Siem Reap, the "capital" of the north Cambodia's, the name means Siams Defeat, a bit ironic as the fact is that Thailand in 1704 defeated Cambodia, and controlled Siem Reap from then all the way up til 1904.
Even today the city (read Angkor Wat) gives tension between the two countries, especially from the Thai side, many Thai's really dislike Cambodia, and the Khmer people, because they got their temple back!
In the 13 Century, Siem Reap was the largest city in the world, and were probably home to more than
1 million people, But the French, Thai's, Chinese and Cambodia itself, changed that from 13 century till today, so now it's just a big Village, trying to find it's own feets.
In 1992, UNESCO designated Angkor as a World Heritage site. and just a few years ago "Lonely Planet" made Angkor Wat the most important place to visit in the world, succiding places like the Chinese Wall and the Pyramids of Giza.
Pointers to Visit:
First of all, theres no way around Angkor Wat if your in Siem Reap,
But there's other things to see there, like Floating Village, Mount Kulen, and iófcause Night Marked
Click the links for other parts of Siem Reap worth a Visit
Go Back to main travel site