Flight: 2 hours 10 mins. to Siem Reap International Airport from Changi Airport in Singapore, Silk Air
Transportation: Hired a Cambodian driver for $25 USD/day, lots of walking & Taxi or Tuk Tuk -->avg ride 10 mins. = $3 USD
Weather: 98.6 - 104 degrees each day- It was quite steamy!!!
Restaurants: Red Piano on Pub Street (where Angelina Jolie hung out while filming the movie Tomb Raider) and Le Tigre de Papier - great pizza!! Most pubs on pub street also offer $0.50 draft beers during happy hour - can't pass that up!
The first night we (Kaes, Kim, Dirk, and Norma) got to our hotel, we took it easy and had dinner and went to bed early. It had been a long week for us all.
The first morning we went to Angkor Thom and Bayon temple. Angkor Thom has 216 heads on each tower that face North, South, East and West. One of the highlights of the trip for me was seeing monkeys on along the road to the temples. I have never seen so many in one setting before. They were so cute and I was able to get a great picture of a momma with her baby hanging underneath her. They were just precious! That evening we saw the sunset at the top of Pnohm Bakeng. It was quite an exhausting climb, but well worth it once we got to the top. The panaromic view of Siem Reap was breathtaking. After sunset, we had dinner at the Red Piano and enjoyed local Cambodian Amok and curry.
The second morning, we got up at 5:00 am to head to Angkor Wat to see the sunrise. It was a breathtaking view and quite peaceful and serene. We also visited the temples Preah Khan which has a small temple-within-the temple that looks more like a ruin from ancient Greece; Ta Keo and Ta Prohm, which was in the movie Tomb Raider with Angelie Jolie and is famous for having a huge tree growing inside of the temple.
Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation—first Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.
During the day, Kaes and I visited the Angkor National Museum. It was very thorough and gave and great description of why Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples were built, how they were built, the religious symbolism each temple conveyed. That night we went to the Koulen restaurant to watch an Apsara cultural dance show and have dinner. It was very interesting to see the dancers in native dress and to tell stories through their dancing.
The last day we got up early and Kaes and I headed back to Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom to get some video of the temples and the surrounding area. After we went to Pub Street and had a pizza at Le Tigre de Papier, then came back to the hotel to get ready to fly home.
Overall, we had a great trip. The Khmer people have a very ancient history and have had their share of trials and tribulations, especially during the Khmer Rouge, but are still very friendly and welcoming people that always seem to have a smile on their face.
Our camera had some technical difficulties and these are some of the only pictures that made it. If we get it fixed, I will make a link to all of the amazing pictures.
Kim and Norma at the top of Angkor Thom
The sunrise at Angkor Wat
Cambodian dancers at an Apsara cultural show
