from planes to tuktuks
After a thrilling adventure from Singapore, Jasper and I touched down at Siem Reap.
It was a much simpler airport compared to the grand scale of Singapore, giving off a much more provincial vibe with its wooden exterior. We quickly made our way inside, I felt the excitement in me growing by the second as this was one of my dream destinations.
The security check for Covid was surprisingly rigid, the immigration process however was quite smooth. Jasper decided to exchange some money right at the airport which was a good call to save some time.
I had been in touch with Daniel, from Han & Daniel Villa Boutique. We got an amazing deal here with a private room and twin beds. The place also came with a swimming pool to boot.
Daniel had prepared a tuktuk transport to his place so when we got out of the airport, a tuktuk driver was holding a sign with my name on it. After making our pleasantries, we got on a pretty luxe tuktuk, reminiscent of a limo. It was honestly one of the most high-class and badass tuktuk’s I’ve ever seen with its slick black design and an elongated body just like a horse carriage.
The ride gave us a chance to see what Siem Reap was like because aside from Angkor Wat, I honestly didn’t know much about this place. It was very provincial indeed, its outskirts was quite similar to Vang Vieng but the city center was much more bustling.
We got to our hotel all fine and dandy, got checked in and left our things and got what we needed for the day.
the freedom of the road
Now, we were ready to visit Angkor Park but not before getting our tickets and e-bikes. Our tuktuk driver took us to the ticket office which was literally empty. We went straight to the cashier to get our 3-day ticket while the tuktuk driver tried to convince us to take less days so we can go with him to other places and he also tried to get us to rent a tuktuk to ride around the park which I could understand but we were not having it.
There was also another tour guide who was asking if we needed a guide but we wanted to experience it at our own pace which is why we opted to do a self-guided tour with e-bikes.
Prior to coming, I was also in-touch with a guy that handled the Bayon E-bikes Rental shop and we had our reservations ready so we asked our tuktuk to drop us there and we would be using the bike to head to Angkor Park from there on out.
After getting our e-bikes, I was surprised to see that it was literally like a scooter! I was expecting it to be similar to what I rode in Hokkaido which was like a battery-assisted bike but a lot of the work still had to come from my own peddaling but this one had those pedals just for show and it pretty much ran on a small engine of some sort. Exciting! At least with this, we won’t get tired and this was pretty much a life saver though I was a bit nervous going at it straight away but hey, it’s why we’re here.
Our guy gave us the full run-down on how to use the bikes and the recharging systems, he had a charging station inside Angkor Park as well and we could change our batteries anytime on our way home. We got on the bikes, I put on my tunes, and cranked that handlebar to the max and we were off!
The experience from riding this e-bike versus the tuktuk was not comparable at all. The exhilaration I was feeling coupled with small amounts of adrenaline as I cruised along the roads was absolutely euphoric. I felt on top of the world and I wasn’t even in Angkor Park yet.
The bike came with a phone holder, and since I pretty much did all the research for the routes, I navigated for us with Jasper trailing behind. The bike rides around Siem Reap was easily one of the top core memories that really made Cambodia special, without it the experience would be totally different.
Time flew by as the ride was enjoyable all throughout, though it did take some getting used too especially navigating through the traffic but it wasn’t that much different from riding a bike except this one was going at more than 30km/h.
We stopped by at the checkpoint which finally meant we were officially in Angkor Park grounds. I stopped playing my tunes so I could be fully immersed in Cambodian culture and the ancient sacred grounds. It was time to being our temple-hopping adventure.
arrival
As we approached the southern gate, Tonle Om, we were greeted by dozens of statues lined up across from each other in parallel leading up to the gate. I suppose this was the gate to enter the kingdom. There were some other dudes that Jasper took a photo of as they posed with their scooters.
Just a couple of meters from Tonle Om, unbeknownst to us at that time, stood Bayon Temple. Just approaching this absolute unit of a temple already took my breath away. What was this grand fortress looking structure? The area it was covering must have been a couple of hectares wide, and even from a far we could see these grey pillars towering above us. It’s magnetic pull was so strong, we immediately got side-tracked the moment we laid our eyes on this temple. I invited Jasper with a “Hey, I think we should check it out.”
So we parked our bikes pretty much anywhere as there was nobody else in the area and lo and behold even this temple was still empty! I couldn’t believe it at all, it seemed like the rumours were true in that Angkor Park was simply devoid of tourists. We were in for a once-in-a-lifetime treat.
Both of us were already saying amongst ourselves at just how epic this temple was, there were a lot of preserved statues and carvings all around us and as we got in the actual temple grounds, the whole place was just magnificent. Then, we saw the faces, they were carved on the main towers. It dawned on me that this was indeed Bayon, one of the main temples in Angkor Park and while we did try to explore and climb up some steps here and there, we saw the sign that the whole temple would be taking a whopping 2 hours so we decided to come back here on another day before our whole itinerary gets turned upside down.
temple-hopping in angkor park
We headed to the two gates near Bayon, which were the Victory and Khmoch Gates. Khmoch Gate was also known as the Gate of the Dead and it had a face on it as well. The other gate we had to take the wild route and went full dirt-bike mode which was actually really difficult to maneuver in the grainy and rocky terrain. It was a good thing I didn’t crash or hurt myself so early in the trip.
From there we went to the twin temples. Each on the opposing side of the road were Thommanon and Chao Say Tevoda, both were not on the same scale of Bayon of course but they were built different and we were able to climb on top of them like bonafide explorers.
There were rooms inside the temples that were much cooler and I just found myself jumping around or sitting down wherever I pleased. I was also really excited to be able to test out a lot of the photography composition techniques that I have learned though not a lot of the shots seemed to resonate with me yet.
We tried to go to this bridge called Spean Thma but the roads were under construction and we were going around in circles so we decided to go to Ta Keo next which was another humongous temple.
Seeing the temple and the amount of steps going upwards wasn’t really the most exciting thing but it was still a beautiful one. It had several layers and it was of an orange hue, though most temples seem to have similar architecture, much of the temples around the park were built several hundred years from each other and under different ruling parties so in reality each one was extremely unique.
Some were under Buddhism, Hinduism and some were a little bit of both mixed in. We stopped by a lone vendor’s stall in Ta Keo since I had left my swimming gear in the Philippines, I opted to buy one here to use at our swimming pool. The lady offered me 4 dollars for the green shorts but seeing her having no customers made me give her a counter offer of 5 dollars instead and she was somehow super delighted about it, she gave me and Jasper a fresh cold bottle of water which was an amazing treat.
Truly, a simple act of kindness always sparks another.
From there, we made a brief stop at Ta Nei which was adjacent to the main temple of the day Ta Prohm.
ta prohm
Ta Prohm was definitely the highlight of the day, it really stood out in Angkor Park. Hidden deep in the jungle, we made our way and parked our bikes where a couple of tuktuk drivers were also parked.
As we made our way deeper into the woods, we started to hear music. Just around the corner was a small band playing Cambodian traditional instruments, some of them were even handicapped, so we left a small donation for the relaxing atmosphere and continued on.
The temple was still mostly empty surprisingly, what makes Ta Prohm truly unique was the vegetation growing out of everywhere. Almost like the temple and the jungle were merging into one. It had numerous humongous trees perched on top of various parts of the temple. The vibes here were so different compared to any other temple we visited that day, the energy was immense, like we were no longer in Angkor Park.
There were moss covering almost every wall and these white trees and its roots that seemed to twist and turn into various shapes, swallowing the temple whole. It really made me wonder just how did things end up the way they did and how long did it take to even reach this state?
It had started to rain for a bit too, I was afraid it would continue for the rest of the day but after a short but sudden downpour, it cleared out and we were back to smooth sailing.
the circus is in town
After Ta Prohm, we passed by Srah Srang which was a very tranquil area, the water still and unmoving. Jasper said it was man-made.
We stopped by Banteay Kdei and Prasat Kravan on the way back to town. Both temples were pretty good too, smaller in scale, couldn’t hold a candle to Ta Prohm but we managed to do our itinerary just perfectly.
We stopped by to recharge our batteries and were finally able to take a dip at the pool which was pretty much paradise after a long day of temple hopping. The day wasn’t over yet though, we were going to go to Phare Circus. We got on our bikes and rode a couple of meters to the circus where we were warmly welcomed and got our tickets. We had dinner here as well and were able to try a lot of Cambodian cuisine. I was so hungry I ordered both the orange-sauce chicken and noodles, and still had room to eat some of Jasper’s desert.
Soon, the Big Top opened and we were able to get in line just in time to have a pick at the seats. The circus was nothing short of spectacular, the acrobatics, music and tricks got the crowd going wild and even though I was already a bit sleepy, I was still really able to enjoy the vibes.
pre rup
The next day went down in history as the infamous journey to the Rolous Group which is an entire adventure that involved getting lost in the jungle and our bikes running out of batteries in the middle of nowhere. You can read more about that here!
After getting back to Angkor Park from the Rolos Group, we saw Pre Rup.
Even from afar, Pre Rup stood overbearing. One of the most prominent temples to watch the sunset and with good reason. It was probably the tallest temple we have seen.
Having multiple floors with giant steps that extended towards the sky. It had numerous towers and pillars with a distinguished arrow-like roof.
It also had elephant statues on some corners. I have seen pictures of Pre Rup online and the crowds were insane as most of the tours end up here towards the end of the day for sunset.
Thankfully, it was absolutely empty while we were here, I can’t even begin to be grateful for such a rare experience.
We climbed to the very top part and were able to take awesome photos. We went down after awhile and stopped by the vendor’s where Jasper bought some souvenirs and exchanged some pleasant conversation until it was time for us to finally find the charging station at Srah Srang.
seeing the countryside
After getting convinced by the vendors from Pre Rup, we set off to backtrack our way back to Banteay Samre. We passed by very remote areas where people lived very simple lives.
They sold fruit and drinks on the streets to passing cars, time moved a bit slowly here while our bikes were going at full speed. The roads were of a rusty orange hue and so was the soil around this part of town.
We somehow got side tracked again by some random sign on the road that I had thought was pointing to Banteay Samre but it just led us to the wrong direction so we got back to the main street and asked a vendor for directions.
Thankfully, we managed to get there without too much of a hassle like the morning’s Prei Monti fiasco.
Banteay Samre had the orange tones around its walls and the deeper portion was of a mahogany brown. I was able to take one of my favorite photos though so it was really good. We freshened up in the bathroom and got ready for the next one. Along the way, we also visited the Eastern Mebon which was the sister temple to Pre Rup. Both similar in structure except Pre Rup was definitely much larger.
the water temple
Preah Khan was the definition of infinity. The temple’s main hall extended so far it was impossible to see where it ended. It was a super trippy temple with it’s rectangular framed doors that seemed to lead into more doors just like two mirrors facing each other.
Each room had these doors that extended in all four directions and exploring this temple was akin to going around a labyrinth. We tried to go from one end to the other, using the central stupa as a landmark because it would have been very easy to get lost around here.
Crossing through a dozen doors, we got to the very end which led to another path going deeper into the jungle, all the way to the temple’s other entrance so we decided to just head back. I tried to take a peek at the other sides but seemed like they were of no interest any longer to Jasper.
On the way to the water temple of Neak Pean, we passed by two small temples. Banteay Prei and Krol Ko, both were small and in ruins but they were on the way so we decided to stop by and take a peek.
Neak Pean itself was very unique as it was situated in the middle of the lake. We had to use a makeshift crickety bridge but not before being asked if we wanted to go on a sunrise tour tomorrow morning by one of the ticket guards.
It was a pretty good tip that would pivot me to try going for the sunrise the following day. The views of the lake on the way to the temple was a huge highlight as there were a lot of tree trunks poking out and right beside the bridge were lily pads and lotus flowers in full bloom.
Once we got to the island, we had to go deeper into the woods to see this amazing temple. It stood in the middle of a perfect square pool, casting its reflection in the still green waters. We made a lap around the temple to see it from all angles before heading back out and crossing the bridge.
ta som
Our next stop was Ta Som. I would describe it as the child of Ta Prohm and Bayon if they ever made a baby. Having much of the tree and root covered jungle vibes similar to Ta Prohm, the real jewel of the temple was located at the end.
The final part of the temple was a dark tunnel leading to a field, which doesn’t seem to special at first but when looking back behind, we were greeted by a similar face from Bayon and in front of it were these two trees that seemed to hug each other, their tops forming a heart as their roots entangled each other going inside the tunnel we emerged from.
On the way back, we passed by numerous smaller temple heads that were dotted all around the grounds with the lake on the right side. I think this area was one of the coolest sights so far as we cruised by with our bikes. They were so many temples sticking out from the ground, some grouped together, others stood alone. When we got back to our hotel, I was so happy to be swimming in our pool again. That’s also when it started to rain a bit so we were lucky to have been able to escape another potential rainy day.
ganja on pubstreet
We decided to go find some greens in Pub Street while searching for dinner. It was quite the infamous place for it.
It definitely was easy to find one as soon as we walked a couple of steps, we were approached by someone offering a massage with “boom boom.” I jokingly asked what’s boom boom to which he laughed. I told him that we’re looking for ganja to which his face perked up and said “I have!” My mistake here was not negotiating and just going with him to pick up, $25 for 5g of seemed alright for us though.
After the deal, he brought us back to where we started and gave us some tips on where to try some traditional Cambodian food. We ate a pretty good meal that night with me once again over-ordering cuz I was always so hungry after a long day. Jasper quoted the term “takaw-gutom” which was pretty interesting as I didn’t know there was a word for it in Tagalog.
Back at our hotel, I quickly got to work in making our joints and we smoked up at the gardens. It was an amazing high, the Cambodians know what’s up. But Jasper didn’t get high at all. The guy probably has cannabis immunity.
The next day, it was finally time for our journey to Angkor Wat & Angkor Thom.
