Siem Reap

Siem Reap

After more than 3 weeks in Vietnam, Amanda and I are finally inching our way along the map deeper into Southeast Asia. We flew into Siem Reap, Cambodia to spend 3 days and 4 nights exploring the great temples of Angkor. We stayed at Onederz Hostel, a beautiful new hostel with tons of young backpackers and cheap temple tour packages. Lucky us, we got to stay in the private wing, which is like a hotel with the perks of a hostel.

On our first day, we did the grand circuit in a shared tuk tuk, which took us to Preah Khan, Ta Som, Neak Pean, and Pre Rup for the sunset.

I think Amanda and I agreed that Preah Khan was our favorite, due to its size (and winding inner chambers), crumbling condition, and overgrown foliage all around.

Epic Entrance
Pretty
PRETTY!
Eh?
Powerful.

On our second day, we booked a shared tuk tuk to do the small circuit with a sunrise at Angkor Wat, following by visits to Bayon, Takeo, Ta Prohm, and Banteay Kdei. To catch the sunrise, our first in the 10 weeks we’ve been traveling, we woke up at 4am.

The sun did indeed rise.
Photo credit to Noemi, our new Hungarian friend.

Lucky shot
Luckier shot
Monkeys on a temple
Mom and a kiddo

By the end of day 2, our heads were spinning from all the temples, honestly. Butterflies, monkeys, and conversation with our new Hungarian friend became easy distractions from the ancient stones.

On our third day, we booked a private tuk tuk to visit Banteay Srei, a bit farther out of Siem Reap, but worth the schlep for the intricate carvings and unique color.

Banteay Srei in all its glory

We finished our tour with a visit to the Cambodian Landmine Museum, created by mine diffuser Aki Ra. Though sad and frightening, the museum is a reminder of what the Khmer people have been through and the work left to be done.

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