Angkor Night Market. [Photo by Shen Ye/For China Daily]

Away from the center, the Phare Cambodian Circus ($18) is a fun night out, and all for a good cause as proceedings are used to educate children from poor families in performing arts and other crafts.

Many venues also offer nightly performances of traditional Apsara dancing, with the free ones in Pub Street a good option for those who just want a taste. To see a better-quality show over a spot of dinner there is the Apsara Theater, or just opposite the Angkor museum is Khmer Barbe Q. Both advise booking in advance.

On my final day in the city, I battled my way through a crowd of selfie sticks to sit atop the pyramid-like Pre Rup temple and watch sunset over the jungle. Again, I listened for the voices around me, but this time heard only the silence that comes from a feeling of satisfied exhaustion.

We were all just happy to be experiencing one of the wonders of the world.

(China Daily 04/25/2015 page17)