Angkor Thom was a huge fortified city, one that supported around a million people in the 1100s — when London had 50,000 or so. All over the site you can see sardonically smiling giant heads peering out from all angles, especially on the gates and in the city’s temple, Bayon.

The truly remarkable Bayon gets really, really busy, and so to escape the worst of the crowds, we walked out to the west gate, where we were almost completely alone. The walk out there also gave a clear sense of just how big the site was – from the centre of the old city to the walls took us at least a 20-25 minutes walk.

Within the walls of Angkor Thom are all sorts of other amazing monuments; above you can see pictures of Baphuon with its reclining Buddha, Phimeanakas, the Terrace of Elephants, and Prasat Suor Prat, with its series of towers that were connected with tightropes for acrobatic displays. Cirque du Khmer.