Less than a month ago, I returned from a trip with a special flavor; indeed, I was returning for the second time to Siem Reap to see the temples of Angkor, and thus also returning to Cambodia for the first time in seven years . So, what can we observe about the evolution of tourism in the area over almost a decade?
The solicitations: 1 dollar, 1 dollar vs tuk-tuk tu-tuk?
For those who have visited, you probably haven't missed it: these groups of children swarming around you as soon as you approach or leave a temple were more than commonplace. This is what particularly tired me during my first trip in 2007, to the point that I came back with the rather frank feeling, " I don't like Cambodia... "
It's important to put things in context; at the time, it was my first trip outside of Thailand , so I was discovering another Asian country. And while its neighbor is doing quite well economically, Cambodia is still haunted by the ghosts of its troubled past, and the Cambodians are there to remind you of that…
Good news, it has improved! So there are still of course some children, but much fewer than before , plus there were also all those booksellers and other merchants at each temple who rushed to try to sell you something (which worked, because I ended up buying a book just to tell the others, "it's good, I have"), which is less the case today.
On the other hand, there are now more tuk-tuk drivers than the demand… As a result, you are constantly harassed as soon as you go to eat near the old market (next to Pub Street in Siem Reap). You barely get up after finishing your meal before you have 3 or 4 drivers waiting for you, ready to "jump" on you…
It's quite annoying, and even I, who am usually calm, got "gently" irritated twice, explaining that if I wanted a tuk-tuk, I would just ask for one. There's no point in hailing them aimlessly like that, and it bothers everyone. The problem is that they're probably aware of this, but lacking work, they can't think of anything better to do… at least that's my impression, because I can't understand any other mechanism that pushes them to do something that, in my opinion, is counterproductive.
Chong Kneas, an unrecognizable floating village
I knew that it had become very touristy, it already was in 2007, but it still had a certain charm at the famous floating village of Chong Khneas, the main one visited for excursions to Tonlé Sap lake, from where you took the boat to go and see the Vietnamese floating villages .
But when I arrived, it was a bit of a shock. I didn't recognize the long road at all, or only vaguely, before the hill bordering the quays. I discovered a widened road (even if not yet paved), the "street" now deserted or almost so, whereas houses full of life once lined the area.
A little further on, you can see a large parking lot being built. It was there, in front of this building serving as a dock, that I felt downright uneasy… Where have all those little boats gone that used to pick you up right on the lake shore next to the houses? Where has the village life gone?
Once there, I hesitated for a few seconds about going all the way and going back, but I knew there was another village further on, decision made, heading towards Kampong Phluk (I mentioned this in my article on the villages of Tonlé Sap ).
Angkor temples still under renovation
While last time there was little to no renovation work underway outside of Angkor Wat, where its top floor was inaccessible, this year the work was in full swing. In addition to Angkor Wat, which was still under construction (front facade), they were rebuilding the walls and galleries of Ta Prohm, and restoring Phnom Bakheng and the Bayon.
It's a long and painstaking task because it's arduous and the number of sites to manage is colossal (don't forget that it was a city, not a large village...)
The old temples are like giant puzzles. Some parts have completely collapsed, putting it all back together requires a lot of dexterity, especially since they generally try to respect the operating procedure of the time in order to preserve the know-how, meaning that they don't glue it all back together with concrete and other things.
I recommend you watch this video which explains in part how the renovation of a temple actually takes place and the requirements to be met.
Sometimes stones do not fit and are placed in a row near where they belong.
But I must admit that while the preservation of these sites is obviously important and even essential for the region which lives almost entirely off of it, too many renovations kill some of the charm of the places… When I see at Ta Prohm , all these wooden walkways, the galleries completely redone, it is sometimes as if we are trying to erase the years that have passed.
So yes, I know that on the one hand, without sufficient maintenance, everything could collapse. But I think there's a happy medium between restoring things "as new" and preserving sites somewhat "in their original state," especially when you deliberately replace old stones with new ones or even add entirely new statues, as here at the temple of Banteay Srei:
Another example: to avoid damaging the steps of the various temples, it is becoming rare to be able to use the original steps, which nevertheless added a little something to reaching the tops of the temples "as in the old days".
I remember, for example, the Phimeanakas temple , which you could climb via its narrow, steep steps on the side of the temple. Today, this is impossible and only accessible via a wooden staircase built behind it. A woman made me doubt myself by abruptly saying, "This is the way down," when it's clearly a double meaning, since there's no other way out until proven otherwise…
Overall, I should have looked at the 2007 photos beforehand, to get the same angles, but it still gives an idea of the possible changes between 2007 and 2014.
One last comparison for the road, the Pre Rup temple which, I remember, had to be paid for separately from the pass at the time, so we did not visit it in 2007 (maybe the guards were just looking to make some extra money, who knows…) but it was done this year.
What about the number of tourists in Angkor?
Well, in August, it's not really peak season, it's supposed to be the rainy season (supposed to be, because that year we didn't get a single drop of rain, even the Cambodians, including our driver, said it wasn't normal), and it was incredibly hot!!!
For this latest visit, I followed the excellent advice of Tugdual (from the now-defunct blog Visapour), whose version I detailed here , but generally speaking, it's essential to get up early to hope for peace and quiet. This time, between his advice and the almost "off-season" weather, it was pure bliss; generally few people , sometimes the feeling of being completely alone, and clearly the best way to fully appreciate the place.
It turns out I was returning to Angkor a third time a few months later, this time in March (roughly the end of the season), and I can confirm this impression. The crowds can be avoided.
In other words, despite the ever-increasing number of tourists, it's still possible to avoid the crowds and visit without feeling like a sheep (this article is a few years old, I thought I'd mention it, as things may have changed). I say this especially because I'm thinking, for example, of Amandine from the blog Unsacsurledos , who unfortunately wasn't able to appreciate the place properly.
So yes, Angkor remains a must-see that still (I hope) has a bright future ahead of it, despite mass tourism.
Have you visited the temples of Angkor? What did you think of them? Were you able to avoid the crowds?
