Cambodia
Exploring the rivers and ruins at Siem Reap
Another flight, another country.
This time we find ourselves in Siem Reap, Cambodia. And once again we’re catapulted into another world. This time a world of tuk tuks and remarkable ruins and markets crammed with cheap goods and cashed up tourists.
Our troupe of four in Dubai, becomes a group of seven in Cambodia as we discover the delights of one of the world’s great tourist attractions.
We wander through the town in Siem Reap, up and down the aptly named Pub Street where we stop for cheap cocktails and beers.
We take a tuk tuk ride to the floating villages at Tonle Sap, stopping on the way at a market where we see a snake for sale alongside the fruit, the veggies and the fresh meat.
At Tonle Sap we visit a small village where we hand over books and pencils for the local school kids, who take their stationary with a smile, hand them off to family then head back to the end of the line for another set.
On the water our boat battery dies so we pull off to the edge of the channel and wait until a new battery is delivered. Ade takes a break from photographing to relax in the hammock while I complain repeatedly about the lack of seats on the boat – there are six seats, for seven people.
A new battery arrives, delivered on the back of a boat, and we’re on our way again out to the centre of the lake where a floating market sells us beers.
Even here, in the middle of nowhere.
On the way back to town our tuk tuk gets a flat tyre. The driver leaves us with a local family in their unfinished bamboo hut nestled between the road and a river, while he heads into town for a new tyre. But replacing the tyre takes longer than anticipated and we hitch a ride in the back of a trailer being towed by a local and his tractor.
We bump and jolt our way through back roads and villages to a tyre shop where our tuk tuk sits outside ready now to take us the rest of the way into town.
Life is never dull on the road.
But the real reason we’re here is to see the remarkable remains of Angkor Wat. We wake early to join the hordes of tourists at sunrise.
We’ve taken a tour of the ruins before, so opt to forego the guide and take our own tuk tuks who drop us first at the visitor centre to get our tickets and then at Angkor Wat, our first temple.
We walk through the ruins, marvelling at each turn at the sheer size and beauty of the temple stretching out before us. We photograph the temple reflected in puddles, from up above, from up close and from a distance.
We stop in front of relief murals and statues and listen in to snippets of information as guides explain the history of the empire and the buildings.
Our tuk tuks take us to the Temples of Ta Prom and Bayon, which is partially closed for works, but where monkeys entertain us instead.
And despite having visited all three temples at least twice before, I’m still awed by the size and mite, by the determination, planning and foresight of a culture to build such a place.
At night we wander back down Pub Street and stop to experience a fish massage.
As the fish nibble at the dead skin on our toes, we giggle into our beers and reflect on the delights Cambodia has offered up.
Fast Facts
We travelled to Cambodia on this trip in 2023.
We were in Siem Reap for four days.
We stayed at Baahu Villa.
Was it long enough? Four days was long enough in Siem Reap, however there is always more to see, we could definitely spend longer exploring the various temples of the Angkor Wat complex. There is also a lot more throughout Cambodia that is worth exploring.
Highlights: Making memories with the family, Angkor Wat is a real treasure, those massages.
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