The Magic of Angkor Wat is Lost, and Never to be Found Again.

This image of Angkor Thom has been complied through the use of HDR technology to remove all the tourists from the photo. Close inspection reveals inconsistencies and blurs generated from the compiling script. Photo Credit: Aydin Adnan

When one imagines the temples of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the first thoughts that emerge are of a magical ancient temple secluded in a dense jungle. One envisions peeling back the canopy of the jungle to reveal a towering temple. Perhaps once that was the case, but due to the heavy influx of tourism, the temples have become nothing more than a glorified theme park.

Over the course of 6 days, I visited 10 temples in the Angkor Wat complex (some of which multiple times). Unlike most tourists who visit the temples on a guided tour in one day, I decided to take my time to explore on my own. My intentions were to find a nice tranquil area of the temples to pray and meditate. This proved to be the most challenging task of all.

During the months of May through September, heavy rains descend on Southeast Asia (SEA). Due to this the number of tourists drastically decreases, and the time is known as the “low season” or “rainy season.” Despite being low season, there were vast numbers of tourists at each of the temples I visited; even ones that were remote and out of the tour path. I dare not think what the temples are like in the high season.