Every now and then airline tickets would go on sale and it’s
one of those promotional air fares that I purchased for my trip to Siem Reap,
Cambodia. From Kuala Lumpur, the return ticket only cost $40.00. I then used my
Agoda points to book a 2-night stay at Mekong Angkor Palace Hotel.
Travelling alone gives you that freedom of doing things your
own way when you want it, the way you want it. I have preferred going on trips
solo but I am the careful and organized kind of solo traveler. I don’t want to
waste my time when I travel, I like to see and learn new things. I read a lot –
Trip Advisor reviews, Wikipedia; I research on the places I want to go and I
then plan ahead of time.
For this trip, I checked quotes from several transport
providers and the best review I’ve got was from a certain Mr Sok Phat whose
e-mail replies were prompt and efficient. I booked a private car with a driver
to pick me up and drop me off wherever I want to for a whole 2 days and that
was $79.00. I felt it was a good deal as I was travelling alone.
I was picked-up from Siem Reap airport by the driver Mr Sok
Phat in the morning of the first day. I checked in at the hotel.
First stop was the Bantay Srey Temple whose name means “citadel
of women” or “citadel of beauty”.
This was followed by a visit to Preah Khan.
Preah Khan Temple Entrance
Inside the Preah Khan Temple
The Preah Khan Temple
First of my favourite is the third
stop – Neak Pean. It is a temple that
you will reach by walking on a bridge on a lake.
Neak Pean
Neak Pean
Neak Pean
After Neak Pean, I checked out Ta Som Temples followed by a
visit to East Mebon. These were all part of an organized tour itinerary so most
tourists will all visit the same places basically, unless they requested to
customize with their tour operator.
Ta Som Temples
Fish-eye Selfie at East Mebon
My first day ended with the last stop
at Pre Rup Temple.
Pre Rup Temple
The sun is scorching hot. It is advisable to not wear short
sleeves shirt (if you are concerned on getting a tan without being at the
beach), sun glasses, sun screen lotion (if you are going sleeveless), umbrella
(if you don’t want to be in the heat for long). Do not wear short and skimpy
shirts as you are visiting temples. Some places require women to cover
themselves before entering the temples. Also, it is best to wear the most
comfortable walking and climbing shoes you have because of the amount of
walking and climbing steps you will do if you take this tour.
On the second day, I got up early for the sunrise at Angkor
Wat followed by a trip to Angkor Thom.
I really did not catch a very good photo of the sunrise, but
I did better during the afternoon. The driver took me to Angkor Wat at 5:00am
and there were a lot of tourists waiting for the sunrise. They will all crowd
at the lake – apparently it is the best place to take a photo of the Angkor
Wat.
My favourite temple is the Bayon Temples, which was the next
stop, after I took a short nap from the sunrise tour. Bayon Temples is a part
of a connection of Temples and the whole lot is called Angkor Thom.
From Bayon,
I started my tour…
Bayon
Bayon
Bayon
Baphuon Temples was up next. A bit of a walk will take you to
the temple grounds.
The way to the Baphuon Temples.
Climbing up the stairs inside the Baphuon Temples...will make you see the amazing view.
Ta Phrom Temple was the setting for the movie Tomb Raider.
This ancient tree is its greatest landmark.
After Ta Phrom, I walked to the jungle where I saw three to
four smaller temples. I met up with my driver around the area of the Terrance
of the Leper King. It took me over 3 hours for the whole walk: because I got
lost in the jungle and because I was slowly walking appreciating the
surroundings. I was glad to see my driver at the end of the Terrace of the
Leper King. That was the end of the tour of Angkor Thom.
We then visited the Angkor Wat again,in the afternoon, where I finally caught a postcard photo of the temples with the famous lake reflection.
The Amazing Angkor Wat
The third day was an early flight back to KL; that was the
end of my short yet productive trip.
