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.