Weekend in Siem Reap, Cambodia

The time to visit Cambodia was finally here. Having heard so much about it from some others, I've had to wait until nearer the end of my stay to visit, due to the visa rules. I would have liked to have come with friends but it wasn't possible due to everyone's visa expiry being at different times. It was only a weekend though and I'm sure I would be able to meet new people once there. Surin is a one hour minibus ride away from the Cambodia border. Many people worked at the border so the Friday morning minibus was packed. Once I got to the border, I had a two and a half hour taxi ride to Siem Reap. It was a bumpy and dusty ride!

My hotel was lovely with an air conditioned room, comfy bed and satellite tv - this felt like luxury! I relaxed a little, then headed out to explore and get some lunch. Cambodians are so warm and welcoming and I felt comfortable straight away. A spot of Cambodian lunch and an ice-cream and I was ready to tackle the markets! Some gift and souvenir purchases later and I was back at hotel for break from heat! For dinner, I came across a lovely little French pizzeria. I haven't had any pizza or cheese my whole trip, so gave myself the allowance and enjoyed it very much! The town was all lit up for night, so I explored the night markets and the famous pub street. It was similar atmosphere to Koh San Road in Bangkok. Very crowded and many people asking me if I wanted a tuk tuk!

Fresh and early the next morning after a good sleep, I was excited to walk around the world famous Angkor Wat temples. At breakfast, I met another solo traveller who wanted to explore the temples too. Linda is from Switzerland and also like me, had just spent time as a volunteer English teacher in Bali. She was heading to Thailand next and I am off to Bali next week, so we had many things to tell each other! We got on very well, having similar interests and being the same age.

Linda and I were taken to the floating village first. There was a whole community of Cambodians who choose to live on boats on the river. They avoid paying tax and they live mainly by fishing. We visited a floating school and orphanage, as well as a floating market. There were crocodiles caged on the floating market, their skins used for bags, shoes and other souvenir items. It was lovely to visit the school and orphanage but sad too. These children had lost their parents in a typhoon. They were still full of energy and huge smiles though. It was fascinating to be explained everything about floating village life by our tour guide.

After a spot of lunch, we were taken to the Angkor Wat temples. The temples were absolutely incredible and huge too. The carvings reminded me of all the Hindu temples I had seen in India and England too. The sun was scorching as there was no breeze at all. We really struggled climbing and walking at times so had short sit down and water breaks! It wasn't possible to see all the temples in a day, so we narrowed it down to the main ones (Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Bayon) before sunset. We choose to see sunset at Phnom Bakheng, which is renowned for its gorgeous views from above the many steps. There was already a crowd gathered by 5pm for the 6.15pm sunset! Although the sky was a pretty melange of pink and orange pre-sunset, there was no visible sunset as it was too smoggy. It was a shame, but a lovely view nevertheless!

By evening, Linda and I were in dire need of showers and a sit down! After a break, we went out for dinner and to see the night markets and pub street. Over dinner, we enjoyed hearing about each other's travelling experiences up to date. Linda was off to Thailand early on Sunday morning, so we had to say our goodbyes after spending the day together. One of the best things about travelling is the opportunity to make friends from around the globe and those of you that know me well will know how much I love that!

I enjoyed a lie in on Sunday, before checking out and travelling back to the border. I really enjoyed my short visit and would love to come back to explore more!