Siem Reap - Angkor Wat - Cambodia

The bus ride to Siem Reap from Phnom Penn was pretty straight forward and easy. We had arranged for transportation through the hotel and were first picked up by a minivan packed with backpackers before being shuttled to a full sized bus at a nearby station. We departed on time and about halfway we stopped at a roadside station/restaurant for lunch. Deb and I didn’t think anything of sitting down and eating but we were the only westerners to do so. If I were just starting my travels I probably wouldn’t have eaten where we did but perspectives change after awhile in the 3rd world. I greatly enjoyed a large bowl of fresh veggies and noodles served up by a staff of young people with oldest barely 20 something.

Upon arrival in Siem Reap we were deposited at a station on the outskirts of the city. The prepaid fee for a Tuk Tuk was one U.S. dollar per person which seemed reasonable. We told the driver where we wanted to go and he claimed the hotel was no longer open. The closed hotel scenario is a very common scam. The take is when the driver offers his help by delivering you to another hotel where he receives a commission. I figured I was on to it but as it turned out the prepaid Tuk Tuk service was totally legit and the hotel we wanted was indeed closed. I was pleasantly surprised by the honesty. Our driver cheerfully took us to another place of our request. Tuk Tuk and taxi drivers are generally hard to trust in Asia.

Siem Reap first appeared as a noisy and dusty small city. We walked around a bit and found a really nice hotel located down a side alley which was much quieter. We secured a clean large room with 3 beds for $7 a night. Two beds for sleeping and one bed to throw our stuff on. Once we were settled in we headed for the tourist enclaves of Bar Street and The Alley. Siem Reap attracts many tourists from all over the world and there’s a section of the city that caters to all of the tourists needs. Deb and I needed food and beer so we settled on a place that offered dinner for $3 USD and included a beer. Again, everything appeared to be run by people in their 20’s and younger. However, I suspect by the way businesses are set up they are probably mostly owned by westerners.

Our only real objective in Siem Reap was to spend most of our time during a three day period touring the ancient temples of Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is a large temple complex with a variety of temples spread amidst the country side. The first structures were originally built around the 12th century for a king. At first Angkor Wat was Hindu but it eventually turned Buddhist. Many of the structures are either well preserved or nicely restored. Everything is built with stone blocks and many show various types of religious and non religious carvings.

The best way to visit Angkor Wat is to rent a simple single speed bike for a $1 a day and ride all over the place. We got a little bit of a late start the first day which turned out to be for the better. If you start too early there’s a chance you will be overrun by tour bus groups. Aside of the main temple complex the crowds were not bad unless a tour bus was present.

For three days we cycled all over the place and roamed amidst the temples. Angkor is a huge attraction for people visiting Cambodia and the locals take full advantage of profiting from it. At every temple a visitor is approached by vendors trying to sell books and trinkets. Many places have make shift food stalls and the patrons of such stalls are constantly trying to get you to stop for a drink or food. The touts can definitely get excessive but the good thing is that everyone is friendly and lighthearted about it. While taking a break near a stand selling trinkets a woman tried selling me various souvenirs. I was clear that I didn’t want anything but she persisted. She would show me an item and ask a high price. I’d continually say no until she got down to a really cheap price. When she became convinced that I really didn’t want the item, she would put it down, smile, laugh, then pick up something else and repeat with the same approach. It was actually quite entertaining. After awhile we were both laughing at each other. In the end I didn’t buy anything but I must admit 3 custom Angkor Wat t-shirts for $5 USD is a good deal.

On the third day we got up early and biked in the dark to catch a sunrise over the main temple complex. Needless to say it was beautiful but we reached max wattage by mid morning and just couldn’t bear to look at any more temples. I don’t know what it is but it’s very common to burn out on viewing temples. It’s funny how utter amazement the first day turns into,” I can’t take it anymore”, by the third day. There are only so many temples and museums a traveler can visit in a set amount of time. After that it’s just too much. All said, Angkor Wat is beautiful and amazing place.