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Siem Reap is the nearest town to Angkor Wat. The name Siem Reap actually means the "defeat of Siam" — today’s Thailand. It is quite a small town and you can walk around to see the city. It is reported to be safe enough to be out after dark. Siam Reap draws visitors for its world-famous monuments nearby: Angkor wat. Visiting the hundred-or-so temples and studying the forests around Siem Reap is still the main reason for being in the city.
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My trip to Siam Reap was very short and the whole trip's logistics was taken care of.
But I can't forget the steep steps that we climb (we were practically crawling) to get to the top of the temple and also the sunrise. The sunrise is not those where you see a big red ball jump out from the darkness. The sunrise here is amist a bright background as we see the sun from behind the big temple. A totally different experience. (A pity I can't load this photo as I max-out the 5 photos limit and I can't delete my earlier upload).
For shopping, where we didn't thought of it initially, there were a lot of cheap shawl and handbags for sale. Those where you probably see at SGD 10-20 in Singapore, from Vietnam. Here the children are selling on the streets at only USD 1-2. How big a differential, not only about the price differential, but also about the life of kids. Some of the children even goto the extent of knocking on the windows of our stationary buses, trying to sell us travel guides.
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154
Oo Siem Reap with its famous Ang Kor Wat
This is something that I think everyone should try. I was there recently (well not so recent) and we went to Thailand first. After which we took a train to cross the border to Siem Reap. Here's how it goes.
1) In Bangkok, take a cab or tutuk to Hualamphong Train Station. should take more than 150 baht by cab.
2)You have to take the 5.55am train to Aranyaprathet, the train station at the Eastern border of Thailand. Please be early and reach about 5.30am. This is so that you can get a seat which faces the front of the train. There are actually two train times for this train travelling to the border but you have to take this one if want to make it to the border before the office closes. (yes it closes) It's a 6 hour train ride, so buy some food stuffs to eat on board. You wouldn't want to buy from the hawkers peddling up and down the train. Trust me.
3) On the train you will pass by many many towns... and it will get crowded along the way especially if it's close to a public holiday and people travel back to their villages. You'll even get to see train stations which are just ONE POLE in the middle of nowhere. The train master will come on much later in the trip. Pretty near Aranyaprathet...
4) Here's the tough part. When you get out you need to take a tutuk to the real border. Rem, this is just the train station near the border. You need to get to immigration at the border. It'll only take 30 baht. Don't settle for anything more. They will hustle for up to 100baht just for that 5-10 min ride. Also, here you will find people wear official uniforms tell you that you need a visa. Singaporeans DON'T NEED. So don't get scared and pay them the money. This would be the first of scams along the way, which makes it exciting isn't it?
5) The tutuk will bring you to the border where you might meet more persistant "officials". Remember to be polite with rejected these scammers. Even if you do not have a Singaporean Passport and require a visa, it's only 25 baht at the Cambodian Border and can be done immediately. These "officials" claim that it takes 3 days and they want 30-50baht.
6) Here you will get your passport stamped to prove that you are leaving Thailand. then you walk. And walk. and walk. you will pass hawkers, magazines stands, hotels and even casinos before you reach the Cambodian immigration to enter Cambodia for real. It's warped. But really fun. It'll be good to make a couple of friends here now. But of cos if you have money to spend then it's not a problem.
7) once out of the Cambodian immigration, some people will tell you that you need to take a FREE shuttle to the bus station, where you will find buses and cabs to Siem Reap. This is where we got scammed. The right way : Just out of the immigration, you just need to walk a little further on, don't board the shuttle. You'll find cabs waiting a little further up. One entire cab costs 60USD to Siem Reap, each cab can take 4 passengers. If you're all Asian you can probably tell them 5. But if there's a european or American amongst you, they'll tell you 4 only. It's the way things go there. This is a 3-4 hour ride all the way to Siem Reap. The wrong way: we boarded the shuttle, went to the bus station and were surrounded by all their people. They insisted on 90USD per cab at first. After some bargaining 80USD... and they started to surround us. We and two friends we made at the immigration agreed then. So if you don't mind that 20USD then... it doesn't matter.
(** they deal in USD there. their own currency is used as "coins")
8) The ride into Siem Reap The 3 hour ride is super bumpy, thanks to the roads which weren't maintained... you could actually fly off the road. haha And it was fun riding on a road with no lane markings and no traffic lights at junctions. Very exciting when you see a huge lorry charging right at you and your cabbie drives out onto the grass.
9) You'll reach Siem Reap at about 6pm. We stayed at a Guesthouse called Rosy Guest House and Western Bar. It's run by Aussies. Very clean, very friendly. I've heard of people having their stuff stolen at other places. Or overcharged even after they'd agreed on the price. So be careful where you go.
One of the places we ate was at Siem Reap Cafe. Prices are ok, the food was nice and the service was fantastic. The day we left, we had to wake up in the wee hours of the morning and wanted to buy sandwiches the night before as breakfast the next morning. The owner wouldn't allow it. He prepared our breakfast at 5 am in the morning in time for our flight and made sure we had it fresh. He usually opens at 10am....
One little thing before you head up to Ang Kor Watt, get a guidebook and read a little before you go. :) you'll enjoy it much more.
View more pictures here! Click click
If that cannot be clicked do copy and paste this to view the pictures.
http://brainybimbo.blogspot.com/2006/12/blog-post.html
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!wah u actually took a train from Thailand!! Tt really sounds fun but definitely tiring. And yes, agree iwth you that definitely have to bargain hard to get a good deal.
28 Sep 2007 at 10:54 am
Yup it's a good exp! Must try!
06 Nov 2007 at 12:50 am
94
I was in Siem Reap, Cambodia to visit my girlfriend who was working on a short stint over there last July. And I must say the exeperience there was quite different.
Siem Reap is truly a place which is rich in culture and history. It houses the most famous " Ang Kor Wat", which used to be the castle for the ancient kings. It is a magnificient sight to behold and to gain access to the top of the castle, you need to climb up almost 30m or equivalent to around 7-8 storeys high of steps. There are also many historical artifacts and statues, which are in the process of being reconstructed so that the Ang Kor Wat can be seen in its full entirety again.
Upon getting to the top, you can see the vast view of Ang Kor Wat. In there, there are Buddha statues for both locals and tourists to pray. In addition, on the walls of Ang Kor Wat, you can find the history of Cambodia and how the legends of gods and goddess, good vs evil were being told.
A one day pass to visit the temples will cost US$20. If you are just going for the experience, a one day pass is enough. If your interest is look at all the temples, a 3 day pass will be enough. Your taxi or tu-tu drive will stop at the ticketing booth and you can buy your pass there. It is a small price to pay in exchange for the experience you get in return. No amount of words can truly describe that feeling until you have experienced it for yourself.
There is also a Killing Fields in Siem Reap, which is a much smaller version than that in the capital (Phnom Penh). The one at Siem Reap has a semi-glass tower where the skulls of those who were killed during the Khmer Rouge regime are being placed to rest.
The following are some tips that one can take note when planning for your trip to Siem Reap.
1. Wear comfortable shoes if you are climbing Angkor Wat. The steps are steep.
2. Wear sunscreen. The sun is merciless and they have a 13 hour day.
3. If you have a weak stomach, avoid eating from the roadside stalls, and drinking water with ice. Leave that to the last day when it doesn't really matter.
4. Bring smaller USD notes, such USD$1 and USD$5. Don't bother changing riels (cambodian currency). The locals use USD too, and only use riels mainly for change smaller than USD$1.
5. It is worthwhile to hire an English guide if you are travelling to see the temples. You're contributing to tourism dollars, and also the guide would explain many things that would help you understand what you are seeing.
6. Cambodians sleep early, and rise early. They usually go to bed from 9pm onwards, and rise before 5am. They consider it bad luck and also a trait of laziness to rise late. So if you are up to it, you could also wake up early to catch some sights at the local markets.
7. If you are approached by little children to buy some counterfeit books, and would like to, remember to check the pages inside.
8. "Thank you" is "or kun".
9. There is really nothing to shop in Cambodia, you're better off doing the bulk of you shopping in Vietnam or Bangkok. So, don't make Cambodia your last leg in Asia.
10. Ask your guide to bring you to some Khmer restaurants that the locals go to (and which are clean).
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