Siem Reap, Cambodia
I planned a trip to Cambodia and several other countries in Southeast Asia for January 2021. It was during the early days of the pandemic when I was sure that the Covid-19 would surely be in our collective rear-view mirrors by then. Well, the trip was postponed for two years.
I was particularly excited about Cambodia because Siem Reap is home to UNESCO World Heritage Site, Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world and considered one of the Seven Wonders of the world.
Angkor Was built in the 12th century, almost 900 years ago as a symbol of the kIng’s devotion to the Hindu god Vishnu, and was the seat of the Khmer Empire for several hundred years. The massive temple complex was abandoned more than 600 years ago because of military conflict, and was only (re)discovered in 1860. It had been absorbed by the jungle and remained hidden for hundreds of years. Once it was discovered, the temples were raided and artifacts stolen, some of which are in prominent museums in the U.S. and around the globe.
As a history buff, once I learned about Angkor Wat, it was a must-see for me. Because of the number of countries I would be visiting and having several significant work projects scheduled for the time I was planning to visit, I enlisted the help of a travel designer in VIetnam to help me plan the trip.
Why didn’t I just wait to travel? Well, I had already waited two years, but the real reason was fitting in between Southeast Asia's extensive rainy season and very hot season with temperatures (and humidity) in the high 90’s. I’m not a fan of hot, humid weather, which is ironic because I live in the southern United States. But with the length of time I would be traveling, any other time of year, except for December would be miserable for me. I mean I couldn’t share my roamings with you if I was holed up in an air conditioned room, could I?
THE JOURNEY
-Getting from the east of the U.S. east coast to Siem Reap was no small feat. In another scenario I would have started the trip in Thailand or Vietnam, but I made the mistake of letting my travel designer know that my birthday coincided with the trip and she came up with a great idea to celebrate. Having that constraint made the flight logistics more challenging- I HAD to be in Siem Reap on a Friday-my birthday and needed to arrive at least a day prior to manage jet lag but I had to close out an assignment that involved an in-person meeting so I couldn’t leave the U.S. until the Monday night. Whew! The flight from JFK to Singapore was 18 hours, I had a three-hour layover before my flight to Bangkok(BKK) and when I arrived there, I had to exit and get across town to the regional airport(DMK) and fly to Siem Reap. There are flights from BKK to Siem Reap, but I waited too long to book the flight and had no choice but to leave form DMK to get there in time for my birthday.
ROAMING TIP:
Book flights as soon as possible as they are usually more of a constraint than securing accommodations. Usually, there are more hotels in a particular destination than flights (within your budget) to that locale.
ACCOMMODATIONS
For four nights I stayed at The Aviary Hotel, a lovely, modern hotel on one of the main streets in Siem Reap. That made it easy to walk around the city center or to grab a tuk-tuk, the most popular (and cheapest) way to get around the city.
As part of the tour package, I had a standard room, but when I arrived I learned that I could upgrade to a suite for an additional $30 per night. Because it was my birthday, I decided to splurge. The suite was HUGE and fabulous!
ACTIVITIES and EXCURSIONS
Here's what I did:
my first evening, I visited the hotel spa for a two-hour Khmer–style massage. Heaven. It was $ 50 - expensive for Cambodia. By far it was the best massage I had during my time in southeast Asia, and I had a lot of massages.
After a morning of recovery from a long flight, I did a tour of Angkor Thom -the Great City built in 12th century and dedicated to Buddhism by the king at that time. The magnitude of this city was amazing with it's gigantic towers featuring 216 smiling faces and beautifully sculpted Apsaras.
Because this is considered sacred space, there were monks everywhere. I was really surprised to see young boys wearing the saffron-colored robes. My guide explained that many poor families send their sons to the monastery because they know they will be cared for.
On my birthday, my guide picked me up at 5am to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. We had to walk at least a half-kilometer through the dark, cross the moat that surrounds the complex, then walk to the moat that surrounds the main temple. It was so peaceful waiting in the dark, listening to the chanting of the monks. It's a once-in -a -lifetime experience that In grateful to have experienced.
Had a picnic lunch in a secret temple sorta in the jungle. Plus a foot massage for ONE HOUR!
•Visited the Ta Phrom temple from the movie Tomb Raider, where the fig trees' roots have overgrown the temple buildings.
To finish the day, I saw an Apsara performance - a traditional Khmer dance and martial arts show. The show (and dinner) was at a fancy hotel around the corner from mine. It was an AMAZING day that I won't soon forget.
CONNECTIONS and CULTURE
When I was building the itinerary with the travel designer, I insisted on leaving space in the itinerary where nothing was planned. That way I could find unique experiences that guve me a view into local life. I visited a local monastery for a water blessing and reading by a Buddhist monk. I saw pictures of the monk, who was also the abbott, with famous people including Anthony Bourdain. I arranged this excursion through Airbnb Experiences. For me it's important to have down time and find a way to connect with locals. NEXT STOP: Vietnam
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