In Siem Reap, you have a choice. Hide and avoid, or stay and go nuts. I'm not trying to deter the average traveler intending to traverse the beauty of the lands far east, but one should be ready and aware of the irks when planning a trip to this world wonder. When arriving in Siem Reap, don't expect too much and you'll be happier. Don't trust the beautiful photos and stories from travel books and web guides because hidden are the elements which contribute much to most of the annoyances.
One of the few saving graces of our stay in this city is our hotel. Aside from having attentive and pleasantly nice staff, it is also very cheap. The Mandalay Inn just a few blocks from the main area of Old Market, offers clean and comfy basic rooms with two double beds and aircondition for $16/night. When I say aircondition, you better take it because if you try to go for the fan room, you will not survive. The heat in this is sweltering, even in the supposedly cooler month of September. Let me just say that mid day, can get to 95 degrees fahrenheit (not sure what that is in celsius).
In addition to your hotel room, you have to find another place for a sanctuary away from the heat of the sun, the annoying street hawkers (trying to sell you anything under the sun....and moon), and the overbearing crowds of tourists. For us, our spot became the uber comfy 2nd floor lounge of the trendy Blue Pumpkin bar/resto/cafe. You can literally have breakfast, lunch and dinner in bed at this shop. It has WiFi but with a downside (nothing's perfect you know). There are no electric plugs in the lounge so you'll have to make sure you either have long lasting battery or you can endure the heat and humidity at the non-airconditioned smoking area. Oh well, it's still good and one should experience it regardless.
Blue Pumpkin
Lounging away from the crowd and heat
Snack in Bed
There are a lot of activities to keep you busy and away from the crowds as well. There are millions of volunteer opportunities in this city as there is a huge need. Just make sure you line them up ahead of time. Don't be like me and Rolfe, trying to find one the last minute.
There are gazillions of options for food from local Khmer food stalls to hoity toity selections at pub street. If you choose to eat "safe" by going to the later, make sure you're prepared to pay US prices as well. Just know that a meal for pub street can go for $10-$20 per person easily. Regardless, local food stall or pub street, just don't forget to indulge yourself at least one for a good local favorite called Amok which is steamed fish in coconut curry, served with rice. And yes, we did indulge at least once. We found a place surprisingly by the name of the dish itself, Amok at pub street.
Don't try to do everything the ruins have to offer. Pick your battles, some of them are not worth fighting for in my own opinion. Just like watching the free Sunset on top of one of the ruins (included if you pre-purchase a ticket for the next day).
If you're coming here to see the Angkor and many of its surrounding sites, which I hope you are, you have a choice between riding tuktuk, a moto (sitting behind a motorcycle driver), or renting your own bike. Having been unable to endure the heat, sweat and crowd, we opted for our own tuktuk. However, we still tried to go cheap by not going for a tour guide and instead just winging it on our own. In the morning, we woke up eagerly at 4am to watch the well raved about sunrise at Angkor Wat. Riding on a windowless tuktuk means a bumpy and windy ride. Once you get to Angkor Wat and have entered the site, you'll be greeted with an introduction by a faceless person trying to guide you towards the spot to watch the sunrise. Afterwards he'll ask you if you want a chair in front of the small lake for a small fee of $1 (pretty expensive for a chair in an empty morning). It includes a free cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or water. But still, we didn't think we had to pay on top of paying for entrance. Whatever, we went for it anyway after realizing that the crowd was getting bigger and we might lose our spot for the spectacular view and reflection of Angkor Wat from the lake.
After gazing through the changing colors of the temple at sunrise, trek around many of the sites. Obviously, you'd want to see the Angkor Wat itself. We were lucky enough to bump into nice tourists who were kind enough to let us tag along with their guide tour. We paid of course but having a guide can't beat the historical information you won't get if you decide to go your own. The sites were amazing but if you only have a day or two, I say pick the best ones.
After Angkor Wat, there's Angkor Thom, where you'd want to hit Bayon. Here you'll be welcomed by heads of the Buddha (eventually converted to Hindu god Vishnu by adding a third eye) which all look the same (based on the likings of the egoistic King Jayavaraman VII).
Be very careful with your food. This guy stole Rolfe's muffin away from his hand. Hehehehe.
After Bayon, there are smaller temples and ruins including, Ta Prhom where they shot the film Tomb Raider. It's a very interesting temple because the ruins started growing very large trees on top of them.
After being at all these sites, everything becomes a little underwhelming. You have a choice to go further and check out more but Rolfe and I were exhausted after a very early morning start, overwhelming crowds and suffocating heat.
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