After indulging in a 10-day trip to Australia and New Zealand I felt it was time to explore a culturally important part of Asia and learn about its rich history. A visit to Siem Reap, Cambodia was just the ticket for a spiritually awakening, historic and educational trip.
Our time was spent doing a variety of things. We (my mum and I) spent our stay at the Victoria Angkor Hotel & Spa just far enough away from Pub Street, but close enough to the livelihood of the town where we could Tuk Tuk into the center. With three days to fill, we used our time wisely to do a variety of things in the city. Our first afternoon was spent lying by the hotel pool before heading to the Park Hyatt for afternoon tea (super Cambodian and culturally awakening...lol). We then took a Tuk Tuk to Kandal village to visit friends with businesses in the area. The first Louise Loubatieres - a gorgeous boutique with homeware, jewelry, artwork, etc. owned by Louise - a French/English/Cambodian lady. Next, we visited The Village Cafe - a restaurant under renovation owned by my mum's friend Stewart, who she flew with when she worked for British Airways. We spent the evening drinking and eating their delicious food while being treated by the wonderful staff. After our day of travel and exploring part of SR, we went back to the hotel for an early night. The following morning was spent visiting the famous temples of Siem Reap. With an early wakeup call, we enjoyed the amazing hotel breakfast before meeting with our guide - Prom, who took us around the temples that morning. We headed to the temple government building to pick up our passes ($37/day for those interested). Our first visit was Ta Phrom - a temple surrounded by trees and shrubbery with gorgeous and old architecture. Our next temple visit was the famous - Angkor Wat and let me tell you - it was just as amazing as everyone says it is. Gorgeous from every angle, the temple housed Buddhist Monks where they practice throughout the week. As the day went on, the temples began to get busier and our last visit to Bayon was very crowded. This temple, famous for its faces built into the sides of each temple was amazing experience. Unfortunately, the crowd slightly ruined the experience of the visit as we found ourselves rushing through the site to avoid people. After the 3rd visit, we found ourselves "templed-out" as they call it and went to lunch at the recommended 'Chanrey Tree' and enjoyed shared appetizers. We returned to our hotel, showered, slept and got ready to go out for the evening. At about 5pm, we Tuk Tuk'd to the Old Market and did some shopping before going to dinner at 'Malis' - a well-known restaurant along the river (another recommendation). Good food and drink, however lacked atmosphere for the potential the restaurant had with its size and design. Again, we returned to the hotel for a quick night-cap before having another early night. Our final morning was spent lounging around the pool during the morning before indulging in the 'Frangipani Spa' package and getting a body scrub, massage and facial in the afternoon. The spa was fantastic; everything from the service to the staff to the small details like flowery foot baths and 'magic' tea. After our much needed (lol not really) spa trip, we met Stewart at his restaurant. We jumped into his drivers Tuk Tuk and he tuk (lol see what I did there) us to a far away resort (where Angelina Jolie stays when she visits) for sundowners. The resort Phum Baitang was unlike anything else in Siem Reap, not only was it miles from the main village but the individual huts and wildlife set it apart from surrounding hotels. After our drinks, we went to yet another recommended restaurant - 'Olive' before going to bed before our early morning flight. The trip was fantastic and another country to check off of the list of travels!!
3 Comments
Papa & Nana
6/2/2017 23:25:39
Hi Olivia,
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Natalie
9/2/2017 19:21:05
Hey Olivia, what a great blog & summary of your trip. You're a lovely writer - it was interesting, quirky & funny! Well done! Keep it up xx
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Granny @ Grandad
13/2/2017 19:34:26
How lucky a girl you are - you have done some amazing trips and enjoyed the local cuisine and drinks not to mention the hot spots and temples way to go girl.....
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