On 30th April this year, I finally headed to Siem Reap, Cambodia, home to Angkor Wat, one of the most amazing architectural structures in ancient Asian civilizations! I guess nothing could’ve prepared me for how it would blow my mind away, but these 2 books did help me in planning my trip, and understanding more about the places I visited!

Lonely Planet, Cambodia and Ancient Angkor guidebook

I took this trip with my parents, like last year’s Chiang Mai trip, which is great cos I got to spend a lot of time with them (something I don’t do often enough), although it would’ve been a different experience altogether if I were to travel alone, as originally planned.

We arrived in Siem Reap just a little before 8am local time, with me anxiously flipping through my guidebook through out the entire 2 hr flight. Waiting for us at the arrival hall was Dara, our tuk-tuk driver, who brought us around for most of the time we spent in Siem Reap.

Tuk-tuk, which, in Cambodia, is a carriage attached to a motorcyle.

Smart Traveller’s Tip: Do not pay more than USD 5.00 for a ride to / from the airport, from areas in town or near town. Most guesthouses and hotels offer free pick-up upon arrival, so do ask them beforehand and arrange via email or phone call, with your flight details, to get them to pick you up! Also, trips around town area cost at most USD 0.50 upto USD 1.00 from outside town, into town. Tuk-tuks are readily available everywhere, so you don’t have to book a dedicated one for the entire day, if you want to save some bucks.

Babel Siem Reap Guesthouse, at 738 Wat Bo Road, Siem Reap. The guesthouse is set along a peaceful and quiet area, away from the bustle of ‘downtown’ (Psar Chaa), which is 5-10 minute tuk-tuk ride away, and costing no more than USD 1.00 per way (per tuk-tuk, not per person). Very friendly staff and management at the guesthouse also made for a wonderful stay! 4 out of 5 stars!

Our room, with three super single beds! Comfy, clean and bright room, with ensuite bathroom and cable TV. We wished there were electric jugs or hot drinking water provided though, for nightcaps and cup noodles suppers! This room cost USD 27 per night, which was pretty decent. Rates and info.

After spending an hour in the room settling in and refreshing ourselves, we set off from the guesthouse for the day’s itinerary! First stop was Wat Bo, a small temple built during the late 19th century, which had a collection of well-preserved wall paintings depicting the Reamker, Cambodia’s interpretation of the Ramayana.

Stupas, which actually began as symbolic monuments or representations of phases in Buddha’s journey to enlightenment, but I think these acted as monuments of family tombs for affluent and influential families, as well as higher-ranked monks, in Cambodia. You will see many of these on temple grounds.

After this, we moved on to Wat Dam Nak, which was formally a royal palace of King Sisowath, in the mid to late 19th century. It’s rather small, for a royal palace, especially if you consider the other palaces and temples built in the Angkorian period, but the grounds were beautiful and peaceful anyway. It’s now home to  the Centre for Khmer Studies. (Photos taken here a bit too dark – forgot to change the exposure when the sky turned dark. Boo.)

A golden pavillion!

The parents!

There was a primary school nearby, and the kids were having a recess. So we walked over to take a look. I must admit that seeing these classrooms made me feel like teaching there. At least if I can’t give money to better the school, I can help to give the kids a better education, hopefully? Plan to teach short-term, and bring books and such for them some day. Let’s see how things pan out in the next year or so!

Kids playing tag.

A classroom in the school.

The entire school consisted 2 such buildings, side by side.

Well, we’ll see how my plans to do volunteer work there (in Siem Reap) pan out in the next couple of years. Right now, things are yet to be confirmed due to the many uncertainties in my life.

Next stop for the afternoon: Psar Chaa, the Old Market, which had a section selling touristy and home wares, and another selling stuff you’d see at a wet market. There were a range of goods on sale there, ranging from silk to silverware, wood carvings products to vegetables, t-shirts to raw meat, fried crickets to keychains, bags to hammocks. The thing about shopping in Siem Reap is that they only have markets, not shopping malls, as we are used to in Singapore. And most of whatever’s found in the markets can also be bought from child vendors around the city, and at temple / tourist sites.

Vegetables and bags being sold at stalls separated by just a narrow walkway.

Fried crickets, a local favourite snack! I wouldn’t even touch them, so forget about eating them!

Had our lunch at a local eatery, which was completely unsatisfying, and kinda bland and too oily. I don’t even wanna write about it. Lunch cost USD 4.50 in total for 3 pax, but was one of the most bleah lunches I’ve ever eaten.

Smart Traveller’s Tip: Instead of one of the local eateries that look quite unhygenic, choose to eat at a “fancy” restaurant along Pub Street, a popular hang out for tourists. A very yummy and satisfying meal consisting of a local (meat) dish, served with fragrant jasmine rice, will set u back only USD 3.00 to USD 5.00, depending on what you order! Each dish is actually enough for 2 persons to share, and you just have to order an extra portion of rice. Most eateries do not charge for an extra portion of rice, but some places offer free drinks like beer and young coconut, for each “meal” ordered.

Near the market area was aforementioned popular hang out, known as Pub Street. It was a quaint little street which had many eateries and pubs (probably where it got it’s namesake). Look out for little alleys between the blocks of rows of shophouses, and turn in to find a whole new world of more eateries and art galleries and such! Most eateries have their menus displayed at the entrance.

Due to the hot hot hot weather (it fluctuated between 35 to 40 degrees Celsius in the day), we were just craving for and iced cold beer or some cold drink. Finally settled on this place, one of the many watering holes which served the local draft (Angkor Beer) at USD 0.50 per mug (offer valid till 6pm)!

Smart Traveller’s Tip: Look out for one of the pubs along this road which has a buy 2 get 1 free promotion of the USD 0.50 beers! Look out for the signboard!

The parents enjoying a cold mug of beer. Look at the gleeful expression on my Dad’s face!

After we’d had our refreshments, we headed back to where the Tuk-tuk driver was waiting, and proceeded to our next stop, Western Baray! This man-made reservoir measured 8km by 2.2km, and was excavated by hand to provide water for the intensive cultivation of lands around Angkor! In the middle of the reservoir was an island, on which stood the Western Mebon temple. We didn’t head out to the island temple, as a storm was brewing, and I most definitely didn’t want to be caught in the storm, on a sampan!

The baray was so huge I couldn’t see the ends of it! There were people picnicking on the small “beach”.

Sampans to bring visitors out to Western Mebon, the island temple.

Vendors near the beach, selling fruits, snacks and (yep, you guessed it) more fried crickets!

Headed back to the guesthouse after this, and snapped some pics of the dark clouds looming overhead, during the ride. Rain came shortly after, and it was a cool reprieve from the scorching sun and heat of the day. The poor tuk-tuk driver had to ride his motorcycle in the rain, though!

— More photos from Day 1, here, here and here. —