Angkor Archeological Site

Cambodia got it goin’ on with tickets to historical sites. If you’re a resident, you get in free. Just flash your ID and you’re good to go.

If you’re a tourist, passes come in a variety of lengths, but on average are $20 a day.

Think you’re going to be a skinflint and give your buddy the other half of your pass tomorrow? Nope – these people learned from Disney – your picture is put on your ticket when it’s handed to you, and they check it periodically when you’re trying to get into “E” ticket exhibits throughout the day. No pass can net you a $100 fine.

Angkor (which means “City”, incidentally) Archeology Park was established in 1994. The place has been an archeological site since the French re-discovered it in 1850. They tried to help with some of the restoration, but were interrupted by that little “conflict” in which the US participated in the 1960’s and 70’s. Unfortunately, they were ran out when they were only partially done with some of the restoration work, meaning that delicate locations were left exposed to weather when the workers fled.

Those bullet holes didn’t help things any, either.

This significant location is now a World Heritage Site. Like Providence, MA, and the beach restoration, they’ve prohibited people from building or living within the park, but if you were lucky enough to have a house that predates 1994, you can continue to live there until it falls down.

There is a thriving tourist business in the park, though, although we were encouraged not to purchase things from any of the kids there since it tends to give them a reason not to pursue education.

Incidentally, primary school kids (grades 1 through 6) don’t go to school on Thursday, but they do on Saturday. We were at the site on a Thursday.

There will be pictures to add later, but we're in the airport now (on Friday morning) and can't upload.