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deedles Siem Reap - A travel report by Deedles
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Siem Reap,  Cambodia - flag Cambodia -  Si«m Réab
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deedles's travel reports

Siemp Reap - Base for Angkor Wat

  5 votes
Page: 1 2
I was really surprised of what I saw in Seam Reap. There seemed to be the really rich and the really poor, and no inbetweens, this is how Siem Reap was seen through my eyes.


Siem Reap Temple
Siem Reap Temple
Getting to Siem Reap involved a flight from Phnom Penh for me.



On arrival, I got a Taxi to take me to my Hotel, it was extremely cheap! As a woman travelling on my own, I began to wonder what was going on when I was taken down a dusty dirt side street in Siem Reap itself! Where on earth was this Taxi taking me! We turned into another dirt street, and there was my Hotel! A dirt street, and just a short walk to the Palace where the Royals come for a break! Siem Reap in April was very hot, during the day as well as through the night, so I appreciated the air conditioning in my room. I found plenty of places for reasonably priced good food, and plenty of markets. Once again, the city was small enough for me to walk around. Siem Reap is a really good base for Angkor Wat and the other Temples, and this is probably what most people use it for.













Favourite spots:
Siem Reap travelogue picture
I came to Siem Reap to see the Temples which I did over a period of 3 days. Not only did I see Angkor Wat, but I paid some extra money to be taken to some further away. These were the less visited like Pre rup, Banteay srei, Banteay samre, East mebon, Ta som, Neak pean, Banteay Prei, and Preah khan. These are worth a visit, they are all different, at least you don't have hordes of tourists in your photos. What I enjoyed, was sitting back in the Tuk Tuk with the wind blowing through my hair on a hot day. I saw countryside, village life + the temples making this one of my most enjoyable days.

What's really great:
Entry to the Bayon
Entry to the Bayon
Angkor Wat, a must see, as is the Bayon!



I don't think anything prepared me for seeing the sheer size of the Temples, they are massive! In my three days here, I walked and walked in the 40degree heat. It wasn't until the last day, that I finished early! There are so many carvings that are so beautifully done, I could have taken so many more photo's!



Angkor Wat was beautiful at sunrise, I was so glad I was able to see it.



The Bayon was a favorite too! Huge faces everywhere looking at you, I thought about the people that carved these amazing faces all those years ago!



Every Temple was different, and every one was worth a visit, so if you come, leave yourself plenty of time, and come in cooler weather if possible.



I thought this complex was fantastic!

Sights:
Floating village School
Floating village School
Another trip I did was by tuk tuk to Tonle sap lake over the most bumpy dirt road I have ever been on. I bought my ticket for the 11/2hours ride in an old boat, with not a very pleasant driver. The young man (guide) was nice. The river in April is very low, the lake is also. The floating village is interesting, I could see the children at school, a chemist, basket ball court on water, church, restaurants, fish farms, and local homes. The vietnamese live together, and the muslims together, they do not mix, and I was told by the guide, they do not like each other. As the tourist boats head out into the lake, teenager boat drivers, with very young children, speed after the boats and jump on to sell WARM cans of drink. Back on shore, I wandered around the village, thinking to myself, that this would have to be the poorest people I had seen on my travels so far. How lucky we are in the Western World!







Accommodations:
Pool at Casa Angkor Hotel
Pool at Casa Angkor Hotel
Casa Angkor Hotel is a fairy large Hotel in a side street in Siem Reap. My room was large with 2 single beds, a large bathroom and a balcony. It was airconditioned, has a fridge, tea making facilities and Television with quite a few channels. There is 2 complimentary bottles of water each day. On arrival, you receive a voucher for a free 15 minute massage.

There is a nice pool, with tropical surroundings and dining is in another nice open area, either indoors or outside. It also had a lift.



I have two complaints.........

no 1, was the service in the dining area.

Tables weren't cleared very quickly, 90% of the time, there were no serviettes, once there was a dead blowfly on the table. I had to wait 3/4hour for a hamburger for dinner one night, then it was cold.



No 2, Was check that the mini bar is full when you arrive as I noticed mine wasn't and then they tried to charge me for what I hadn't used. I have learnt from this!

Hangouts:
Good place to hang-out
Good place to hang-out
These are in the city itself. One that is very popular, is the one in my photo, but unfortunately, I can't remember its name.

Other recommendations:
Cultural Village
Siem Reap
Cultural Village Siem Reap
The Cultural Village is about 11/2 kms from Siem Reap town, on the road to the airport. Upon entering, I walked through a wax figure museum, then into the gardens where cultural shows are held. I watched the Khmer Traditional music and the Khmer Wedding ceremony, both were excellent. The wedding ceremony finishes at 11.25am, then more shows don''t begin until 2.30, so it is best to go in the afternoon. It was very hot the day I was there, so I didn't stick around.



At 2.30pm is the "charming scarf show, 3.10pm only on fri, sat, sun Tonle sap heritage dancing, 3.55pm, chinese traditional dancing, 4.25pm Peacock dancing, 5.00pm, choosing fiance, 5.40pm, My beautiful village, 6.15pm, rice praying, and only on fri, sat, sun, The greatest king jayavarman 7 show at 7.30pm.

To me, it was set in a lovely garden setting and the shows were really good, as was the wax museum.



There weren't many europeans there, so I guess they don't know.















Published on Thursday March 31th, 2011


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Sat, Apr 30 2011 - 09:40 PM rating by mistybleu

I visted Angkor April last year as well and it was also incredibly hot. I really enjoyed reading your report.

Mon, Apr 25 2011 - 03:27 PM rating by el2995

Thanks for a nice report. I did a similar trip to Siem Reap, with a three-day temple pass (including a trip out to Kbal Spean) and a tour of Tonle Sap Lake on the fourth day. Sunrise over Angkor Wat is indeed a memorable experience.

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