Intricate gestures, slow, stylised movements and sumptuous costumes demonstrated that this classic art is being reborn. The audience was enthralled. To reach Siem Reap , the town near Angkor Wat , you can take an express boat up the Tonle Sap River, which reverses its flow annually when water from the monsoon-swollen Mekong pushes upstream. Towards the end of the dry season, the vast Tonle Sap Lake, amazingly rich in fish, shrinks to half its usual size. Sophanna, a friendly driver with an air-conditioned vehicle, eased matters considerably.
Transport is essential as the temples are spread over a large area of jungle.
You can rush around in a day, but three days makes it a more fruitful experience. While Angkor Wat, built to honour Vishnu, the Hindu deity, is the largest temple and has magnificent bas-reliefs, I was more impressed by Angkor Thom . Gods and demons guard the entrance gates and everywhere colossal visages of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara gaze down on you. Banteay Srei , offering Angkor's most delightful carvings, is a safe 20-km drive away. Back in 1994 an American woman was ambushed and killed on this route.