Siem Reap, Cambodia
My job was kind enough to give me 4 days of vacation time over the winter holiday even though Christmas is not traditionally celebrated in China. 4 days is definitely not enough time to go home, but I wanted an escape that wouldn't leave me homesick. I opted to travel to Cambodia and see the Angkor Wat that I had been longing to visit. I decided to spend all of my time in Siem Reap rather than splitting my time between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. I don't care for large cities for the most part and I didn't want to see the Killing Fields on Christmas. For me, Siem Reap was enough to get a taste of Cambodia.
Day 1: Travel and Relax
I was picked up at the airport by a tuk tuk driver that I had contacted before travelling to Cambodia. He didn't speak much English, but he was a massive help.
I had some small problems in immigration because I filled out one of the forms incorrectly. Cambodia has visa on arrival for American citizens. I had to supply a passport photo and $25 dollars, but people who don't have a passport photo can just pay a fine. The line was long and the people working there were the only rude people that I met in Cambodia. All in all the process was relatively painless.
I stayed at Siem Reap Green Home Guesthouse and it suited my needs perfectly. The rooms are simple and small, but clean. My room came with a bath tub and it was a godsend after the long days walking around.
Since today was my easy day, I decided to take a long and luxurious dinner at the downtown area. There are loads of nice Western restaurants for anyone wanting some really cheap comfort food, but I opted to try some of the local Khmer food. I ordered one of my all-time favorite dishes, Fish Amok, with spring rolls and the local dark ABC beer. It made for a very relaxing evening and a perfect Christmas Eve.
Day 2: Christmas Day & Sunrise at Angkor Wat
I was very grateful to have taken my first day in Siem Reap easy as watching the sunrise over Angkor Wat meant waking up at 3:30 am and hopping straight onto a tuk tuk. I was so excited to see the temple that it didn't matter how tired I was.
There's a small and great circuit going around the temples of Angkor Wat. Most people divide the two circuits over two days. Most people start the small circuit of the ruins with the sunrise. I like to keep my life as simple as possible so I followed the route that most people take.
I wondered around the main temple for at least an hour. Taking pictures and day-dreaming to my heart's content. The main temple is the main attraction so naturally it's very crowded. I highly recommend climbing all of the way to the top. The whole temple left me speechless.
Next up: Angkor Thom and Bayon
Angkor Thom actually ended up being my favorite place that I explored. It was the functioning city center of Jayavarman VII's empire and it's difficult to believe that it was built in the 12th century. It's so advanced for it's time. In Angkor Thom, you will find more temples than you could possibly fully appreciate plus the beautiful Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. I could've spent all day wondering around Angkor Thom. It's truly like nowhere else.
Bayon is within walking distance so it's easy to completely explore both areas. It's really magical so I definitely recommend taking the time to appreciate it.
Final stop of the day: Ta Prohm.
We finished off with a truly spectacular temple made famous by the movie, Tomb Raider. I'm not going to lie, I've never seen the movie but seeing the temple made me want to! The temple is partially overgrown with the surrounding forest which leads to a very romantic, pictueresque atmosphere. I spent most of my walk questioning whether it was better to let nature take over and embrace the natural beauty or to try and preserve the architecture. I never did reach a final conclusion, but I absolutely loved walking around the ruins and imaging what life must have been like all those years ago.
I finished the day off with a delicious dinner and a long hot bath. For dinner, I tried another Khmer dish, Beef Lok Lak.
Day 3: Museum and the Large Circuit
I started the day at the Angkor National Museum. A lot of people prefer to spend all of their time taking in the physical ruins by themselves, but I love museums. I like getting the opportunity to see individual artifacts explained to me. The museum helped give me a lot of context so that I could understand the ruins better. Of course, by going to the museum first, I gave up getting to the ruins before big crowds.
I spent about an hour at the museum before starting my ride with the tuk tuk driver. The first place I went to was Prasat Kravan, This was built in the 10th century and intended for Hindu worship. I continued on to a large reservoir called Srah Srang. The walk here is beautiful and I was serenaded by a group of landmine victims. The victims were unable to return to work after their injuries so the sign stated they turned to music in order to support their families. I stopped to listen for a while and donated some to help their cause.
The next place I arrived at was Pre Rup. This structure was built in the 10th century. It features the scariest staircase that I've ever walked up, but the views from the top are well worth it.
The next stop was Ta Som, another 12th century Buddhist temple built by Jayavarman VII. There are some beautiful stone carvings here plus some other amazing examples of overgrown trees. The architecture is very similiar to Bayon, but the general atmosphere reminded me a lot of Ta Prohm.
The last area that I visited that day was Phnom Bakheng. This site a combined Hindu and Buddhist Temple built at the end of the 9th century and dedicated to Shiva. It's one of the famous spots to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, I went on a cloudy day so I didn't get much of a sunset. Personally, I thought it was a bit overhyped.
I finished the day off with a repeat of my favorite dish, Fish Amok. I ate at The Sugar Palm which is located just outside of the complex. I was exhausted from walking around all of the temples that day so I really appreciated the good food, quick service and ambiant atmosphere.
Day 4: Banteay Srei, Waterfall and landmine museum
The Banteay Srei is a little bit further away from most of the other temples so not everyone has enough time to visit. It takes about an hour via tuk tuk to get there. It was constructed in the 10th century and dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. It's constructed mainly from red sandstone. There are some really impressive carvings that are incredibly well preserved. It's definitely not as big or impressive as some of the other temples that I saw, but it's still incredibly beautiful.
Located relatively nearby was another architectual site and waterfall called Kbal Spean. It's a pretty easy 15 minute walk uphill.
Next up, I asked my tuk tuk driver to take me the Landmine Museum. The museum was created to raise awareness of the trauma suffered by landmine victims. It provides jobs, education and housing for victims and their children. It was incredibly humbling to read their stories and look at some of the mines. As an American, Cambodia was passed over as a topic during my education so I never really knew anything about. I was sad to learn about America's role during the conflict. It was only $5 to enter and I really felt that I learned a lot.
I finished the day at the Butterflies Garden Restaurant and I loved every minute there. They have a cafe set up with a great menu. You can eat in the garden while watching the butterflies. It was incredibly touristy, but I loved it. It really helped lighten the mood after the Landmine Museum. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves butterflies as much as me.
