We left Seoul Saturday September 18th after work and arrived into Bangkok during the wee hours of Sunday morning. We were only scheduled to be in Bangkok for a day, mainly as a stop over because neither of us had seen it although we had both been to Thailand. Our main purpose for this trip was to get to Siem Reap.
After a very short sleep, let's call it more of a nap, on Day 1 we got up and ready to see everything we wanted to in one day AH!! We started our tour by seeing the Reclining Buddha temple. It was gold, massive and beautiful. The temples around were beautiful too, very intricate and detailed.
After the Reclining Buddha we traveled to see the Floating Market which is actually a ways out of the city. We hopped into a boat which would take us through the channels. I expected the Floating Market to be all food but since its become a tourist stop it's mostly souvenirs and trinkets that you can buy. All I wanted was delicious fruit so as we floated around I was grabbing fresh Mangosteen and Mango's to munch. It was so interesting, and nothing like I thought it would be. I think the market has changed alot over time and isn't what it used to be but is still pretty cool. After the Floating Market we drove to te Tiger Temple for Angela, she has always wanted to pet a tiger. The temple had all these rules we didn't know about clothing wise SO I didn't end up going in but Angela did so she got to pet a bunch of different rescue tigers and get her photo taken. By the time we got back to our hotel it was pretty late and we still hadn't eaten. We grabbed some delicious thai food mmm I swear I could eat thai food every day if I had the chance. We made it an early night because our next day was going to be spent traveling via bus to Siem Reap.Day 2 of our adventure started early and slow. We took a shorter than we thought bus trip to the border between Thailand and Siem Reap. At the border we got our visas (wish my visa for Korea was this easy) and passed through easy peesey. Once in Cambodia, it was only about 2 hours to get into Siem Reap and to our hotel. So to recap, in one day we have taken these forms of transportation: small van, another small van, walked, shuttle bus, cab, tuk tuk (during our stay in Siem Reap I would learn to love tuk tuks). We arrive at our guesthouse Ei8ht Rooms which is right by the main downtown strip Pub Street. It is the cutest guesthouse, so perfect and romantic with Ang and I sharing a bed and our mosquito netting. Anyone who goes to Siem Reap must stay there.
With only a short walk we were at Pub Street where you can find most of the restaurants, bars, shops and markets. Every night on Pub Street, street-food type vendors set up shop and every night they take them down. The food is amazing and SO cheap, like 1 or 2$ for a meal which is actually crazy. That's where we had our first meal and it was delicious. All of the food we had in Cambodia was incredible actually, there was nothing I ate that I wouldn't have had again. Angela ate the Ammok curry which is a staple in Cambodia. It taste similar to thai curry and is just as yummy. After wards we went over to a bar called Angkor WHAT??? which is by far one of the best names for a bar EVER!! We tried the local beer which was delicious and hung out, watching the crowds flow through the streets. I was surprised to see how many travelers were in Siem Reap considering it was low season. I already knew I was going to like Siem Reap, it had a good vibe and I felt happy and comfortable being there.Day 3 was our trip to Angkor Wat. It was early but already stupid hot outside so we knew it was going to be a rough day. We were up nice and early to meet our tuk tuk driver who was going to be taking us around for the day. Before making our way to Angkor Wat we stopped for our basic vacation breakfast which consisted of fresh fruit mmmm pineapple, watermelon and our new favorite were these thingys that tasted similar to lychee but were all stringy on the outside. With our breaky in hand we drive to the Angkor Wat temples, buy our tickets and get to the main entrance. At this point I was beyond excited! I was finally getting to see Angkor Wat, a place I had wanted to see for years. Seeing Cambodia was a must for me and I couldn't believe that I was actually there, with Angela, at that very moment. We spent the day walking around the ruins of the different temples and it was truly unbelievable. They were larger than life and so amazing to think that they were built and then abandoned just like that. Many of the ruins are still intact but ofcourse some have taken hits over time.
My favorite was Ta Prohm because it was unique from all the others. It was smaller but had trees growing out of the ruins from all angles. There was something eerie about it, I still can't put my finger on it but it just seemed so unreal. The trees were enormous and so striking. I don't know how they grew, how they are so big or how the roots look the way they do like spider webs or candle wax but they were truly amazing.
Look how small I am compared to this tree, and that's not even half of the tree either.When leaving the temples we saw wild monkeys on the side of the road so we stopped to see them, little did we know we were about to get attacked!! These monkeys were not messing around but they were not as scary at the monkeys I met in Kuala Lumpur at the Baha Caves. We bought mini bananas and they didn't even wait for us to give them the bananas because they came straight to us and grabbed them. I think we were more afraid of them then they were of us because we were screaming and they were just fine, eating away.
Getting to see Angkor Wat was such a high point in my traveling life and a place I'll never forget.
Day 4 was a laid back day but still a good one. We took our morning pretty easy, ate breakfast, had some gelato and then took a tuk tuk to the country side with our friend Sarath and our tuk tuk driver David Beckham :) We drove through the countryside and through some smaller towns to see what real Cambodia life was like. The weather the beautiful, I still remember the clouds and the way the sky looked which was unreal.
We took a boat out to see the floating village which was quite the site. Literally, it's a village that floats on water. All of the houses are on water and they travel by boat...crazy right!! As we went by we were waving to the kids and people in the houses. We even stopped by the pagoda where are the children play to join them. We were skipping rope(well Angela was), lifting them up, handing out candy and taking pictures. The kids were adorable and there were so many of them. At first many of them were nervous to see us and play with us being the 2 whitest people in the universe BUT after awhile they warmed up and started lining up to play. After leaving the floating village we continued driving around the countryside and went to visit a cousin of David Beckham's (our drivers) and see their house. The were rice farmers and fed us this amazing rice treat which was wrapped in leaves and boiled. There was bean inside and you eat it with sugar mmm yummm! It was so nice to get out of the city, see green, especially after living in Seoul. I miss the quaintness and simple life, not like I ever had one, but I miss the idea of one which I haven't seen since moving to Seoul. It was great to see real people, away from the tourists and the busy spots, and just see the normal life that these people lead.
That was our last day in Siem Reap. After another wonderful dinner that cost a few dollars, it was Cambodia bbq and delish, we did a little more wandering and went over the the Night Market to do some shopping....and did we ever shop! How we got all our junk home is beyond me but my bag weighed twice as much as it did on the way over!!
Day 5: This was our travel day. We got up early to once again catch our taxi to the border, pass through and then catch our bus back to Bangkok. We got back to the city with quite alot of time left before our flight but not enough to actually do anything so we spent our time in the very air conditioned Bangkok airport eating, spending the last of our thai baht and sleeping. Finally it was time to leave our mini vacation and travel back to Seoul to continue our teaching life.
This marked the last trip I will take while living in Seoul. The next time I get on a plane, it will be taking me home to Canada back to where I belong...weird huh!! My ticket is booked, December 17th I will arrive back at Pearson to be home for the holidays and until I decide to leave again if at all :) I've seen 6 different countries in Asia, 7 including South Korea, and although there are still many more to explore, it'll have to wait for another time.
Until then,
peace out
janey xo
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