Thanks to our innate ability to entertain ourselves, we breezed through the 13-hour bus ride from Ho Chi Minh and 4 immigration checks to reach this charming city. We only had more than one day to explore Siem Reap, though. With our limitless energy, curious minds and restless feet, we savored every hour we had from the moment we set foot in this town.
9:00 pm- Pre-adventure party
We arrived a little over 9pm. It only took hopping on a tuktuk to be completely taken over by the kilig of being in a foreign land. Excited cells are raging!
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| Backpacker duo |
We stayed in Golden Temple Villa. The place was so much more than what it's worth. The staff was very accommodating and their food was delish! We wish we had an extra day to spend here and experience their spa services. Next time! :)
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| All set for dinner |
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| Fit for a princess for less than P1,000 |
4:00 am- Rise and shine!
One of the Angkor Wat tour's highlights was the sunrise. No complains whatsoever, we were dressed, and dressed fashionably if I may add (ha!), by 5AM. Thank God for our youthful energy! We were running on 4 hours of sleep and loads of kilig knowing we will finally see Angkor Wat with our own eyes!
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| The girlies |
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| All set! |
7:00 am- Falling in love with Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is surrounded by this man-made lake they call "ocean".
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| Angkor Wat before sunrise |
8:00 am- Brekky Time!
9:00am - Angkot Wat Tour
Before entering the temple's compound, Vesna, a tour guide, approached us and offered his services. We wanted to know more about the glorious history of this place and not just take pictures of corners without knowing its significance, so we gladly accepted Vesna's offer.
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| Not your ordinary history class from Vesna |
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| Headless Buddha. Heads were stolen during the war time. |
10:00 am- Literally in Heaven
After touring around Angkor Wat's huge compound, it was finally time to explore its "heaven". The heaven is the highest point of the temple and this is the only part still considered as active/holy. Because of this, a strict dress code is imposed. Shorts and sleeveless tops are not allowed.
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| Steep staircase. Notice that I was wearing a sports jacket (borrowed from a tour guide) due to the dress code. |
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| We found a spot! |
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| Pardon our vanity. We just had to have a perfect solo shot. |
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| Every corner was a perfect backdrop. The place is beyond beautiful! |
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| Bye, Angkor Wat! |
12:00- Lunch break!
There were still a couple of temples we were set to visit aside from Angkor Wat. We had a quick lunch to satisfy our hunger and rested for a bit.
1:00 pm- A series of temples
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| Ta Prohm. Looks familiar? This is the famous spot used in Tomb Raider! |
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| I forgot the name of this temple. Oops. |
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| Ta Keo temple. Now this one is a favorite. |
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| Ben, the man who made our Ta Keo temple visit special. Read the story here. |
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| Our search for the Bayon Temple. |
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| What we thought was Bayon Temple. haha! |
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| Now this is the real deal: Bayon Temple. |
6:00 pm- Sunset at Bakheng Hill
The last part of the tour was the sunset. We had to hike for 20 minutes to reach Bakheng Hill. We were dead tired at this point we were blaming the King who had a temple built on top of a hill. Show off! ;)
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| Exhausted kids |
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| The Finale |
We were almost knocked out by the time we finished the tour. We had little sleep and all the walking under the sun's tremendous heat drained our energy. We were ready to hit the sack and call it a day. But, of course, we didn't do that! We only had one day and we were determined to make the most of it!
9:00 pm- Off to Pub Street!
After a trip to Blue Pumpkin for some expensive ice cream and a quick shower, we went to the night market for pasalubong shopping and then to Pub street to immerse in this city's night life.
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| Angkor beer! |
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| Celebrating such a sweet, sweet life! |
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| Hello, Ev! Let's meet in Ayala next time, Sisid King! |
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| This feisty foreigner danced with the kids all night! |
After a round of drinks, some minutes on the dance floor and a lot of chikahan, it was, sadly, time to go home.
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| Time check: 4:30 AM. Still kicking. |
This had been one of the longest days of my life. From sunrise to the next sunrise, nothing beats exploring a beautiful city with the best people in tow. Thank you for the memories, Siem Reap!
# posted by Liana : 7:10 PM
