Want to travel to Siem Reap but don't have a lot of time to see it all? Or rather, want a relaxed day with balanced sightseeing and culture driven activities?We only had a couple of days in Siem Reap and even though Angor Wat is the city's main attraction, there are other ways of enjoying the buzzing town.
It is worth getting up at 05:00 hrs for this. Hire a tuk tuk from your hotel's reception to drive you through the Angor complex. There is more than one temple you should be circling on your map to see whilst here and the standard route the tuk tuk's take you are a pretty good reflection of it. The tour takes you about 4 hours and you shouldn't be paying more than $18.00 for 2 people. The tuk tuk driver takes you directly to Angor Wat in the early hours of 05:30 / 06:00 hrs, where you will see a swarm of people walking towards the temple. Stand and wait till 06:30 hrs when the sun rises from behind the temples and enjoy a most spiritual moment in silence with the crowds. Unfortunately, we had a bit of trouble with the weather as there were some clouds in the way, but this didn't tarnish the moment we had with the other 400 people standing by the lake watching. Then enjoy wandering through the temple, admiring the amazing architecture without the crowds of people you will find later on in the day.The tuk tuk driver then takes you to the Bayon temple of king Jayavarman VII. Enjoy exploring the ruins of this temple to see all 54 gothic towers famously decorated with 216 huge faces of Avalokiteshvara. The tour continues to various other temples within the complex, but we decided to head straight to Ta Prohm, the "Tomb Raider" temple, where you can see how nature has engulfed the ruins and the iconic tree roots grounded within the stones.
Located right in the centre of town, Belmiro's is a great little place for western cuisine. The host and waiters bring this place to life and you will be stuffed with any meal you decide to have from here! Truly worth a visit if you feel like having a slice of home away from home!
Visiting the museum will give you a great introduction into Angor's history, religious significance and cultural upbringing. Entry is $12.00 per person and is open until 18:00 hrs.
This was our favourite place to hang out and enjoy a nice cold beer! There are many pubs to choose from so enjoy picking one out. Through these streets you will also enjoy seeing the small push carts people have offering snakes, grasshoppers, spiders and scorpions to eat... I must say, I didn't like the look of any, let alone tasting them!
For all those budget travellers out there, we really wanted to go see an Aspara dance and dinner show but couldn't afford some $40.00 pp price tag, so instead we found out Temple Club Restaurant and Bar offer free Aspara Shows in the evenings between 19:30 - 21:30 hrs as long as you ordered some food or drinks. We therefore, made this place our dinner location and if you do the same, please please order the Garlic Prawns for starter.... Out. Of. This. World.
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