Siem Reap - A Cambodian Adventure

Cambodia was never a part of the original bucketlist. It was a last minute "Yes, count me in!" to a group who already intended to go the place.

I just got back from Cambodia today, and wanted to share a few things I learned in my four days there.

Lesson#1: Travel Essentials

Cambodia is a hot and humid country, and we were very lucky to have visited within their less humid period of November to January. In contrast to my travel essentials of moisturizers and layers for Korea and Shanghai, all you need for Cambodian travel are pretty basic.

1 - A non-greasy sunblock with a very high SPF. I brought along my Heliocare SPF 90, care of my very good friend Dr. Marge Durano-Gelaga who claims it's the best sunblock ever! The thing is, even with the SPF 90, I still felt that my skin went through some very bad sun damage because of the scorching Cambodian sun.

2 - A good pair of shades. If you are as "migrainous" as I am, then yes, you need this to keep the sun away from your eyes. If you have have awkward bangs length as I do, then you need this to keep the bangs from sticking unattractively to your face ;-)

3 - A handy lip balm. Okay, so this EOS lip balm isn't that handy, and is even bulkier compared to the trusty Chapstick. But I've been loving this lip balm ever since my friend gave it to me from her quick trip to the US. It's yummy and very moisturizing, and has really nice packaging.

4 - Sanitizer. Having an attachable sanitizer to your hand-carry is advantageous. Most of the time, you won't have a very decent toilet to stop by, so I would say this is a must for the food tripping that you definitely have to do in Cambodia.

5 - Insect Repellent. Just because I read online that you need to prepare yourself to their very high insect population, I made sure to purchase one from the local drugstore prior to the trip. Truth be told, I really wasn't bothered much by the insects there, save for the time when I woke up one morning to find myself face to face with a grasshopper on the side of my bed. But then, this may have been because I was slathering on a lot of Off Lotion after I take my baths. So bring this along anyway :)

Lesson#2: Choosing a Hotel

When choosing a Hotel, do not scrimp on one where you will be afraid of leaving your stuff around while you go exploring. Also, it's very important to find a comfortable one that's air-conditioned (because this will be your refuge at the end of a very long, hot day), one with hot water (because you will be waking up early in mornings to catch breathtaking sunrises, and going home late at night with tired feet), and one with staff who can speak English (because note, not everyone speaks good English in Cambodia).

My friend Marc, has this talent for finding the best deals online, which is why we usually have him do all the dirty work and book all our flights and travel itinerary on trips such as these. He found us a very nice boutique hotel with a really good package. 

Kiri Boutique Hotel has great reviews in TripAdvisor, and we felt we really got our money's worth on our stay here.

Lesson#3: Tour Ideas

1. Hire a private van. It makes going around places so much easier. While riding the tuktuk is so much more Cambodian, and so much more adventurous... You won't think so anymore after your nth destination.

2. Wear the most lightweight clothes you have, ride on board your rented van, and go on a cruise along Tonle Sap. The Tonle Sap - translated as "The Great Lake" is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. There are many locals who reside in the village nearby who will take you around the lake, where you can view the houses and the (believe it or not) schools, in the middle of the lake.

3. Indulge in Cambodian dishes.

4. Visit the Angkor National Museum before going to any of the temples. Going through the relics, even if you are on the cheaper unguided tour, will make you understand and appreciate the temples more when you get there. Make sure to finish the Museum Tour, and take care not to touch any of the century-old items on display. While you are allowed to take pictures in the museum, photos are not allowed in areas where the relics are physically present.

Take a picture by the Angkor Wat's mini replica, stroll around their pool, and read about the things you will be able to see in your visits to the temples.

5. Wake up in time to view the sunrise...and go back in time for the sunset at Angkor Wat.

While this is what it was supposed to look like, it was a bit cloudy during the time we went there. We therefore had to content ourselves with taking pictures around. It was amazing to see how many tourists were there just to capture this shot and view this.

Photo not mine.

7. GO TO THE TEMPLES!!!! The temples are a big part of the historical kingdom that is Cambodia. To be able to actually enter these temples, you need to initially get a "passport" for a fee - depending on how long you want the passport to expire. Some people get a passport that is valid for a whole week if they plan to visit all the temples in Cambodia. We got ones that were valid for the day.

Note: Make sure to ride the elephants on the day your passport is valid for, or you'll end up disappointed as we were when we went back the following day and were told we had to have a valid passport to ride the elephants :(

There are a LOT of temples in Cambodia. We weren't able to visit all, but these are the iconic ones that made it to our list.

8. You rode the boat, and went on a van. Now ride the tuktuk and a bike!

9. Get yourself one of those famous Cambodian massages!

10. For a fabulous night out, go to the only nightlife in Siam Reap - PUB STREET! A great time to go would be Friday night, when the street seems so alive and is teeming with tourists and locals alike, all ready to have a good time!

Pub Street has a big night market, several new establishments (do go to the Blue Pumpkin and try their ice cream), and other new places unique to Cambodia that you should check out. We went there for 3 consecutive nights just to be able to try almost everything :D

11. Visit the markets and HAGGLE! What was once 11 dollars, could just end up being 3 dollars in the end :)

12. Pass by Little Italy.
There's this quaint little side street in Siem Reap that's called Little Italy. We had a sumptuous lunch on our last day there when we were screaming for comfort food (non-Cambodian food).

13.  Blue Pumpkin and Costa Coffee.
Gelatissimo = The Blue Pumpkin
Starbucks = Costa Coffee

Cambodia was definitely one experience I would not trade for anything. It was a chance to reunite with old friends, meet with new ones, experience new things together, and plan for future travels ahead and see if it would be as great and as epic as the Siem Reap 2013 adventure we had :)