"Sues-day" (literally meaning hello)
As a lover of history, when I think of Cambodia, I immediately think of Angkor Wat. It has been on my 'bucket list' of things in the world I need to see, and on my last trip to South East Asia, I finally got a chance to cross it off.
My story begins with a few days spent in Vietnam and opting for a new method of travel. This meant crossing the Vietnam-Cambodia border by bus. A cheap, yet arduous trip the destination is completely worth the sore bums and tired legs. Unfortunately for this traveller, the bus broke down en route and myself and the passengers were left stranded in a small town that was suffering from a complete black out. This must sound like the trip from hell, but if you persevere like I did, the ending completely makes up for the beginning.
After being stranded in the middle of a highway, the passengers of the first bus were crammed onto the next bus to pass, which was a stressful experience complete with personal sickness and tears from yours truly.
Let me tell you I was very glad to reach Phnom Penh and our hotel.
Like all south-east Asian cities, the capital Phnom Penh was a bustling city with the roads completely stagnating with thousands of motorcycles, and cars trying to get their way through any possible gap in the road. If you look past the chaos on the roads, it is a wonderful city, and the Cambodians are of a generous and kind sort. As a first time traveller to Cambodia, I did not know what to expect, and I relied on my travel sense that has gotten me through all my other travels around South-East Asia.
A tip for would-be travellers is to organise currency exchange before arriving. The currency in use here is the USD, with their local currency being used for transactions below $1USD. Finding a currency exchange is easy enough; go to any shop you see selling phones. They must not make much in terms of sales because every single one supplements their income by acting as a currency exchange. They check the rates on their phones, and on the stock exchange channel and then type out your balance on a calculator. It is as simple as 1, 2, 3.
My journey through Cambodia started in its capital Phnom Penh. I found this city quite overwhelming. Maybe it was because of the upcoming elections which meant that there was an influx of supporters riding around the streets in their thousands, or just that it was raining on a number of occasions. But I found this city quite flat.
After visiting the Tuol Seng Genocide Museum, which is a must see for travellers wanting to understand Cambodia's bloody history (as well as the Killing Fields a few hours out of the city centre), I found that there was not much to see. Other than the Royal Palace, Phnom Penh is your typical capital city. There is a lot of culture to see, thats for sure, but the expanse of the city itself, overwhelmed by the number of tourists as well as the traffic was not a winner in my eyes.
But never fear, what Phnom Penh lacks, Siem Reap makes up for it bucketfuls.
As I travelled on a mini-van, with a few fellow Australians onboard which was enough to make me miss home slightly, I was full of anticipation for what was to come. Siem Reap is a small town in comparison to Phnom Penh, and is almost completely reliant on tourists visiting its claim to fame Angkor Wat. And this tourist, came here just to do that. See Angkor Wat (at sunrise, to my boyfriends belligerent pleas) and tick it off my bucket list. This was my opportunity to do so.
WHERE TO STAY/ I stayed at the Bopha Pollen hotel, which is a small boutique hotel. It comes complete with a pool, which was a nice escape from the stifling heat. This hotel was good value and was conveniently located within a 10 minute walking distance to the main part of town. Other upper-market places to stay would be Royal Crown Hotel & Spa or Hotel Somadevi Angkor Resort & Spa
THINGS TO DO/ When you come to Siem Reap it is to see one thing. The Temples of Angkor Wat. Each morning thousands of tourists (including myself and begrudgingly my boyfriend) wake up before dawn to make the morning pilgrimage to the temple to watch the sunset. The journey to the site was made via tuk tuk (the local mode of transport); it's pitch black with the only light shining from the headlights of the tuk tuk itself and the weather is refreshingly cool easing the journey. This is a must see when you're here. Go at sunrise, it's busy, but the eerie calm atmosphere, the anticipation and the beauty itself, is a magical experience that cannot be replicated anywhere. And on the plus side, after watching the sunrise, you can get breakfast right next to the temple and admire it from afar before entering.
Visitors to Angkor Wat are meant to dress modestly, ie. wear pants and cover your shoulders. Not all tourists adhere to this dress code, but it is polite to do so if you're planning a trip here. Spare yourself half a day to explore not only Angkor Wat but the entire Angkor Archaeological Site, you will not be disappointed. Do yourself a favour and organize a half day/full day tour complete with a guide who will guide you through the park itself and explain the significance of every nook and cranny (as well as help you take your photos!).
For those seeking relaxation rather than exploration, there is an abundance of activities, including shopping (squeal) as well as taking a boat tour of the Floating Village- this in itself takes several hours. Other places to visit include: the Angkor mini golf (a source of fierce competition between myself and my boyfriend), the Crocodile farms where you can feed them fish, live chickens and live ducks, as well as even orphanages for that extra humbling, and philanthropic touch.
At night, the streets of Siem Reap come alive with a night market, and music blasting from the bars and restaurants so this is definitely a source of attraction for all tourists after the sunset.
EATING/ There is an abundance of eateries in the main part of town. Anything from your hamburger, to your pasta, to your curry, and even the seafood barbecue.. it's all here. And it is cheap.
If you're headed out for dinner, give one of the seafood barbecue restaurants a go. You will know which one they are; theres a king's ransom of freshly caught seafood displayed outside to entice customers, and if that's not enough, the smells wafting from the hot coal BBQ is enough to make you salivate.
Any good meal is not complete without dessert, and I would recommend getting a banana, chocolate crepe from the stalls that sell it on the street at night. In my pictures above, you will see just one example. I purchased one from this boy, every night I was in Siem Reap and on the plus side, it was dirt cheap ($1USD) so naturally I had to buy it.. right?
The captivating thing about travelling through Cambodia, was how humbling the experience was. Like most South East Asian countries, Cambodia does not have a lot in terms of infrastructure, money etc, and this is evident at the makeshift homes built on the sides of the highway. But money does not mean everything, and the Cambodian's are proving just why. They are some of the nicest people that you will encounter, and they are always keen to share their life stories if you are willing to listen. Overall Cambodia is a beautiful country, rich in history and culture, and this traveller would gladly return again soon.
A tip I could give is to try not give money or buy trinkets off the kids selling them on the street. Like a swarm of bees, if you buy something from one child, they all descend upon you and you'll find it hard to escape their pleas and even grabs.
