Oh, The Places I'll Go!: Cambodia: Angkor Wat and Siem Reap!

Hello everyone!

This blog post should be much easier and happier to read after my last India post! So last weekend, a few friends and I decided to take a long weekend and go to Cambodia. Ever since we realized that we're more than halfway through our study abroad experience (with only a few weekends left in Bangkok itself), everyone has kicked it into high gear and is going out to see all the things left to see in Southeast Asia!

We figured Cambodia would be an easy weekend trip, considering it's only next door to Thailand. Turns out, however, getting there was a little more complicated than we thought. After a six hour train ride (starting at 6am), a three hour bus ride and almost 15 hours of traveling in general, we made it across the border and to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Luckily for us, we found a nice hotel almost immediately and got to set out and explore Siem Reap a little bit! We found an awesome nighttime art market and checked out the beautiful items they were selling.

The next morning, we woke up and got some breakfast at a restaurant called Red Piano, in the popular backpacking area of Pub Street. Then, all five of us crammed into a tuk tuk and drove out to see the temples of Angkor Thom, just outside of Siem Reap. We spent the first day driving around, exploring lots of different ruins. That night we hung out around Pub Street, and got a "fish massage", where you put your feet in a giant tank ,and the fish eat the dead skin off your feet! Kinda gross, but fun!

The next morning after a delicious breakfast on Pub Street, we rented bicycles at a stand across the street for only $1 per day. We rode our bikes 3 or 4 miles out of Siem Reap to the temples of Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is the most recognized and famous of these Cambodian temple ruins. We biked around all day, and even though we didn't get to see as many temples as the day before, we really got to appreciate the beautiful scenery and had lots of fun.