May 21 - 26, 2017

My mother and I flew to Siem Reap together ($39.60 a person) from Bangkok. My mom left for Busan on May 25 on Vietnam Air ($176). It was easy to get a visa on arrival for US citizens ($30 each, $2 if you don’t have a passport photo). Immediately after exiting the airport, you’ll see a taxi stand where you can book a taxi for $10 or a van taxi for a few dollars more. 

Warning: They will sell you hard on tours you should take for the rest of your trip. The costs seemed reasonable ($40-50/day) but I don’t know anything about the quality of the tours.

Cambodia is a place that crushes and rebuilds your spirit at the same time. It’s hard to experience a country so close to such tragedy. Up to 2 million Cambodians were killed during the Khmer Rouge period (1975-1979). That’s 1 out of every 4 people gone! Some killed for being educated, some for merely having soft hands. Few died “easily” - children were beaten to death against trees and adults were tortured in many different ways. My heart was heavy after a lot of what I saw in history museums.

The name of the city literally means Siam defeated, referring to the victory of the Khmer Empire over the army of the Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) in the 17th century. We stayed at the Tropical Breeze Guesthouse for $14.34 a night. I really enjoyed the location as it was next to some decent restaurants and within walking distance of the night market and pub street. 

Angkor Wat, etc.

Angkor Wat is the reason most tourists come here, as it’s the largest religious monument in the world. It is unlike all the other Khmer temples in that it faces west and its design is inspired by 12th Century Hinduism. Its symmetrical towers are depicted on the modern Cambodian flag. Funny fact: There aren’t any buildings in tall taller than Angkor Wat! A friend recommended hiring local, Tohor, to guide us. He charged $95 for a full day at Angkor. We also purchased tickets early in the morning ($37 for a 1-day or $62 for a 3-day pass). 

We arrived at Angkor Wat before sunrise. After exploring Angkor Wat, we went to the Angkor Thom complex (Bayon, Baphuon Phimeanakas, Terrace of Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King), Chau say Tevoda Thommanon, Takeo , Ta Promh, Bonteay Kdei, and Banteay Srey.

Baphuon is a “temple mountain” which was actually so heavy that it had partially collapsed the hill which served as its foundation. Restoration records were lost during the decades of fighting and it is still being reconstructed. The causeway leading up to it is intact though, and you can still get a sense of how impressive it must have been. 

Ta Prohm is a beautiful temple wonderfully overgrown by roots and tangled up in the trees that have grown up in and around it. Banteay Kdei is a big temple complex whose length is what made its biggest impact on my tired legs. A long central corridor stretched back with courtyards and rooms opening off of it. I guess it would have been more of a monastic nature than a temple proper.

We ended our day visiting Banteay Srey, which is 25 km outside of town and considered by most people to be the loveliest and most artistically perfect of the temples. 

Phnom Kulen National Park

Tohor took us to the Phnom Kulen National Park, which included the reclining buddha temple and waterfall. We also saw Kbal Spean (aka 1000 Lingas). It’s easy to then go to lunch and then to Tonlé Sap Lake. This tour cost us $65 for the day and we were able to leave whenever we wanted to.