Lights to the ancient temples
Angkor Wat is one the UNESCO heritage sites and the reason to why people visit Siam Reap, Cambodia. The history of the Angkor temples can be traced back to period between 8th to 13th centuries. You can find the histories to these temples in many websites (hence I shant elaborate further).
Angkor Wat is one of the "must go" places in your lifetime. The magnificent structures and carvings on these temples are simply amazing. First question on my mind was how did they manage to build such high and magnificent structures without the use of technology? Look at the carvings on each wall and celling (even those high up and you would need 3 ladders to get there!).
Angkor archaeological park consists of many temples including the famous Angkor Wat. You must purchase a pass before entering the park. The options for the admission passes include 1 day admission (US$20); 3 days (US$40) and 7 days (US$60). I recommend that you buy the 3-days pass which give you ample time to cover a range of temples in the park including the major temples namely Angkor Wat, Bayon and Angkor Thom. Other temples include smaller ruins which are less restored and located in more remote locations.
Tuk-Tuk (motorcycle taxi) are easily available outside all hotels. Like always, remember to negotiate for the price as well as the temples that the driver is willing to cover in a day. Pick your favourite driver please cos it would be cheaper if you are reserving him for full 3 days trip! Each day will cost about US$10 from morning until late afternoon. Most of the drivers can speak and understand simple English well. The tuk-tuk will send you to the Angkor archaelogical park where you purchase your admission pass at the entrance. You would also be given the map to the park and your choice of temples to visit. Your tuk-tuk will wait for you outside the temples. As there are hundreds of tuk-tuk parked outside the temples, it is a challenge to remember who is your driver especially after a tedious tour of the temple ! You may need to walk aroud to find your driver & tuk tuk who may sometimes be sleeping with a towel covering his face1
I advise that you cover the largest temple - Angkor Wat which will take you almost a day to cover the entire temple and to appreciate the designs and carvings. Bayon is just next to Angkor Wat which you can also visit on the same day. Other temples are quite some distance away and you will need the tuk tuk to send you there.
Old market area is the only alive place at night at Siam Reap. Along pub street, you can find a reasonable range of resturants from Khmer to western food. Pubs serving cheap beer can also be found along this street. There are several massage parlours in the area which charge about US$10 for 60 minutes of body massage. Standards are relatively poor by some parlours. I saw a cockroach crawling over the mattress in one of the parlours I went to. Fortunately it was 100m away! Be mindful that the masseurs were unprofessional too. They were talking away while massaging which was very irritating and they kept touching my earring and anklets throughout the session. Worst of all, one of them was scratching her head and massaging me! I never went back there again. I try foot massage in another parlour and it was quite good. Hence, I propose you go for just foot massage if you do not wish to be lying on the cockroaches-infested mattress or your body to be touched by the hair-sratching masseurs.
Angkor Wat is one the UNESCO heritage sites and the reason to why people visit Siam Reap, Cambodia. The history of the Angkor temples can be traced back to period between 8th to 13th centuries. You can find the histories to these temples in many websites (hence I shant elaborate further).
Angkor Wat is one of the "must go" places in your lifetime. The magnificent structures and carvings on these temples are simply amazing. First question on my mind was how did they manage to build such high and magnificent structures without the use of technology? Look at the carvings on each wall and celling (even those high up and you would need 3 ladders to get there!).
Angkor archaeological park consists of many temples including the famous Angkor Wat. You must purchase a pass before entering the park. The options for the admission passes include 1 day admission (US$20); 3 days (US$40) and 7 days (US$60). I recommend that you buy the 3-days pass which give you ample time to cover a range of temples in the park including the major temples namely Angkor Wat, Bayon and Angkor Thom. Other temples include smaller ruins which are less restored and located in more remote locations.
Tuk-Tuk (motorcycle taxi) are easily available outside all hotels. Like always, remember to negotiate for the price as well as the temples that the driver is willing to cover in a day. Pick your favourite driver please cos it would be cheaper if you are reserving him for full 3 days trip! Each day will cost about US$10 from morning until late afternoon. Most of the drivers can speak and understand simple English well. The tuk-tuk will send you to the Angkor archaelogical park where you purchase your admission pass at the entrance. You would also be given the map to the park and your choice of temples to visit. Your tuk-tuk will wait for you outside the temples. As there are hundreds of tuk-tuk parked outside the temples, it is a challenge to remember who is your driver especially after a tedious tour of the temple ! You may need to walk aroud to find your driver & tuk tuk who may sometimes be sleeping with a towel covering his face1
I advise that you cover the largest temple - Angkor Wat which will take you almost a day to cover the entire temple and to appreciate the designs and carvings. Bayon is just next to Angkor Wat which you can also visit on the same day. Other temples are quite some distance away and you will need the tuk tuk to send you there.
Old market area is the only alive place at night at Siam Reap. Along pub street, you can find a reasonable range of resturants from Khmer to western food. Pubs serving cheap beer can also be found along this street. There are several massage parlours in the area which charge about US$10 for 60 minutes of body massage. Standards are relatively poor by some parlours. I saw a cockroach crawling over the mattress in one of the parlours I went to. Fortunately it was 100m away! Be mindful that the masseurs were unprofessional too. They were talking away while massaging which was very irritating and they kept touching my earring and anklets throughout the session. Worst of all, one of them was scratching her head and massaging me! I never went back there again. I try foot massage in another parlour and it was quite good. Hence, I propose you go for just foot massage if you do not wish to be lying on the cockroaches-infested mattress or your body to be touched by the hair-sratching masseurs.
Souveneirs can also be found in Old market but do bargain for prices or compare among few shops before purchasing items.
For lunch, you can opt to go for the restuarants at Old market area (which you will be trying again in the night) or road for the street resturants along the road. You will be suprised to find many korean resturants along the road. The food is not cheap though.
Besides Ankor Archaelogocal Park, other interesting places which you can visit in Siam Reap include a boat ride along Tonle Sap lake which is the largest freshwater lake in SE Asia. Be warned that it is nothing interesting but you can observed the houses; schools; churches which are build on silts in water. The boat will stop you at a place where you can buy souveneirs and view the alligators in cages. The Tonle Sap cruise is a good experience but not highly recommended. I went as there was nothing much else to do in my 4 days stay at Siam Reap.
Visit also the mining musesum where you can see the dismantled mines digged out from the fields. You will be amazed by how many mines had been planted within Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge. Sadly, there are still numerous mines around the country.
As mentioned, I stayed at Siam Reap for 4 days. I would propose that is the maximum days that you plan for your trip unless your intention is to uncover the history and mystery of Angkor temples.
For lunch, you can opt to go for the restuarants at Old market area (which you will be trying again in the night) or road for the street resturants along the road. You will be suprised to find many korean resturants along the road. The food is not cheap though.
Besides Ankor Archaelogocal Park, other interesting places which you can visit in Siam Reap include a boat ride along Tonle Sap lake which is the largest freshwater lake in SE Asia. Be warned that it is nothing interesting but you can observed the houses; schools; churches which are build on silts in water. The boat will stop you at a place where you can buy souveneirs and view the alligators in cages. The Tonle Sap cruise is a good experience but not highly recommended. I went as there was nothing much else to do in my 4 days stay at Siam Reap.
Visit also the mining musesum where you can see the dismantled mines digged out from the fields. You will be amazed by how many mines had been planted within Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge. Sadly, there are still numerous mines around the country.
As mentioned, I stayed at Siam Reap for 4 days. I would propose that is the maximum days that you plan for your trip unless your intention is to uncover the history and mystery of Angkor temples.
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