If I asked you to name a person who traveled to Cambodia and did not make it to Angkor Wat, I bet you would call me insane.

You probably already have a lot of information about Cambodia, but here are some more interesting facts about the country that you may or may not know about.

• This is definitely the country’s superstar.In fact, Angkor Wat is the primary reason why more than 50% of international tourists visit Cambodia every year. And it wasn’t until we checked in to our hostel in Siem Reap when I knew it was built as a Hindu temple, but later transformed into a Buddhist temple.
• The largest religious monument in the world. I would have been so proud of myself if I had been born in Cambodia. Apparently, they were very proud that they really put it on the Cambodian flag in 1850.
• Did you know that the Angkor ruins stretch over more than 400 square kilometers? Given the size, one day is definitely not enough to explore all of its temples. This is why every visitor can purchase a three-day pass to explore the Angkor temples which costs $40. Otherwise, a single-day pass is available for $20, or a week-long pass can be purchased for $60.
• If you know me really well, then you’d know how much of a movie buff I am. I can literally spend one whole day just watching movies, and seriously can’t be bothered. One of the reasons why I wanted to visit Angkor Wat was the Tomb Raider movie. One of the temples, Ta Prohm, was used as a film set for this movie.
• Having traveled to so many places, one of the best things I’ve learned was the importance of knowing the place by heart and not just merely to visit and take photos. This famous heritage wasn’t “Angkor Wat” until the 16th century. It was known as Pisnulok, the official title of the Khmer king Suryavarman II who built it. 

Merely admiring a place for its beauty is not enough. The more you try to understand the story of a place, the more you will appreciate it. Guaranteed.

It took 35 years to build with the help of approximately 1,000 elephants in addition to the 300,000 labourers. A huge five million tons of sandstone were used to build the religious site, which covers an area of 208 hectares.

A distinctive kind of architecture built without the aid of any machinery? Are you kidding me? It truly deserves to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Visiting Angkor Wat was a wonderful experience. There was nothing like wandering a once great civilization, and you’re just going to have to go and see for yourself.

But for now, let these photos speak for themselves.