Day 1 - Dec 17
Although we left Yangon around 10am on 17 Dec, we still had to transit in Bangkok and finally landed in Siem Reap only around 3pm. Our tour company picked us up from the airport and dropped us off at the Angkor Paradise Hotel. We decided to take a rest till 530pm or so to then head out for dinner and a bit of souvenir shopping at Pub Street. As my mom was taking a nap, I chose to soak in the pool while reading up on all the attractions that Siem Reap has to offer. We were all pleasantly surprised by a very cooling climate of Siem Reap!
Tuk-tuk transported us from hotel to the lively Pub Street for 1 USD per person. As "Amok" - curry cooked using thick coconut gravy, lemongrass, turmeric root, shallots, ginger and served on banana leaf- was considered national dish, we decided to have dinner at a restaurant aptly named Amok and ordered chicken Amok. Oh dear, we were not a fan, sadly. Coconut milk was just too overwhelming for our taste-buds. I also ordered this platter called "Taste of Siem" to try a bit of everything.
We then walked around the night market area for souvenir shopping since we wouldn't have a chance to do so in Phnom Penh. As usual, there were several shops selling similar things so it was the perfect place to utilize your bargaining skills. I got 2 of those baggy cotton pants for 5 USD, down from 4 USD per piece. It was not a time to feel pai seh (Singlish 101: Pai Seh is a Hokkien word which means "feeling embarrassed or shy") and tell yourself that you are not gonna meet these people again so its okay. However, there is no way for us to figure out the real price in a couple of minutes so if you think that a particular item is worth the price and you really like it, just buy. Afterall, value of an item is also dependent upon the perception of beholder, yeah? We had a rather early night as our tour company planned a packed day of sightseeing around the temple ruins for us the next day.
Day 2 - Dec 18
"Siem Reap" means "Siam Defeated" and is named in reference to the victory over Thailand in the 16th century, which solidifies the status of Khmer Empire as a force to reckon with in the South East Asia region.
Angkor ancient city, located about 6km away from Siem Reap, was the capital of Khmer Kingdom from AD 802 till AD 1295. While there are several magnificent temples with Angkor city, the most famous of them all is the Angkor Wat - a Hindu temple. It is actually the largest religious building in the world. You might already be familiar with its image from Cambodia's national flag. With the fall of Khmer Empire, Angkor city faded into unknown until French Henri Mouhot accidentally discovered it in 1861. However, it was only after Pol Pot's cruel regime that Angkor city has regained its rightful recognition as one of the world's mysterious wonders.
Each tourist has to get a entry pass with photo to tour the Angkor temple compound. 1 day pass is 20 USD and there will be several checkpoints to ensure that all tourists have one. The temple complex is open daily from 530am to 530pm. So Angkor Wat was naturally our first stop of the day on 18 Dec. Many people actually opt to go there around 530am to view the magnificent sunrise over 5 towers of the temple. However, we thought we would rather view Angkor Wat in its full glory after the sun has risen :D We reached there around 9am after getting our day passes.
After one hour lunch break, we were back in Angkor ancient city area to continue our day tour. We stopped for 15 minutes at Elephant Terrace, which used to be part of the walled city of Angkor Thom. King Jayavarman VII used it as a viewing platform from which to welcome his victorious army and to attend public ceremonies.
Moving on, we reached Ta Prohm Temple, just before 3pm. It was also built by King Jayavarman VII to be used as a Buddhist monastery and university. Ta Prohm was most renowned for being in Hollywood movie "Tomb Raider". It was truly astonishing to observe how nature has grown all around this temple, in the form of huge trees, and yet, the buildings had not been completely merged with the surrounding jungle. Ta Prohm's runins are exactly what made it beautiful. As I was reading about this intriguing temple on Tourism Cambodia website, I came across the below paragraph which I think beautifully & aptly describes Ta Prohm.
We strolled through the temple complex for an hour before boarding our bus again. Our tour guide asked us if we still wanted to see more temples but by then, we have had enough. If you just have one day, I think visiting these 3 temples (Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Promh) is a must though. My mom wanted to buy Cambodian silk sarong so we asked the guide to bring us to a souvenir shop first before dropping us off at hotel for an hour rest. Oh my god, my mom was sooooo great at bargaining - she managed to secure Cambodian silk sarong for USD 25 while the original asking price was USD 65!
They picked us up again at 630pm for buffet dinner with Khmer dance performances. Since we stuffed ourselves silly, we were so full on our way back to hotel and requested our guide and driver to drop us off at the Old Market instead. We needed to walk to digest and it was great to wander around, enjoying cooling climate of Siem Reap. Personally, I prefer shopping at the more vibrant Pub Street than at Old Market. However, you can get better bargains at Old Market.
Day 3 - Dec 19
On our last day in Siem Reap, we checked out of the hotel by 7 am to embark on our 7-hour journey to Phnom Penh. It could have been a much shorter journey if the roads were wider and paved properly. Driving on the uneven ground tarmac road didn't allow much room for speeding. Good news was that work was underway to build new roads so the journey could be as short as 4-5 hours nowadays (: Oh, you also need to make sure your car / mini van / bus would turn on air-conditioning since the roads were so dusty and the windows can't be opened. Along the way, we passed by this interesting village called "Spider Village" where deep-fried spiders were widely available! Definitely something for your inner adventurous spirit :D
Our Phnom Penh days will soon be covered in next posts. So till then!
Although we left Yangon around 10am on 17 Dec, we still had to transit in Bangkok and finally landed in Siem Reap only around 3pm. Our tour company picked us up from the airport and dropped us off at the Angkor Paradise Hotel. We decided to take a rest till 530pm or so to then head out for dinner and a bit of souvenir shopping at Pub Street. As my mom was taking a nap, I chose to soak in the pool while reading up on all the attractions that Siem Reap has to offer. We were all pleasantly surprised by a very cooling climate of Siem Reap!
Tuk-tuk transported us from hotel to the lively Pub Street for 1 USD per person. As "Amok" - curry cooked using thick coconut gravy, lemongrass, turmeric root, shallots, ginger and served on banana leaf- was considered national dish, we decided to have dinner at a restaurant aptly named Amok and ordered chicken Amok. Oh dear, we were not a fan, sadly. Coconut milk was just too overwhelming for our taste-buds. I also ordered this platter called "Taste of Siem" to try a bit of everything.
We then walked around the night market area for souvenir shopping since we wouldn't have a chance to do so in Phnom Penh. As usual, there were several shops selling similar things so it was the perfect place to utilize your bargaining skills. I got 2 of those baggy cotton pants for 5 USD, down from 4 USD per piece. It was not a time to feel pai seh (Singlish 101: Pai Seh is a Hokkien word which means "feeling embarrassed or shy") and tell yourself that you are not gonna meet these people again so its okay. However, there is no way for us to figure out the real price in a couple of minutes so if you think that a particular item is worth the price and you really like it, just buy. Afterall, value of an item is also dependent upon the perception of beholder, yeah? We had a rather early night as our tour company planned a packed day of sightseeing around the temple ruins for us the next day.
Day 2 - Dec 18
"Siem Reap" means "Siam Defeated" and is named in reference to the victory over Thailand in the 16th century, which solidifies the status of Khmer Empire as a force to reckon with in the South East Asia region.
Angkor ancient city, located about 6km away from Siem Reap, was the capital of Khmer Kingdom from AD 802 till AD 1295. While there are several magnificent temples with Angkor city, the most famous of them all is the Angkor Wat - a Hindu temple. It is actually the largest religious building in the world. You might already be familiar with its image from Cambodia's national flag. With the fall of Khmer Empire, Angkor city faded into unknown until French Henri Mouhot accidentally discovered it in 1861. However, it was only after Pol Pot's cruel regime that Angkor city has regained its rightful recognition as one of the world's mysterious wonders.
Each tourist has to get a entry pass with photo to tour the Angkor temple compound. 1 day pass is 20 USD and there will be several checkpoints to ensure that all tourists have one. The temple complex is open daily from 530am to 530pm. So Angkor Wat was naturally our first stop of the day on 18 Dec. Many people actually opt to go there around 530am to view the magnificent sunrise over 5 towers of the temple. However, we thought we would rather view Angkor Wat in its full glory after the sun has risen :D We reached there around 9am after getting our day passes.
Angkor Wat comprised of 1 central
tower, surrounded by 4 smaller towers. The 65-meter tall central tower is meant
to represent Mount Meru – the holy mountain, home to the Hindu God Vishnu. The
temple is surrounded by a moat which is 190 meters wide and is known to be home to
vicious crocodiles during the Khmer Empire. Although there is a gate on each side of
the temple complex, the main entrance of Angkor Wat faces west. The entire temple is filled with intricately
curved walls, with endless stories about the God Vishnu. At 81 hectares, Angkor
Wat's unrivaled scale and intricate details warrant its status as one of the
wonders of the world. We could only marveled
at this enormous temple compound which would have required thousands of people
and elephants working in tandem. I wouldn't bore you with further details of
the building techniques and alignments with the earth but if you are interested
about Khmer architecture, you should read up on it. There were many intriguing
findings and I guarantee you would not be disappointed.
This is the famous photo spot especially for aspiring photographers. You would see this in many postcards with beautiful reflection of Angkor Wat in the pond.
After spending 2.5 hours at Angkor Wat, we moved onto to Bayon - the most famous Buddhist temple in Siem Reap. It was built about 100 years after Angkor Wat - the most well-known Hindu temple in the country. Bayon was the official state temple built by the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII and suitably located on the exact center of Jayavarman's capital Angkor Thom. Most well-known for over 200 massive, smiling stone faces, Bayon makes for a stunning sight. All these faces are rumored to be that of the King Jayavarman VII though. Another impressive aspect of this temple is its intricate carvings, depicting notable historical instances and daily lives of Khmer people. The architectural scale and serenity of Bayon exudes simple elegance while Angkor Wat's enormous magnitude radiates grandeur.
Due to lack of time, we could only spend about half an hour at Bayon before driving back into Siem Reap town for lunch at "Tropical" restaurant. As we were leaving through the South Gate of Angkor Thom via causeway across the moat, we were mesmerized by stone figures on each side. 54 guardian gods can be found on the left side while 54 demon gods are found on the right side of the causeway railing. Actually, there were 4 such gates around the walled city but only the South Gate was well-preserved. According to our guide, stone figures at other gates had missing heads because artifacts smugglers stole them to sell them off. 
After one hour lunch break, we were back in Angkor ancient city area to continue our day tour. We stopped for 15 minutes at Elephant Terrace, which used to be part of the walled city of Angkor Thom. King Jayavarman VII used it as a viewing platform from which to welcome his victorious army and to attend public ceremonies.
Moving on, we reached Ta Prohm Temple, just before 3pm. It was also built by King Jayavarman VII to be used as a Buddhist monastery and university. Ta Prohm was most renowned for being in Hollywood movie "Tomb Raider". It was truly astonishing to observe how nature has grown all around this temple, in the form of huge trees, and yet, the buildings had not been completely merged with the surrounding jungle. Ta Prohm's runins are exactly what made it beautiful. As I was reading about this intriguing temple on Tourism Cambodia website, I came across the below paragraph which I think beautifully & aptly describes Ta Prohm.
"Stone and
trees clasp each other in grim hostility; yet all is silent and still, without
any visible movement to indicate their struggle as if they were wrestlers
suddenly petrified, struck motionless in the middle of a fight, the rounds in
this battle were not measured by minutes, but by centuries."
They picked us up again at 630pm for buffet dinner with Khmer dance performances. Since we stuffed ourselves silly, we were so full on our way back to hotel and requested our guide and driver to drop us off at the Old Market instead. We needed to walk to digest and it was great to wander around, enjoying cooling climate of Siem Reap. Personally, I prefer shopping at the more vibrant Pub Street than at Old Market. However, you can get better bargains at Old Market.
Day 3 - Dec 19
On our last day in Siem Reap, we checked out of the hotel by 7 am to embark on our 7-hour journey to Phnom Penh. It could have been a much shorter journey if the roads were wider and paved properly. Driving on the uneven ground tarmac road didn't allow much room for speeding. Good news was that work was underway to build new roads so the journey could be as short as 4-5 hours nowadays (: Oh, you also need to make sure your car / mini van / bus would turn on air-conditioning since the roads were so dusty and the windows can't be opened. Along the way, we passed by this interesting village called "Spider Village" where deep-fried spiders were widely available! Definitely something for your inner adventurous spirit :D
Our Phnom Penh days will soon be covered in next posts. So till then!
Adios!
xoxo
Missy
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