Siem Reap, Cambodia

Arrival: 01/27/09 noon

Departure: 02/01/09 10:00am

Sight Seeing: Market, Angkor Wat, Pub Street

People: Awesome and friendly

Food: 50/50 depending on where you go

Accommodations: Green Town - comfortable, cheap, but noisy ($8 per night for the both of us)

Pictures: Pictures of Cambodia

Summary: Siem Reap and Angkor Wat should be on everyone’s life list of things to do. It is an amazing city, with beautiful sites, friendly people, and reasonable accommodations. It's basically a backpacker’s dream.

Details: After waiting at the taxi station for about 15 minutes, a young couple, Crystal (Aussie) and Quain (South African), showed up and we headed to Siem Reap. After a two hour taxi ride we arrived in Siem Reap where we promptly exchanged money, got accommodations, and checked out the town. Our first destination was a short walk down the river to the local market where they had everything from produce to shoes. I looked around for sandals and a skirt but didn’t get anything (it’s nearly impossible to find a woman’s size 10 in any Asian country). Adam tried some fried cricket which he said it was good and tasted like a chip. Tip: don't eat the tail.

I was in need of some food so we stayed in the market area and checked out a restaurant. It wasn’t all that great but the Anchor Beer was fabulous. We continued to another restaurant to relax with a pint and met a guy named Alex who came from Chicago. After chatting with him for a bit we headed back to the hotel where we met Dave (U.K.) and Yohanna (Denmark) a promptly had another beer followed by dinner which was exceptional.

The next morning we got up early and got a tuk tuk to give us a tour of Angkor Wat. Having no expectations, I was completely blown away.

Located a few miles north of Siem Reap, Angkor Wat is a stunning collection of ancient cities. The ruins are every bit as important and incredible as Machu Pichu. The Angkor civilization ruled much of SE Asia throughout the 9th and 13th centuries. The ancient structures and temples built between 800 and 1200 AD. It literally looks like the set of an Indiana Jones movie. Words can't describe how breathtaking this site is. The first day we looked at most of the further temples to take advantage of the tuk tuk. After an exhausting day of sight seeing we went back to our guest house.

On day two, we opted to rent bicycles to check out more of Angkor Wat. There and back we probably biked about 15 miles. It was definitely a highlight of the trip. Afterward, we cleaned up and treated ourselves with pizza and beer. Another highlight of the trip. The following days in Siem Reap, we basically bumed around and caught up on some writing. All in all, the town was wonderful.