After a grueling 5 hours in the bus, I now arrive at Siem Reap! Why I call it grueling? Well basically it’s cause the journey wasn’t a pleasant one despite the comfy bus. I would say 50% of the road weren’t paved and the bus seemed to swerve left and right. Anyway, I’m glad I made it in one piece.
Another option to get to Siem Reap is by flight. There is only one carrier that serves this route; Cambodia Angkor Air. Prices for a 1 way ticket will cost you USD 90-100. I would strongly recommend you travel by land as it’s the cheapest and most sensible way.
Time Check: 1830
So, the bus will stop at the Siem Reap bus station. It’s not really in the city, probably about 3 km away. Here, as usual, will have many tuktuk drivers all chasing after you for their services. However, it’s not that bad than in Phnom Penh I would say. So I agreed with one driver with a price of USD 3 for our hotel transfer. I booked a hostel at HI Siem Reap for USD 6 per night for 2 nights.
You can also arrange your visit to the Angkor temples with your tuktuk driver. I arranged the trip for USD 15. Prices depend on how far you would wanna go. Normally, it’s best to ask for recommendations. As for me, I wanted to see the entire complex of temples, therefore that explains the price. Anything more than USD 25 per tuktuk is probably a scam. Do note that the driver will arrange a pick up timing of 4 am so as you can catch the beautiful sunrise.
So how do I spend the remaining of the night? Well, conveniently, my hostel is in walking distance to Pub Street. It’s actually like the Khao San road of Siem Reap. There’s many bars, restaurants, shops, street food and night markets. There’s a wide variety of food ranging from Khmer cuisine, Vietnamese cuisine, Middle east cuisine, Chinese cuisine and indian cuisine. I managed to settle down for a meal for USD 6. Do note that prices in Siem Reap are slightly higher than in Phnom Penh, due to Siem Reap being a top tourist destination in Cambodia.
The bridge to Pub Street
Oh yea, and do not need to look further if you’re interested in bizzare foods. Cambodia is also known to have an abundance of bizzare foods! I saw a food stand stall selling scorpions, small snakes, bugs, crickets all retailing at USD 1-2 per stick/packet. And poverty wise, it’s not that bad compared to other parts of Cambodia. So that concludes my first night in Siem Reap.
Day 2
Time check: 0400
Many will find it absurd to wake up at 4 in the morning when you’re on a holiday. But this is an exception. In fact it seems mandatory to catch the sunrise at the Angkor Wat. You will be amazed on how many actually waited for the sunrise.
So, my driver arrived on time and we zoomed off to the Angkor Complex. Journey there takes about 15 minutes and it’s about 4km away. An alternative is to rent a bicycle and cycle, but I would still recommend a tuktuk driver.
We reached the Angkor Complex ticketing office and I got my picture taken. Tickets to the Angkor Complex are fixed at USD 20 per person for a one day pass. There is NO haggling here. You will be issued an Angkor Pass. Be sure to keep it with you.
The Angkor Pass with my photo
I started off with walking on this long bridge over a moat. There will be officials checking on your pass, so be sure not to lose it! Keep walking straight and you will come across the Angkor Wat temple complex. You will be amazed on how many tourists are actually there!
The bridge over the moat to Angkor Wat
First glimpse of Angkor Wat
So I made it just in time for the sunrise! It’s really stunning and beautiful. The sky is clear with scattered clouds and the sun silhouetting the Angkor Wat is just amazing. Here are a few photos and note the crowd.
That’s just the “front” of the Angkor Wat. You can walk in and see the different sites of the temples. It’s best to actually have a guide there, otherwise you won’t have any idea on what the temples are all about.
So enough of Angkor Wat. I was dying for breakfast! My driver recommended me a small cafe somewhere north of the Angkor Wat. Food prices here are about the same as you would find in Pub Street. I had a meal for USD 4 before continuing my temple journey.
We headed to Prasat Bayon temple. What makes this unique is there are faces “engraved” in those stones. It’s like Mount Rushmore but not that detailed.
Next was Preah Khan. What makes this temple different from the rest is that it is flat. There is no need to climb any stairs and it’s easily accessible.
We traveled further and reached what it’s known as the victory gate.
And last but not least, the highlight of all: Ta Prohm! This is famous due to the movie Tomb Raider! And the cool thing is you can see trees actually “growing” off from the walls of the temple.
So that concludes my Angkor Temples trip. There are a few temples in which I didn’t get the chance to snap. Do note that the distance from Angkor Wat and the following temples are quite far apart. So, do think twice if you wanna cycle. No matter what, it is always good to engage a personal tuktuk driver and he may in time, give you a basic idea on which temples you are visiting.
One does not simple go to Siem Reap without visiting the Angkor Temples. It’s like going to Starbucks and not order a coffee. This is one activity for the adventurous. What really amazes me is all that you are seeing are worth 100 over years of history. Even there are some parts which are under some renovation repairs, you can see how all these magnificent ancient structures has survived 100 over years battling with forces of nature. This is one attraction where you explore and not simply read it off. Really one shouldn’t give this a miss!
Also, for those visiting, it’s advisable to put on long pants just to cover your legs as a mark of respect for the culture and the religion. Angkor complex being a religious site, it’s always good to respect one’s religion despite which country and religion you’re from. For the ladies, you can actually buy a sarong (a cloth like material to cover your legs) there. And practice caution when exploring the temples as the stairs might be steep and without any handrails.
So that’s my itinerary for half of the day. On the way back, I asked the driver to recommend me a tourist office in which I can book my bus tickets to the Cambodian/Thai border. And by doing this, I realized I made a huge mistake. However, I’m so lethargic (due to the weather and being awake at 4 am), I just paid for the tickets. You wouldn’t believe that I actually paid USD 15 for a bus ticket to the border!! It’s a scam! YES! I will explain why in the next post regarding the Cambodian-Thailand border crossing.
Time Check: 1330.
I went back to my hostel, slept for a few hours and explore the whole of Pub street once again.
Sadly, this marks my end of my Cambodian journey. Overall, was a great experience. I would rather return to Cambodia than Vietnam. Here, locals are much more polite, understand and speak English well despite them being more poor than the Vietnamese. Expenses wise are also cheaper in Cambodia, depending on your haggling skills.
I believe there are much more things to do in Cambodia, like visiting Battambang and riding the bamboo train, Sihanoukville for nice beaches and water sports. Cambodia is also home to untouched nature sceneries, such as waterfalls and nature parks, so be sure to check them out!
Breakdown for costs in Siem Reap:
Hostel: USD 6-10 per night. Normally hostels don’t provide breakfast.
Meals: USD 3-10 per meal, depending on how you wish to dine.
Expenses: Street food can cost you USD 1-3.
Souvenirs: USD 1-5, which includes magnets, shirts, paintings, etc
Transportation: to Angkor temples; USD 10-18.
Hotel transfer from Bus station; USD 2-5 depending on location of your hotel.
You can easily live with USD 20-25 a day if you’re on a budget.
Next, I will cross the border over to the land of smiles, Thailand!
Redd Wanderlust 