From Phnom Penh we embarked on an 8 hour bus ride along the extremely bumpy and underdeveloped road to Siem Reap. It definitely had the feeling of a Ghanaian bus trip!
We finally arrived in Siem Reap to stay in the best hotel yet on the trip! We were all definitely stoked. Soria Moria hotel is another locally owned business that is 51% staff owned. Two interesting facts about Siem Reap:
1. Siem Reap province is the third poorest in the country despite being the most touristy. This is because majority of the businesses are under foreign investment.
2. The temples of Angkor Wat are actually owned by Vietnam due to a 99year lease the Cambodian government authorised. All the money for the day passes to the temples go to the Vietnamese government instead of the local community.
On day two we all set off in the very early morning to witness sunrise at Angkor Wat. Definitely a magnificent sight to behold but the amount of people and their selfie sticks somewhat detracted from the ambience. However, I can gripe all I want but this is the way of the technological world these days and it definitely didn't deter me from having both my camera and phone out to snap pics! At least I don't have a selfie stick!
The temples are beautiful, especially Ta Prom with its overgrown trees intertwined with the structures. We spent the day exploring the Ta Prom, Bayon and Angkor Wat temples. All are extremely impressive and special and one day was a prefect amount of time to experience them. I saw people with a seven day pass - surely that amount of temple sightseeing would take away something special from the awe inspiring spectacle.
Siem Reap itself is a lively town - especially around the area nicknamed 'Pub Street'. We discovered the night markets on the first night and went back every other night we were there. I ran into a couple more tarantula sellers (although thankfully no live ones) and was brave enough to get close enough to take a photo. On our last night we went to a bar where we watched a traditional Cambodian dance show while a nightclub raged below us. Quite strange in the most awesome way!
Whilst there we also visited a local floating village via dodgy canoe boat. Initially we thought the floating part had been an exaggeration as all the rickety, stilt built home were well above water level. However, being the dry season we had to venture a bit further along the river to see the villages. All houses in a community on the water are all tied together to stop them floating away and they change locations about twice a year. Surprisingly, about two kids a year from these villages leave to go to university. While a very low number it is quite impressive considering the living conditions. Hopefully in the coming years this number will continue to increase.
Overall, Cambodia has been one of my favourite countries to visit! Definitely one to add to everyone's to do list!
