Arriving into the small airport in Siem Reap, in a terminal that looked to be newer than any US airport I’ve seen was impressive. Our short flight from Saigon on appropriately named Angkor Air was also flawless.
We had arranged for a guide/driver for our visit to Angkor Wat. “Tea” met us at the airport and we dropped off bags at hotel and started our visit to the his impressive temple. I won’t go into long detailed history about the temples, other than saying it was absolutely impressive what they could build in year 1000, by manpower only. Including bringing in building stones from 30 miles/50 km away. Welcome to the largest religious monument in the world!
The level of details were just mind-boggling. Stories were simply carved into the walls.
We saw around 10 temples ranging from Angkor Wat, to smaller less visited temples, to popular temples such as the Tomb Raider temple (like from the movie….)
We also managed an absolutely stunning sunrise at Angkor Wat.
The area contains several temples, and we drove around for some extended distances.
After being “templed out”, we found our way to the downtown area of Siem Reap, and managed some good foot massages for around $5 each for an hour. There were no discounts issued with the rat running around the light fixtures above us. We just laughed and had another sip of beer while watching the fat tail of the rat disappear back into the wall and light fixture. Oh Asia.
Some walking around Siem Reap, including the local market.
We wanted some adrenaline adventure, so I had the great idea of an ATV/Quad rental, which proved cost prohibitive. So instead we booked a guide with a few dirt bikes. Jessica on her own dirt bike, and having only ridden a small automatic scooter once, was no challenge for our guide. He managed to teach her in less than an hour.
We were fully geared up and headed out of Siem Reap. Small local villages with no tourists. Hazards included: Cows, chickens, mud, water, potholes, pigs, ducks, machinery, roosters, you name it. We made it to the final destination around 40 miles away, at a waterfall. Somewhat crowded and a bit too touristy for us. Grabbed lunch and a few pictures and we were on our way back to Siem Reap.
Siem Reap was incredible. We thought that 1 1/2 days of temple sightseeing was adequate. The city itself was also a great spot to hang out in. I’d caution people visiting the temples that it is hot, and lots and lots of tourists. Get a knowledgeable guide if you go as you otherwise don’t know what you are actually looking at.
Next stop, beach!