Kerala vs. Angkor?

Hi folks -- If you had 10 days in October to spare and you could either go to Kerala OR go to Thailand (have to fly thru there anyway) and Cambodia (to see friends in PP + Angkor Wat) which would you do? Why? Been to Thailand already but my husband hasn't, neither of us have been to Kerala or Cambodia tho... any feedback much appreciated; it is a tough choice to make!

That's a hard one. Despite the beauty of Kerala, I would go for Cambodia. Angkor Wat is truly a beautiful and unique place. And you get to visit friends!

Hey,

If you want to visit the backwaters of Kerala, then 3 days would do.

You can spend the balance 7 days at Angkor.

Okay. But, may be you can do Kerala, when you decide to spend a longer time in India, some time later...

Many won't agree with me, however Angkor & surrounds is such a unique area that it would be a real shame not to see it, when you can. Kerala is not all that spectacular, imho. As Aztec says, maybe you can do later.

Angkor wat is an extremly overated place. Go to Kerala.

Kerala is a state and Angkor wat is a place like TajMahal.
Depends on what you want to do in Kerala.

Exactly!!!!

Kerala

difficult one. depends on your mood ?
PP is a wicked town, but since you are already married and goin with your husband, i dont expect you to play pool all night with lovely wimen and dance in all of them discotheques. i wouldnt go for just the tourist sites, then kerela might be a better deal. yeah.

I am quite aware Kerala is a state and Thailand and Cambodia are countries and that Angkor is a sight within Cambodia.
We live in India right now so feasibly could go back to Kerala another time.
Anders, why do you say Angkor is overrated?
Thanks all for the replies~

You could consider flying from Bangkok to Siem Reap (Angkor Wat)

The Rambo boat is available between Siem Reap & Pnom Penh. It is a fast, comfortable ride. In PP, you can see some of the Khmer Rouge history.

If you wanted to visit the beaches at Sihanoukville in the south of Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand, there is a well-sealed road and bus

I was there in 98 and I really did not think it was very interesting. There was 5 of us and we did buy the 3 day pass as instructed by the LP, but in reality none of us could be bothered to go there more than 1 day. I would probably stop by if I was going on the road there anyway down to PP, but I would not travel there just to go to Angkor wat. I have a feeling that my opinions are in the distinct minority, most people seem to like it, at least those that post about it on the net.

I spent three days in Angkor, exploring nearly all of the temples, even the remote ones. There are also other things to do there, but I don't recommend a trip to lake Tonle Sap. I don't _not_ recommend it but I wouldn't do it again if I were back. I think it was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life and I doubt that visiting the Taj will be able to top it, although I'm certain something in India could be its equal, maybe that Hampi place I read about. Then, I idolize Indiana Jones and Angkor totally provides that experience. Of course, when we were there, we were virtually alone everywhere except the main temples, since it was rainy season and at the height of the SARS panic. That added to the experience certainly.

There is a lot more of Cambodia I would like to explore when I get a chance to go back, but this forum is about India so I won't talk about it too much.

I wonder if you could combine the two trips, getting a flight from India to Cambodia? it's certainly easier from Thailand - only an hour flight.

I've never been to Kerala so can't comment on it but Angkor is quite simply the most incredible place I've ever been to. Only the Himalayas in India have matched it for sheer jaw-dropping 'other-worldliness'. Funny you should mention Hampi, though, ruins explorer, as that has a similar air of magic about it, too.

Dawn at Angkor Wat is something you'll never forget - it looks like this.

Angkor Wat is just one part of it, though - Bayon is an amazing temple complex within Angkor Thom and the held-together-by-kapok-trees complex at Ta Phrom is something else, too. The great thing is that the whole area is so big that you can visit one of the temples a little off the beaten track and there'll hardly be anyone else around. I had Neak Pean all to myself for half an hour or so when I was there. Just beautiful.

Here's three galleries of photos I took there

The trip down the river to Phnom Penh over the Tonle Sap is great, too. Loads of little Khmer kids shouting 'Helllllooooooo!' at you as you go by, sea-eagles fishing in the lake etc. Wonderful place.

If this means anything, we were picking between a) Kerala and
b) Vietnam/Cambodia (Angkor Wat) and Thailand...

We ended up choosing Kerala (and will also stop in the Maldives and Dubai)..

Not sure why we chose Kerala over the other's...

We will visit Angkor Wat on our next trip to Asia...

We had already visited Thailand twice and India once (Rajashtan, Varanasi and Agra)..Loved both..

We are more into cultural holidays than sites...However, I feel that Angkor Wat is a must see along with Machu Pichu...

Which ever one you choose...you can do the other one next time...Go with your heart!!

Angkor is way more impressive than Machu Picchu, imho. Another major consideration; it is relatively easy and cheap to visit Angkor. Not so MP. MP is one of the most difficult and expensive destinations to get to from anywhere in the world. And the ruins are not in good condition. Arrive on a bad weather day and you won't see a thing. We had fabulous weather but we gazed on it from above and wondered what all the fuss was about. OK the location is spectacular but after a bout of altitude sickness, two thousand dollars worth of return airfares from Argentina to Cusco for the two of us, 3 hours in a train, 20 mins in a bus then a wait in line to get a ticket, one wonders if it was worth the hassle. I agree with Doc Funk-Angkor is amazing and even handicapped people can see it easily.

I guess, to each his/her own! Have fun Tracy!