I love Siem Reap. I've heard both good and bad about it, but overall the city is a cute little town. I really liked their "Pub Street", not just for the bars, which surprisingly I didn't visit (yes, I didn't visit them), but because of their great little alleys which had tons of small restaurants, cafes, and shops. Plus it didn't hurt they had new souvenirs and items that were all hand and fair-trade made.
I can't state correctly how cheap Cambodia. I mean it is really cheap. Everything is paid for in US Dollars. When I went to the ATM, they gave me USD. Weird because I've been thinking of things in Baht for so long. I am serious trouble. EEkkk. Meals usually cost anywhere from $2-3, a tuk-tuk into town $2, touristy souvenirs $1-3. Nuts!!! I don't know how I'll survive when I head back to the states. Reverse culture shock?
Majority of the time when we weren't around Pub street or our OKAY Guesthouse (that's their name), we were in the Angkor Park. Note that Angkor Park consists of numerous temples besides Angkor Wat. The weather was wayy intense so biking was out of the question. Jenny and I hired a tuk-tuk driver for three days to tour all the temples we wanted to see. Our driver's name is Mr. Na, who was awesome.
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| Napping between temples on a hot day |
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| Wayy too crowded to be safe. |
Day 2: We woke up super super early (430am to get there at 530am) to see sunrise over Angkor Wat. Unfortunately the night before there was a freak dry thunderstorm and random rain that made the sunrise a bit cloudy. Sucks. But Angkor Wat was stunning nonetheless.
We hit all the major temples including the Bayon temple which is known for the faces carved into the rock and Ta Prahm temple famous for the ruins that look like they are being swallowed by tree roots. (Tomb Raider?) Both were stunning and unbelievable. I can't believe I am actually here!!! And to be able to see how ornate and detailed everything is and still.
Day 3: We went to a few of the older temples further out. Driving out was amazing. The countryside was gorgeous and a far cry from what city life was like. It was really interesting to see how the architecture evolved from the older temples to the more "modern" ones.
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| Normal Garb for a tuk-tuk ride in Cambodia. dusty dust dust. yuck. |
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| A gift hoping to garner a dollar or a piece of candy. |
As much as I loved Siem Reap and Angkor, there were a few downsides. It was real gut-wrenching to see these little little kids try to beg for a dollar or two. Selling trinkets and souvenirs, asking for candy. "Just one dolla ladyyy" they would repeat as they followed us around. It made me extremely uncomfortable because a dollar really isn't much, and I could actually very much afford to give some of them a dollar in exchange for a scarf, a bracelet, or even a postcard. But, to give them the money is to encourage their behavior and continue the cycle. That and I have no clue where that money goes, do they even keep it for themselves, etc... And as friendly as the people were, it really came down to money. Our driver would stop at his "friend's" restaurant when we weren't hungry or stop at touristy places along the way to tell us we should buy something. When we say no, they seemed super offended. I am sick and tired of people trying to get a dollar out of us. I know it's not much, but when people yell constantly "Please ladddyyyyy, buy something" and follow you, enough is enough. I get that the country is still poor and trying to rebuild, but there are seriously other ways to go about it.
Despite all that, I am glad I came to Cambodia. I learned more than I ever did in a classroom, and I am so incredibly lucky to be able to say I have visited such an incredible part of history.Who knows what this country will love like in 5 years or even a decade? Can't wait to see what happens.
Part 1 and 2 of my journey are done. One week gone of Part 3, and 2.5 weeks to go on the last leg of my trip. I'm heading to Vietnam for some Pho, Cafe Sua Da, and Banh Mi. Hopefully there's no such thing as too much food. :)
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