Siem Reap /Angkor Wat
In Siem Reap we had booked a fantastic hotel with a lovely pool, we thought we would have some relaxing time here with. We set aside a week as we didn´t knew how many days we needed to Angkor Wat. It ended with 2 full days as the area is huge and amazing! It also meant that we had the opportunity to see both a sunset and a sunrise. Unfortunately, we had a bit of bad luck with the clouds, but it has been like that our whole trip. We have had several attempts, but the clouds think it is fun to fight with us.
It was an incredibly luxurious feeling to be able to walk around the temples and be almost alone. Normally, Angkor Wat has about 500,000 visitors in the quarter, but now there are about 14,000 in the quarter 2022. A huge difference and it means that you can really stroll around and look around at our own pace. Angkor Wat is incredibly beautiful, but the coolest temple must have been Ta Prohm or as it is also called ”Tomb Raider temple” because of the movie Tomb Raider that shot there.
The trees have grown over the temple and its roots completely engulf the temple. In some places, it is the roots that hold it together, which means that you cannot remove it now. The roots are extremely large and meander in and around the buildings. Very cool!
Plan your visit to get the most out of it. The first day we had a car and guide who took us around, it was interesting but quite expensive so the second day we just took a Tuk-Tuk and went around. If you want there is guides to pay outside the big temple. We think it is much nicer to ride around in a Tuk-Tuk than by car because it will be such a wonderful fan and you will see much better JUST MAKE SURE HE`S FUELD UP! 😊
The story of Angkor Wat which was built as a Hindu temple is also interesting. Everywhere there are carvings that tell different stories about life then. Many buildings are almost 1000 years old. A little later it became Buddhist, but much remains to be seen. It is incredible to imagine that the whole area was forgotten and not ”discovered” until the beginning of the 20th century. If you have time, there is also an artist who has recreated a miniature of Angkor Wat that is inside Siem Reap.
Food and restaurants If you are in Siem Reap you must visit Pub Street, here there is activity all the time, good pubs, and restaurants. We ate a fantastic ”hot pot” which is a stew with broth and a hot area where you grill your meat. Put the noodles and vegetables you have in the broth. We tested a few different kinds of meat, there were frog, ostrich, crocodile, snake but also chicken, pork and beef. You get the meat raw and fried it yourself. Outside Pub street we did find a restaurant close to our hotel that became our favourite It was really the best place and it was an Indian restaurant just opposite Burger King called Curry Walla, great staff and delicious food.
Other things to do in Siem Reap – Siem Reap is not only Angkor Wat. We took the opportunity to visit a Cambodian circus. It’s not like our circus in Europe it consisted of several acrobats. It was an awesome experience.
Floating Village We also went out to the floating village which right now during the dry season only looks strange as all the houses are built on piles. When the rainy season comes, the whole area is flooded, and the ground disappears. It will be a few meters deep. It would have been fun to come back and see it in September when it is full of water. Everything is built with that in mind. The original was really floating but it was destroyed by the red Khmers and Paul Pol when it was rebuilt you made it on poles instead. Siem Reap was a cosy city. You can have both the calm and a little party. Overall Siem Reap is a nice place to visit. Everyone was extremely nice and even here we took the opportunity to treat ourselves to a little massage in the evenings. You do not notice the Corona in the same way here at all. Almost everything is open as usual, and the only thing needed is a mouth mask.
