Angkor What?

Our reason for visiting Cambodia? Angkor Wat, of course! Crossing the border by bus was probably one of the most stressful experiences I’ve encountered yet. If and when I visit again I vow to fly in to avoid the hassle. The ruse is that all buses stop quite close by to the border, then you’re offered services to organise your crossover for an extra fee that we had been promised would not occur. Being as stubborn as we are, we refused, and embarked on the short but complicated walk to the border. We ended up crossing the border at the same time as the others on our bus; though once we got through we didn’t really save as much as we had been quoted. To make matters worse the bus company then tried to dupe us into buying another bus ticket because ‘we didn’t come through with them’. We were very fortunate that the other travellers vouched for us, though it was a great lesson learned. When we finally arrived in Siem Reap, we made our way to the hostel, HI Siem Reap. Granted there was a mix up and Nevena and I had to share a bed for the first night (which proved to be no big deal, and we each saved a few dollars), the hostel had real character, I was definitely a fan. It came down mostly to our tuk tuk driver George, who was so lovely both while driving us round the temples and even just around the hostel, we even have him on facebook!

One of the temples

Food

Food wise, we found the Cambodian cuisine to be a strange mix of their South East Asian neighbours, but unfortunately not quite as nice. The highlights for use would have been going for Cambodian BBQ on our last night, and the ridiculously cheap local beers, which gave us a great introduction to reaching my goal of liking beer by the end of our six weeks in Asia. 

Angkor Wat

Shopping

The main shopping we did was in the huge market bazaar just a couple minutes walk from the central ‘Pub Street’ in Siem Reap. Every time we went in there we were guaranteed to find a new item to lust over. How we managed to leave Siem Reap without blowing the budget is beyond me, and consequently brings up a little pride in our self-control.

Angkor Wat

Temples

Our tuk tuk driver George took us around the temples of Angkor Wat for two full days, and I assure you if you only see one temple in all of Asia you would be a fool not to make it this one. This collection of temples is the piece de résistance of temples. The highlights were undoubtedly the main temple of Angkor Wat, which we saw at sunrise, and I could not recommend the experience any more. I could have spent a whole day wandering through the grounds; there could not be more to look at. We decided to venture out the back, where we encountered some seemingly cute monkeys, until one decided to chase me round and attempt to use me as a tree. I came out from that unscathed but somewhat shaken, with a hysterically laughing Nevena by my side. Another must see would have to be the particular temple where tomb raider was filmed, not only was it incredibly to see the movie adaption in the flesh, it really is a gorgeous piece of architecture. We also seemed to ‘acquire’ a tour guide within that temple, who was very informative and even worth the small amount of money he asked of us.

Another temple

Nightlife

Down Pub Street in the centre of town you’ll find a wide assortment of restaurants, pubs, clubs and bars, with just about anything to take your fancy. Our regular spot became the popular Angkor Wat? Bar, which offered reasonable priced buckets and a great atmosphere. They even give away free t-shirts away with every two buckets you buy (mine now serves as one of my favourite shirts to sleep in.

Angkor What

Beauty treatments 
It seemed necessary to get a massage, considering the ridiculously low prices in comparison to that of Australia. It didn't quite compare to those in Thailand, but given the price tag I'd consider it a great success. We also made sure to check out one of the street vendors offering the opportunity to have your dead skin bitten off by fish. It was a bizarre feeling, but proved to be quite entertaining, and if anything our feet felt amazing afterwards. 

-Melissa