The driver (I forgot his name…my bad) dropped me at the ticket office and there was already a queue. He mentioned that some tourists would be here as early as 4 am! Thankfully the queue moves fast even with picture-taking at the counter.

Angkor Wat during sunrise

The sandstone bridge across the moat is dark during the early morning and there are no railings. Hence, itâ€s best to bring along a torch or follow someone with one. It didnâ€t take me long to reach the reflecting pond near the main gate of Angkor Wat. But a large crowd has already planted themselves at the front edge of the pond, arguably the best seat in the house. So I settled down at far right and waited patiently for show time.

The orange morning sky finally turns up after a long wait. I was dying to capture the sunrise together with the reflection of Angkor Wat. Then for some reasons, a big group of people occupying the pond side decided they have seen enough and left. Hooray!! I wasted little time and went over immediately of course.

Thereafter, I move on to explore the interior of the ancient temple.

Bayon Temple

Itâ€s then time for Tuk-Tuk hunting among the sea of identical ones at the agreed meetup point. Thank goodness my driver waved at me else it might take ages to spot him. And we are off to the city of Angkor Thom via the impressive South Gate. Leading to the narrow gate is a bridge lined with statues.

Bayon Temple looks to me like some ruins from afar until I notice the faces carved on the stone towers. And what an incredible sight it is! Most of the remaining 30-something towers contain four faces which mean there are quite a lot to look out for.

Getting to the top of the temple allows me to look closely at the enormous faces. The four faces are carved with such precision that they look identical.

Baphuon and Phimeanakas

The scorching weather is getting unbearable and the lovely egg yolk sun seen at Angkor Wat is now showing its might. Gosh, didnâ€t I choose the most cooling month? Anyhow, I soldier on under the immense heat towards Baphuon and Phimeanakas.

The Elephant Terrace that was used as a viewing platform for ceremonies. Hereâ€s also where I will be doing my Tuk-Tuk hunt again.

Ta Prohm aka Tomb Raider Temple

The infamous Ta Prohm is the next temple, more commonly known as the Tomb Raider temple, even my driver called it as that. But I am sure this amazing ancient ruin does not need the movie to draw people here. The unusual merger of nature and architecture is already a surreal sight on its own. For nature has sort of ‘reclaimed†the temple of a mighty civilisation where trees spread their roots around man-made structures.

I was supposed to head towards Banteay Kdei next, but the heat and fatigue got the best of me. Hence, I asked my driver to head back to the hotel instead. Those places which I have skipped would be made up during my next trip to Angkor Wat in the near future. I went out to have dinner at Pub Street in the evening after a long afternoon nap. I was told that this is the liveliest place in Siem Reap. Known for its nightlife scene, thereâ€s a lot going on here with plenty of restaurants to bars to choose from.

The Angkor night market is another place to check out with lots of stalls selling anything from clothes, bags, jewellery, bags to Buddha statues. Shopping ainâ€t really my thing so I didnâ€t stay here for long. And that also concludes my super-short visit to Cambodia.

But flights†availability and price altered my plan drastically. Direct flight tickets from Singapore to Siem Reap cost thrice the price from Singapore to Phnom Penh. What the!? Hence, the crazy plan of Flight to Phnom Penh – Bus to Siem Reap – Cambodia Angkor Air back to Phnom Penh – Return Flight to Singapore. And it is still way cheaper than the flight into Siem Reap, seriously? Yes, I lose quite a bit of time but I get to have a preview of Phnom Penh. Perhaps for future plan… For now, I only have Ang Kor Wat in mind.

Riverside Park and Wat Ounalom Monastery

Itâ€s a short taxi ride from Phnom Penh International Airport to Giant Ibis Bus office. Most of the Giant Ibis Bus review seems to be good so I was hoping for the best. After collecting the bus ticket, I went on to have a glimpse of the streets of Phnom Penh, starting from the riverside.

Hereâ€s the majestic Decho Meas Decho Yat (The Royal Warrior’s Monument) and Wat Ounalom Monastery near to the riverfront.

Preah Thineang Chan Chhaya

Preah Thineang Chan Chhaya (Moonlight Pavilion) is a beautiful pavilion built along the walls of the Royal Palace and can be seen without entering the palace ground.

Next up will be Wat Botum Park and Wat Botum Vathey.

Also went around a bit the neighbourhood before ending up at the Independence Monument.

My lunch was a simple yet very well cooked plate of fried rice at one local restaurant. Then itâ€s time to head back to Giant Ibis Bus office via a Tuk Tuk instead of walking under the fiery afternoon heat. And I do hope that the weather in Siem Reap will be kinder to me.

Giant Ibis Bus Ride to Siem Reap

The Giant Ibis bus seat is comfortable enough while moving along the bumpy road full of potholes and dust. But I am sure the dusty surrounding will be unbearable if the bus is not air-conditioned. I was so hoping that those riders on the unmarked expressway would put on face masks…

Then the uneventful journey was delayed due to a flat tyre. It took the driver and his colleagues quite a while to change the punctured one. So I get to see the Cambodia countryside while experiencing all the dust from the road. This went on for almost an hour before the bus journey continues. And I am finally in Siem Reap after 7.5 hours of bus ride.

STAY: Gloria Angkor Hotel review

Gloria Angkor Hotel is quite far away from downtown Siem Reap but there is complimentary shuttle service (Tuk-Tuk) available in the evening. The good-sized private room is comfortable though it can get a little noisy since the hotel is alongside a major highway. The Wi-Fi works well but I encountered a few power outages during the stay, which I understand itâ€s rather common in Siem Reap.

The staff of Gloria Angkor Hotel are friendly and helpful too, which made it a very pleasant stay. They also helped to arrange a Tuk-Tuk to pick me up early morning next day to Ang Kor Wat. Overall, I think itâ€s rather good value especially for the price I paid.

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What are your thoughts about Phnom Penh? Leave a comment and share it with me.

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