Cambodia offers you the perfect blend of amazing culture, war history, 12th century architecture, food and parties. Look no further and head to Cambodia, for I will guarantee you will not be disappointed. Here is my story of a great trip to Siem Reap, in the northern Cambodia.
We started from Bangkok, Thailand, airport and took an one hour direct flight to Siem Reap. Our hotel had sent us a ride for pickup. They were the Cambodian style tuk-tuk, which brought us to our hotel.
On reaching the hotel (Bou Savy Guesthouse) and checking in, we had our lunch in our hotel. We were impressed with food, and service. We all decided to start off with sightseeing.
We reached our first spot of the day, the war museum. We were truly amazed. It has in display all the gadgets and war machines that were used during the time of civil war. The stories are really moving. We had the opportunity to meet few people who participated in the war as soldiers and listen to their stories first hand. There still are places which were blown up in the war due to land mines. And there are few land mines still present which has not blown out yet. They are all well barricaded and covered. They say, there are many bombs found in this region which were not exploded.
This war museum was a real eye opener for us and learned a lot of the recent history of the country.
Post this we took tuk-tuk to reach our next activity of the day. We were to go on one hour long Quad bike trip in the village side region of Siem Reap. We had pre booked this tour and had chosen the Sunset Quad bike tour. After initial safety checks and checks on our riding ability, we were given a Quad bike each and a guide explained us the route and ways to handle the quad bike.
The route taken was mesmerizing. We were greeted by a lot of localities and we rode along side of the rice fields and lotus fields of Cambodian village. We witnessed what Cambodia really is. This tour was quite adventurous, and I guarantee, no matter what age, gender, or of personality you are, you will enjoy this. We witnessed a beautiful sunset along side of a lotus field before returning to our room.
Next up in the night, we roamed around the streets of the town and reached some where we had not expected in Siem Reap, the Pub Street. I experienced one of the unique night lives ever. With some of the most unique street foods, and open movable bars with loud music exceeded our expectations.
After thoroughly enjoying the street food and drinks we were exhausted for the day. We came back to the hotel and slept, as we had to start the day early the next day. We were to witness the best sunrise, in Angkor wat.
The next day, we woke up early and reached the ticket counter of Angkor wat, by 6.00AM. There are multiple choices for the ticket. We chose the “one day tour” ticket for the Angkor wat. We entered the majestic temple complex by 6.15. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day, which meant we will not get to see the glorious sun rice that everyone hyped us about. Nonetheless, the view of the biggest temple in the world was extraordinary.
We spent the whole day mesmerized by the architecture and story of this place. Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century.
Many Hollywood movies have been shot in these iconic spots. Ever since the Hollywood industry has made its entry here, many tourists have started to visit Angkor wat.
Exhausted, we spent the evening at the hotel. We enjoyed ourselves in the hotel swimming pool and a sumptuous pool side dinner.
Next day, we left the hotel and reached the airport for our return journey. The airport has a very unique design. Which paints a picture of the country's culture.
The people of Cambodia deserve a special mention. They were very humble, patient and polite. Everywhere in Cambodia, we were treated nothing but respect. I would definitely consider this as one of the loveliest places to visit.
