Hey, yet another holiday for the year 2010. So far I've been to Japan, Hong Kong, Tioman, Batam(More like work) and Kuala Lumpur. Now I'll add Siem Reap to the list.
I went there with Evelyn Koh because both of us just wish to get away from work, which I permanently am. So maybe just away from Singapore. And why Siem Reap??? So we don't shop, maybe not for Evelyn though.
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| Siem Reap travel buddy, Evelyn Koh |
We took Silkair to Siem Reap via Da Nang, Vietnam. Apparently Silkair is cheaper than Tiger Air by SGD10, plus it consist of in-flight food and baggage check-in. You have to pay for Tiger Air.
Siem Reap uses US dollars as their main currency but uses Rial as US loose change. $0.10 is 400 Rials. So it may seem expensive but it's actually not. Point to note, do bring small denominations of notes, highest $50. Major expenses would cost loosely around $10. And please check if the notes are in good conditions. They do not accept torn notes, AT ALL.
Our hotel is
Royal Crown Hotel. It's just across the river from the Old Market, about 5mins walk. Using
Agoda hotel booking, we managed to snag a superior twin room for SGD 35/day, instead of a basic rate of SGD 65/day. It includes a daily breakfast for 2 and an airport transfer.
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| Picture from website. But actually it's 4 storey high. Maybe after renovation |
So far the hotel is acceptable. The location, cheaper rates, a swimming pool (which is quite small and under-utilized), bathtub in all rooms (faulty gasket on the 2nd night so I can't soak). But the only complain I have is that the bed is rock hard and their breakfast is a joke (mostly bread/croissants/baguette and omelet bar).
The main attraction for Siem Reap is definately Angkor Wat, a symbol of Cambodia. I guess without Angkor Wat, no one would want to visit Siem Reap.
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| Map of the temples of Angkor |
The whole temples of Angkor takes up a huge amount of area. It's even bigger than the town. And most of the temples are majestically huge. A day pass would cost $20, both 2 and 3 day pass cost $40. Everyone I asked said a day would be enough to cover all of Angkor and it's advisable not to go to each individual temples as it will become repetitive. So we visited the main temples and key monuments.
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| 1. Angkor Wat exterior for Sunrise |
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| 2. Exploring the majestic Angkor Wat |
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| 3. Victory Gate |
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| 4. Banyon for some happy Buddhas |
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| 5. Climbed the steep stairs of Phimeanakas |
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| 6. Taming elephants at the Terrace of the Elephants |
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| 7. Restoration works at the Terrace of the Leper King |
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| 8. Re-enactment of "Tomb Raider" in Ta Phrom |
And we did all this within 1/2 a day. So much for a full day. Our tuk-tuk guide had a different itinerary for the day but we refuse to pay the additional boat fare of $20 to go around Tonle Sap Lake for 2hrs. Not much of a waste because the main attraction is just a huge lake which you'll see Vietnam, Phnom Penh and the different water villages.
Hence, we headed back to town for light-shopping and massage after the whole morning of walking and climbing. A noted massage place is Body Tune, beside Old Market facing the river. The price maybe steep but it's the best so far. $20 for a 1.5hr traditional Thai massage. You can even bathe for more rejuvenation.
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| Rejuvenated after the massage |
Apparently, smaller massage place would cost $5/hr for Thai massage. I'm SOOO not recommending Teuk Dey Angkor massage, beside the Noon/Night market. The masseuse is tapping me more rather than massaging me. She's even whispering sweet secrets in Khmer into my ear. She's constantly complaining to her collegues who totally ignored her. OK fine, I got it at $4, so no fuss about it, but the whispers are freaky.
Main attraction done, so what other activity can we do there? We did a bike expedition on the third day. We went around town on 2 wheels (bicycle) and 4 wheels (ATV - All Terrain Vehicle) around the paddy fields for sunset.
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Morning on 2 wheels
(on different bicycles mind you) |
The morning ride was quite awesome. Bicycles can be rented at most hotels. Our hotel charges us $5/day but it's not for the whole day sadly. It will last till dawn around 5pm, maybe due to no lights attached on the bicycles. We cycled around town and went into the villages. We visited the temples, Wat Bo and Wat Damnak. We were stuck in traffic (even for bicycles) because we weren't allowed to pass through the school district when schools has been dismissed. So we experienced how Siem Reap schools-out was like.
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| Evening on 4 wheels |
As for the evening ride, we reserved with
Quad Adventure for a sunset expedition on the paddy fields. The tour cost $25 for a rental of the ATV, helmet and face mask, a guide, and a certificate of expedition. The sunset is truly magnificent and the view of the countryside is awesome. You'll see cows, buffalos, goats, naked kids, farmers and even cemetary. A must to try out.
What a typical Singaporean would ask for is FOOD. What would you expect to eat there? There are tons of food all over the Old Market or locally known as Psar Chaa. Pub Street houses a lot of good restaurants serving both western and local cuisines. Do try out the different Khmer dishes. To note is the Amok (meat with santan, egg and many herbs. Taste like a drier lemak chilli padi). There's mostly grilled stuffs like ribs, frog, chicken, prawn etc. They even have exotic food such as crocodile and snake, but it fetches a high price. A good 2 meals with a starters side dish and 2 drinks would cost an average of below $15. And the local draft beer cost a freaking $0.50. It cost lesser than water, $1.
Street food is the cheapest thing. A rice dish cost maximum $2 but the atmosphere at night can be irritating, especially with flies that are attracted to lights. Most of the streetside foodstalls are underneath billboards, so there will be tons of those critters.
And as a coffee junkie, there isn't much cafe to note. But a good cafe to check out is
Common Ground. It's extremely similar to Starbucks, even up to their believes of helping the community. Common Ground would have a better publicity if they are better located. They are located near the Central Market, in the alley behind Angkor Riviera Hotel. Another good coffee to try is the Mexican Coffee from the Blue Pumpkin cafe at Old Market.
Siem Reap is a totally different kind of holiday for me. It's more of a cultural holiday, trying out what the locals eat and do
, even to checking out what they do in their villages. My normal holiday shopping spree is at a halt. Most of the items I've shopped are for people. In all, Siem Reap is a great place to visit, ONCE.
To better interpret in thousands words of the holiday, do check out the photo album:
Till the next holidays,
Ja Matta
