Audio Tours in Phnom Penh, and Discovering the Temples of Siem Reap
After months of planning (primarily done by Ben), research, and excitement, it was finally time to start our 3-month trip around Southeast Asia! I’ve been talking about this trip for ages and have been really excited to get it started, knowing that seeing a whole new part of world was going to be amazing. Now, 3 weeks into the trip, I can say with certainty that it has already been incredible. We kick started the trip with 42hrs of travel - Welcome to Cambodia!
We arrived in Phnom Penh on January 14th after 42hrs of travel, involving a 7hr flight to Abu Dhabi, a 23hr layover, a 7hr flight to Kuala Lumpur, a 3hr layover, and finally a 2hr flight to Phnom Penh. We were exhausted to say the least, after 2 overnight flights and very very little sleep. So naturally, we crashed for a few hours as soon as we got to the hotel. Waking up around 6pm, we mustered up the energy to venture out for some dinner, and settled on Indian food. I was straight back in bed after dinner and slept for 11 hours that night.
Phnom Penh
Our first full day in Phnom Penh involved a relaxed morning, a late breakfast, and then a wonder around in the afternoon. We strolled to the Independence Monument, over to the King’s Palace, and along the river (which was not the cleanest). Grabbed some lunch, found sim cards, and wondered around a market before deciding the heat was too much and getting a tuk tuk back to the hotel. When dinner came around, we decided to try one of the other Indian restaurants in the area.
The next day was an emotional one, as we did an audio tour of the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. A high school in Phnom Penh that was taken over by the Khmer Rouge in 1975 and used as a prison where people were tortured for confessions. Between 12,000 and 20,000 people were imprisoned here, and only 12 survivors were found in 1979 when Cambodia was liberated. The audio tour was incredibly interesting, but heartbreaking. Afterwards, we continued our tour of audio tours and went to The Choeung Ek Genocidal Canter (The Killing Fields). We walked around the fields for a couple hours listening to stories of people who survived the Khmer rein - how a young man escaped the country and returned years later to try and find his family. It was very emotional to listen to all the stories, but informative and was definitely worth the time to explore both places. After three nights of Indian food, some emotional learning, and a lot of sleeping it was time to head to Siem Reap. We hopped in a van and drove 5hrs up north.
Siem Reap
Day 1 in Siem Reap we were up bright and early to be the first at the temples, to beat the tour groups. Starting off the morning with clambering over tree trunks, and ducking under doorways. The first temple was called Ta Prohm. This temple is famous for being overgrown with huge trees that tower over it. After wondering around for over an hour, the tour groups began to flood in, so it was time for Ben and I to head to the next one - Banteay Kdei. Her we marvelled at the carvings in the walls, which were beautifully restored and looked incredible. The morning went on and we templed hopped until lunch seeing: Ta Keo, Chau Say Tevoda, and Thommanon. All absolutely stunning in their own ways. However, the heat was getting to us, so we headed back into town for some lunch.
We agreed with our tuk tuk driver to meet at 3:30pm to head to Angkor Wat for sunset. So after a quick swim to cool off, and chilling in bed for a bit, we were back out before we knew it. We headed over to Angkor Wat and wandered around the temple for a little over an hour before standing out front to watch the beginning of the sunset. The temple closed at 5:30pm so we didn’t get to see the whole thing sadly. We went back into town to go to a small market where the stalls were all selling handmade items. Ben bought a new wallet made out of old tires, and I bought a beautiful ring. We found a place for dinner, and had the best fried banana and ice cream I’ve ever had. Highlight of the day!
Day 2 in Siem Reap was a super early one, as we got up for sunrise! Meeting our driver downstairs at 5:30am and zooming away to the temples. It was pretty cold first thing in the morning so we were both bundled up in the warmest clothing we had, which was not the warmest since we packed for summer! The sunrise was kind of disappointing at Angkor Wat, but still an experience. Once the sun was up, Ben and I were beelining it to the next temple - Bayon, the ancient capital city of Angkor Thom. It was very pleasant getting to walk around in silence before all the big groups arrived. We had a young local come over and explain a few things about the temple. He was very knowledgable, and spoke very good English so we learnt a fair amount.
We continued venturing around the city of Angkor Thom - to Baphuon, the Terrace of Elephants, and, Phimeanakas. We then went to Preah Khan, just next to Angkor Thom. This meant we got to drive through the South Gate getting into Angkor Thom, and out the North Gate. These gates were huge, and stunning, with statues of guards lining the bridges leading up to them. After Preah Khan, we headed back through and out the South Gate to Phnom Bakheng, which was an easy hike up a hill, leading to some really gorgeous views. Back down the hill and over to the next temple, Baksei Chamkrong, a very small but picturesque temple.
By this point, I’ve declared that I am templed out and hungry, so we head off to get some lunch and then head back to the hotel. We spend the afternoon cooling off in the pool, chilling in our room, and then head over to Best Mom’s for dinner. A family run restaurant a 5min walk away from the hotel that we absolutely loved.
Day 3 in Siem Reap, Ben got up early again and headed out to photograph sunrise. Where as I, had a lazy morning and then went and had a massage and a wax. Which was an interesting experience. I had two ladies doing my wax at the same time, and then for my massage, she was climbing all over the bed. It was a very good massage though, so I am not complaining about her methods - she clearly knew what she was doing! Ben and I met up in town afterwards, to get passport photos taken for our Laos visas, and to grab some lunch and snacks. We had some really good Turkish food for lunch, and then headed back to the hotel for a swim (had to take advantage of the pool while we had it) and to chill in the room before going back to Best Mom’s for dinner again! The next morning we were headed to Laos, so we made sure to get a good night sleep before a 10hr travel day.
Only a week into the trip and I went from feeling very homesick to being completely at ease. I talked so much about this trip and was so excited, but when I actually got out here, it felt very daunting to be away from home and familiarity for 3 months. However, I got into the swing of things pretty quickly and am excited for the rest of the trip - Which I know is going to fly by!
