Siem Reap & Angkor Wat
Last weekend, I finally made the trip to Siem Reap to visit the great Angkor Wat temple complex. I climbed into a taxi after work at 6pm on Friday. Like every other trip, I was very thankful for safely arriving at my final destination without any incident, which is a miracle given the crazy driving, very poor road quality, and lack of street lighting. Around midnight we finally checked in to our guesthouse where we were welcomed with fresh squeezed pineapple juice before finally passing out in our room.
The next morning we rose to begin a temple-filled day at Angkor Wat. We decided to be tourists and took the short circuit tour with one of the guesthouse’s tuk tuk drivers. We left before 9am, which is actually a rather late start, and began our tour at the South Gate.
We then proceeded to: Angkor Thom,
Preah Khan,
Ta Keo,
Ta Prohm (think Lara Croft Tomb Raider),
and, finally, Angkor Wat.
Monkeys are all over the temple complex, especially at Angkor Wat. The following pictures show how one monkey decided to get closer, close enough to steal my sunscreen. But, he didn’t stop there. He then decided to eat my Neutrogena oil-free facial sunscreen.
We completed our 'short tour' after 5pm and returned to the guesthouse to clean up. That night we went out to pub street where most of the restaurants are located. After dinner we walked a couple of blocks to one of Siem Reap's night markets. Unfortunately, this is the only side of Cambodia that most tourists ever see – Western restaurants, neon lights, clean streets and shops.
The next morning we left the guesthouse at 5 am to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat.
Needing a break from temples, we decided to take a tuk tuk to the butterfly conservation center in the complex, but 3okm away. The ride was amazing, especially as a continued break from the city.
