To Angkorwat and back

We had an e-learning week in september - such a genius idea! We theoretically have school, but in order to practice for epidemics like swine flu everything is done online - NO LECTURE NO TUTORIALS (score!). It was obvious that such an opportunity shouldn't be left unnoticed, so we decided to go for a weeks vacation (because exchange life is so hard) to Cambodia! Flights there are usually not alot more than 100€ and the country itself could be considered cheap.

So our journey began by flying to Phnom Penh. At the airport cafeteria (we needed breakfast) we met two Singaporean girls also on a mini vacay. We joined forces and shared a tuktuk to the city center and tried to navigate our way to the right bus terminal. There are multiple transport companies operations from Phnom Penh to elsewhere, and we were determined to take the best one, Giant Ibis (has wifi) to Sihanoukville. Unfortunately it was full, so we made our way to another reputable company Mekong Express. There were no free seats for Sihanoukville left that day, so we decided to change plans and accompany our new friends to Siem Reap. The bustrip takes for quite a while, so wi-fi was very welcomed!

At Siem Reap there are multiple hostels, and rooms are cheap. I shared a room with a friend, both ending up paying 7 euros/night. The Siem Reap center is full of life during evening - restaurants and bars for every liking. For many travelers -as well for us - the main thing to do are the Angkorwat temples. The sunrise is super beautiful there, but be prepared to wake up 5am! (yes i was tired.) Note that there always tons of tourists watching the sunrise, so don't expect to be alone. We also ate breakfast there (PANKAKES). You can literally spend a day at the temples, but from 6am to 11 was already enough. Remember to take something to cover your shoulders and knees if you want to access all the temples. You'll also need a tuktuk for the day (even if you like to walk, the sun will be overpowering and the distances are long). Try to bargain with the drivers, don't pay over 15USD.

Monks doing their thing

Just a bit after sunrise

After the temples, we headed to the floating village, a place only accessible by boat. We rented a boat with driver. I recommend you to stop somewhere in the village for a meal - the fish they have and cook are GOOD. They will try to take you to an orphanage so that you'll buy overpriced rice from the villagers and donate it to the children. The idea of helping children appeals to all, but the fact I personally didn't like about was how they commercialized it and made the children a tourist attraction - a normal childhood? sure!

Locals fishing and chilling

The Floating Village

From Siem Reap we continued to Sihanoukville - our planned starting destination - by minibus. Wifi was once again promised, which didn't work for long. IF you are TALL, it might be slightly uncomfy, for the transports aren't always designed for westerns... Anyhow, we spent three days in Sihanoukville, eating well in our hotel breakfast buffée and the seaside restaurants. Here is were we had to study a bit, so alot of Sihanoukvilles treasures are yet to be discovered by us. For our last night we went back to Phnom Penh. Our hotel (I DO RECOMMEND IT) was extremely good and cheap compared to the quality. The Teahouse Hotel was new and the staff were customer oriented. As a nice surprise, our room was upgraded, as they had ran out of the standard rooms.

TeaHouse Hotel

One thing to take into consideration when you travel to Cambodia is the rainy season. We were there during that time, which was actually quite nice. It was hot but not exhausting, and yes we did get tanned! And oh, like in most parts of Asia, the drivers are all insane!

Our driver blocked the road... No idea what was his master plan