Siem Reap Cambodia
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| Sunrise Ankor Wat |
We spent the rest of our first day relaxing and enjoying all the comforts and luxury the hotel had to offer - in abundance đ¤Š
In the evening we ventured out to explore the town. Sunset is quite early around 5.45pm and it's still a balmy 28 degrees. There's a river running through the town with a series of bridges crossing it. It's pretty enough by day but at night has a completely different vibe - all lit up and lined with some of the most amazing street food stalls.
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| The street food market from across the river |
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| Egg noodles or rice balls? |
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| Street food - riverside dining is free đ |
Walking away from the river and further into the heart of town we soon found ourselves on Pub Street. It's really vibrant but chilled at the same time and reminded me a little bit of the Khao San Road in Bangkhok. Whilst it's fair to say there are lots of vendors and tuk tuk drivers vying for your attention there isn't a particularly hard sell from anyone and it's usually a pleasant enough exchange with some good humour along the way.
After a while of wandering around and soaking up the atmosphere we settled on an Italian restaurant for dinner, deciding to make the most of the numerous international food options available to us while staying here. It didn't disappoint - the roasted courgettes and aubergines were particularly delicious. Unfortunately there are no photos to share though as we just tucked straight into them đ
After dinner we slowly wandered back to the hotel via the night market. Soon after we were tucked up in bed and suffice to say we both slept like logs that night!
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| Pub Street - lively but chilled |
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| More Pub Street đ |
The next morning we were up bright and early and soon tucking into the most delicious breakfast in the hotel restaurant overlooking the pool - the most perfect setting. Freshly squeezed watermelon juice and a very tasty omelette cooked to order were my particular highlights. Max tends to be abit more adventurous than I am at breakfast and usually returns to the table with his plate full of a variety of different concoctions!
Our main aim for today was a tour of some of the temples and we hired a tuk tuk driver, Chhoeur, to take us round. He arrived at 10am and after some initial confusion (he was struggling with the app we were using) we set off for the first of a total of eight that we'd selected to see.
We'd settled on a one day tour and had decided against trying to capture an infamous sunrise photo at Angkor Wat. Fantastic though this would undoubtedly have been we figured we might crash and burn too quickly with a 4am start and no breakfast đ. Instead we planned to finish at Angkor Wat and perhaps get a decent sunset photo.
Neither of us are particularly keen on temples or religious sites, seen one temple you've seen em all perhaps sums up our level of enthusiasm. Nevertheless we did really appreciate the sites we took in and enjoyed the tour much more than we'd expected.
Of course Angkor Wat is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown but we really loved some of the other smaller sites as much if not more. It's incredible to think of all the manpower and skill it took to construct such magnificent sites all those centuries ago.
One thing I wasn't prepared for was the large monkey population at each of the sites. At one point I did get rather carried away with my camera but they're so full of character and and very entertaining to watch đ¤Ŗ
Our tuk tuk driver, Chhoeur, drove us round each of the sites with a big smile. While we traipsed round in the blazing heat he would make excellent use of the time grabbing forty winks in the back of his tuk tuk. I swear that a few times he seemed a tad disappointed to see us when we returned a little quicker than he'd expected us to đ¤Ŗ
By the time he dropped us back at our hotel at 6pm we'd had our fill of the temples and, for us, the tourist box had been firmly ticked đ
This left us two more days to relax and rejuvenate - eat, drink, sleep and repeat đ
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| Fab Mexican Restaurant - great food and very colorful wall art |
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| This restaurant was recommended to us by an Irish couple who we met at one of the temple sites. |
We really enjoyed our complimentary massage at the hotel. Max went for a brutal pummelling whereas mine was much gentler. I even got a soothing hand massage with tiger balm when they spotted my poorly wrist đ¤
We made a trip to the cinema as it seemed like a good way of escaping the midday sun. We chose the VIP ticket for $9 which included pre film drinks in the VIP lounge, then more drinks and popcorn for the film! We were given blankets and reclining seats and as we were the only people who turned up we had a private screening too đ¤Š
We've thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Siem Reap and we're feeling refreshed and ready to move on to the next leg of the tour.
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| I'll definitely miss the Golden Temple hotel 𤊠|
Our time in Cambodia is coming to a close and when we set off again tomorrow morning we'll be heading towards Thailand. We feel it's been a very authentic experience and the people we've met and the places we've seen have definitely made a lasting impression on us ❤️
Looks fabulous and interesting, and loads of tasty food options too đ Sounds like a good mix of cycling and relaxation đ¤Ŗ Looks like you’re having fun đ¤Š
ReplyDeleteYes, so far so good đ¤ and the cycling certainly makes you appreciate the luxury when it arrives đ
DeleteWow, looks like you’ve had a brilliant kick-off to your trip. Pleased you made it, and the hand massage sounds spot on!
ReplyDeleteThx đ đ. I'm desperately trying to deduce who this message is from đ¤
DeleteTom would agree on the temple visiting! đ¤Ŗ
ReplyDeleteđ¤Ŗđ¤Ŗđ¤Ŗ I bet he would đ
DeleteSarah, as opposed to climbing the steps which Max scaled, did you outdo him and climb that extraordinary tree instead?
ReplyDeleteHaha, well that's probably what Lara Croft would have done but not me đ¤Ŗ
DeleteLoving the travels so far - early starts definitely seem the way to go if it's 28 degrees at night! The food looks so lovely and fresh there in Cambodia too except Tarantulas. Just been reading about Cambodia on Wikipedia and came across the horrors of when it was called Kampuchea in the '70s - does that terrible time get any mention with monuments etc. - probably not I suppose.
ReplyDeleteAah, glad you're enjoying our ramblings đ. Actually the genocide from the 70s does feature. In Phnom Penh the Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields site (both of which we visited) tell the horrific story in a very moving way. All the Cambodians we met were keen for us to visit and, although it was very tough, we were glad we did xx
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