Dave Balow finds a marvellous way to visit one of the stunning sights of the ancient world by letting Saga Holidays do all the hard work

OVER many years as travel editor at the KM I've been fortunate to be able to visit most of the wonders of the modern and ancient world.

After my first natural wonder - the awesome Grand Canyon in Arizona - and my inaugural man made one - the fabulous Taj Mahal - I made a list of the places I most wanted to visit, and over the years have ticked them off, one by one.

I won't repeat the list here, but I can honestly say that not one of the places on it disappointed. In fact, all exceeded expectations, living up to and surpassing the hype and travel company superlatives.

But up until last year, one dream remained unfulfilled. One place on the list had not got a tick against it. One country was still unexplored.

Cambodia was the country and the treasure concealed in its jungle interior was the ancient temple complex of Angkor.

But how best to get there? I'm not averse to a spot of holiday adventure, but now that I'm pushing 60 and the young back-packer that once lurked near the surface has long since pitched his last tent, I wanted to see this final remaining Great Wonder in comfort and style.

However, I never expected Saga Holidays, Britain's top company for the over 50s, to find the solution and certainly did not envisage arriving in South East Asia aboard a luxury cruise ship.

I've been a fan of the Folkestone -based holiday company ever since taking my first trip with them after reaching that milestone birthday.

I have always been impressed with the unique way they look after their customers and leave no suitcases unturned when trying to ensure clients get the most out of their imaginative holiday programmes.

It is also encouraging the way they are constantly adapting their product to suit the demands and ambitions of customers, many of whom have long since forgotten that they should be growing old gracefully.

However, a trek through the steamy jungles of Cambodia to reach Angkor Wat during a five-day overland tour wasn't quite what I was expecting when thumbing through the World Cruise itineraries of Saga's two talisman vessels - The Ruby and The Rose.

But there it was, new last year, the highlights of Cambodia trip which included coach and plane travel, a day and night in the capital city Phnom Penh, a couple of days at Angkor ending up in the neighbouring country of Vietnam and the colourful and frantic Ho Chi Minh City - Saigon to most of us.

I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. The brochure was packed with adventurous overland trips throughout many of the countries that the twin ship's visit during their annual circumnavigations of the globe.

So, as I've done on and off for the past 19 years, I put myself into Saga's care and booked the Ruby's section of the world cruise that incorporated South East Asia.

After flying to Singapore where the Ruby was waiting, I hardly had time to down a gin sling at Raffles or immerse myself in on-board life before we had crossed the Gulf of Thailand and arrived in the charming beach resort of Sihanoukville where the Cambodia adventure was about to begin.

After a fascinating tour of the area and an afternoon relaxing in the tropical sun at the impressive Sokha Beach Resort, where we stayed the night, it was off by road to the capital Phnom Penh.

When in this part of the world, it's hard not to conjure up pictures in your mind of disgraced US president Richard Nixon, napalm and cluster bombing and after the Vietnam War was over, the horrors of the Killing Fields.

Indeed our marvellous guide, Phearak, a child at the time of 'Year Zero' who had lost his entire family during Pol Pot's murderous regime, took little persuading to break off from the prepared itinerary and take our group to the infamous S11 torture headquarters and then out to one of the Killing Fields near the city centre where so many of his countrymen had been slaughtered.

Today Phnom Penh is like any other bustling South East Asia city but visits to the impressive Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda reached along colourful tree-lined avenues make the overnight stop here unmissable.

Siem Reap, gateway to the Angkor temple complex, is a short flight away and it is amazing to see how this one buddha town has been transformed by hundreds of international standard hotels packed with tourists clamouring to visit the World Heritage Site on it's doorstep.

It is hard not to let the superlatives get the better of you when trying to do justice to the scale and magnificence of the Angkor temple complex. With the iconic Angkor Wat at its heart, the City of the Khmer's, built and rebuilt between the 9th and 16th centuries, spreads out over a huge jungle area.

Some of the temples have been left to nature and are engulfed by huge trees whose roots weave in and out of the stonework like giant snakes. Others, like the huge Angkor Thom, the temple mountain of the Bayon and Anghor Wat itself are constantly being preserved and rebuilt with the help of the tourist dollars.

The best time to visit here is early and late in the day. At sunrise the temples take on an ethereal quality and the hoardes are still enjoying breakfast but at sunset there is no avoiding the masses as thousands congregate outside Angkor Wat to watch the last rays turn the temple into a glowing target for a sea of cameras and videos.

You feel you could spend a lifetime at these ancient satellite cities and never see them all, but our two days there was enough to bombard the senses and, like all Great Wonders of the World, leave you wanting to come back for more.

The one good thing about leaving was the knowledge that the good ship Saga Ruby had made its way round to Ho Chi Minh City while we had been enjoying the highlights of Cambodia and after another short flight and a fun day and night in Vietnam, spent dodging a never-ending stream of traffic, most of it on two wheels, we were back on board and ready to continue our small section of this World Cruise.

I stayed onboad the Ruby to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing then on to Japan before flying home from Tokyo with plenty of relaxing 'sea days' scheduled to allow for reflection on all the spectacular sights crammed in to a comparatively short time.

You may have slowed up a bit by the time you qualify as a Saga cruiser, but it's wonderful being a 'snail' and taking your home on your back in the shape of the Ruby when setting off to see the world.

Factfile: Saga Round the World cruises for 2008 include journeys across four oceans and visits to classic ports like Sydney and Singapore. Highlights include Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, transit through the Panama and Suez canals and Darwin's Galapagos Islands. The Rose sails on January 5, 2008, for 100 nights - 33 ports of call. Prices start from £9,299 per person for a J grade cabin and include all meals and entertainment on board, a private car service if you live within 250 miles of your departure and arrival ports (Southampton for the world cruise), insurance, and cancellation cover, all gratuities on board and visas for British citizens. There are many shorter options available and you can book just sections of a world cruise. There is also still time to book section of this year's world cruises. For details call Saga Holidays on 01303-771111 or log on to www.saga.co.uk