Siem Reap
Much more than Angkor Wat
We flew Thai Airasia to Siem Reap from the old airport in Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Siem Reap. It was on time, easy, great service and only took an hour. Siem Reap airport was extremely efficient and as we had our e visa with us and had completed our e arrival form in advance we had no issues at all. We drove through the afternoon heat and our first sights of Cambodia, rice paddies, mango groves straight off to our hotel Jaya House River Park which was an outstanding hotel in every way, and I would thoroughly recommend it . After gaining our bearings we went to Jonmo for dinner, a restaurant which specialises in modern Khmer cuisine. It was lovely, open and contemporary. My husband ate sausages from Battambang alongside banana blossom flowers and I had my first taste of the Cambodian favourite Fish Amok which was in a fresh coconut and lemongrass sauce.
Next day we were of course going to Angkor Wat and the other temples with a guide arranged by the hotel and using their own TukTuk service. We had decided against the 4.30am start to see the sun rise and negotiated a 7am departure. First stop was the ticket office (we bought a one day pass each), which was completely empty at that time and arrived at our first stop Angkor Wat whilst it was still pretty quiet. You can’t go to Cambodia and not see Angkor Wat, a Hindu-Buddhist temple complex constructed from 1150 as a Hindu temple, and gradually transformed to a Buddhist one. It’s unlike anything I have ever seen before, with its stunning Khmer architecture, intricate carvings and vast moat. It’s the heart and symbol of Cambodia. We were there a week before Khmer New Year when the King and dignitaries would attend the celebration. Already families were arriving together for the annual photo session there, carrying food to gift to the Buddha.
On from there to the smaller temples of Bayon with its multitude of stone faces of Brahma and Ta Promh which I loved. Set in the jungle it has been completely taken over by nature with ancient trees intertwined in the temple structure.
We were exhausted at the end of the trip as it was incredibly hot and humid, so back to the pool for a bit of R&R. We went out in Siem Reap that evening - its such a great place, buzzy and chilled with lots of great bars and places to eat. We started off having cocktails in Miss Wong a bar that is kind of like a 1920s speakeasy or Shanghai cocktail bar , with soft music, dark corners and chic interiors. The owner, a New Zealander called Dean was really welcoming, and gave us lots of tips on where to go in Pnomh Penh too. We dragged ourselves out of there and had dinner at Tevy’s Place nearby. The food was simple and fresh Khmer curries, noodles etc and we would definitely recommend it.
All in all our time in Siem Reap was short but we loved it, and would certainly come back.