It is a learning process, here at Angkor. You have to figure out how to avoid the amazing hordes of tourists who are here. They say that 3 million will come to Angkor this year. I gotta believe it will be a lot more then that.
DO get to your first temple of the day at sunrise, around 6 or 6:30. Today we were out at Bantey Serai, about a 45 minute drive. We arrived at 6:45 and were pretty much alone, maybe 5 other tourists. We looked around this amazing temple (the best carvings of any temple at Angkor) for an hour and as we were leaving the temple to have a little breakfast outside, the tour groups started arriving.
Yesterday at Angkor Wat, the most famous temple (and not really my favorite...it's just a little too perfect), we arrived at sunrise. About 1 million of those 3 million tourists were also here. They were all outside the west gate of the temple, watching the sun rise over it. So Amy and I went inside and up to the second level. There were only about 10 other tourists inside and no tour groups. Suddenly, this amazing chanting started, a very fast chant of some kind, that for the life of me sounded like "Cha-cha yo-yo-ma", but I'm sure was something different. We soon found about 20 Cambodian ladies seated on a ledge, over looking the east gate and chanting to the sunrise. For us and about 4 other tourists, it was magic. We looked around the temple for about an hour and NONE of those tour groups came inside. They must have all gone back to their hotels for breakfast. Fercryinoutloud, there is loads of little places to eat right at the temple. But they must have felt safer with their hotel food.
Do go to any of these temple for sunrise: Ta Prohm, the Bayon, Preah Kahn, Bantey Srei, Angkor Wat (but go inside and to the back...maybe there will be chanting Cambodians), Bantei Kdei. These are the ruins we've been to early in the morning and they are all marvelous. There are probably more.
DO check out the temples that are in a state of disrepair, with the jungle growing around and through them. The best were Ta Prohm, Bantey Kdei and Beng Malea. These are awesome and the tree roots just grow everywhere. The last one, Beng Malea, is an hour's drive from town and is hardly visited at all. We were lucky enough to see this little 10 year old boy running around the roofs of the temples and running over piles of huge fallen down building stones. He was great, a little kid that has lived all his life there and this temple is his playground.
DON''T go to Angkor Wat for sunset (all those bloody tour groups) and instead head over to the Bayon, where there are very few people this time of day. This is the temple with the 200 heads and is so much fun to wander around.
DO hire a touk-touk, at least to go to Angkor (hire a car for the temples that are further away). A touk-touk is a fun way to get around and is only $13/day. They take you everywhere and you have the driver for the full day. It is fun way to travel, but make sure you wear your dark glasses as there is a lot of dust on the roads and it can be hard on the eyes. You can also hire a bike, but they look pretty old and the top speed is about 5 mph. Not exactly a carbon fiber road bike.
DON"T hire a tour guide. All you need is a good guide book. We have Dawn Rooney's book, "Angkor", and it is great. No need to have a tour guide hurrying you through the ruins at the pace he wants, not you. It is marvelous to be on your own, going around as slow as you want, sitting on the stones for a long time and just staring at the scenery. Just try to do this in a tour group or with a guide.
DO be nice to all the little kids who constantly try to get you to by their stuff, t shirts, post cards, scarves, purses, books, etc. They are mostly incredibly cute and you just smile and say no thank you. It's amazing how smart these kids are and how many languages they speak. Remember, these kids are the descendants of the people who built these monuments, so if you're going to buy a t shirt ($2), buy from them.
If female, DO take along lots of stashed away TP. Chances of finding it when you need it are slim.
DO come back to the hotel around noon for lunch, a swim and a rest. Then you can go back to the ruins around 3pm when it starts cooling. Everyday at noon we have walked or taken a touk touk downtown. There is a great market, called the Old Market, where you can buy some nice silk scarves, blouses, purses and silver products. Also, good food in Pub Alley. We've eaten at some nice Khmer restaurants.
DON"T be afraid of the local food, it's great! Khmer food is very similar to Thai food, only without the heat. I've had some great dishes and my favorite is Fish Amok, with coconut and spices. There is also a great French place in town, Bistro de Paris. It's run by a Corsican and the wine list is good and the food very authentic. The Thai food is also very good in Siem Reap.
DON"T be afraid of the little food stands near the temple. We've had some tasty soups and rice dishes for about $2. But I wouldn't have them put any ice in your drink. They have pretty good coffee at these little stands, so if you start out at 6am like we do, you can get your coffee out there.
DON"T be afraid to bargain. It seems like you can usually get something for 50% - 66% of the asking price. Things to buy here are beautiful silks, silver jewelery, carvings, clothes, and my favorite, a silver elephant beetlenut holder (way cool!).
For sure, DON"T be afraid to come here. It is very tourist friendly, the hotels are nice, the food is marvelous, and the ruins are some of the best in the world. The Cambodian people are VERY nice and they all have a beautiful smile. I really love it here.
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