Addicted to lemon juice - Siem Reap trip report

Hello everyone,

Been back for two weeks and finally getting around to writing this trip report. As a few other posters have commented, they are so valuable planning your trip, and I certainly used this forum a lot before ours.

Our tour was part of an Intrepid trip from Bangkok, through Siem Reap, then Phnom Penh, Chau Doc and ending in HCMC. We had a mini bus from BKK to the Thai boarder which was fine, smooth and comfortable. Had lunch on the Thai side of the boarder which was excellent and cheap, then walked over ‘no man’s land’ to Cambodia. I really enjoyed seeing all the casinos and hotels set up between to two countries. It’s maybe 100 metres from the Thai boarder gate to the Cambodian gate. We had arranged our visa on line so passport control was a breeze.

As soon as we walked through, it was very obvious we were in a completely different country – the roads were muddy and in poorer condition, there were beggars, mostly children, and you did get a feel that it was more third world. But the people were friendly, happy to wave and return our smiles as our bus went past. The Poi Pet area has a fair bit of traffic, which we were stuck in for a while, but at least there’s a paved road. As we got further out, the road deteriorated with many detours around bridges that were under construction. Maybe a third of the way to Siem Reap, the road became red dirt, and it was a very bumpy, dusty 3 hour trip. We did have a few stops to get snacks, visit the ‘happy room’ and stretch our legs. The locals interacted with us as we tried out some Cambodian words. The children did try to beg money from you, but once you made it clear you we not giving them any, they were happy to try out their English on you. I have fond memories of that 4-5 hour bus trip – waving and saying hello to lots of locals, walking through small towns down muddy roads, rice fields, rice field and more rice fields, storm clouds building before a lightening show as we arrived in Siem Reap, and glimpses of local life. The guy’s favorites were the local’s tractors. They are basically a lawnmower engine connected to a diff and sort of long trailer to a tray. And the random cows – beside the roads, next to stalls, having a sleep in the middle of an intersection, bathing with the children. It was a shame we were in a bumpy moving bus as it made taking photos almost impossible.

We arrived at Freedom Hotel just before 6pm, after a crawl into town from the outskirts due to ‘peak hour’ traffic. The hotel is clean, staff very friendly, rooms large (ours with a spa that we never used). Check in was quick and easy, and there was a lift so we didn’t have to haul our bags up to the third floor. Along the rooms was a wide balcony that overlooked the pool. We liked the hotel, but not the roosters in the house near by, particularly at 4am.

Being tired from our long drive, we all just wanted to eat and relax. There’s a good restaurant attached to the hotel and we all just ate there, not wanting to venture into town. It had a good range of food to choose from, mainly local dishes. My partner had BBQed catfish that he really enjoyed. We also had a few of the local Angkor beers that went down well. The restaurant (and hotel) had Internet, so I caught up on some mail, and had an early night.

Day 1. Angkor Wat. We were met with a local guide, Pal Lin, who was a real treat for the two days he was with us. He knew a lot about the history of the temple complex, and many details about each temple we visited, explaining the carvings, structure, and purpose of each. Not to mention lots of funny stories, laughs and a few practical jokes along the way. I’m not sure how he was booked, as Intrepid organised him, but I can’t speak highly enough about how much fun we had with him. He knew what temples to visit at what times to avoid the worst of the crowds, and best light etc.

First off we drove out towards the northern end of the complex. (My apologies in advance as I may have mixed up a few of the individual temple names.) We visited the Victory Gate, Preah Khan and a few other smaller temples in the area (I think the names were Banteay Prei, Prast Prei and Prasat Sngour Tonie). After Pal Lin told us about each temple we had time to walk around alone and explore each. Preah Khan is a large complex with many different buildings. It was early morning and already the heat was oppressive.

Next the Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King area, and we climbed and explored the pyramid like Phimeanakas (steep and taxing climb in the heat) then checked out Baphuon before lunch.

There are many places to eat, get refreshments and stalls to buy souvenirs. But everywhere you go, you are mobbed by lots of children selling postcards, books, bracelets, and scarves. As soon as you get of the bus, there they are. They leave you as you enter into a temple, but as soon as you come, they’re back. When you go to get a drink or food, they usually leave you, but we found they came in and tried to get us to buy even as we were eating. The restaurants usually ran them off, where they waited until you had finished then returned to continue their hard sell. I had some fun taking their photos, talking with them about school, their villages, siblings, what they liked, and generally helped them talk English. It was surprising that many of them spoke 3 or 4 languages (Khmer, English, French and German usually). They are pretty cheeky and try very hard to get you to buy. It’s hard to resist.

One thing we found throughout Cambodia is the cheap books. Copy write law hasn’t caught on there, and there is a big business in photo-copying books (very high quality mind you), and selling them for $3-5 US - books you would pay $30-40 AUD. Most common were Lonely Planet Guides and popular novels. But a great buy you can find everywhere is a book on the temples called “Ancient Angkor”. We purchased it from one of the kids for $4 US and by lunch time we found it great to try to lookup more information about the temples we visited. Lots of good colour photos and high quality gloss paper. (I’m trying to use it to remember the temples we visited but after 2 solid days, they all seem to blur into one another).

Lunch was at one of the little restaurants and was very good and cheap! Pal Lin bought a dish of ants stir fried with beef for the group to try, which most of the group had and liked. And the lemon juice! Ahh, lemon juice, that’s where my addiction began. So refreshing in that heat… Most places everywhere we went in Cambodia and Vietnam has lemon juice on the menu for about $1. I must have had 10 a day!

Anyway, after lunch we explored Banyon… what can I say that hasn’t been said about Banyon. Truly amazing. The four faces on every pillar and each level with more and more intricate carvings. Absolutely wonderful. Following an hour exploring and taking heaps of photos, we drove out to Banteay Srey. This was one of my favorites (and I ran out of film and space on my memory card at the same time – hate that). The carvings and colour, the mote, just stunning.

On the way back, we stopped at a land mine museum that was interesting, but horrific, to see how bad the problem is and the damage they continue to inflict to the locals.

The sun was setting as we neared the main Angkor Wat complex again. We requested a stop somewhere for sunset and our driver chose Pre Rup. There was quite a crowd perched in vantage spots to see the sun sink into the jungle and rice fields. But the climb to the top is very, very steep, and it’s best to get down before it gets too dark.

A quick freshen up back at the hotel and we all took tuk-tuks into the main town (about 5 mins - $2US) away. Our guide took us to Khmer Kitchen for local food, and we were not disappointed. Everyone enjoyed their meals (amok curries) – and as a vegetarian, I had no problem finding food without meat. I can’t remember exactly, but I think we spent no more than $5 each for our meal and beers.

I loved the tuk-tuks in Cambodia. They are motorbikes with a ball and socket attachment with a sort of trailer with seats, covered with a canopy to keep you dry in the rain. Most drivers speak English pretty well and you can usually negotiate a price without any problem.

A few of us headed to the night market on foot to browse through the stalls. Many carvings, silks, tee-shirts and typical touristy goods. All the stall holders say hello and ask you to have a look, but they are not pushy. If you feel like a massage, they had a ‘fish massage’ where you pay $3 for 15 minutes to put your feet into a large pool of little fish that basically eat the dead skin off your heels and toes. I didn’t try it, but those that did found it very ticklish. But after a long day, we quickly left, wanting to get some rest, as the next day was sunrise over Angkor Wat, leaving at 4:30am!

Day 2. Well, we beat the rooster in waking up, and met our sleepy group. We had visited a local ‘7/11’ like store the night before and bought canned coffee and orange juice to help the wake-up process. But even at 4:30, it was hot and humid.

We arrived with the rest of the crowd, and Pal Lin directed us to a great spot one the left side as you face the main temple, near the lake, to sit on a smaller building to watch the sun come up. By 5:30, a large crowd had arrived as the sun slowly rose. That day, the sunrise wasn’t very spectacular, but the experience of watching the colours change, and shadows disappear was truly once in a life time. A lovely touch was a local boy that went around and delivered coffee for $1 as you watched the sunrise. Tip: take a tripod. I had forgotten mine back in the hotel room (clearly not enough coffee in the system before I left). The best shot: over the lake (mote?) with the three main temple towers reflected into the water, with the pinks and oranges of sunrise as a backdrop. Also, there was a hot air balloon which would have been awesome, but it made a good shot rising over the back of the temple walls. Pal Lin gave us a detailed tour through the temple and we had some time to explore alone. The carvings on every wall, and the stories behind each were very interesting. Honestly, there’s a photo around every corner.

Breakfast was at one of the little restaurants near Angkor Wat. Good coffee, French baguettes, and eggs of every kind. Of course, with children everywhere hoping for a sale.

The rest of the morning was spent out at Ta Prohm and a couple of temples near by. Pal Lin came into his element with lots of jokes and interesting observations about the tree roots, their shapes and lots of very funny innuendos. We did find out that one of his girlfriends was Angelina and her children were in fact, actually his. So a few hours exploring and we were all absolutely wrecked. It was so hot and we all craved to be back on the bus with the air conditioning up high. So the group decided that they’d had enough and we headed back to the hotel. Personally, I could have explored more temples, but the heat was exhausting.

Sure, you do get a bit of ‘temple fatigue’ and they do kindof blur into each other, but given more days, I would have loved to maybe do a morning over 5 or 6 days, then had afternoons to rest and relax, rather than cram so much into such a short time. However, I really enjoyed my Angkor experience, and maybe will get back there one day if I’m lucky.

We asked to be dropped into town, and we looked through the day market. It has one big block, with a food section and other souvenir stalls, but across the small road, the market continues with a small number of similar stalls that we found cheaper. I bought a few woven %26amp; embroidered shirts for $3 each and some small paintings for $4 each. The stall holders were friendlier and I found it less crowded and relaxing.

Lunch was at the Blue Pumpkin bakery, which I recommend 100%. A great menu upstairs in wonderful air conditioning, reclining on day beds, with the meals served on a sort of breakfast tray so you could half lie down as if you were eating in bed. The staff were very friendly and happily accommodated my request for a pasta dish to be made without meat. And it was very delicious!

We returned to the hotel for a swim, relax and refresh before heading off to the floating village about 3pm. A short ride out to the lake past stilted villages and on to a small boat for a cruise up the lake. There’s floating hospitals, schools, soccer fields, basketball courts, many restaurants and bars, all surrounded by people’s homes that are like house boats. As the wet season delivers water down stream, the lake grows from a depth of 1.5 metres to over 9 metres, and the shoreline grows over 100 kms from inland towards Siem Reap. The floating village follows the ebb and flow of the lake through the seasons. Being there at the very end of wet season meant the village had motored down and anchored not far from town. It was a gorgeous afternoon, watching storm clouds build as we cruised the tranquil waters. A few jumped overboard to have a swim in the relatively clear water. Seeing the way the locals lived, totally floating and mobile, was very interesting. As night approached, we visited one of the local hammock bars, which are stilted buildings, with an open deck overlooking the lake, and lines of hammocks. How decadent – lying in a swinging hammock, as cold beers are delivered, watching the sunset as a thunderstorm light up the horizon. We played with the local kids and sang some songs, and a few guys tried out their fishing skills right off the balcony. Another wonderful time.

Once it had become dark (about 6pm) we headed back to town for dinner. The main ‘bar’ street has a huge range of restaurants to choose from, with many different types of cuisine. We choose a Mexican place across from ‘Angkor What?’ bar, and enjoyed margaritas, nachos and enchiladas. Before calling it a day, we enjoyed a few beers and watching the world go past at ‘Angkor What?’ bar, and purchased the must have item from Siem Reap – the ‘Angkor What?’ bar tee-shirt (“Promoting irresponsible drinking since 1998”). Admittedly, being our last night, and having enjoyed Siem Reap so much, we stayed out until about midnight and had a few cleansing ales. Our tour leader, and some other tour groups joined us on one of the street front tables, and lots of stories and laughs were exchanged. There is a very social atmosphere along the street with music and people from all over the world rubbing shoulders. However, the long, hot days and early mornings quickly zapped us, though I would have loved to stay out longer. The mind was willing but the body (and eyelids) wasn’t able.

Siem Reap, and Angkor Wat, are truly once in a lifetime experiences (though I’m hoping to one day return). I’m sure it will get busier, more developed and more crowded as more and more big hotels are built. We did see over a dozen huge resort type complexes, and many more under construction. It will be a shame, as it’s already pretty crowded out at the temples now, which is bound to get much worse.

We also went to Phnom Penh, which was good too, but Siem Reap was significantly more appealing to us, and our favorite city of the tour.

Last thoughts: don’t eat tarantulas, or if you do, only have the legs – one of our group tried the body and left us all reaching and feeling sick (but he did recommend the grasshoppers); buy some of the cheap books, but make sure you look through it to ensure the photo copy is OK; learn some local words and try to chat with the kids and locals (e.g. ‘sou sdeai’ = hello pronounced ‘sa sday’, ‘aw gohn’ = thank you pronounced ‘ah goon’ and ‘dai aw gohn’ = no thank you – even more important to try to get the hawkers to leave you alone). But most of all, smile, enjoy and try to not to cram too many temples into one day!

PS - if anyone is going to Angkor What? bar, I%26#39;d love to get in touch to maybe buy me another tee-shirt - mine had a washing accident...

Hope you enjoy Siem Reap, any questions, just ask and I will try to answer.

Enjoy!

-k

Addicted to lemon juice - Siem Reap trip report

KGB

Great report!! I skipped the insect

Addicted to lemon juice - Siem Reap trip report

I enjoyed reading your report - thanks for taking the time to post it.

Hi KGB,

Thanks for your reply. Just read your report on Siem Reap. A great read. Really looking forward to our trip!!

Hey Brownie,

We LOVED Siam Reap, wish we had longer there instead of HCMC... Hope you enjoy.

Did you re-schedule your itinerary to spend more time in SR? You%26#39;ll not regret it.

- k

Hi KGB,

Another great trip report!!! We have 3 nights in Siem Reap in March at the end of our Vietnam trip and are so looking forward to seeing all the temples,trying the food and seeingthe lovely Cambodian people%26#39;s smiles. I must check the weather to see if it will be that hot when we are there!

If nobody has brought you that T shirt before Feb PM me and I will get you one when we are ther.

Thanks again for your report it makes us want to go sooner - I am already counting down!!

Cheers

Vicki

We have just found out that it will cost $477AUS each return and we will only have 2 nights there. We don%26#39;t have the luxory of time. We only spent $198AUS return fares each to HCMC from Sydney. Now confused as to whether its worth it.(I suppose we are getting smashed by the $US)

Our alternative is to see another place in Vietnam. We are 2nights HCMC then 2 nights somewhere,then 4 nights in Hoi An, then 1 night in HCMC before flying home. As we are big beach goers from Cronulla we don%26#39;t really need to see more beaches and Siem Reap is completely different in History,architecture and culture to anything we have in Aus.( I may have just answered my own question) Is it worth it?

We may not get back here again too soon and if we do venture back we are planning on doing the North of Vietnam.

your thoughts?

Brownie%26#39;s wife

That is great report!

Hi Brownie%26#39;s wife,

How on earth did you get such cheap airfares?? Who are you flying with?

Tell me everything!

First time to HCMC I paid $450 with Jetstar, Second time $600. Now I%26#39;m waiting for their next birthday special (May 2009) hoping to get a two for one deal. But I%26#39;m only using this as a way to get to Cambodia as this is where I plan to spend a couple of weeks before spending a week on Phu Quoc Island. I have read/heard that Vietnam Airlines will be selling on-line to overseas shoppers soon, so maybe this will be a much cheaper option that paying an agent (and their fees) to fly to SR. Could I suggest a Mekong Delta trip for your extra two nights? Not a patch on SR, but still very interesting.Or just kick back and enjoy HCMC, there%26#39;s so much to see and do and it will make you appreciate the city much more.

Good Luck

Cooperellie

Hi all,

I agree with Cooper - if you feel it%26#39;ll be too expensive and rushed to do SR, the delta could be your answer. We only had one night in Chau Doc after a boat trip down from PP and it was beautiful and fascinating. From HCMC there are plenty of agent that organise 1-2 nights... check the HCMC forum for more.

However, SR is really worth it and best to go ASAP before it gets even more developed and crowded, but I understand your concerns. Not an easy decision...

- k

Hi KGB,

Jetstar released their cheap flights to HCMC in November for May 2009.

We booked, so did my sister and her husband and 14 of my friends. They only released a set amount for May only.

Register with Jetstar and they will send an email when cheap fares are released then move real quick because they don%26#39;t last long. A few phone calls and my friends and family scored the $99 fares each way as well.

In NSW, May is straight after the term 1 school holidays. They released them in what they consider low season all round.(Aust and Vietnam)

You know Viva Macau often have cheap fares as well. The lowest I%26#39;ve seen is $99Aus each way to Macau. From there you can fly really cheap into Hanoi(about $40US I think)

I used them earlier this year to go to HK (I paid $200 each way to Macau then ferried across to HK)

We have decided to go to SR after all and spend 2 nights and 3 days there. Jason SSS is organising some cheaper evening flights for us. After all it is a World Heritage site. We decided we are ahead on the Syd to Vietnam tickets anyway.

If you don%26#39;t get your T shirt before we leave in May let me know. I%26#39;ll get you one.

BW