January 4-12

Siem Reap, a resort town in northwestern Cambodia, is the gateway to the ruins of Angkor, the seat of the Khmer kingdom from the 9th–15th centuries. Angkor’s vast complex of intricate stone buildings includes preserved Angkor Wat, giant faces are carved into the Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom, the crumbling Ta Prohm Temple overtaken by the jungle and made famous by the film Tomb Raider, and a dozen more. The city over the holidays was decked out in lights. Highlights were of course the amazing Ankor Archaeological Park, the local circus, riding bikes, amazing food, silk worm farm and factory, and mine-sniffing rats.