Ta Prohm, Siem Reap

They talk of it as being hidden deep in the jungle, “overrun by parrots, cicadas and banyan trees”. Of course it isn’t quite like that. Unless you happen to be very lucky. Unless, for instance, your guide (who doesn’t know that this one building out of all the others is the sole reason you are in his country at all) decides that you are the kind of person who needs to see this place as it is meant to be seen. In a quiet solitude. In the pre-dawn greyness a gateway loomed with the moon behind it. It was deathly quiet. Only three of us wandered beneath the ancient walls. Human beings: tiny ... more

Ta Prohm is a large temple in the Angkor site near Siem Riep. It is often referred to as the "Tomb Raider Temple" as a scene from the film was filmed here. The temple stands out from any other temple in the region because of the way in which the jungle has reclaimed the site. Large trees have seeded in the cracks in the wall and ceilings and over hundreds of years have grown in and around the temple. This has resulted in some fantastic visible root structures within the walls and is unlike anything else you will ever see. Unfortunately due to its uniqueness the temple receives an incredible ... more