After a very long border crossing and bus ride, we reached Siem Reap (after a quick stop in Phnom Penh for two minutes to buy tickets for the bus to Siem Reap which left immediately - slightly stressful) in the pitch black and were immediately surrounded by tuk tuk drivers all trying to take us to our hotels, which was a little bit overwhelming to say the least. We tuk tuk-d to the hotel with all our bags in the tiny car, and when we arrives our driver asked us what our plans were and how long we were staying etc. The reasoning behind this is, most tourists hire a tuk tuk and driver for the whole day to take them to the amazing Angkor Wat complex. However, because we weren't sure of our plans we had to decline (which was tough, that guy was persistant!). Our hotel - The Mekong Central Hotel - was amazing, so so nice inside and with the nicest staff - and a rooftop pool/Jacuzzi! They advised us on a lot of things and were really helpful in general - plus the breakfast there is really good. Our first day was spent walking around downtown Siem Reap, checking out the markets and the amazing food places. In the evening, we organised a trip to the Angkor Wat complex to watch the sun set. This is a great situation - if you arrive at the complex after half four or five in the evening and buy your ticket, it also covers your full trip for the next day. So you get an extra evening for the price of a day ticket! Unfortunately it was a pretty overcast day so we didn't see much of a sunset, but we still got to see an extra temple which is always a plus! Would definitely recommend doing this if you only have one day to see the complex.
We spent the whole of the next day at Angkor Wat and it is amazing, but seriously tiring. Now I understand what people mean when they say you get "templed out", because there are SO MANY. We hired a tuk tuk driver for $18 for the full day; he took us from our hotel to the complex and waited for us outside every temple. It was great to have, as it was so HOT that day, honestly I would have collapsed if we had to walk or cycle around that giant complex! It's such an amazing sight to see and of course the most famous temples, Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm (the oldest temple, and where they filmed Tomb Raider!) were surreal to see in real life after seeing so many pictures of them. Be wary of the monkeys though - they are mean. They tried to steal our GoPro camera while filming a time-lapse and are very growly and a bit scary when they're up close and nasty.
Downtown Siem Reap is also really fun, of course Pub Street is amazing for a night out and the alcohol is super duper cheap - like beer for $.50 - where else can you get that?! Amazing. Definitely a sight to see and the street is a big draw for young tourists with its bright lights and fancy decorations.
Siem Reap has some really great markets such as the night market where we did most of our damage and also other ones randomly dotted around the town - great for some serious bargains and haggling! Siem Reap was probably my favourite place out of the whole trip - the people were so nice, the town was great, Angkor Wat was incredible - and I would definitely go back to Cambodia to see more of such a fantastically friendly and beautiful country.
