Siem Reap is undoubtedly the best place in all of Cambodia and possibly one of the coolest places in South East Asia. If you like a bustling town with 4 course meals for 5$ and draft beer for 50 cents then make sure to pass through Siem Reap!

Getting off the bus ride from hell (14 straight hours) we were immediately surrounded by a mob of tuk-tuk drivers. Later I would realize that Siem Reap is the tuk-tuk capital of SE Asia. We were dropped at Cambodia Backpackers Guesthouse and for some reason my burnt out brain agreed to stay there. After a night of hacking mildew out of my lungs we went on a scouting mission for a nicer room. Our long 5 day stay here gave us the bartering power we needed and we managed to get an aircon room for 10$ a night at the quaint Ladybug Guesthouse. Breakfast that day, as in nearly every other day, would be at the Mexican restaurant La Viva. Amazing pancakes (1.50$), breakfast burritos (2.50$) and  even 1.50$ margaritas if you are feeling so inclined at 9am (and many are).

Breakfast of Champions @ Viva, Siem Reap

Obviously people don’t come all the way to Siem Reap for pancakes and margaritas (but they should). The main attraction , Angkor, attracts people from every part of the world, which in part is why the town of Siem Reap is so special.

We opted for the 3 day pass to Angkor for 40$ USD. Luckily new rules governing the passes state that you no longer have to use them in consecutive days. Thank god for this new rule because the human mind can only take in so many temples before it explodes.

Our first day we enlisted the help of a tuk-tuk driver named “Bad Bull” to get to a few of the further out temples like Banteay Srei (many believe to be the single greatest carving in history). Most tuk-tuks will quote you around 15$ to do the small loop and 25$ to do the big loop and go to Banteay Srei. Although this seems pricey this  is a daily wage and after asking around we decided not to negotiate the price (unheard of in SE Asia). The first day was tons of fun, but a little too long. By the time we made it to Banteay Srei at around 1pm, it was baking hot and we were starting to suffer from dehydration. After Banteay Srei we saw Banteay Samre, which is also quite far away from the rest of Angkor. This temple was beautiful and tourist-free and I highly recommend it!

On our second day in Siem Reap we decided to rent one-speed bicylces for $2 each through our hotel. We set off early in the morning to Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm is known for its abandonment to the wild and the fact that it has not been restored. We were very excited to see it, and take some wonderful photos of the ruins with huge trees growing all around them. However, it is currently being restored (although they are not cutting any trees down), which means there are now boardwalks and scaffolding everywhere. It was slightly disappointing, but still a must see temple! That morning we also visited Ta Keo (which was off limits due to restoration) and Banteay Kdei.

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm 

We returned from Banteay Kdei and spent the heat of the day sipping on ice coffee with our new friends Phai and San at their restaurant. Then in the evening we made the bike ride back to see Angkor Wat at sunset. It was well worth the bicycle ride as the lighting was beautiful, and although there were a lot of people outside of Angkor Wat, there were very few people all the way inside.

Angkor Wat

On our third day at Angkor we tackled Angkor Thom. This is obviously a must see (along with Angkor Wat). The main and first stop is Bayon, which was Adrian’s favourite temple. Next was Baphuon, which looks like a poorly done jigsaw puzzle because war broke out during restoration, and the plans on how to put it back together were lost. The other things to see in Angkor Thom are elephants terrace and the terrace of the leper king.

We spent a few days between templing just hanging out in Siem Reap. It is a bustling place, with lots of good restaurants and bars, markets, shops, and a lot of fantastic art (I dare you to go here and not buy a painting…). The best thing about Siem Reap was the friendship we formed with restaurant owners Phai and San (the restaurant is called PhaiSan). They own a very delicious and reasonably priced Cambodian restaurant just down the road from the Ladybug Guesthouse, and we ate and had iced coffees at their restaurant multiple times a day. They were very friendly people and we enjoyed their company and learning about Cambodia from them!

Our friends Phai and San