Angkor What?

After four days of chilling out on Koh Chang Island, we made our greatly anticipated journey to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Getting across the border was easier than we thought, but it certainly cost us; we ended up paying about $30 more than we should have due to tourist scams, but in the end we were happy that the added money did make our trip more speedy and hassle free. We finally arrived in Siem Reap in the late afternoon in a massive down pour (which we later found out was due to the typhoon). The streets, which looked more like a river, were filled with water and we watched as the motorbikes and bicycles waded through it up to their knees. We didn’t think much of it though, and enjoyed the rest of the day hanging out at our wonderful hostel, Prince Mekong Villa. We needed to rest up for the next adventure: 3 days of exploring the ancient city of Angkor.



We were up at 5 a.m. to ride our bikes to Angkor Wat for sunrise. Unfortunately, it was looking very cloudy and grey, but we decided to go for it anyway. Mistake? Yea, maybe. About 5 kilometers into our 9 kilometer ride to Angkor Wat, we hit the floods. Once again, cars and motos riding through massive amounts of water. It looked like we could make it without getting too wet, so we said what the hell. We weren’t turning back now! But sure enough as soon as we went for it, we found ourselves knee deep in water, our sneakers completely soaked. There was nothing we could do though, and we carried on soaking wet, with sponges for shoes.









We purchased our pricey 3-day entrance ticket and made our way closer to Angkor. Just then, it started to rain! We’re here, we’re going to enjoy it, we decided. And we did. We spent the day biking around the massive ancient city. First, we went around exterior of the city, along an old stone wall gate to see some beautiful views and what would have been an awesome sunrise. After, we headed to the center of Angkor to see Bayon, the temple of faces. This incredible stone structure has massive faces carved at the top of the temple. In the rain, walking through dark, cold passages, I truly felt like I was in my own version of Indiana Jones.






Next, we explored another temple off the beaten path, recommended by our hostel owner. A tiny little temple called Ta Nai, located 4 kilometers down a dirt road. That didn’t seem like a long way, but since it was raining, the dirt had turned to mud creating somewhat of a sticky situation. We made it, and after being woo’d into buying some postcards by the most adorable and well-spoken 5-year old salesman I’ve ever met, we headed into the tiny, deserted temple. Once again, I felt like I had traveled back in time. Just an amazing feeling to be at a place that old and that incredibly beautiful.




The next three days, we continued exploring the massive city of Angkor. We went to the temple where Tomb Raider was filmed (which was by far the most crowded), road a tuk-tuk 40 km through villages and country-side to a famous temple devoted to the goddesses, and discovered tons of little gems, such as Ta Prom, which has an ancient tree growing entangled with the temple gate. On the last morning, the sun was finally making an appearance, so we woke up at 5 am to see the most famous of the temples, Angkor Wat, at sunrise. We never would’ve expected that over a thousand people would planned to do the same! There were probably at least 2,000 tourists, all snapping photos and watching as the temple changed colors with the morning sky. Despite the crowds, it was a beautiful way to end our 3-day adventure in Angkor. It was truly one of the most stunning places I’ve ever been.









Next, off to Phnom Penh to enjoy more of beautiful Cambodia…