Siem Reap – Snapping The Globe

Reaping the Rewards

My biggest piece of advice for traveling to Cambodia…accept that you will have to buy a spare bag to bring home your treasures…because there will be many!

As a fight attendant, we are very accustomed to bringing our two pieces of luggage with us at all times when at work. We also are used to bringing our luggage with us when traveling abroad. A flight attendant can absolutely pack for two weeks in a roll-aboard and a tote or backpack. Check a bag? No way!

I had prepared in advance for my shopping in Thailand and Cambodia. Cleaning out my underwear drawer, I brought the old pairs that I didn’t mind leaving. I purchased 3 pair for $1 ankle socks that I could also throw out. My oldest beach hat and two tank tops were going to retire in southeast Asia. Anything that could be left behind would, if space was needed once I had scoured the markets in Thailand and Cambodia.

Thailand was pretty easy. The only things I wanted to purchase were two Thai buddhas and two Pandora charms. The buddhas fit pretty well in my suitcase and the latter two on my arm. I even laughed with my husband about my two travel companions having to purchase duffel bags in Thailand because they had acquired so many things.

After the first night, however, wandering through the Angkor Night Market, I was embarrassed that I had laughed! Impressed with the abundance of things that could be purchased, I quickly accepted that I was going to drop a bundle of cash in its vicinity.

Pants, dresses, flip flops, bowls, Cambodian buddhas, Bose speakers, another Pandora charm, artwork, sunglasses…it all came home with me…and more!

Trying hard not to have to check a bag home, proved fruitless. I had brought with me a small foldable, but not very sturdy, travel bag that I could check. When I began divvying up my newfound possessions between the foldable bag and my big suitcase, however, I began to worry about its ability to travel unscathed from Cambodia to Thailand, back thru Narita and then on to Atlanta and finally, Richmond.

On my last morning, I ventured back to one of the markets and quickly searched for a duffel-style suitcase that I trusted to protect my goods. Making a deal with a local woman for a North Face duffle (which I am sure was not real!) that converted to a backpack (my son has since claimed this for his own), I returned to my hotel and began unpacking and repacking.

Everything fit snugly within my three bags and I am happy to report that everything made it safely home to the United States! Thus, proving to myself that,
YES, it is OKAY to check luggage!

And YES, while in Cambodia, shop til you drop!

Markets to visit in Siem Reap

Old Market (Phsar Chas)
Located near the Siem Reap RIver, the Old Market is the original Khmer market in Siem Reap and has some of everything…souvenirs, silks, silver, jewelry, antiques, clothing, shoes, household items, hardware and fresh food.

Central Market (Phsar Kandal)
Located downtown on Sivatha Boulevard, this market sells, souvenirs, clothing, luggage, gems, silver, paintings and Khmer food.

Phsar Leu
Selling food, clothing, shoes, tools, electronics, housewares and many other goods, this is a huge market where most local people go to buy. Located on Highway No. 6, east of town.

Phsar Samaki
This market is a smaller version of Phsar Leu and is also located on Highway No. 6, but closeer to town.

Night Markets

Angkor Night Market
The oldest night market in Cambodia, this was my favorite. Located next to our hotel, the Cheathata Suites and off of Sivatha Boulevard, it was convenient for popping in for souvenirs, clothing and shoes.

Noon Night Market
The second largest and second oldest night market, located off Sivatha Boulevard, you can find food, clothing, shoes, souvenirs and electronics.

Siem Reap Night Market
Also located on Sivatha Boulevard, this market is the newest and smallest night markets. Offering mostly souvenirs, you can also find some antiques.

Shopping Malls

Angkor Trade Center
The first real shopping center in Siem Reap, the Angkor Trade Center contains a supermarket on the first floor, a Swenson’s Ice Cream, Pizza Company and many other shops. The second floor sells clothes, shoes and electronics. The third floor is reserved for a gaming arcade. The shopping center can be found near the Old Market near the river.

Lucky Mall
The newest shopping center, Lucky Mall, has very few shops, but contains a Lucky Supermarket and a Lucky Burger. It is located on Sivatha Boulevard, south of Highway No. 6.

Yes, Monks Have Laundry Day Too!

Each time I am in Thailand or this time, while visiting Cambodia, I find myself wanting to photograph monks every time I see them. And, I don’t think I am alone as I see other tourists turn their cameras, too.

Where I come from, we don’t see monks often in our every day life. They present a way of life that we may not be familiar with.

A mysteriously simple way of life. A holy life.

When you see these monks out and about, however, they are just living life…running errands, visiting landmarks, talking on their cellphones.

For the most part, they are like everyone else…and yes, monks have laundry day, too.

Seeing Siem Reap

Our last day in Siem Reap was an open day. No tours were scheduled…not one thing on the agenda. A few ideas had been tossed around, but no one had unanimously agreed on any one thing.

After breakfast, my travel companions, decided to have their 2,052nd massage of the trip…ok, well, it wasn’t that many, but they had had a lot. Being more of a fan of seeing and photographing the city, I set off on my own, map in hand.
I headed out towards Pub Street and the river and first encountered Wat Preah Prom Rath. Wat Preah Prom Rath is over 500 years old and just along the river near the Old Market. With a wider than usual collection of icons and a beautiful sculpture of a barge, you can spend a couple of hours wandering the tranquil garden and visiting the temple with the sleeping buddha.

My next stop was the temple of Wat Damnak. I soon encountered a problem, however…I could never figure out the street to get to Wat Damnak because the map I had was not very detailed. After walking back and forth in front of the Arts Market four or five times, I gave up and headed to Wat Bo.
I wish I could say that I had more luck initially, in finding Wat Bo. After finding the monks quarters, I thought that I had stumbled upon the wrong thing and headed back toward the river. Refusing to give up, I walked back in the direction of Wat Bo on a different street and soon came upon its buddha-topped walls. Problem was, the entrance on this road was blocked. Tired, hot and thirsty, I was close to calling off this visit as well, however, I kept at it, determined to find an entrance. Finally, I came across an opening in the wall and skirted right in.

Wat Bo is the oldest known Buddhist monastery in Siem Reap at approximately 400 years old. On the grounds, there is a main pagoda, a school and Buddhist monk sleeping quarters. There are many stupas and beautiful murals in the main pagoda. Not a very large place, you should be able to see everything in about 30 minutes.

After exiting Wat Bo, I was greeted by a tuk tuk driver. Exhausted from the heat, I decided that I would hire him to take me to some other temples. A suggestion was made for Wat Preah Ang Kau Sei, however, I decided that it may be a bit far…deduction made from the not-very-detailed map…and asked him to take me to the Yeay Tep Shrine, thinking that maybe I could visit the shrine and then see the Royal Residence gardens. After a short tuk-tuk ride through the streets of Siem Reap, we arrived at Yeay Tep Shrine. Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed as it was very small and not quite what I expected. I also realized that the day before, after our visit to Kompong Pluk, the adjacent gardens were where Vanessa had taken us to for some photographs and to see the oldest hotel in Siem Reap.

With my tail between my legs, I returned to the tuk tuk and made a deal with the driver to take me to Wat Preah Ang Kau Sei and then back to the hotel.
We were quickly on our way.

Wat Preah Ang Kau Sei is a Buddhist monastery located in the east end of town. Taking a very short time to get there, I was a bit surprised when we arrived, as it had such an abandoned feel….none of the color and life of Wat Prom Rath. There were some obviously very old ruins behind the temple, but I first wandered to the rear of the property.

As I walked along, I began hearing a voice…chanting…it was so beautiful, I began glancing around to see where it was coming from. Along the small stream, there was a small hut. I could not see anyone through the open window, but there was no doubt that this was the source of the sound. I stopped for a few minutes to take it in and enjoy the otherwise quiet around me.

After visiting the stupas at the rear of the property, I ventured back to the front of the property. My tuk tuk driver came over to meet me and explained that he had spoken with the head monk. This monk was happy that I had come to visit and agreed to open the main building for me.
The wooden structure contained beautiful murals along the roofline and many flags crisscrossing the ceiling. The monk explained that the building was entirely made of wood and was extremely old…though I did not get an exact age.
The monk then told my tuk tuk driver that he like that way I looked…he said that I looked like a Khmer woman…dark skin and dark eyes. I took this opportunity to ask my driver if the monk would be offended if I asked him to take a picture with me. I was not entirely sure that he would. However, he gladly agreed and it is another picture from my trip that I will always cherish.

Siem Reap is so widely known for tourists visiting Angkor Wat, and being a dream of mine for so long to visit, I am ever so grateful that I was able to at this time. I am, however, grateful that I took the time to see the city of Siem Reap and all that it has to offer.

Check out more pictures of Wat Prom Rath, Wat Bo, Yeay Tep Shrine and Wat Preah Ang Kau Sei on my Facebook page, Snapping the Globe.

Angkor Wat…Check…

A few months ago, I reached out to a good friend, who had visited Cambodia last year, for travel advice. He gave me a recommendation for a tour guide to Angkor Wat…Hum Choern.

I reached out to Hum Choern and expressed interest in having him act as our tour guide. Since no plans were set for our schedule at that time, I informed him that I would let him know exact dates when we had everything confirmed.

Once our flights had been booked, I reached out to him, once again, however, I was disappointed to find that he was not available on the dates that we would be there…he would be in Phnon Penh. He gave me another tour guide’s name, however, after attempting to reach her, I was still unsuccessful the day before we were to arrive in Siem Reap.

Assuming that I could hire someone once we reached Siem Reap, I wasn’t very worried, however, my main concern, after reading other visitor’s stories, was finding a guide that spoke English well enough to understand.

I decided to contact Hum Choern once more, hoping that he had another recommendation for me. Luckily, he responded immediately with another name, Vannessa Adamas. He contacted her and she immediately sent me a friend request on Facebook, so that we could correspond.

Arrangements were made for Vannessa to meet us at the hotel shortly after our arrival to go over our itinerary.

Bubbly and full of personality, I suspected from our messages the night before, that we would get along, but after meeting her, I was absolutely positive that she was the right fit for me and my companions.

Being that I was there for not only the experience but the photographic opportunities, I had actually checked into taking a photography tour of Angkor Wat on my own. I soon found that Hum Choern had found that she was available and suggested her because of my love of photography.

Vannessa is a very talented photographer. In speaking with her, I found that she spends time at Angkor Wat, on her own, finding the best angles and spots to take the best photographs. The beautiful photos on her iPad confirmed this. This definitely was my girl!

Arrangements were made for Vannessa and our driver to meet us at the hotel at 5:00 am. Our first order of business was sunrise at Angkor Wat.

I never suspected how many people journey to Angkor Wat at this ungodly hour for the sunrise! The lines were amazingly long, however, after posing for a photo for our pass and paying our $20 entrance fee, we were soon headed to the entrance of Angkor Wat.

This was our first encounter…the shadowy spires displaying themselves against the pink glow of the sky. Beautiful beyond words…and so exciting!

We entered the grounds of Angkor Wat and took photo after photo as the morning light slowly invaded the landscape.

I can’t explain how magical it was to stand there and experience the beauty of something that has existed since the 12th century.

After our first encounter with Angkor Wat, Vannessa decided that we would visit Ta Prohm before heading back tour hotel for breakfast, in order to beat the crowds. She was right, there were not very many tourists at this time of morning and we were able to visit and photograph this mysterious place with a minimum of congestion.

With trees growing out of the ruins and the abundance of jungle surrounding the temple, Ta Prohm appears much in the same condition in which it was found.

One of the most visited complexes in Cambodia’s Angkor region, UNESCO listed Ta Prohm on the World Heritage List in 1992 and it was used as a location in the film Tomb Raider.

After a quick trip back to the hotel and a delicious breakfast, it was on to Angkor Thom.

Our first introduction to Angkor Thom was at the south gate. The gate is on the main road from Angkor Wat and has been fully restored, although some of the statues have been replaced by replicas.

Once at the Bayon temple, it is hard not to be impressed, with the formidable walls, massive moat and the huge stone faces keeping watch at each compass point.

Taking a break for a delicious lunch of coconut curry at a local resturant, it was nice to escape the extreme temperatures of the day and prepare ourselves to return to Angkor Wat.

Venturing back across the bridge, our view of Angkor Wat, in the full light of day, was very different than our early morning visit. We walked across the moat, across the sculpted galleries and climbed the steep stairway to the top of the pyramid tower, which represents one of the peaks of Mount Meru.

A lot of walking was involved, but then, there is much to see within the complex.

After exiting the back of the temple, we were met by our driver and returned to our hotel.

A relaxing dip in our rooftop pool and drinks, followed by a beautiful, full sunset completed our day.

Vannessa Adamas can be reached on her Facebook page.

I would like to thank her for taking so many photos for us with our cameras. Spending the day with Vannessa was like spending the day with our own personal photographer as she posed us in many beautiful spots in the temples and photographed myself and my companions.

Visiting Angkor Wat:

1 day ticket-$20, 3 day pass $40, 7 day pass $60

Tour guide, $35 + $10 for sunrise option

Car rental, $25 + $10 for sunrise option

Tuk tuk, $15 + $10 for sunrise option

For more pictures, please see my Facebook page, Snapping the Globe.