how to: SIEM REAP

If you have seen my posts/stories on Instagram, you would've seen that I went to Siem Reap Cambodia last week and was probably one of the best experiences of my life. I went to Cambodia for a school trip to use the funds our school raised throughout the year to develop one of the schools as a part of the Rural Schools Village Program which I recommend doing while the sightseeing was organised by the Global Learning Foundation.

Throughout the trip, we had a private, local tour guide who handled EVERYTHING and I really do mean it. Itinerary, tickets, meals, even our wake up calls and our personal photographer who took our group pictures, told us all of the best spots and the best times to take them. Tours by Locals is a website I found that you can use to find a local tour guide in Siem Reap, and in other cities.

Bayon Temple

The first day consisted a temple tour of the major temples in Siem Reap including
- Angkor Wat
- Bayon Temple (my favourite one personally)
- Ta Prohm (as shown in the movie Tomb Raider)
- Angkor Thom

and other temples in the previous capital city Angkor. Many of the statues have been removed for conversation and due to the sad fact that many of them have been stolen and sold on the black market however, you can go to the Angkor National Museum to see them.

We could've easily done this without the local guide however, at each place we visited the guide gave information regarding the history of the landmark as well as the Khmer people's current and past relationship with the sight. A portion of your ticket for the temples is allocated to the Angkor Hospital for Children which provides free medical care to the children of Siem Reap.

Ta Prohm Temple

The next tourist day consisted learning about Cambodia's history, in particular the Cambodian Genocide executed by the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot. Out of respect, there is little pictures to show of this day. We visited the Landmine Museum where we learnt about the bombs/landmines used during the conflict and how this is still a prominent issue in Cambodia, as well as the Apopo Museum where we experienced a demonstration of the rats used to find landmines. In addition, we visited the killing fields which holds paintings by survivor Sum Rithy and is also where you can purchase his book depicting his experiences during the genocide period.

Apopo Museum

Approx an hour away from the city centre is Kulen Mountain, also known as the origin of the Khmer Empire. Our group hiked all the way up the mountain, stopping by a pagoda, the 1000 linga river, the reclining buddha and finally the waterfall (thinking about the amount of stairs we had to climb is making my brain hurt). However, the trek was definitely worth it, the landmarks were beautiful and full of history as told by our guide. Definitely wear appropriate clothes for swimming because the water at the waterfall was so cool and refreshing. 

Waterfall at Kulen Mountain

The last sightseeing activity we did was visit one of the villages on Tonle Sap, a lake larger than Singapore where you can take a boat to visit one of what is known as the 'floating village'. According to the guide, as the lake is freshwater, during the wet season the water is clear and is safer to swim in. As we went during the dry season the water was quite dirty but regardless, it was interesting to gain an insight into how the people lived as told by our guide. **warning: there are market-like places where the boat drops you off, do NOT touch or take pictures of/with the snakes as the locals will be expecting you to give a significant amount of money as a result Personally, I could've done without stopping at the market and spent more time going around the village in the boat as it was basically any other market.

view of the village from the market

We only had time to visit the Night Market (have no idea what it's called but it's around Pub Street). If you saw one of my posts, you would've seen some of the street food we tried (around 1USD each) and we picked up some great bargains on elephant pants and bracelets (do not pay more than 2USD for pants/bracelet). 

Night Market

In terms of accomodation, we stayed at the City River Hotel which is right across the river from the Night Markets, an abundance of local restaurants and the temples. The hotel was very clean, with friendly service, fast wifi, pool and bar and buffet breakfast (if you stay here, try the noodle soup and the eggs station - especially the omelette). And right behind the hotel is a laundromat - 2USD per kg, pick up next day and Champey's Hands Massage & Spa which my friend and I definitely took advantage of the 10USD relaxing massage for 60mins, especially on the days we walked a lot and our project days.

If you are interested in culture and history, are a foodie, want to relax or a little of everything (like me), Siem Reap is an amazing destination that fulfils the criteria. However I do not recommend Siem Reap for families with young children as its physically demanding and some temples do not allow access to children under 12.