siemreap Archives | Meghy Was Here https://meghywashere.com/tag/siemreap/ It's a beautiful life! Sat, 01 Feb 2020 13:24:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 https://meghywashere.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Meghy_Was_Here-removebg-preview-150x147.png siemreap Archives | Meghy Was Here https://meghywashere.com/tag/siemreap/ 32 32 155390985 Siem Reap Travel Guide: Things To Do + Sample Itinerary https://meghywashere.com/travel/siem-reap-travel-guide-things-to-do-sample-itinerary/ https://meghywashere.com/travel/siem-reap-travel-guide-things-to-do-sample-itinerary/#respond Mon, 29 Apr 2019 17:08:42 +0000 https://meghywashere.com/?p=1310 Siem Reap is the most visited city in Cambodia aside from its capital city, Phnom Penh. It houses hundreds of century-old temples made out of strong spiritual devotion of its people. When you heard about Cambodia or Siem Reap, visiting Angkor Wat will probably first come to your mind but in reality the place has …

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Siem Reap is the most visited city in Cambodia aside from its capital city, Phnom Penh. It houses hundreds of century-old temples made out of strong spiritual devotion of its people. When you heard about Cambodia or Siem Reap, visiting Angkor Wat will probably first come to your mind but in reality the place has so much things to offer. For most travelers, spending few days in Siem Reap could be a highlight of their Southeast Asia trip.

So here’s a first timer’s guide in Siem Reap that you can read on.

Things To Know Before Going:

  • Cambodia has two seasons- wet and dry season. The dry season is from November-April while wet season is from May-November. Going during the dry season could give you a very hot weather and some of the tourist attractions could not be on their best state like Floating Villages and Kbal Spean due to limited water flow. Going during wet season on the other hand, can be inconvenient due to flashfloods. It is said that the best time to go in Cambodia is from November- February since it’s the driest and coolest month of the year.
 

  • Most money transactions around Cambodia are being done using USD (US Dollar). So if you are coming to Cambodia make sure that you exchange your money to USD and not KHR (Cambodian Riel). They only use KHR for small transactions on the streets or when providing small amount of change. Rate would be 1 USD is equivalent to about 4,100 KHR.

  • Widely used mode of transportation around the province is tuktuk. Price range of transport fare varies depending on the place you are heading to. If you wish to take a day tour around the city, tuktuks are the most convenient and cheapest way of transport. A day tour can cost you 10USD- 30 USD depending on your desired itinerary. One tuktuk can fit up to four people.

  • Cambodians are very fluent in speaking English so if you wish to have and hire a tour guide around the Angkor temples, language wouldn’t be an issue. Aside from English language, they actually have Cambodian tour guides who can speak Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, Korean and many more fluently! Wow!

Where to Stay?

We stayed in Villa Sweet Central Angkor owned by Japanese Yuki and Jumpei. They offer accommodations for a very affordable price. Their place is a small villa with a swimming pool at the center. Since it is located within Siem Reap Central area, it is very convenient for us to go around the Siem Reap center. They have free airport pick-up, nice tuktuk drivers and even let us stay beyond our 12 noon check out time since our flight is still in the evening. We only paid 22.49 USD or more than 1,100 PHP per night for 4 pax. The room is air-conditioned with two queen beds, private toilet, mini ref and toiletries.

Accommodation: Villa Sweet Central Angkor

Address: Rose Apple Rd. Siem Reap Center, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Facebook: Villa Sweet Central Angkor 

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What To Do In Siem Reap?

1. Visit Angkor Temples

There a many temples to visit in Siem Reap aside from the most famous of all which is Angkor Wat. In order for you to enter these temples you need to avail their Angkor pass. The ticket price varies depending on how many days you will visit the temples.

1 day- 37 USD

3 days- 62 USD

7 days- 72 USD

On our case we availed the 3-day pass to suffice our temple itinerary. I wrote a more detailed blog regarding the temples to visit in Siem Reap and here’s the link.

Small circuit temple tour

This tour includes visiting the temples inside Angkor Archeological Park located on what they called “small circuit” which is usually being started by dropping by to the most known temple, Angkor Wat. Here’s the list of the temple included on this circuit:

  • Angkor Wat- The most visited Angkor temple and declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. It is said to be the largest religious site in the world.
  • Angkor Thom- It is actually a complex within Angkor Archeological Park that has 20-meter gates with four faces.
  • Bayon Temple- It is a temple known for its four-faced towers. The tower’s faces are said to be the face of King Jayavarman VII.
  • Ta Keo- It is a temple mountain that has 5 temples on the uppermost part of step pyramid.
  • Ta Prohm- It is one of the most popular temple aside from Angkor Wat due to its appearance in the famed movie of Angelina Jolie, Tomb Raider.
  • Banteay Kdei- It means “Citadel of Chambers” and said to be a smaller version of Ta Prohm.
Angkor Wat
Angkor Thom
Bayon Temple
Ta Keo
Ta Prohm
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Banteay Kdei

Big circuit temple tour

Unlike small circuit tour, temples included on this tour are situated farther from each other taking a longer route to reach the next one. Here’s the list of the temple we visited for this tour:

  • Preah Khan- It has huge trees that grows out of the ruins and walls carved with Garudas.
  • Neak Pean- It is an island temple originally designed to be a “hospital”.
  • East Mebon- It is a temple that stands in the middle od now dry reservoir.
  • Pre Rup- Cambodian’s believed that this temple was used for funeral ceremonies.
Preah Khan
Neak Pean
East Mebon
Pre Rup

2. Party at Pub Street

It is a long stretch of streets where restaurants, bars, fish spas, massage places and fried ice cream stalls flock. It becomes alive during late afternoon until late night and stands as the center of night life in Siem Reap.

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3. Learn Khmer History by Visiting Angkor National Museum

Angkor National Museum exhibits the glorious ancient Khmer Kingdoms. The museum is divided to series of galleries such as 1,000 Buddha Images, Khmer Civilization and galleries that showcases the origin of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. It is a good place for people who loves history. Entrance fee is 12 USD.

4. See the War Relics in War Museum

This War museum highlights the ruthless Khmer Rouge and the recent civil war in Cambodia. The museum exhibits unique collection of old weapons, vehicles, landmines and equipments which were used in nearly three decades of the country’s civil war.

5. Watch Sunset in Phnom Krom

Don’t miss watching the famous Cambodia sunset which is more beautiful to witness on a less crowded area. Phnom Krom is a temple located on the top of a hill 10 km southwest of Siem Reap center so a little trek is required to reach it. You will see a view of Chong Kneas floating village from above as you walk towards the hilltop. It is a popular place for sunset viewing as you can witness it over a flooded plain during the wet season or over a rice fields in dry season.

6. Take a Look on Banteay Srei

It is a revitalizing temple to see far from Angkor Archeological Park. Banteay Srei which means “Citadel of Beauty”, is located about 30 km away from Siem Reap center. The temple’s walls and structures are meticulously carved made of pink sandstones.

7. Taste Khmer Cuisines

Cuisines found in Cambodia are usually being compared to those found in neighboring country of Thailand and Vietnam but it is simply delicious once tried. There are a lot of food choices on each restaurants making someone hard to decide which of which to get. My most recommended dish to try are pineapple fried rice, loklak and amok.

I wrote a more detailed blog for dishes to try in Siem Reap, if you wish to read it here’s the link.

Loklak
Rice Noodle Soup

8. Visit a Floating Village in Tonle Sap Lake

It can be a refreshing scene to experience once you get tired of all the temple hopping that you did. The village highlights stilt houses that seems to float in water during wet season. It is a floating community that has their own school, hospital and even restaurants. There are four floating villages that you can visit namely: Chong Kneas, Mechrey, Kampong Phluk and Kampong Khleang. One boat ride can cost 18-20 USD depending on which village you will visit.

9. Buy Souvenirs in Night Market

There are series of night markets that can be found in Siem Reap area. Those night markets sell goods, clothes, home decor, slogan t-shirts, sculptures, textile and many more. You are in need of your haggling skills to get reasonable discounts and spend less on your shopping here. The vendors would even initiate the haggling first and ask for how much you can pay but make sure you weigh things out first before haggling too much since vendors are in need as well of an income.

10. Appreciate and Buy Khmer Art

What I notice about Cambodia is their love for art. Almost anywhere you go, you will get a chance to see sculptures and paintings being sold. Even on the corners of the Angkor temples you will see artists expressing themselves through drawing and painting. You will see a lot of them as well on the streets of the night markets and you can’t take yourself from admiring these art pieces.

11. Trek to Kbal Spean with 1000 lingas

Kbal Spean, located in west of Kulen Mountains, is a riverbed with series of stone rock carvings and sandstones. It is commonly known as “The river of a Thousand Lingas”. You need to trek about 1.5 km uphill within Phnom Kulen National Park to reach it. The site showcases a small waterfall-like view where water flows over the carved sculptures. Since we came during dry season, there’s no flowing water on the site but visiting Kbal Spean during dry season is a good way of experiencing the beauty of the country’s mountain area. You need an Angkor pass to get into this site. We didn’t get a guide and just follow the signs along the way. A mountain trek would be a good adventure especially on a foreign land.

Sample 4-Day Itinerary In Siem Reap:

Travel itinerary was created through Tripit. You can create yours on this website https://www.tripit.com/web.

Have you been to Siem Reap before? Share your thoughts below!

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]]> https://meghywashere.com/travel/siem-reap-travel-guide-things-to-do-sample-itinerary/feed/ 0 1310 Cambodia Food Guide: Cuisines To Try In Siem Reap https://meghywashere.com/travel/cambodia/cambodia-travel-guide-foods-to-try-in-siem-reap/ https://meghywashere.com/travel/cambodia/cambodia-travel-guide-foods-to-try-in-siem-reap/#respond Sun, 14 Apr 2019 06:21:13 +0000 https://meghywashere.com/?p=1253 Siem Reap is more than just their century-old temples. It is a good place as well to fill your hungry tummy with their exceptional cuisines. Khmer cuisines are usually being compared to those gastronomies found in neighboring land of Thailand and Vietnam but it is simply delicious once tried. Rice is Cambodia’s staple food and …

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Siem Reap is more than just their century-old temples. It is a good place as well to fill your hungry tummy with their exceptional cuisines. Khmer cuisines are usually being compared to those gastronomies found in neighboring land of Thailand and Vietnam but it is simply delicious once tried.

Rice is Cambodia’s staple food and is part of almost every meal. Their dishes are usually served with plenty of herbs, fresh vegetables, fruits and sauces. There are a lot of food houses along the streets of Siem Reap that serves plenty of food choices making you hard to decide which of which to choose.

So I listed some of the foods we tried during our stay in Siem Reap.

  • Loklak

It is one of the most popular traditional Khmer dishes made with thin strips of beef or pork with fresh lettuce and sliced tomatoes on the side. They usually have it with brown sauce made of lime and pepper and fried egg on the top.

  • Khmer Curry

Khmer curry is a dish that is less spicy compare to those curries usually cooked in Thailand and India. It is commonly served with a meat of your choice (beef, chicken or fish), diced potatoes, coconut milk and herbs.

  • Fried Pineapple with meat

During those days I spent in Siem Reap, what I noticed was they have plenty of dishes that has fruits or vegetables as main dish ingredient. On this dish, they serve stir-fried pineapple slices with meat (pork, beef or chicken). It is a sweet savory stir-fried meal typically served with rice.

  • Cambodian Rice Noodle Soup

It is a traditional noodle soup served with rice noodles, pork stock and vegetable toppings. It is a popular breakfast meal in Cambodia and even on parts of Thailand and Vietnam.

  • Fried Flat Noodles

It is a stir fried flat rice noodles served with a meat of your choice (chicken, pork or beef) and green vegetables. Fried noodles can be found across the country in different varieties.

  • Stir Fried Ginger with Meat

This is an oriental dish made of thinly sliced fresh gingers and beef strips. What I love about this dish is they actually have crispy ginger “shoestrings” that results to good texture and flavorful taste.

  • Pineapple Fried Rice

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It is one of my personal favorite dish I tried during my whole stay in Siem Reap. It is a mixture of fresh pineapple chunks, meat, roasted cashew nuts, carrots and peas that compliments well with the rice grains. It is actually served in a carved-out pineapple as its bowl making the dish more fun to eat!

  • Khmer Fried Chicken and Fried Rice

It is not your normal crispy fast food fried chicken. They use a native chicken which meat is tender and full of Asian flavor. This chicken is best paired with their own version of fried rice with soy sauce and oyster sauce.

Other Dishes We Tried During Our Whole Stay:

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]]> https://meghywashere.com/travel/cambodia/cambodia-travel-guide-foods-to-try-in-siem-reap/feed/ 0 1253 Cambodia Travel Guide: Temples To Visit In Siem Reap https://meghywashere.com/travel/cambodia/cambodia-travel-guide-temples-to-visit-in-siem-reap/ https://meghywashere.com/travel/cambodia/cambodia-travel-guide-temples-to-visit-in-siem-reap/#respond Sat, 06 Apr 2019 05:29:43 +0000 https://meghywashere.com/?p=1217 Visiting Kingdom of Cambodia wouldn’t be complete without visiting its iconic temples. It is a home of hundreds of century-old architectures made by strong spiritual devotions and great Khmer empire culture. Angkor Archeological Park, a complex located in Siem Reap, is where most of its beautiful temples are located and it attracts millions of visitors …

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Visiting Kingdom of Cambodia wouldn’t be complete without visiting its iconic temples. It is a home of hundreds of century-old architectures made by strong spiritual devotions and great Khmer empire culture. Angkor Archeological Park, a complex located in Siem Reap, is where most of its beautiful temples are located and it attracts millions of visitors each year!

So if you wish to visit this country and do temple hopping, I listed some of the temples you shouldn’t missed seeing.

  • Angkor Wat

Staircase going up to the uppermost tower of Angkor Wat
Interior of Angkor Wat

No question, Angkor Wat is Cambodia’s most iconic and most visited temple. It was built during 12th century to worship God Vishnu and said to be one of the largest religious site in the world. Be overwhelmed stepping on its massive ruins as Angkor Wat was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is 1992. The temple structure is even included on Cambodia’s national flag so you shouldn’t miss seeing this pride.

  • Angkor Thom

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One of the gate in Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom is a complex in Angkor Archeological Park and the last capital city of the Khmer empire. The complex has five 20-meter high gates with four faces and two rows of seven-headed Naga carrying figures.

  • Bayon Temple

Four-faced towers in Bayon
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Bayon Temple is located at the heart of Angkor Thom complex and known for its four-smiling faces stone towers. It was built late 12th century as official temple of King Jayavarman VII. The faces carved on the towers are said to be the face of King Jayavarman VII.

  • Ta Keo

Facade of Ta Keo

Ta Keo is a temple-mountain in Angkor or should I say a “pyramid-like” temple. It has five towers on the uppermost part of steep pyramid. The stairs going up is so steep that I was too afraid to go on the uppermost level.

  • Ta Prohm

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A huge tree that grows out on the temple's ruins

Ta Prohm is one of the popular temples in Siem Reap since it was featured in the movie and game Tomb Raider. One distinct feature of this temple are the huge trees that grows and shrouded the century-old ruins. Due to its jungle-like structure and atmosphere, it became popular to tourists.

  • Banteay Kdei

Banteay Kdei means “Citadel of Chambers” and believed to be the smaller version of Ta Prohm and Preah Khan. The temple said to be occupied by monks over the centuries until 1960s.

  • Banteay Srei

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Banteay Srei which means “Citadel of Beauty” is located about 30 km away from Siem Reap center. Be amazed of its meticulously carved structures made by pink sandstones making it worth your visit. You will appreciate its beauty especially in the early morning where the color of its ruins tend to be somewhat orange, golden brown or pinkish which is far different from those found in Angkor complex.

  • Preah Khan

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Preah Khan is actually one of my personal favorites. It is built in 12th century for King Jayavarman VII to honor his father. Like Ta Prohm, it has huge trees that grows out on the ruins but with lesser tourists and has walls carved with Garudas. Big part of the temple is still destroyed and left unrestored but for me that what makes it more special, seeing the beauty of the untouched past.

  • Neak Pean

Neak Pean is an island temple on the middle of a man-made lake. You can reach it by passing through a wooden bridge. It was originally designed to be “hospital” since ancients believed that going to those pools will cure diseases.

  • East Mebon

East Mebon is a 10th century temple dedicated to Hindu God Shiva that stand on an artificial island at the mid of now dry reservoir.

  • Pre Rup

The temple’s name means “turn the body” which Cambodians believed that this temple has been used for funeral ceremonies. Pre Rup is much like a smaller version of East Mebon. We passed through this temple early in the morning and it is a must-view to see!

  • Phnom Krom

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It is a temple at the top of hill located about 10 km southwest of Siem Reap dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. The temple has three towers built during the 9th century. It is one of the best spot to watch sunset with the view of Tonle Sap Lake during wet season or fields during dry season.

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