterworks in the ancient world but by the 13th and 14th centuries the maintenance and expansion of these systems were neglected. Silt clogged canals hindered rice production, choked the Angkorian economy, and forced Angkor’s population to disperse, leaving the great city vulnerable to outside attack.

In this series, I wrote posts on the following locations that we visited in Siem Reap.

Siem Reap is the largest tourist attraction in Cambodia and it’s ruins are usually full of crowds. When Crystal and I visited in 2007, there were thousands of other tourists present. I’ve heard that that has increased to ten of thousands. However, because we visited during COVID-19 restrictions, there were dozens of other people at Angkor Wat and only a handful at the other temples. This made the trip very special – I’d say that it was a once in a lifetime experience but we are hoping to visit one more time before tourist visas begin to be issued again.