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| Ruins from the Khmer Empire |
Siem Reap, Cambodia was a pleasant surprise! We arrived after a short, 50 minute, flight from Bangkok. We only planned for 4 days in Siem Reap to give ourselves a few days to explore the famous temples of Angkor Wat Archeological Park. Within a few hours of arriving, however, we were all wishing we had allotted more time for Cambodia.
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| Exiting the plane right onto the tarmac |
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| No shuttle buses like Bangkok- the kids were excited to walk on the tarmac |
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| Our hotel sent a driver to pick us up |
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| Tight squeeze- 3 suitcases piled up and held with a bungee cord |
Our hotel was situated about 1.5 km from the Old Market area and city centre. After dropping our bags and having a quick swim to cool off, we set out on foot to explore.
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| Exploring Siem Reap |
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| River walkway |
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| There were several wats in Siem Reap- we only visited one |
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| Like Thailand- ornate and colourful |
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| Pub Street at night |
One of the surprising things about Siem Reap was the number of restaurants serving international food. We saw 6 wood-fire burning pizza joints on one block! Food, however, was dirt cheap. We could eat as a family of 5 for under $20/meal. The tacos below were only $1.50 USD! Beer was 50 cents, water was $1.00 and pop was $2.00.
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| Top notch Mexican food in Cambodia- who would've thought?! |
Siem Reap has its fair share of markets. These range from tourist markets selling clothing and knick knacks to local markets selling everything from textiles to electronics to produce and seafood.
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Markets...Chelsea's happy place
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| Busy place |
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| Nuts, spices or tea? |
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| Local market |
As planned, we visited the Angkor Wat complex. We went as a family with a guide and a driver for a full day and Mike and I went back for another half day a couple of days later. Our guide was incredible. He taught us so much about Cambodian history from the 1st century to present day. Stay tuned for a full post about Angkor Wat and Cambodian history.
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| Walking among the ruins in the Angkor Wat Archeological Park |
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| Angkor Wat itself |
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| Family picture at Ta Prohm |
Cambodia was hot like Thailand but it was less humid. Siem Reap's population is only about 10,000 people so, despite scooters polluting the air, the haze was non-existent as compared to Bangkok. Its ~32 degrees was quite bearable.
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| Daily breakfast by the pool |
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| An alley in Siem Reap's pub street district |
The people in Siem Reap were very friendly. The city felt safe and it appeared as though people took pride in their properties and tuktuks. We noticed that cellphones were widely used. Most vendors were on their phones up until they thought they might have a sale and tuktuk drivers lounged around on their phones until a potential customer wandered by.
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| Dead chicken transport...just another day |
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| Like Thailand- lots of scooters, few helmets |
We spent our last night enjoying a Khmer dinner with a traditional music and Apsara dance show at Por Cuisine Restaurant - a classy place that donates proceeds to the Children's Hospital and sponsors a dance troupe in order to provide working opportunities for disadvantaged youth. The food was delicious and it felt good to support a good cause.
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| Beautiful restaurant |
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| Traditional Khmer dancing- lots of emphasis and flexibility in hand - positioning |
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| Excellent story-telling through dance |
Great story telling Cheryl. You summed up this leg with a sense of warmth and appreciation of the people and the history of Cambodia. Felt like it was a wholesone visit and created a desire in me to look more into Cambodia. Thx!
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