Cambodia
I LOVED Cambodia. The amount of history, amazing temples and architecture were unlike anything I’ve seen before. And did I mention that it might be one of the most economical countries to go visit as well? (You can live like a king for about $10 a day!) I started in Phnom Phen and then took a bus up to Siem Reap. Once I got to Siem Reap I even had an added surprise which made the experience that much more exciting.
Phnom Phen was much more of an established city than I thought it would be. While I don’t remember seeing shopping malls, I did find plenty of pointy straw hats everywhere and lots of monks. The palace was a sight to behold. The detail in the structure and the beauty of the landscape of the gardens were magnificent. I ended up spending almost half a day wandering through there. I also stumbled on several temples and monasteries where I made friends with some monks.
After a few days in Phnom Phen I caught the $12 luxury bus with wi-fi and movies to Siem Reap to experience Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples. I had researched and found that if you go to the temple entrance at 4pm or later, then you can get admittance into the park for the sunset as well as the following day. So of course there are about 100 people waiting to get their ticket for sunset. As I’m waiting to get mine, I look over to see an old Canadian friend that I had met 3 years ago in Honduras! It was kind of crazy, and made you realize just how small this world really is. We exchanged info and planned to meet up that night and the next day.
The next day rented bikes for about $2 and biked for about 8 hours and probably 50km around the temples. The area is huge and exudes history and beauty that make you feel as though time had stood still. I wish I would have had more time to spend exploring this wonder of an ancient city, but it just means I’ll have to come back….and who knows who I’ll run into next time.
