Relaxing in Siem Reap, Cambodia
The main draw for Siem Reap is Angkor Wat, one of the most famous and spectacular temples in the world. I paid US$40 for a three day pass (one day and one week passes are also available), got up early to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat, and spent the rest of my three days exploring the several of the temples. But I also had a great time relaxing and hanging out with Michael, Holger, and Victoria. Michael is another blogger who I know through Twitter and finally met in June at TBEX in Vancouver. Holger is a professional photographer and a good friend of Michael’s. Victoria is from the States, was working in Hanoi, Vietnam for about a year, and just happened to be staying at the same hotel as us when she took a quick break from work to visit Siem Reap.
Siem Reap is definitely a tourist town, which doesn’t always appeal to me, but the vibe here was different. Maybe because I didn’t really feel like anyone was trying to scam me. Maybe because, even in the middle of massage sales pitches, the people were just so friendly. Maybe because you can’t help but relax in a place that has delicious, cheap street food and US$1 beers. Maybe because every time I returned to the hotel, someone welcomed me in from the heat with a cool, minty towel. In the end, it was probably just that hanging out with fun people can make a place so much better.
You might also enjoy:
- How Much We Spent Traveling in Southeast Asia for Two Months
- How Much We Spent Traveling in Thailand
- How Much We Spent Traveling in Cambodia
December 21, 2011 @ 9:22 PM
An enjoyable tourist town and Michael’s dancing. How can you beat that? 🙂
December 21, 2011 @ 9:42 PM
Ha! Thanks Jeremy!
December 21, 2011 @ 10:22 PM
Love the dancing pics! Looks like a great time.
December 21, 2011 @ 11:16 PM
Yep it was a fun week! Thanks Katie!
December 21, 2011 @ 11:31 PM
After the last post on Angkor Wat I went and had a look at airfares to Siem Riep on a local online travel booking website called Webjet. From Melbourne to Siem Riep via Ho Chi Minh city it was $561 each way on Vietnam Airlines which is exactly the same as flying from Melbourne to Perth at Christmas time.
I was really really tempted to book the flights and go but I’m supposed to be saving for a deposit on a flat so I reluctantly passed up the opportunity.
All this leads in to the question that I want to ask you: do you need to apply for visas to Cambodia and Vietnam before you enter the respective countries or is it like an Australian flying to New Zealand where you just need you passport and you can stay for 90 days or so?
Also where do you get the Angkor Wat passes from? Angkor Wat itself or can you get it from say the Mother Home Guesthouse if you stay there? Both you and Earl have given it rave reviews as well has Tripadvisor so when I finally go I’m definitely going to stay there.
December 22, 2011 @ 12:32 AM
Hi Matthew! Have you looked at flights from Melbourne to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, and then booking separately to Siem Reap? There are tons of combinations you can do even beyond that which could potentially save you money. Something to look into when you’re ready to go.
If you fly into Cambodia, to either Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, you can get a visa on arrival, though it only works for certain nationalities. It worked for me as an American, and I think Australians qualify too, but you should check with the embassy. It was really easy, I had to bring a passport photo, fill out a form when I landed, and pay US$20 (Cambodia uses the US dollar).
Vietnam is a little different. If you’re just transiting and not leaving the airport, you shouldn’t need a visa, at least I didn’t when I passed through Ho Chi Minh City a few weeks ago. If you’re actually going to Vietnam, you have to apply ahead of time for a visa, but it’s still sort of like visa on arrival. I used http://www.myvietnamvisa.com. I had to give them some standard info and pay US$20, and then 2 days later they sent me an approval letter. You have to bring the approval letter to the airport with you when you land, fill out a form, I think I needed a passport photo here too, and then it was another US$25 at the airport. Check out that website for more info though.
And yes, I *loved* Mother Home Guesthouse. They have Mother Home Inn too, which might be even nicer and I think has a pool. Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you make it there soon!
December 22, 2011 @ 2:32 AM
Matthew, I just realized I missed your question about the Angkor Wat pass. Just tell your tuk-tuk driver that you haven’t purchased your pass yet, and he will stop at the ticket booth for you on your way in. When I was there, certain windows were for the 3 day pass, while others had either a 1 day or week pass.
December 22, 2011 @ 7:34 AM
Thank you so much Ali for your reply. You’ve filled in most of the blanks that I had. I’ll check out a few more combinations to Siem Riep from Melbourne like you suggested. I know that Air Asia has ultra low fares from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur. Something like $200 each way which is ridiculously low. I could then fly them or another airline like Malaysia on to Siem Riep.
How well do the Tuk Tuk drivers speak English in Siem Riep? Do I need to do a crash course in Khmer (the local language) or will they understand my Australian English?
December 22, 2011 @ 8:09 AM
The tuk-tuk drivers speak English well enough for you to say you want to go to Angkor Wat and negotiate the price. If you’re going to have a driver take you in the morning for the sunrise, then to a few other temples, and then back again late afternoon (it’s too hot to be there late morning through early afternoon) you should be able to negotiate anywhere from $12 to $16. One day I just had him take me to one temple, and I paid $5. It’s probably nice to know how to say “thank you” in Khmer but they all speak halfway decent English since they deal with tourists so much.
December 22, 2011 @ 2:59 PM
I’m dying to get to Cambodia! Love the pics.
December 22, 2011 @ 9:21 PM
Thanks Andi!