2 Days in Siem Reap, Cambodia

After spending some time traveling through Cambodia, my final stop was the city of Siem Reap. While it’s known for being the gateway to the ruins of Angkor Wat, there are several other attractions here as well. I spent two days enjoying the city and Cambodian culture.

Day 0 – Arrival

I traveled to Siem Reap via a private van from the city of Battambang. The ride was comfortable and smooth, and I arrived around noon and headed to Onederz Hostel. This hostel is one of the nicest I’ve stayed at, and it feels more like a hotel than a hostel. The receptionists were extremely friendly, and there were pools, a restaurant, a bar, and plenty of indoor and outdoor spaces to relax.

I ran into some travelers I had met in Battambang, and we went to the War Museum Cambodia which was pretty boring. I got to climb on a tank, though, so that was interesting. We had dinner at the hostel and then spent the evening at Sok San Road, a fun walking street.

War Museum Cambodia

Day 1 –  Temples and More Temples

I had to wake up at 3:30 AM the next morning for a sunrise tour of Angkor Wat. This ancient temple complex is the world’s largest religious structure and was built in the 12th century by the king of the Khmer empire. I had booked the tour through my hostel and opted for a guided tour instead of a transport-only tour. This turned out to be a good idea since I would have had no idea what I was looking at otherwise!

We had prime viewing spots of the temple at sunrise, and we got lucky that the sky wasn’t gray (it’s usually rainy in May). After sunrise, our guide gave us a tour of the inside of the complex. The architecture and level of detail was incredible, and it was also very well-preserved. I was so excited to finally see such an important place in person.

Angkor Wat at sunrise

An inner section of Angkor Wat

A beautiful religious complex

The back of Angkor Wat

After spending some time at Angkor Wat, we headed to Ta Prohm, otherwise known as the Tomb Raider Temple since it’s where the 2001 movie was filmed. We stopped at Banteay Kdei temple next and learned more about the ancient religious traditions that were practiced there. Next, we had “lunch” as a group at 10 AM where I had amok, a Cambodian dish. Lastly, we visited Angkor Thom temple and then headed back to the hostel. It was an amazing day, but we were all templed out by the end of the tour! I spent the rest of the day hanging out at Onederz, and later went to dinner at Pasta La Vista which was surprisingly good. Understandably, I had an early night in.

The famous Tomb Raider Temple

Ta Prohm (the Tomb Raider Temple)

The entrance to Angkor Thom

Incredible detail at Angkor Thom

Day 2 – Hero Rats and Sunset Street Food

I had a relaxing morning at the hostel, and then headed to APOPO Visitor Center to learn about the landmine-detecting rats that the organization uses to detect landmines in Cambodia and beyond. Cambodia is one of the most mine-affected countries in the world, and the rats have helped clear nearly 50 million square meters of land so far! It was really cool to learn about all the important work the organization is doing.

At one point we watched a demonstration from a rat named Valerie, who showed us how the rats are able to detect landmines without tripping them (since they don’t weigh enough to trigger a detonation). I also got to hold another rat named Glenn that gave me a kiss on the face; the guide warned us that they are very social creatures!

The hero rat Glenn

Kiss from a rat

After that adventure, I decided to join a sunset street food walking tour with my hostel. We rode on tuk-tuks to a marketplace and tried silk worms, crickets, frogs, and grasshoppers. I thought they all tasted good except for the silk worms. I also tried a tarantula leg; apparently tarantulas are a local delicacy! It was surprisingly tasty as well.

Next, we headed to another stop to try some amazing rice pancakes, a green noodle salad, and a crispy yellow pancake. Lastly, we rode to another market to try rambutan, mangosteen, and some other local fruits. I was really glad I ended up joining the tour. I learned a lot about Cambodian street foods which I knew nothing about beforehand. Some of us travelers spent the evening at the hostel afterwards and then headed back to Sok San Road. I ended the night with a 7/11 toastie which was a fitting end to my time in Cambodia.

The next morning, I had amok for my last Cambodian meal and then took a pre-booked shuttle to head to the airport. My time in Cambodia was really enjoyable overall, and I learned a lot about a country that I had zero knowledge of beforehand.

One last amok in Cambodia