Travel Stories : Siem Reap (Day 2 of 5)

Write up by Sir Cheapskate.

One thing I love about staying in shared dormitory when traveling is the fact that my self-consciousness of the presence of strangers making me more alert. I would get up really quick once my alarm goes off because I don't want other people to hear it and have their sleep disturbed.

It started really early that second day in Siem Reap as we prepare ourselves for the intense part of the trip. This is always the kind of structure I would go for when traveling, which is to make full use of the second day by starting early and ending really late.

First days are always about getting the hang of things. The second day, however, is where you will get back to your hostel with blisters on your feet, smelly shoes and sun burnt.

I have mentioned about the breakfast at Onederz Hostel Siem Reap in the first day post because I found it really helpful in the second day. While waiting for all of our big group members to shower, get ready and come down to the reception where we are scheduled to meet with our tuktuk driver Mustafa, I paid for the USD 2 breakfast. I initially thought it's the cost per meal but turns out to be a buffet. They even have someone who would prepare omelet to go with the bread and butter. It was a decent choice of food, very western standard.

By 5 am we are off to Angkor Heritage Site. It turns out that the Mustafa and his friend who's driving the second tuktuk have been waiting outside since 4.30am. I'm mentioning this because our folks took so much time to get ready and that the tuktuk drivers are punctual and committed. We needed to get to the Angkor Wat to watch sunrise.

Buying Entry Pass

Before flying to Siem Reap, I had a hard time understanding how to get the tickets. All I know is that we couldn't buy online so that means we have to queue up for it. The tickets or passes are available in the options of One-day pass, 3-day pass and 7-day pass.

Tuktuk ride from hostel to the ticket station was around 20 minutes or so and as soon as we arrived, there was no queue which was probably because we were late. We opt for the One-day pass which at that time costs USD 20 but I have learned now that there's a new price list for all the passes. One-day pass is now USD 37. They also now take payments via cards so that's awesome.

They took and print your picture on the pass. Make sure not to lose it.

Mustafa and his friend took us straight to Angkor Wat to catch the sunrise. We got there just in time for the first orange light. But hey, that's not all! Two words for you; Chinese. Tourists.

We were looking forward for a quiet and reflective moment catching the sunrise, sitting quietly in semi-meditative state and be in the moment but that certainly was not on table that day. I think many travelers and vacationers have had issues with Chinese tourists wherever they go. I would gladly write about this some time in the future.

At that time, I was so into the act of capturing photos to be compiled in a photo book, like I have done previously during my trip to Spain and Italy. I got the shots that I wanted despite the chaos of the aforementioned tourists, also with the help of other western tourists who are more vocal in nature and bold enough to order these tourist to sit their ass down and shut the hell up.

This view greets you as you enter Angkor Wat. What a vista!

Mustafa, being a local, get to go into the Angkor Heritage Site free of charge. I believe that this is important because this enable locals like him to work freely and help bring in money for himself and the country itself as they work as guides. Mustafa suggested for us to spend at least 2 hours in the Angkor Wat and that he will be waiting for us outside at the same point he dropped us.

The Angkor Wat is amazing! I got lost inside both mentally and physically. Those who knew me would know that I am good at navigating and wayfinding when going places but this place was an exemption. That's the art of symmetrical architectural plan, most chambers look very much alike.

The Famous Angkor Wat

This place is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's a piece of civilization from as early as the 9th Century until it was abandoned when the Khmer Empire declined. All in all, it's still under research and study led by the a team of French, New Zealander and Australian archaeologists, hence the closure of some areas within the site. Restoration works are also in progress, so if you are ever wondering why you are obligated to pay a fee to enter, it's actually to help fuel the research as well as preserve and restore.

There are a list of Code of Conducts when you visit this kind of places. Most commonly known is that you should know by now is to dress modestly by covering the shoulders and not short shorts. There are places of worships and monks in there so although this place is open to public, it is also sacred. There's actually a video on these Code of Conducts presented quite nicely where white people keep screwing with these codes. LOL. Also, Asians (pretty sure it's Chinese tourists) are shown as the one who litter and can't stop touching the walls and artifacts. I have to say that this cannot be anymore accurate.

Part of the Code of Conduct here is to not disturb the monks. Don't rush in for selfies without permission.

My sensitive ears, added with my eaves dropping super power, found that western visitors in the Angkor Park are mostly from Spain and France. I can understand why French are fond of this site as they once colonized Cambodia and also was the one who found the Angkor Wat in 1800's after its abandonment centuries prior, but I don't get why it's also popular with the Spaniards.

When you have a group of 10 people who are mostly Architects and also behave like kids, added with the nature of being Asians who just can't stop posing for photos, you will most likely exit the Angkor Wat after 4 hours in there. Pity Mustafa though. He waited outside with other tuktuk drivers the whole time.

We had 5 people per tuktuk. Later on, we cause flat tires.

Ta Phrom

Next stop was the Ta Phrom. If you've seen the images of the scene where big trees grow over the temple ruins in the internet, this is where it is. Fans of the Tomb Raider film starring Angelina Jolie would be excited to visit here. This temple is less crowded than Angkor Wat, it is smaller in scale but the damaged components are more.

A plus point when you visit this temple is that since it's small scale and less packed, you get to feel more of the spaces. The embossed devatas on the walls can be seen much closer and you can even judge the quality of all the carvings versus the quality of restoration efforts the APSARA National Authority have carried out.

Some reconstruction and preservation works were still going on.

Many parts of the temple were still in shambles during my visit, but as to many heritage sites, designated paths were in store. It's a remarkable effort to study these ruins and put the pieces together and at the same time having all these tourists coming in and threatening the fragile artifacts and components.

You can see the broken pieces being put together. It's a puzzle on a grand scale.

We then headed to Kampung Stung Thmey, the Muslim area I mentioned in the Day 1 post. This restaurant is called Muslim Family Kitchen and very popular with Malaysians because they serve halal and also they speak our language. Mustafa brought us here. Price range is also good. Beef Lok Lak with rice costs USD 3.50 and ice coffee with milk costs USD 1. The popular dish called Beef Climbing Mountain or otherwise known in Cambodian language as Ko Long Phnom was amazing and costs USD 7.50.

Believe it or not, this receipt is the total for all 10 of us.

Post lunch we continued to Bayon. Please be informed that the One-day Pass is valid for all the ruins. They have checkpoints within the Angkor Heritage Park where they will check for passes.

Bayon Temple and Phnom Bakheng

The Bayon Temple is most commonly recognised by the four big faces on the top of its central tower. These faces are believed to be of King Jayavarman VII - all smiling. It was late in the afternoon by then, so we had the chance to see the Bayon in orange tint. Not quite the golden hour but close. There were also not many people left so it was all free and easy.

Mustafa suggested that we go to one last stop before we call it a day. By this time, it's almost dark and I think I was about to lose my legs. Phnom Bakheng it is.

Phnom means hill. So it was a hike up the hill effortlessly because it was an easy path until we reach the top where another temple ruin stood. Also not to forget the dozens other tourist.

There was a queue this time. I guess the site is fragile and since it's on top of a hill, maybe they are taking some precautionary steps.

Ni hao everyone!

I think the sunset was okay. I had better sunsets before. From the top of this hill, I could see the vast jungle that is covering the land. No wonder it was so cold in the morning. I was told that I would be able to hear the sound of nature up here but all I heard was tourists shouting. I wonder where they are from.

We headed down to the tuktuk when it was dark. At this point, we switched on our phone lights to see. Mustafa sent us back to hostel and we arranged a plan with him to go to Tonle Sap lake the next day.

End of day 2 of 5.

See more photos in our Visual Diary of Angkor Wat in this post.

- Sir Cheapskate