My travel partner and I are keen photographers , so it was a bonus to learn that Lux is not just a wealth of knowledge and a passionate storyteller , but he ’ s also got a great eye for images and knows all the best vantage points , many away from the crowds , for us to capture the Angkor beauty .
Superlatives fail when describing Angkor Wat and its surrounding temples — the sheer vastness , majesty and beauty of the ruins only become apparent when you get there . After sunrise at Angkor Wat , we headed out to explore Angkor Thom , the last ( and greatest ) capital city of the Khmer kingdom , a walled jungle city that once had somewhere from 80,000 to 150,000 inhabitants . And , in the middle , its piece de resistance , the magnificent temple of Bayon , with its smiling stone faces serenely gazing out over the landscape , carved into a facade of 37 of the original 54 towers left jutting up from the temple ’ s ruins .
Bayon is exquisite and utterly breathtaking , and as we explore the inner chambers , we feel like extras from Indiana Jones or Lara Croft : Tomb Raider . The latter was famously filmed here in 2000 , and one of the movie ’ s most recognisable landmarks — jungle-wrapped , its crumbling ruins squeezed between the roots of enormous trees and creepers drenched in dappled sunlight — can be found nearby at Ta Prohm , dubbed ‘ the Tomb Raider temple ’.
Seven hours later , we ’ d covered the bulk of Angkor ’ s marvels , and had Lux regale us with more history and love stories about Siem Reap on the drive back to our hotel . He ’ d even given us a list of recommended restaurants to try , plus some tips on where to find the best cultural gems in the city , proving his newfound status as our favourite go-to guide in this beguiling Cambodian city .
Want to hire Lux as your guide ? You can get in touch with him at actcambodiatravel . com
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