Janice

Siem Reap. Cambodia '18

I've finally tick off one more box in my bucket list which is to VISIT ANGKOR WAT. Okay that's random I know. So on this fine random day, I realized that I have few thousands Airasia Big Points in my account and they're having this promo for tickets to Siem Reap which only cost 1000 points for return flights (I thought free la but I end up paying 200++ for taxes too chehhh) BUT NEVERMIND! Since I've always wanted to see of how Angkor Wat looks like so I booked without hesitation. Tagging along my all-time-random travel mate, Lucas.

Upon arrival, I personally think that their airport looks like a Balinese villa lol. Quite small but it's great because small = convenient. The luggage collection belt is literally just behind their immigration counter.

So the best thing about Siem Reap is most of their hotel provide free airport transfer. Some even to and fro. Met our friendly tuk tuk driver waiting for us outside even tho we had half an hour delay for our flight, Oh ya don't expect a luxurious limo to pick you up because 90% of the people there uses tuk tuk to travel around but the thank God the air pollution is not as bad as Bangkok as not many cars available on the road. First specialty of Cambodia - Their tuk tuk is made out of timber. The tuk tuk in Thai is made of steel so I think this is the first thing I find interesting about Siem Reap.

Hotel we stayed in - King Rock Boutique Hotel. I would recommend this hotel as it's quite convenient to travel around and the price is quite cheap for the quality of the hotel. The only down point of it is that the breakfast sucks LOL :x But of course if you have more budget you can choose to stay in those luxurious hotel because you can spend time chilling in your hotel instead (not much thing to do in Siem Reap tbh).

There's a Buddhist pagoda just right in front of the hotel. Don't expect fancy temples like those in Bangkok ok. It's Siem Reap afterall. After unpacking & getting dressed, we head to one of the recommended restaurant there called The Sugar Palm Restaurant & Bar. They serve authentic Khmer cuisine. Apparently the famous MUST TRY food was the fish amok but it require a 30 min preparation time so we did not order that. Beef Lok Lak was also their signature dish but it's actually just beef slices/cubes cooked with oyster sauce and basil leaves lol. Oh I really love their pomelo salad tho. I'm usually a fan of stir fry morning glory but I don't like it in Khmer style. Personally thinks that the addition of basil leaves here is too extra :')

Verdict: 8/10

Environment wise is quite comfy, quiet, chill and I think since Siem Reap has too lil things to do, you should add this in your list when you're there HAHA

Next, we headed to their Old Market. ALSO don't expect markets (no matter day or night) to be like those happening markets in bkk too because they don't have much crowd and it just feels....awkward...to shop there. Too stressed when everyone starring at me asking me to buy stuffs omg RUN. But if you follow my instastories you should know my current obsession for my Cambodian fashion ootd LOL

First day only we already got too bored then we went to attend a pottery class at Khmer Ceramics Fine Arts Centre. (My mum texted me: WALAO KUCHING SO MANY, SO CHEAP, NEVER SEE U GO?) It cost $25 per person (around RM100 liao lehhhhh) and they'll provide transport for you from your hotel and they would send you back after the class ended too.

ATTENTION: If you wanna join this class, don't go on the last day of your trip as you need to collect your artwork on the next day itself.

For dinner, I made a reservation at Cuisine Wat Damnak a week before our trip there. STRONGLY RECOMMEND this restaurant. By far the best one I've tried in Siem Reap. Prices are slightly high compared to the rest but I can assure you that it's worth it. Some more it's way cheaper than having fine dining in all other countries. They only serves 5 ($27) or 6 ($31) courses meal. We both selected the 6 course meal since we're already here, might as well. Btw their service is really good, I remember putting a remark when I booked saying that Lucas is allergic to prawns and they didn't forget about that! It's better to make a reservation as their restaurant are usually full, especially during weekends. (apparently we were the last to leave the restaurant that's why it looks empty in the photos below hahaha)

The next day, I hired a private driver recommended from my friend on tripadvisor.com - ASEAN Angkor tour for Angkor temples and also Tonle Sap lake. It's $45 per day, this rate could accommodate up to 3 pax. You can check the rates on the website and I think the price is super reasonable. Our driver Mr. Leak was super friendly and I'm like paying for a private tour guide too. He takes super nice photos too, we were impressed tbh. We didn't expect a middle aged uncle to be good in taking photos hahaha. DO NOT USE TUK TUK TO VISIT ANGKOR WAT. My friendly advise for you. You might die from heatstroke lol. Many tourists uses that too but I wonder how they do that because I almost die from the heat in Siem Reap omg. He brought us to Tonle Sap river too. I think this trip is unnecessary but initially I booked it because I only ever see the word "TONLE SAP" in my Sejarah textbook so I wanna take a look how it looks like in real life ehhehe. I thought we could go in between the floating village but NO. We only get to take a boat ride there and bring us to a dock next to the floating village. Take some photos and that's it :) *insert eye blinking emoji* HAHA

Next, the first temple we went is to Ta Prohm temple, where "Tomb Raider" was filmed. Then Bayon temple, Baphuon. Last but not least the ANGKOR WAT. Despite the heat, we die die must go in. Reminder: Don't lose your ticket. You need to carry it around as there'll be people checking on you at every entrance of the temple. After each temple I really feel like jumping in the pond but thank God our sweet driver prepared icy cold towel & water for us after every visit. THAT'S A NECESSITY AT THAT POINT OF TIME GUYS! NOT EVEN KIDDING. Let the photos talk.

THE LIFE SAVIOUR

We went back around 6pm, nap till 9 pm and headed out for dinner at Khmer Grill, literally right next to our hotel. GOOD FOOD ALERT. Favorite would be their pork ribs and their fried corn!

After dinner we went to pub street for massage and also to try HAPPY PIZZA. Can get it from most of the shops which sells pizza. You can try to Google Happy Pizza in Siem Reap so you'll get what I meant. We would suggest you to take away and try it in your hotel lol.

The next day we kinda overslept and I missed my spa appointment LOL Wanted to try Sokkhak Spa - Riverside but failed. We were unsure where to go anymore so I tried searching for cafes we could go and we settled for The Fresh Fruit Factory. Good decision. Their shaved ice is superb and I'll recommend their ham and cheese french toast too! Wish I could have that here in KL. Went Khmer Kitchen for dinner as Khmer BBQ was closed. Ya their restaurant names are quite similar here. Khmer Kitchen, Khmer Grill, Khmer BBQ are all different restaurant names. Night activity is basically just chilling at pub street and massage again. OH you can get $0.50 beer here ONLY IN CAMBODIA. Heaven for beer lovers.