Cambodia Wrap Up:
Siem Reap was the only town in this country we spent time in, so our impressions of Cambodia are based solely on a pretty touristy experience. There is no doubt that the Angkors Wat’s and temples are truly remarkable and certainly worth visiting. I wish we could have come to the country during a less humid and hot time of year, since the heat seemed to zap so much of our energy – all we wanted to do at times was eat, sleep and lay by the pool. There is no denying the poverty stricken reality of Cambodia, which was truly evident by the site of many mal-nourished children begging for money – it truly was a sorrowful sight, and difficult to know how to help or change a situation like this. Jason and I certainly had many conversations about the harsh reality of life for the majority of the world, and how fortunate we are.
Highs/Best Moments: being very surprised at how amazing and unique Angkor Thom was, especially the temple of many faces; conquering our fear and eventually descending the central Angkor tower by the stairs instead of the railing (thus also bypassing the line of about 200 people); energy massage at Visaya Spa in FCC Hotel; lovely breakfasts made per order; our Khmer sampler plate at the FCC Hotel; cheap tuk-tuks; walking around town and along the river; shopping at the old market and doing some hardball negotiating; drinking dollar glasses of wine at The Blue Pumpkin, all while observing a very loud, drunk girl entertain the restaurant; receiving USD from the atms;
Lows/Worst Moments: terrible wifi connection at the FCC hotel; intense mid-afternoon heat at Angkor Wat leading to a semi-metldown with Jason; tour groups mobbing the temples; Tea our tour guide going on and on and on in very boring rants; MOSQUITO’s infesting our room; ridiculously expensive Visa and departure costs at the airport equaling a total of $100; being charged an extra $12 on Air Asia for going 3 kilo’s over the weight limit on our bags
Sights: temples; monks; tuk-tuks; fancy resorts and hotels; internet cafes; children trying to sell us postcards or asking for money; torrential downpours out of nowhere
Food and Drink: Khmer sampler platter; fresh shrimp spring roll at the Blue Pumpkin; the crispy breakfast bacon that I actually ate one morning (Jason was actually proud of me, since I've only tried bacon once before); warm chocolate croissants; Viva Mexican restaurant's $5 pictcher margaritas and yummy quesadilla ; Café Indochine dinner of different Khmer dishes including a coconut curry fish dish;
Favorites:
Towns: Siem Reap (not much of a choice there)
Accommodations: Sofitel Resort – we used the internet connection here which although pricey was reliable and facilities looked very nice (although the hotel was completely void of people)
Food: Khmer sampler plate at FCC Hotel and Amazing sundae at Le Grand Café
Restaurants: Café Indochine
Drink: Angkor beer
Activities: climbing up the steep stairs of the temples; getting off the beaten path in the jungle temple and realizing we were in the “keep out” area; shopping at the old market for some presents; massages at Visaya Spa at the FCC Hotel; walking into town; sweating like we were in a sauna 24/7
Internet Connections: The Blue Pumpkin’s free wifi
Least Favorites:
Towns: The area directly outside of Angkor Wat's pedestrian walkway -- although not a town, it was mobbed with practically as many people who could fit in a town -- this area was total chaos, and trying to connect up with Tea our tour guide was a major pain!
Accommodations: FCC Hotel – although a gorgeous boutique hotel on the outside with a lovely salt water pool, the complete infestation of mosquitoes in our room (due to them not putting a seal on the bottom of the door) and the unusable internet connection made it a frustrating stay
Food: chicken fajitas at Viva Restaurant -- what place only gives you 2 tortillas for fajitas!?!?
Restaurants: Nothing sticks out, since all the restaurants were just average
Drink: $4.00 bottle of water at FCC that costs 65 cents from the local store
Activities: trying to politely tell children trying to sell us postcards or anything “no thank you”
Internet Connections: FCC Hotel
Exchange Rate: 4,100 Riels equals $1.00 USD
