The plans for my visit to Cambodia were anchored, as you may well imagine, in seeing world-famous Angkor Wat.  For that, we planned to spend 1.5 days and 2 nights to explore the town of Siem Reap which is just less than a few handful of miles from the historical sites.  There are many many more temples to go explore and one can certainly spend 2-3 days just focused on that.  A lot of things to see in and around Siem Reap! I felt I was more on a sampler visit due to the overall travel plans (anchored on a wedding in Bali) and the limited time off work but I was eager to see as much of the area as I could.

Paradise in Siem Reap

We arrived right in Siem Reap (very nice and modern small airport) from Bangkok after noon and headed to our hotel, the Borei Angkor Resort right in the town.

Final approach (thanks to my bud Phil I. for the photo – he had the window seat!)

The hotel was a phenomenal spot as may be others.  The spaces were very open.  The pool was big enough and had a section with jets which were great after a lot of walking around the next day.  And it helped that I stayed at the Privilege Floor 🙂  (Disclosure:  No freebies, discounts, etc. were given to me for me to write about the place – I paid for it all myself and I write about it because I really enjoyed it.)

Welcome!

The main lobby

Looking up from the pool

The pool…

Not the fanciest of photos but it sure takes me back there!

Looking out from the front lobby to the hotel entrance

The staff was super eager to help and no one more so than our hostess, Judy, who ensured all the logistics of our sightseeing and the hotel stay were in order (everything was perfect!).  We also enjoyed a server at the lounge who had a peculiar way of laughing and who called everyone “fabulous” though I could swear he called me “father” instead…  He definitely made the place very lively!

View of the town from the room at sunset

In any case, we had decided not to hit the temples that first afternoon for a couple of reasons:

1. It would be peak heat and ‘suffering’ wasn’t high on the list of priorities…
2. People had said it was best to hit the sites at sunrise and then stay on-site through the morning, when some or many tourists would return to their hotels for breakfasts and/or extra sleep.  (More on the visit to the temples in a future post.)

We quickly dropped our bags, changed, and headed to lounge by the pool for some nice R&R with some Angkor Wat beer 🙂  I think I ordered a sandwich or a pizza poolside for lunch – scary that I can’t fully recall.  That was the way to start my Cambodia visit!

The local market in Siem Reap

We had planned to do a drive in the countryside later that first day – more about that in another post – but after that drive, as we were passing the local market, we decided to jump out and do a quick walk around of the market and that area of the town.  I have to say it was definitely a chill place.  While there were certainly tourist-oriented market stands and eateries (goodness, there was even a Hard Rock Café – yikes…), the market also served locals and it was neat to just meander through it seeing all sorts of goods from souvenirs to meat to household goods to clothing, etc.  There was everything!

Not the type of ‘meat market’ I’d hoped for 🙂

“Vienna Calling”, perhaps?

All sorts of goods from food & spices to textiles

Colorful town

The town felt lively and the colorful lighting on the bridges certainly contributed.  Overall, I felt very safe and maybe, in hindsight, I should have explored more and sat down somewhere to watch life go by -plenty of things to see and experience in Siem Reap!  But, sadly, I don’t always enjoy full clarity every moment of every trip.  No worries, I still can say it was a neat place.

Around town – market on the left

Around town –  maybe I should do that to the bridge in my backyard…

Around town – the fast lane!

What to Know

• The heart of the town is very walkable and felt safe.
• There are good eateries around the market – get a good recommendation from a trusted source, be it your hotel or an online review.  You still want to keep your tummy in a happy state!
• If you are looking for souvenirs, what you find in the market will be the same touristy stuff you will find elsewhere in the country – and at a slightly higher price since it is, after all, a very tourist-centric town.
• Take your time, find a bench, watch life go by…