Siem Reap, Cambodia
Daily: 5.00am - 6.00pm
I believe anyone on a vacation in Siem Reap, Cambodia won't leave without visiting the magnificent Angkor Archaeological Park, which stretches over 400 square kilometres. To avoid having one long blog post, I'm going to split it into parts, starting with this entry about the journey to the site.
My BFF and I set off from
Treasure Oasis Hotel at approximately 8.30am, hiring one of the hotel's tuk-tuk drivers who'd be driving us around on the so-called Small Circuit for
US$25.00 (~S$34.90). This particular route includes the prominent Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and The Bayon, as well as a few of the minor temples within the site. The Grand Circuit, on the other hand, includes more destinations and is highly recommended for anyone spending three or more days to explore the site.
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| Our friendly tuk-tuk driver couldn't really speak English, but polite and full of smiles. :) |
Along the way, we saw the impressive Sokha Siem Reap Resort.
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| I wonder how many country flags are featured there? |
The Angkor Conservation Area is where visitors buy the entrance tickets. It looks new and grand.
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| People were queueing to get their pictures taken with this particular sign. |
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| Don't you think the place looks like a resort? |
There are lots of ticketing counters, translating to a short queueing time. Each of us paid US$20.00 (~S$27.95) for a one-day pass. Starting from 1 February 2017, however, the price has been revised to US$37.00 (~S$51.70), so we were really lucky to go there last year.
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| Remember to keep your pass properly! |
The notice regarding the revised pricing is printed in English, Khmer and Simplified Chinese. There are also aerial maps of the temple complex put up on huge boards.
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| Has anyone here explored the entire complex? |
After we got our passes, we continued our journey to the site on the tuk-tuk.
The site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. However, on the same year, it was also placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to looting, a declining water table, and unsustainable tourism. I believe the situation has improved since then.
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| Monks all around! |
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| There are many souvenir shops around. |
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| Drinks, anyone? |
After we finished exploring Angkor Wat, we took a break by sharing chilled coconut water at such a price that one won't ever see in modern-day Singapore: US$1.00 (~S$1.40).
We encountered other interesting things to see as we made our way to the public restroom.
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| I can't remember what that building is, but there's the Germany flag on the notice board. |
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| Cemetery, I believe... |
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| At first I thought that was a real person. :P |
Stay tuned for the various temples that we visited that day!
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