Pausanias

I do understand Big Foot's point of view which applies to just about everywhere in the world. Personally, I regard the three top archaeological sites I've seen are Angkor in Cambodia, Leptis Magna in Libya and Petra in Jordan. I first went to Cambodia in 1992, stayed for 4 days and I reckon there were less than 50 tourists on the entire site. I went to Leptis in 1982 and there were five of us. In Petra, 1981, we walked down the Siq at night and saw the Treasury Building lit up by a full moon. The next two days were spent exploring the site and I reckon there might have been 100 people there.

It's true that Angkor is busy these days, especially for that sunrise shot, and it's great if you can do it on your own. In 1992 you couldn't because of landmines, so we had a guide. Four our most recent visit, If I'm totally honest, I'd have preferred just to have a driver and not the Aman guide who talked and talked and talked until we decided to tell him to shut up. We like to absorb the atmosphere of a place, take some photos, just be there. The guides tend to think you want a Smithsonian-style lecture while standing in the sweltering heat.