Cambodia – Siem Reap, Temples of Angkor

Crossing the Aranya Prathet-Poipet border from Thailand to Cambodia

I’ve educated myself by reading Lonely Planet, Travelfish and my guesthouse instructions on what to expect and what to do, as it’s notorious for its dysfunction and scamming touts (on the Cambodian side). I’m very grateful that I did, otherwise I’m sure that I would have paid more money than necessary for visa processing (which I don’t need, as I’m travelling with a Singapore passport) and extra transportation. Going through the Thai checkpoint was easy. The real clusterf$&k is between the Thai and Cambodian checkpoints. People started approaching me and pointed at different directions of where I should go (at the same time trying to convince me to give money to them for whatever reason), and there were no obvious signs directing me to the Cambodian checkpoint. People (and animals) were walking about, there were hawkers selling drinks and food, and did I really see a hotel/casino in the middle of this? I found a makeshift building and started walking towards it. A man approached me holding a sign with my name and asked “Are you Janet?” My guesthouse arranged to have a connection at the checkpoint (Sambath) to help me with getting through immigration smoothly; unfortunately sometimes people pose as Sambath towards the Thai border to sell expedited visas or offer transport. The makeshift building turned out to be the Cambodian checkpoint, and Sambath really was Sambath so everything turned out well.

Siem Reap

Siem Reap is a lovely town with remnants of colonial French architecture and culture. Because of Angkor Wat, it’s also very developed and touristy, with four star hotels, international restaurants and high(er) end nightlife options. There is a backpacker element to the town, but it’s less visible than in other places, due to the sheer number of package tourists and wealthier travellers. Still, things are pretty cheap here. Where else can I have a delicious French bistrot dinner for $5? Speaking of which, the food is really good here. Khmer cuisine is (obviously) similar to Vietnamese and Thai cuisine and very flavorful. The French influence on Cambodia means that the baguettes and croissants here are amazing. I haven’t tried the exotic meats yet (snake, alligator, etc.) but that’s a must-do for me before I leave Cambodia (I’ve adopted the Anthony Bourdain diet of I’ll-try-anything-once).
Angelina Jolie seems to be the most popular Hollywood celebrity here (my guide pointed out the hotel she stayed in, and the exact locations of where Tomb Raider was filmed) and a restaurant I ate at had a cocktail named after her. I hear her name at least once a day.
Siem Reap at night is lively. The Psar Chaa area seems to be the most happening part of town, with a street unofficially known as ‘Pub Street.’ In addition to bars and restaurants, there’s a night market, lots of massage parlors and fish spas (you stick your feet in water filled with fish and they nibble your dead skin away).

The Temples of Angkor

It’s mind-blowing, inspiring, humbling, overwhelming. It’s exceeded my expectations, and I haven’t seen all of it . I wish that I was more educated about the history of Angkor and this region to understand it better. Tourists from around the globe are flocking to visit this wonder of the world, and it’s evident by the number of languages heard on the sites (and Siem Reap) everyday. It’s nice to see restoration efforts by UNESCO in collaboration with governments from different countries (most noticeably France, Germany, Japan, India, Italy-ahem, where is the US?). I rented a bicycle and rode around the main site for two days, which is a really intimate, hot, sweaty and perhaps crazy way to experience the temples. By bicycling, I really understood the vastness of the ruins. I purposely omitted describing the temples since they’re best described by the numerous books on Angkor.

I leave for Phnom Penh tomorrow. Siem Reap is a charming and lovely place, and I can easily spend a lot of time here but there’s so much to see and do here!

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Tags: Cambodia