5 Days in Siem Reap, Cambodia (CNY 2018)

Here we go again.  Hai guys! For returning readers, thanks for following my blog posts thus far. For newcomers; HAI NICE TO HAVE YOU STUMBLE  upon this blog!
This time around, I recently conquered Siem Reap!!!
One of the reason Siem Reap was in my bucketlist was because i was (and am still) very interested in the famous ruins of AngkorWat National Park.

Day 1: Arrival

As soon as we landed we raced towards the booth for local simcards. I got mine at the arrival gate.

​MY CHOICE:
SMART - 3 GBS for 7 days and unlimited relevant social media apps and $2 credit = $6.
However, from my googling and word of mouth I heard that Cellcard or Mobitel are better as they are the two 'bigger' players in the market ( I did not get to use these two telcos however)

Don't need to worry about English being spoken. The people who man the booths selling these simcards are very used to dealing with foreigners and are amazingly efficient - at least in my experience.

Our Hotel provided us with free pickup services so we had no trouble getting to our hotel.  We settled in, washed up and started exploring the town on foot. Which brought us right into "Pub Street". Good old Pub Street. 

We decided not to do much on our first day, so we decided to explore place on foot and  do a lot of googling and asking the locals their recommendations.
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Day 2: Wat Thmey Killing Field & War Museum & Circus 

Cambodian War Museum

• Wat Thmey Killing Field
• War Museum
• Phare The Cambodian Circus

Phare The Cambodian Circus

Wat Thmey Killing Field

Day 3: Temple Run #1 - Angkor Archaeological Park 

Personally, Angkor Archaeological Park was the highlight of the trip. Vast architectural delight was heaven for any amateur photographer. The lighting was on point, the tactile arts crafted to perfection.  Worn out structures made it all the more wonderfully mysterious and magical. well at least to me.

The entrance fees for a visit to the Angkor Park changed as of 1.2.2017. The planned increases for the Angkor-Pass are quite substantial, as shown below;
                                        Ticket                               Old Price                                New Price     
                                             1 Day                                        20 $                                                   37 $
                                            3 Days                                       40 $                                                  62 $
                                            7 Days                                       60 $                                                  72 $

The prices apply only to foreign visitors. There is no discount for students, but for children younger than 12 is free (with showing their passport).
For Cambodians, a visit to the Angkor temples is still free, which is very good!

We decided to get a one day pass ( $37). 

1. Angkor Wat
2. Angkor Thom
3. Bayon Temple
4. Chau Say Tevoda
5. Ta Keo
6. Ta Prohm
7. Banteay Kdei

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Day 4: Relax!! Spa Day! Food

We woke this morning sore all over because of all the temples we managed to salvage through.
6 TEMPLES IN  A DAY IS EXHAUSTING!!
We opted for massages in the mornings and afternoons and just plain do as little as possible. We can't really move  so not much exploring was done during the day. except eat

TO EAT IN SIEM REAP

1. Artisanal Ice Creams (made from local homegrown ingredients)
2. Deep Fried Pork Rice (its not really deep fried - more like grilled
3. Stir fried morning glory
4. FISH/CHICKEN/PORK Amok
5. HAPPY Pizza (i think i had too much of these) - it makes you happy *wink2*
6. Cow Climbing Mountain
7. Deep Fried  Insects (tarantulas are available)
8. cheap draft beers
9. Fruit Juices (my favorite was Mango Juice just for 75 cents!)
10. Fried Ice Cream

For dinner, we got tickets for a buffet dinner and dance show for only $12!!! Buffet spread was GENEROUS and with major variations so there were loads of different food to choose from!
After that, we decided to look for this famous bar that showcases cabaret shows and was rated quite high online. We had to go through dark alleyways and weed-smoke filled bars to find this particular bar. We almost gave up when we came across it hidden in between local residences.

Hence we sat ourselves in a bar that promises a superb cabaret show and it indeed was AMAZING!
BarCode Bar:
 The drag shows and performances here were quite good, and the drinks were decent too. They do have quite an extensive menu, but the strength of the drinks does vary. Service us quite good and the vibe here is quite energetic. I had an enjoyable evening. However i doubt I will rush back but i would also not say no to a visit if friends wanted to try it. I am happy to have given it a chance. Male staff was unusually flirty friendly for a gay bar however.

Day 5: Temple Run #2 - Beng Mealea

The journey was a long one but entrance fee was only $5.
This was my favorite temple throughout our trip. Second largest to Angkor Wat,
​

Day 6: Return - Early Flight

On our last day we did our last minute shopping and last look around in town as our flight was in the afternoon.

Conclusion

There wasn't much for a tourist to do here in Siem Reap honestly. The main highlight of this city would definitely be the temples and cheap alcohol. But Cambodia seriously has the potential to produce more tourist activities. and i hope more will come up soon.

TIPS

1. Haggle your effin ass off. Its basically haggle or die .jk
2. Use PassApp Taxi for cheaper TukTuk rides. They do not have Uber or Grab (Or to at least know the approximate price for the  ride-we usually use this app to check the rates and flag down a tuktuk and haggle the price)
3. Tips are not necessary in Cambodia. It is not their culture. But if you are happy with their service, and have extra funds for tips, it is usually welcomed.
4. You can opt for a hot air balloon ride for an aerial view of  Angkor Archaeological Park. But it was not within our budget. Maybe next time.
5. Its actually easy to get mushrooms and weed  to smoke/eat here if you ask the right person. 
6. Be nice, respectful and polite. This is a universal rule dont cha think?