ANGKOR WAT SUCCUMBING
TO TOURISM
Copyright 2006 www.tombraiderchronicles.com
[ September 19th 2006 ]
Angkor
Wat, the idyllic Cambodian hotspot steeped in
religious history dating back thousands of years,
has succumbed to the effects of tourism in part
due to films like Lara
Croft Tomb Raider, which put the region on
the map in 2001.
According
to The Sunday Times, Angkor Wat has become something
of a honey pot, receiving over half a million
visitors every year, many of them staying in Siem
Reap's burgeoning coterie of five-star resorts.
"Angkor
Wat may no longer be a lost city, but neither
is it seething with people. In fact the size of
the place (the outer wall is 2.2 miles long) makes
it quite easy to find a quiet spot to savour its
special mystique.
"One
of the busiest temples is Ta Prohm. Reclaimed
by the jungle, it offers the signature photograph
of huge stone edifices being penetrated by the
roots of enormous banyans and of course was made
famous by Angelina
Jolie's shenanigans in Tomb Raider.
"You
can however have your own Lara Croft moment by
going to Beng Mealea; some 70km out of town, this
jungle-busted ruin is far enough to deter all
but the most intrepid.
Pop on
over to The
Sunday Times to reclaim the full article.
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