2016 Dec. Angkor Wat. Tonle Sap.
Siem Reap is the primary gateway to visiting Angkor Archaeological Park, it is a major tourist town where you will find comfortable lodging, decent food, and entertainment. Angkor Wat is just a short 30min tuk tuk ride away. Not much planning is needed when visiting Angkor Wat. Depending on how much time you have, you can choose from the well established tour itineraries i.e. Little Circuit or Grand Circuit, outlying temples, etc. which every tuk tuk driver is very familiar with and happy to accommodate.
Most hotels would tie up with tuk tuk drivers to offer free pickup service upon arrival, however the drivers are not paid for this but they do it in hope to get your business for the next few days during your stay. While hotel affiliated drivers may be slightly more expensive than the ones you bargain from the streets, you are more likely to receive better service and have peace of mind from being scammed. I am very happy with our friendly tuk tuk driver, who never failed to impress us with his sharp eyes to spot us in the crowd, even when we tried to intentionally hide and sneak up on him.
Passes are required to enter the Angkor area, and you need to buy them at the new ticketing complex that is 7km away from the main entrance. If you arrive a day earlier, you may wish to buy a pass in advance (1, 3 or 7-day) which will allow you to visit Angkor Wat at sunset for free from 5-6pm without counting as a day.
Day 1 – Little Circuit: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom including Bayon Temple, Ta Keo, Ta Phrom, Banteay Kdei, Prasat Kravan.
Everyone wants to catch the magical sunrise at Angkor Wat, so be prepared for the crowd. Be very kiasu if you want to get a good spot for your camera tripod, otherwise you will become one of those irritating queue-jumping idiots whom I am tempted to pull their hair and drag them away. 🙂 We set off at 4:30am to reach by 5am, and the crowd was already quickly building up at the pond.
It was a beautiful sight to behold, seeing the light changing over time. Notwithstanding the few latecomers who inconsiderately tried to move forward and block everyone, the mood was light-hearted and funny at times when the crowd made noises to alert and protest those idiots from all nationalities trying to trespass to get a good shot themselves but get in the way of everyone.
We decided not to squeeze with the morning crowd to visit Angkor Wat, so moved on to visit other temples at Angkor Thom first before coming back to Angkor Wat later in the day. It was a beautiful day, with crisp and cool morning temperature which got warmer in just a few hours. December is supposedly the best time to visit in terms of weather, I can only imagine how hot and uncomfortable it can be during hotter months.
Angkor Thom & Bayon Temple
Ta Keo
Ta Prohm, made famous by Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider.
Sras Srang
Banteay Kdei
Prasat Kravan
Angkor Wat
Day 2 – Grand Circuit: Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon, Pre Rup
Started the day slightly later as there is no rush to see the sunrise after having seen it on the first day. Weather is cooler earlier in the day and will get hot when the sun is up. Always be prepared with enough drinking water and sunblock when visiting Angkor.
Preah Khan
Neak Pean, one of the more unique temple ruins with a collection of ponds.
Ta Som
East Mebon
Day 3 – Tonle Sap & outlying temples
After 2 days of ruins and temple viewing, I must confess that I am really not a ruins person and began to feel the fatigue of visiting another temple. Everything looked more or less the same… So we decided to take a trip further out to see the floating village at Tonle Sap. The long tuk tuk ride to our destination, was breezy and cool.
Bought boat tickets at the entrance of the village. Tickets were rather pricey, not sure if it was a scam although the ticket booth looked legit. It was the only way to see the floating village on the lake it seemed, so we went ahead anyway.
Took another sampan ride at additional charge paid upfront at the rest stop. The sampan lady did not speak any English, and it was a nice quiet ride. Along the way, there were persistent touts selling pencils and notebooks, saying they were meant as donations to local children. I did not quite buy their story and decided to discreetly tipped the local sampan lady instead. Without any acknowledgement or communication, I think she quietly took a detour and gave us an extended tour on her own. 🙂 The whole setup is highly suspicious of a tourist trap, but we enjoyed it nevertheless.
Meandering through the rivers and streams, we finally got to catch a glimpse of how big the lake is. The lake is one of the most unique ecological water wonders in the world. It is the largest lake in South East Asia and changes in size and dimension every wet season.
With the continuous change of the water level, people who live on the lake have to move their houses away when the water level goes down. Entire villages including schools, shops, churches and pig farms are pulled away to a place where the water is still high enough to float.
Came across a local village and market nearby, and we asked to stop to take a look. Interesting glimpse into the lives of the locals.
More outlying temples on the way back from Tonle Sap.
Food in Siem Reap:
Siem Reap is packed with tourists, so there is no lack of restaurants catered to the international tastebuds. I tried a few based on recommendations found on internet, and walked in a few others. The Sugar Palm Restaurant is a popular choice and often crowded, food was alright but did not impress.
Malis Restaurant in Siem Reap, is a more posh and elaborately renovated restaurant, compared to the one I tried in Phnom Penh. Food is more pricey but good.
We tried an Indian restaurant along the main street, cannot remember the name but food was very nice.
Mamma Shop, is a small Italian restaurant with friendly Italian owner. I was expecting more from the rave reviews, but food was just okay.
We stayed in two hotels in Siem Reap to have a varied experience. The first was a small boutique hotel call Tonle Tropic Boutique Hotel located by the river. We had a nice room at the front on level 2 overlooking the tiny pool. Service was warm and excellent, breakfast choices was cooked to order and tasted good. The manager even surprised us with a small Christmas present during our check-out on Christmas eve. What a nice gesture! Great value for money on top of the warm hospitality, definitely recommended.
The second hotel we stayed in was the expensive Victoria Angkor Resort which looked good from outside with nice pool and compound. However the service I experienced was mediocre, and the dated room smell like a massage parlour from the essential oil they used in the toilet. The excellent breakfast spread deserves due credit. But I would not stay here if i were to visit again, as there are so many other quality accommodation choices to choose from.
Cambodia is a country full of hammocks, you will see them wherever you go. Literally everywhere you will see them hanging around. You can find them sold rather cheaply at the markets, very good as unique local souvenirs.
