Tri-Country Trip: 1-Day Siem Reap Exploration

(This trip happened last 2013)

Exploring Cambodia, specifically Siem Reap, in the best way that we can would just take us one day. Why? Because that was just the time that we had for this trip so we took advantage of that and made the best out of it.

But this excludes our day tour of Angkor Wat because that deserves a separate post. (Click here)

Here is our tale of the other tour from start to finish.

THE LONG BUS RIDE

From Vietnam, we took the bus and that was a good 15 hours all in all. Whew! Tiring! But quite an experience since I have not done that kind of bus trip before. My longest was just less than 10 hours and that was here in the Philippines. I remember that I slept on and off for a long time. But it was good that I got to wake up to see our transfer - the bus hopping on the barge to bring us to the other side of the river. Then I slept again. 

STREET SCENES

Some street scenes caught from my side of the bus

Nice and clear sunset!

BOU SAVY GUEST HOUSE

We stayed at the Bou Savy Guest House. I did not encounter any problems while exchanging emails with them to talk about our reservation and other arrangement such as our pick-up from the bus terminal and van going to Angkor Wat. They were very pleasant.

One thing though that messed our guest house experience was the power outage that happened in the city due to a truck hitting a main power line somewhere. That affected Bou Savy and they only had one generator so that has to be turned off at times. When we got there, there was no power and we needed to charge our gadgets because the next day was our Angkor Wat tour. I kindly argued with one staff about this and they allowed us to charge our phones in the generator directly. We were relieved! But we had to wait outside so that was bad. So me and my friends just talked it out. That was a good hour or two. When we were ready to hit the sack, we were again reminded of our problem with the lack of electricity because we hqad no light and no aircon. Darn! 

The next day, despite the lack of electricity, we all woke up with lots of energy. We were recharged!

We headed to Angkor Wat to catch the sunrise and we came back to Bou Savy to eat our complimentary breakfast, rest and got back to Angkor to continue the day tour. 

Our breakfast fare! It was more than what we expected!

A random sight that we saw on our way to Angkor Wat. We wanted to explore it but did not get the chance due to time constraints. 

AMAZON ANGKOR - DINNER BUFFET AND CULTURAL SHOW

After our Angkor Wat tour, we headed back to Bou Savy to freshen up. After that, we went here to Amazon Angkor where there was a buffet and cultural show all for US$10 only. We thought that was a steal and it was recommended to us so we went there. 

It was a very big space! And the buffet spread was even bigger. Winner!

This is what I loved the best - their coconut with milk ice cream. Churned right before your eyes, that is if you wait for a few minutes. Sweet and creamy, it was delicious!

A few pointers 

NIGHT MARKET AT PUB STREET

And of course, one should not miss to experience their night life and night market. Pub Street is the place where tourists and locals flock at night.  

Different wares for sale. But loved this shirt with the sense of humor.

Spices and teas were everywhere and I bought a few teas. How I wished I could have bought more spices though because they seem to be really affordable. 

Now this, I said to myself that I will try something exotic when I came here. But sadly, that did not happen. One look at the choices and I squirmed right away especially when I saw the skewered snakes. Yaikz! I could not even bear to take a decent picture at it. Maybe next time I can do it. I just need more courage to do this. 

So here we are, happy travelers!

RELAXATION TIME AT PUB STREET

Next time, I will try this also. Fish spa treatment for the tired feet. 

It was only in Cambodia that I got to experience a US$1 massage. If this was the rate here in Manila, I would have this everyday! This would be a luxury that I can indulge for myself. 

After Siem Reap, we are now off to Thailand! Another long bus trip again. Whew!

What I loved most about the trip to this country was its kind people and how a lot of them can speak in English. Traveling made easy. How I wished I could have visited Phnom Penh but that would be for next time. We saw just a few sights but that was enough for now. Manin reason why we came here was to see the Angkor Wat and we did just that.

Great leg, Cambodia!


~Lovelee~

NEXT:
Watch out for my Thailand (Bangkok) post soon! =)

Check out my other posts of my tri-country trip: 
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Angkor Wat in Cambodia

Tri-Country Trip: Cambodia's Amazing Angkor Wat

(This trip happened last 2013)

Hello Cambodia! Hello to the land of the Angkor Wat! The second country in our tri-country trip.

I could not believe that I have finally set foot in Cambodia! My main reason in wanting to go here was for the pleasure of setting sight on the Angkor Wat temple complex. Something that I have watched in the telly for years as well as constantly see online in other blogs.

A quick background, Angkor Wat is a temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world. It was first a Hindu then later a Buddhist temple. It was built by Khmer King Suryavarman in the early 12th century (per Wikipedia).

So we arrived late in Siem Reap, coming from Vietnam. That took us 15hrs of intense bus ride across the countryside. We were picked up by our bed and breakfast's (Bou Savy Guesthouse) Starex at the bus' drop-off point and carted away to our home for 2 nights. Once we got there, we were shocked to find out that there was a city-wide black-out because some truck bumped into a main power line, so there was no electricity in the guest house and other areas in Siem Reap. But the staff were kind enough to allow us to charge our gadgets in their generator.

With our tight schedule and packed with basic knowledge of what to do when you get to Angkor Wat, we started our day at 5:00 am the next day to see the world famous sunrise at the Angkor.

So here is my most awesome experience.

Upon arrival at the temple complex entrance, where it was still very dark, one has to pay for the temple entrance fee. There are 2 options, a 1-day and 2-day. We got the 1-day pass only and that was for 20 USD. You will get this ID pass which will serve as a great souvenir also.

Now this is a SUNRISE! The break of a perfect dawn! 

Once the sun breaks, it all comes too fast so you have to find a perfect spot to get your photo-worthy shot of a lifetime. Which is a bit of a challenge because hordes of people from different parts of the world are also there to do the same thing. So better to be really early and find that spot.

Here are the hordes of people that I was talking about. A lot of them are very tall too so you have to work your way through this crowd and get that special place where you can take your shots without disturbances of the occasional head or any other body part that passes through.

Happy and satisfied smiles after seeing that beautiful sunrise.

After that beautiful show of the sun rising up, we headed back again to the guest house to get some more sleep then get back to the Angkor complex around 8am to start the temple run/tour.

This was our ride. We paid extra so we can have a comfortable commute going to and from our guest house.

ANGKOR THOM

This was just the gateway entrance to the temple complex but we were awestruck right away with these sights! Just the thought of walking among these statues that have been built for centuries was surreal. This experience was indeed a blessing!

BAYON TEMPLE

The Bayon temple is one of the most well-known temples in the Angkor Wat complex. A rich sight to see and corridors and hallways are everywhere.

The massive stone faces up above are the main lure of Bayon Temple. It was an awesome to be beside these monuments that have existed for the longest time. 

Paid a good 1 USD to pose with this group. Very worth it. Yep, they do accept US dollars if you do not have their local currency of Cambodian Riel (KHR). 

Elephants! How I wish I could have experienced this but no, I was not able to. 

Sugar cane juice to refresh our parched throats. It was really hot here so you really have to keep your body re-hydrated all the time. 

TA PHROM

The entrance area shares to the public the conservation efforts being done on the Ta Phrom. 

Excited! Feeling like Lara Croft of Tomb Raider already! Haha!

There you are! The famous landmark inside Ta Phrom is this giant tree. Its roots creeping in slowly over the years to take over the structure. So amazing! And so majestic. I could not get over the fact that I was seeing it in person already. 

The intricate details sculpted in the walls. These are, I think, in pristine condition. You would not think that these were done centuries ago. 

Big Tree 1 and Big Tree 2.

Love these carved sculptures that shows bits of history and culture of the nation of Cambodia.

Spotted several worship sites that are available inside the complex. 

There were lots of temple structures everywhere, like this one, and how I would have loved to check out each one of them. But it was so hot so we just opted to see the top temples.

Souvenirs for sale! I bought a set of those key chains home.

UNKNOWN TEMPLE (was not able to get the name)

This place was like a miniature of the other bigger temples. But equally enchanting. And there were less tourists so that was certainly a welcome sight. And it was much cooler here than the previous temples that we visited.

Pay respect to their gods. Nothing wrong with that. Charge it to experience. And wishing for positive things in life is a common thing across all religions.

Of doors, and many more doors! I had so many door shots, taken in just a day.

This photo I really love so much! 

The obligatory jump shot! Took several shots but it was fun! Our feet and shoes were so dusty because of the parched land but this was still better rather than roaming around on wet grounds while carrying an umbrella or donning rain jackets. I still like this better.

I did not know what the stacked stones meant but it gave an air of mystery to the place. 

LUNCH TIME! =)
We were all so relieved with the electric fan blowing in our faces and sitting down comfortably was a relief. This was a late lunch so we were all famished!

Our food was good. Tasted very similar to our Filipino home cooked fare. We wiped them out fast!

This was a very tiring experience but wonderful nonetheless. Truly a beautiful place! Since I am very much attracted to places with historical and cultural significance, this was a perfect thing for me. Me and my friends were dusty, sweaty and bone-tired but the experience was something that I would cherish until I grow old.

I recommend this kind of trip while the Angkor Wat complex is still in good condition. Time will definitely damage this place slowly and it will be restored but being surrounded by its old feel is still much better. Well, that's me speaking.

It was a great temple run day, Angkor Wat!



~Lovelee~


NEXT:
Watch out for my Cambodia (Siem Reap) and Thailand (Bangkok) posts soon! =)


Check out the first country of my tri-country trip: 
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam