For the duration of a journey to Thailand in 2007, a colleague and I crossed the border into Cambodia and stayed in the rising riverside markets town of Siem Reap for five nights.
We flew with Bangkok Airways, and the flight from Bangkok took somewhere around a person hour. Arriving at Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, I was really astonished by how modern-day and clean up the little arrivals part was. It took a even while to get via customs, as we all had to spend US$20 for a one month Cambodian Visa. It was not a particularly pleasant welcome at this level, as all the officials appeared really stern browsing, but which is generally the case in most international locations anyways.
Translated, Siem Reap means that 'Siam (Thailand) defeated', and the information of this in actual fact had me a very little nervous originally, particularly as I was moving into the town on a flight from Thailand. Was there nonetheless any remaining animosity? Are the Khmer (Cambodian) human beings as pleasant as I had been led to think?
My first considerations were soon overlooked one time via customs. As we remaining the generating the warmth and dust hit us, but we were welcomed by pleasant smiles and many polite offers of a taxi ride into town, on a variety of modes of transport ranging from rusty outdated bikes to battered autos with missing range plates. We already had a driver arranged however, and he soon arrived forward via the crowd. He drove a relatively outdated saloon automobile (a Honda of some type), and sorry to say it had no air-con. He advised us that most of the autos you shouldn't have range plates as there is no demand to sign-up autos in Cambodia, and that most of them are stolen from Thailand! Anyways, the drive to our first resort took no even more than 20 minutes, and our driver was really pleasant and chatty, telling captivating tales about a few of the sights we passed on the way. We were constructed to feel really really welcome.
Hotel no.one
We had a 3 night time remain at the Day Inn (which has due to the fact been re-called the Royal Bay Inn). It is a beautiful very little resort tucked away from the centre to the north of the town, and was really reasonably priced (although the room prices seem to have shot up due to the fact it has been refurbished). It was pleasant to see some of the even more genuine back streets on our drive to the resort.
The resort by itself was a really pleasant mid-selection accommodation, with clean up rooms, pleasant employees, and all the regular luxuries you would assume from even more highly-priced accommodations, these as cable Television, air conditioning, mini-bar and so on. in all of the rooms. It had a relatively very small pool in the centre of a courtyard, surrounded by the several foremost properties. The a person detail that sticks in my head about this spot however is the range of geckos that also termed it your home! On most holidays, you repeatedly arrive back to your room in the night and come across the odd a person sitting close to your patio mild, but right here I counted amongst 14 and 20 around our patio doors each night time, as well as a couple on the curtains and a person in the shower. I obtained second hand to them upon the first night time however. We had already pre-booked a 2nd resort for the closing two nights of our remain in Siem Reap, but I would have bee n even more than glad to remain right here for the length.
The first couple of days were put in at the temples of Angkor, which are only a brief drive away, however way too significantly to wander (6-8 km). There are a great deal of drivers keen to just take you to the temples, and you can get a pass to develop entry to the Angkor advanced when you get there. We constructed totally sure we carried extra passport photos with us, and this constructed it quicker to get our passes for Angkor park. Otherwise, you will have to wait around to have your photo taken at the toll booth. You can get a one-day pass for US$20, a 3-day pass for $forty or a seven-day pass for $60.
Nearest guides know the most suitable instances to pay a visit to each of the ruins, and our driver in actual fact persuaded us to get up really early on the 2nd early morning to go away at around four.30am in buy to see the sunrise more than Angkor Wat. He promised that we wouldn't be disappointed, and we were not. It was a actually magnificent sight. We had to abandon the automobile and wander a fair distance to get to a person of the library ruins in which we would sit and watch the sunshine rise, and it was nonetheless pitch black. All I had was the very small mild on my mobile cellular phone, which was just about enough to avoid any mishaps, but significantly from suitable. I would strongly advocate taking a very small torch if you are preparation to see the temples at either sunrise or sunset.
Hotel no.2
Our 2nd base was the Victoria Angkor Resort and Spa, which is probably a person of the nicest accommodations I have at any time stayed in. In French colonial style, it is a journey back in time, and even has its personal 3 classic Citroen autos parked at the entrance, which are obtainable for hire. This is the prettier finish of town, and our room neglected the Royal Gardens. It is relatively quiet, although there is no real escape from the sound of motorbikes, as they are just everywhere you go.
We put in half a day at Chong Kneas floating village on lakeTonle Sap. This is the greatest freshwater lake in South East Asia, and this Western aspect in the vicinity of Siem Reap is your home to a giant fishing neighborhood, most of which are formerly Vietnamese and have emigrated right here more than the last one hundred many years. Whilst this has evidently triggered some friction with the locals, it is mostly recognized due to the point that it has end up being these a significant vacationer attraction in the location in current many years. We took a boat journey out onto the lake, and passed floating faculties and properties, a number of fruit sellers and pleasant faces, and of system we ended up at the compulsory memento shop. It was also an alligator farm however, which constructed it even more desirable (we were ill of souvenirs by this level).
We put in the relaxation of our time comforting and discovering the town.
Getting around
The town is really walkable, staying really very small, although pavements do are likely to instantly disappear and you come across you in the street. We were dependent in the north of the town on both occasions and uncovered it a more comfortable wander to the Old Markets at the southern finish of town, which took us around thirty minutes. We opted to get a Tuk-Tuk (or a bike with a very small trailer connected they are not the exact as the Bangkok variation) back to the resort a couple of instances at the finish of a journey, generally due to the dust and warmth. This only expenses around $2-four for a journey from a person finish of town to the other, and however rather noisy and smelly, it happens to be a person of those things you have to do at least one time, just for the go through. As continuously, it is a sound strategy to agree the rate with your driver first, and also ensure that it is for the journey rather than for each human being.
Shopping
As significantly as I can keep in mind, there were two foremost markets: the Central Markets and the Old Markets, with the latter staying the even more typical and favoured by locals and visitors alike. There is evidently also a new night time markets that has opened due to the fact I was there.
There are a few very small supermarkets in Siem Reap, so any necessities can be uncovered without difficulty.
Souvenirs can be uncovered everywhere you go, with most of the markets stalls all advertising equivalent gadgets. Much more different pieces can be uncovered in the many boutiques and galleries located in the Old Markets location, needless to say at a better rate. I particularly liked the a number of paintings on will offer you, all by community artists, and I bought a variety of from totally different shops/stalls. As the canvas could quickly be rolled up one time bought, it was really mild and convenient to carry, taking up really very little room in my luggage. Temple rubbings are one additional fashionable mild weight memento, obtainable from most shops or stalls, although they are in actual fact reproductions rather than staying genuinely taken from the temples. You will also see a range of roving booksellers in the Old Markets location, repeatedly land mine amputees.
There are a great deal of spots providing web access for around $one for each hour, primarily located around the Old Markets, and most banks/ATMs are located right here also.
The foremost currency second hand in Siem Reap is US dollars, although I consider I keep in mind a number of spots also accepting Thai Baht. The community currency is the Riel, but you only essentially get to see this in really very small alteration, as there are currently somewhere around 6240 riels to 1GBP (4155 riels = 1US greenback). We were advised earlier than we arrived to make totally sure we took NEW greenback costs to Cambodia, which is anything to bear in head as tatty kinds will repeatedly get refused.
Food items & Drink
There are a great deal of pleasant bars and restaurants in Siem Reap, with most located on 'Pub Street' in the vicinity of the Old Markets. We dined at the Red Piano a couple of instances, and had a few snacks at the Blue Pumpkin. The Red Piano appeared really fashionable with backpackers, and has in actual fact end up being legendary generally due to the point that it was second hand by Angelina Jolie and the relaxation of the crew all through the filming of Tomb Raider. It is located on the corner of Pub Road, open up from 7am - midnight, and offers balcony, indoor, or pavement seating, with an extraordinary watch of all the Pub Road action. You essentially feel really as however you are at the heart of the action right here, but it has a laid back feel really to it, alongside with extraordinary support and really more comfortable cane chairs. An extra really fashionable bar is Angkor What?, which was the first bar to open up on Pub street back in 1998. This appeared to be permanently heaving however, so we chose to refrain from it.
Fitness and Basic safety
Do not drink the water! We constructed totally sure we only bought sealed bottles of water (obtainable pretty a lot everywhere you go you go), and refused ice in any of our beverages. We were suggested that it will need to be Ok to brush our teeth employing the tap water, but I can only blame this for the dodgy tummy I ended up with on the last couple of days!
As two ladies traveling by yourself, we did not at any time feel really threatened or in any threat. Basic perception advised us not to split up, particularly at night time, but the town essentially was total of really pleasant locals, and Siem Reap (and Cambodia by itself) relies seriously on tourism, so there tends to be really a robust experience of mutual regard.
Recall your insect repellent if venturing out of town to the surrounding parts. Whilst the danger of malaria is evidently really lower in Siem Reap by itself, we did make totally sure we took our antimalarial pills earlier than and all through our remain.
Land mines have been altogether cleared from the Angkor park, so there is no demand to get worried at all, unless of course you are preparation to enterprise even further afield to even more remote parts. The common recommendations given is to stick to well worn paths.
You will face poverty relatively routinely in Siem Reap and the surrounding parts. A couple of incidents upset me considerably although going for walks via the town, involving small children begging for food. You see a whole lot of small children advertising souvenirs at the temples, and I did pay for a few packets of postcards from these kids, but our community instruct advised us that it is most efficient not to, as the money really repeatedly goes toward supporting their parents' booze routines. These small children, of all ages, are also really well rehearsed in their tales, telling you they have been to faculty that early morning, or are heading afterwards that afternoon, but a number of you shouldn't in actual fact go at all.
When to go
December to February are the most fashionable months, as they are the coolest and driest. We were there from sixteenth - twentieth January, and however it was sizzling it was not at all not comfortable. I had study that the temples would be heaving with visitors all through these months, but we did not in actual fact come across this to be the case. Perhaps our instruct just took us to each of the ruins at the quietest instances. April is the hottest month, and July to October is the rainy time. Some say that this is the most efficient time to pay a visit to in some ideas, as it is considerably less dusty and even more green, but the rain can be so heavy that flooding triggers transportation difficulties
Summary
If you want to see ancient Angkor, Siem Reap is the suitable base, but it also comes about to be even more than just that. With its French colonial and Chinese-style architecture and tree-lined streets, it is a nice town to remain in, with just about good enough to see and do all through a week- long remain. For me, it was a refreshing break from the bustling streets of Bangkok, but lively good enough to avoid boredom, and in the end anywhere that I would leap at the opportunity of going to again.
(Also published on other online sites below the username RunnyHunnyBee)
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