Sacred Siem Reap
Siem Reap was not a part of our original plan (Cambodia as a whole wasn’t). It was only after helping Ma and Pa plan for their stopover, and them speaking highly of their experience that we opted to add a quick stop since we were close by. (We did briefly consider doing the capital city Phnom Phen and the island of Koh Rong but nixed that idea eventually for timing and budget purposes.)
Siem Reap is the city that is adjacent to the Angkor Archeological Park, better known as the site of the world famous Angkor Wat temple, as featured in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. It is certainly one of those bucket list locations that you should visit if you are in the area. So we did.
Siem Reap is a very tourism driven city but still has a ton of soul and charm. Similar to Laos and Bosnia, there is a lot of recent historical context that impacts the city, but they also have the site of some of the most famous ancient temples in the world, so it is a strong juxtaposition.
The city itself is very clean and walkable compared to other Asian cities we have visited. There were actual sidewalks which can’t be said everywhere. There are a ton of restaurants, bars, shops, and nightlife around. The people are very friendly and it is very tourist friendly. As our tour guide explained, they have been through wars and all they want is peace, so they advocate for and practice peace globally and in everyday life. One small thing we noticed instantly was that 95% of people on motorbikes were wearing helmets (unheard of everywhere else we have been). While a small thing, it speaks to the lower levels of chaos and crazy overall (aka people actually following rules and guidelines).
They also accept the USD very widely in Siem Reap, though all bills must be new(er), crisp, and without any tears, marks, or smudges. They will inspect the bills to confirm and will deny a bill if it’s not up to standards. This can make it more convenient for westerners, and American’s in particular, and we used this opportunity to restock our USD supply (you can even get USD at the ATM).
We visited the Angkor Archaeological Park over 2 days via private guided tour, and you can feel free to scroll on down to or jump to, to read about that and the other things we did.
But, we also had a lot of personal reflections that came about while we were visiting Siem Reap which we will dive into first (feel free to scroll past if you just want travel advice).
Seasonal Travel
We were visiting during a very low season for tourism, and this fact really showed in people’s eagerness to help, to sell, and earn your business. It really emphasized the power of where and how we spend our money, and how intentionality plays a role.
It got us reflecting on the idea of WHEN we travel. Obviously we are on the road for a year so we travel always, but as former vacationers we would often be forced to travel during high or peak season, which is not always the best.
We understand that sometimes it’s what you have to do because of school schedules or work breaks, but it also leads to larger crowds and higher prices. If you have the ability to travel in the low season (or even shoulder season) you absolutely should.
Sometimes people don’t like traveling in low season because it is a low season for a reason (oftentimes weather) but weather can happen any time, anywhere so we don’t ever recommend banking on the weather to cooperate. It rained most days when we were in Siem Reap, did that stop us, absolutely not. We were prepared and we made the best of it and it was worth it to have less crowds and a more enjoyable experience. Other reasons to travel in low season:
Better Deals: You can often score great deals for things at cheaper prices. We saw “low season” prices to help drive businesses. This was on top of their already very affordable prices.
Less crowds: Can’t emphasize this one enough. You will have a better experience if there are less tourists around. Particularly in places like Siem Reap that see thousands of people a day.
Eagerness to serve: People in Siem Reap were extraordinarily kind. While we have no doubt they are always that way, there seemed to be a particular level of gratitude because we were traveling during low season since they receive way less business overall. People seemed extra willing to help and ever gracious for our presence. Not a necessity by any means, but a pleasant experience nonetheless. Who doesn’t like to feel appreciated.
The Power of Money
We also reflected on how different it felt to spend money in Siem Reap (and this is broadly applicable throughout Asia and some degree Europe too) compared to the United States. In Siem Reap (and Laos too) every dollar we spent felt as if it was directly contributing to someone’s livelihood. Why?
As we mentioned in our realization in Vang Vieng, peoples restaurants, shops, and businesses are their homes. So when you patronize their store, you are walking into their home. When you are not patronizing their store, what are people doing? Living their lives. Cooking dinner, chatting with friends and family, watching TV. This is novel in the U.S. where you are expected to be “working” at all hours even if there is no work to do (looking at you bartenders out there who can only clean so many glasses and wipe down an already clean countertop). Talk about a work life balance. But it also allows you to glimpse into people's lives, to step into someone's home and to know that your money is truly supporting a small business and livelihood (of course there are more traditional shops and storefronts too but they are fewer and far inbetween).
In the U.S. it feels like ANY dollar we spent went to corporations and the capitalist machine. We never felt like our dollar was directly supporting a small business or an employee pay rent or feed their family (except for tips of course). That disconnect is an important one and one that we don’t like, and frankly think contributes to the degradation of our society.
This reinforced for us the true power of choice, in where and how we spend our money and directly contribute to society rather than someone’s (read some corporation’s) bottom line. Capitalism likes to make you think that it breeds choice… but in the U.S. that is not really the case. You can choose which cell phone provider you want, but at the end of they day you are still paying a shit ton of money for ultimately the same service, just because one might be “slightly” cheaper. (side note we have paid less for our cell coverage through this entire trip, 9 months so far, than we did on 3 months of our cell phone bill in the U.S.). You can eat out at a restaurant and as restaurants continue to increase prices due to inflation, are they actually paying their people more also? …no. Even as food costs go down they don’t by and large lower their prices. And as they continue to raise prices and not raise wages their employees can’t even eat at the restaurant anymore.
Now onto the travel stuff…
Traveling in Siem Reap
Angkor Archeological Park
The main attraction in Siem Reap is the Angkor Archeological Park. The famous Angkor Wat is just one of dozens of temples that span this large complex. To effectively appreciate the temples and park we can’t recommend a tour enough (and we aren’t generally tour people). Thankfully Ma and Pa had just come and had a great tour guide they recommended to us, Sotin. We scheduled directly with Sotin for 2 days of private touring. He set a great itinerary, picked us up at our hotel each day and drove us around to the various sights, sharing his tremendous knowledge of the park, Cambodia, and life in general.
Within the park there is what is known as the small circuit and the big circuit. The small circuit includes some of the famous temples that are all pretty close together. If not on a tour, Tuk Tuks can be hired to take you through the circuit in about half a day (or more). The big circuit spans further around the park with other temples that are equally beautiful but more spread out. While you can get a tuk tuk to take you, it is probably best to do the big circuit at least with a motorbike or even a car.
Temples we visited included:
-
Angkor Wat: The centerpiece of the park (though not even the largest part) this is the most famous temple people think of when thinking of the Angkor Archaeological Park. We visited for sunrise (though it was a little rainy and cloudy) and then wandered around the complex in the morning.
Angkor Thom: This complex is actually much larger than Angkor Wat with several temples included within the complex. Within Angkor Thom we saw:
Bayon Temple
Baphuon Temple
Prasat Preah
Terrace of the Leper King
-
Banteay Srei
Pre Rup
Preah Khan
East Mebon
Banteay Srei was really out of the way but not to be missed. This temple is a bit different from most of the others, in building technique and materials. Its red sandstone is beautiful and the building has the most beautiful and intricate carvings.
As we were visiting during the hottest part of the year, we can’t overstate the importance of water, shade, and taking your time. We recommend no less than 2 days to see everything (ideally 3 since the passess come in 1 and 3 day varieties). We were absolutely exhausted after day one with the heat and humidity draining us. A hand fan and/or umbrella are must-haves and plenty of water. Also be sure to stop for a refreshing beverage along the way.
Other things we did or researched:
Pub street
Angkor National Museum
Kulen Mountains (we didn’t do this but Ma and Pa did)
There are also a few staples that Cambodia is known for and we tried them all. Palm cakes, kampot peppercorns and cashew nuts. We can honestly say they were all amazing and if you have the opportunity to try any of these, you should. The cashews really were that much better fresh and fresh roasted. Palm cakes were a pretty unique and delicious snack. And we broke our no buying things rule to stock up on some kampot pepper (which we put in our pepper grinder we have acquired along our travels).
We certainly loved our week in Siem Reap and can see ourselves going back. The hotel we stayed at, Apsara Residence Hotel, was also quite amazing with a great location and top notch hospitality. Both days after returning from Angkor, they greeted us with cold damp towels infused with lemongrass scent to cool off, and even brought up complimentary fruit and sandwiches to our room shortly after arriving. If you're looking for a great mix of tomb raiding, and excellent hospitality and comfort, definitely check out Siem Reap if in the area.