The Angkor Wat alternative: exploring Cambodia´s forgotten ruins
(The Guardian Travel News)

While crowds throng Angkor Wat, the Banteay Chhmar ruins in north-west Cambodia are even older - and usually shared only with the birdsI did a double take at the temple´s empty guestbook as it was handed to me from the small, wooden ticket booth. Nope, no visitors yesterday. And just two the day before that: one German, one Thai.What a difference a two-hour drive can make. I had spent the previous day at one of the world´s greatest tourist sites, the largest religious temple in the world, Angkor Wat. There, I´d had to use my guide´s local intel to get the best views before the crowds descended. And yet here we were on day two, just 160km up the road, with another temple all to ourselves. Continue reading...