In the footsteps of Angelina Jolie

Angkor Wat gets almost all of the attention as the most prominent of the Cambodian temple sites. But Angkor Thom is larger and just as interesting to me. Dozens of other temples grace the countryside, many quite exquisite.

The crowd pleaser, however, is Ta Prohm. It alone has not yet been fully restored. Trees grow up among the stones of the temple to lend the site a forbidding, romantic look.

To some extent the look is created. The trees have been trimmed and managed for effect going back to French colonial times.

The effect is magnificent. Ta Prohm has many different surprises and discoveries as one moves from one space to another. Most of the Cambodian scenes from Lara Croft: Tomb Raider were filmed in this evocative location.