We arrived in Siem Reap 2 days ago. We knew we wanted to see the temples and enjoy what the old market area (downtown) had to offer, but we werent set to a schedule nor did we have anything really in mind.
The morning after we got here, I slept in until 10. It was lovely. We enjoyed a nice breakfast (Dan fell in love) and headed down to the Old Market Area. It is filled with souvenir shops, massage parlors, restaurants, and guesthouses. After a month of traveling I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get a body scrub massage and a pedicure. Dan went to scope out the best souvenir shops while I pampered myself for 2 hours. The best part, it only cost me $15 for both! (Mom facials are $5! I'm assuming you're catching the next flight out of JFK?)
After my luxurious 2 hours of pampering Dan and I headed out to do some shopping. We had a blast. We bought some wonderful gifts and even a few for ourselves, took some crazy pictures of the market area, and enjoyed a cold 50 cent beer (Mom now I know you're booking the next flight out of JFK!)
Our tuk tuk driver picked us up downtown and we headed to our first temple for sunset. We trucked up a little hill not knowing what to expect. We just sort of assumed that you wouldnt be allowed on these beautiful historic temples. Well you know what happens when you assume. We came up to a swarm of people that had climbed up these incredibly steep steps to enjoy the view from the top.
As we watched the sun set, we thought about all these people walking back in the dark down the hill. We decided to leave a little earlier than the crowd and headed back downtown to pub street (a street lined with every type of food imaginable all from $1-$5. Because this place is such a tourist hot spot, everything is priced in USD.
The following morning (Today) we set out early around 7:30 (after our breakfast of course) for a full day of temple sight seeing. Angkor Wat is the temple area in Siem Reap. The king decided to build a temple here and every time another king came to visit, they had a bigger and better temple built for themselves. There are tons all around. We made in to the hot spots and few of the hidden gems spending about a full 8 hour day. Sadly, I caught the TMBT Syndrome, Too Many Bloody Temples. Not really, but by the end of the day I was exhausted.
On the ride back to our guest house I looked down at my feet and realized they were disgusting. All I could think about was how nice it would be to have someone rub my feet. Needless to say I think we enjoyed the sights of Siem Reap or should I say Paer Meis, backwards. Maybe we should have "Temple Trudged" before a luxurious day at the spa. (Mom now you know for your trip!) Either way, we've really enjoyed our wonderful time in Siem Reap. This wraps up our journey in Cambodia. Tomorrow we're heading to Phnom Penh, 6 hours south east in Cambodia to catch a boat that will bring us into Vietnam!
Sending love from Cambodia! Meg and Dan
Oh my daughter, you know me well.
ReplyDeleteHow could Kimberly's ever compete?
$15 spa day - holy God! Sign me up.
ReplyDeleteAwesome pics of the temples! I'm sitting here at my desk dreaming up my trip (and wondering if I'd have to get shots to go there...)
Safe travels to Vietnam! Hope to catch you online again soon!