Siem Reap, Cambodia
Bayon Temple, Angkor Archaeological Park
Our impressions of Siem Reap
Eighth wonder of the world: There is a reason over 2 million travelers make the trip* to Siem Reap every year to visit Angkor Archaeological Park and see the famous Angkor Wat – it is truly magnificent and transcends photos. The archaeological park is actually much larger than we (mostly Doug, who was there for the first time) realized, with over 400 square kilometers and 70+ major temple sites to explore from the Khmer empire. We spent an amazing day here watching the sun rise over Angkor Wat and visiting some of the more well-known and interesting temples making for one of the more memorable days and sites of the trip
*total travelers number refers to the last full pre-COVID year in 2019 – we were impressed to find that Angkor Enterprise publishes their visitor and sales number on their website 🙂
Hit hard by COVID: It became clear walking around town and talking to locals that Siem Reap was hit hard by COVID and the 2 year (and counting) drought in tourism. Many hotels and projects around town appear abandoned. Tuk Tuk drivers are particularly incessant about giving rides. Our hotel concierge point blank admitted to us that a local restaurant offering dinner and a traditional show needed patrons now more than ever following COVID when she aggressively recommended we make a reservation there. The evidence is also in the numbers – visits this January are still at ~1/3 of pre-COVID levels
Fair share of wholesome and hip spots among the touristy areas: Of the three cities we went to in Cambodia (the other two being Phnom Penh and Battambang), Siem Reap felt like it had the most hip and happening restaurants and cafes to visit. Pub Street felt more empty than pre-COVID times (validated by Jessie’s experience here in 2018), but we still found a few hip restaurants, cafes, bars and a gelato spot to keep us satiated in and around the typically touristy streets
What we saw in Siem Reap
APOPO Visitor Centers: APOPO is a Tanzania-based non-profit organization that trains giant rats from Africa to safely identify Tuberculosis and Unexploded Ordinance (UXOs) in hotspots around the world. In Cambodia, specifically, there are millions of UXOs still left behind from the fighting that took place in the country between the 60s and 90s that continue to kill innocent Cambodians every year and stifle development. Local organizations used to identify these remnants of war using metal detectors, which is incredibly time consuming and risky given they pick up any detection of metal in the ground (UXO or not). Rats are easily trained to identify only the TNT residue and safely dig where the UXO is without detonating them. This allows local teams to clear much larger areas than before and in a safer manner. At the visitor center in Siem Reap, we learned all about APOPO and the amazing work they’re doing in Cambodia and got to see a demonstration of the hero rats in action (including getting to hold one of them!). As we would come to learn in Laos, the problem of UXOs in SE Asia is astonishingly massive and sobering for us Americans given our role in the problem
Angkor Archaeological Park: Given this was the main reason for our visit to Siem Reap, we set aside a full day to explore the park and its amazing Khmer temples from between the 9th and 15th centuries. With the forecast for the day clear, we woke up before dawn to get to the park and find a good spot to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat (the most famous temple). Once we arrived, we followed the stream of people and iPhone flashlights to one of the lakes in front of the temple and waited for the magical moment. It did not disappoint, and we were in awe of the change in colors as the sun rose from behind the three picturesque pillars of Angkor Wat. After the sun rose, and shortly before we left to explore the rest of the park and temples, an older man watching the temple next to Jessie let out a large and bashful fart. Jessie looked over at him in shock. He looked back at Jessie and broke the tension by starting to chuckle in acknowledgement of his flatulence. We all proceeded to laugh. The other highlights from our day exploring the park include:
- Ta Prohm: we decided we would save exploring the inside of Angkor Wat for last to beat the crowds to Ta Prohm, the 13th century temple famous for the way the jungle has overgrown itself through and around the temple walls. We were very pleasantly surprised to find only one other man exploring the temple when we arrived, which basically meant we had it to ourselves. Walking around and through the temple corridors here was amazing – all around the trees from the jungle had intertwined with the stone temple blocks and in some cases completely engulfed them. We couldn’t stop taking pictures and marveling at how that growth occurred over time
- Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon: directly across from one another, Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon are two smaller, very well preserved 12th century temples in the park. Both were completely empty when we stopped by, and we enjoyed walking in and around each and admiring the well intact Hindu style towers (particularly at Thommanon)
- Preah Khan: Preah Khan is a very grand, flat temple complex built by the king to honor his father. It was quite exhausting to explore, consisting of a series of narrow corridors and galleries with huge uneven step stones (read: we tripped a bunch). However, it was also very ornate and beautiful, and we enjoyed exploring the many galleries and archways, even those that were relatively unrestored
- Bayon: Bayon is characterized by the 4 giant soft smiling faces of Brahma lording over the park in all directions from each of its grand pillars. They are the first thing you notice as you look up at this particularly grand and epic temple (from whatever angle you look at it). It really is like no other temple you’ve seen, and it’s awesome. One of the other under appreciated features of this temple include very ornate and well-preserved reliefs depicting historical events and scenes from everyday Khmer life etched on the outer wall surrounding the temple
- Angkor Wat: The face of Angkor Archeological Park (and really the country of Cambodia given its placement on the national flag) is Angkor Wat. This massive Hindu-Buddhist temple complex was built by the Khmer king to be his state temple and mausoleum and is said to be the largest religious monument in the world. At the center of a vast open green space, the main temple sits behind by two lakes separated by a beautiful entranceway lined with palm trees. The famous three pillars stand above its walls as you approach the entrance. We visited in the later afternoon when the sun and heat were at their peak. We climbed the incredibly steep (and dangerous) stairway to the pillars and admired the architecture and views, but soon became overheated and admired the rest from a shady spot behind the main temple. Similar to the Taj Mahal in India, the photos simply do not do it justice
Where we ate and drank
Pub Street: Pub Street is an intersection of crazy restaurants, bars, and clubs catered to tourists, similar to Khaosan Road in Bangkok and the walking street in Ho Chi Minh City. It was quieter and less rowdy than Jessie remembered from her post-grad trip back in 2018 (likely due to the impact from COVID on tourism). We still enjoyed a few beers at one of the upstairs bars overlooking the intersection and made great conversation with a funny and engaging Englishman and his wife from Rome on differences between Brits, Americans, and Italians, and life in general
Elia: Elia is a new and hip open air Greek restaurant right off the infamous Pub Street intersection. We were in the mood for something other than Cambodian fare and this was the perfect answer. We sat at a table overlooking the busy street and feasted on some saganaki, calamari, and giant gyros with fresh cut and fried potatoes
Gelato Lab: We were originally looking to try the rolled ice cream we saw in the heart of the Pub Street intersection, but decided to pass when we found out how much they charged for it. What we soon discovered is that some of the most appealing and hip spots can be found tucked away on the narrow alleyways around Pub Street. We stumbled upon Gelato Lab in one of the alleyways and decided to give it a try (it was also cheaper than the rolled ice cream). It was the perfect nightcap in the early evening heat of Siem Reap and we were super impressed by the flavors we tried
Tevy’s Place: Tevy’s Place is special. The owner, Tevy, lost her father and three sisters during the genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge and was evacuated from her home in Phnom Penh. Now, she operates her restaurant in Siem Reap, employing disadvantaged woman from the area, to support herself and her mother. It’s also worth mentioning that the food here is relatively cheap and absolutely delicious. We had some of the best Cambodian food on our travels here, including fresh spring rolls, papaya salad, fish amok, and a traditional Khmer curry
Dialogue Coffee: Just around the corner from Tevy’s Place, Dialogue Coffee is a hip cafe and bar restaurant with a cool unfinished courtyard seating area in the back. We indulged on some sweet iced coffee beverages and did some work for a few hours while admiring the graffiti art on the walls around us. At one point, we chatted up a nice couple traveling with their parents from Chicago (Jessie noticed the Chicago Sport & Social Club shirt) which gave us a brief taste of home
Where we stayed (and also ate)
Mane Colonial Classic: we found this gem of a surprisingly modestly priced 5-star hotel through our research and thought it would be the perfect first splurge not sponsored by credit points on the trip. The hotel itself is an old refurbished colonial building that still maintains its charm from another time. We knew it was going to be a good stay when, upon arriving, we found our room beautifully decorated for our honeymoon and our TV blaring romantic Cambodian music. There were two features of the hotel that we loved in addition to the charming property and rooms. The first was the pleasant outdoor pool, where we cooled off and spent one day being productive while enjoying complementary high tea. The second was the food, where we enjoyed many incredibly delicious Khmer dishes for breakfast and dinner, including one of our new favorites Mee Ko La
Can the same rat identify tuberculosis and UXOs? Or are they specialized?? That is fascinating and so cool that they can do that work safely!
Great question! The rats specialize in either tuberculosis or UXOs because they both require different and pretty intense training. It was one of the coolest things we saw… There are so many countries that could use them to do their mine removal work more effectively (e.g., Laos) that don’t have the resources. Thanks for following along!
Fascinating!