Angkor What??

We made it on the afternoon flight to Siem Reap. It’s only an hour away from Saigon, but the initial feeling was that this place actually is more ‘Asian’ than the other ones I have seen so far. The small town of Siem Reap is hosting the majority of Angkor Wat visitors. Streets are clean and people are extremely friendly. Not once during our 2 night stay we heard a ‘no’ from any hotel employees, tour guide or wait staff in one of the countless restaurants.

The Hotel De La Paix is an oasis in the middle of the busy town center of Siem Reap. The rooms are outstanding and  with their little I-pod sound system we felt really spoiled. I would rate this hotel into the top 3 hotels I have ever stayed in. Highly recommended.

We got up early around 4:30 am to meet our tour guide at 5:00 am. Seeing the sun rise over Angkor Wat is a once in a lifetime experience and I was happy to sacrifice the good night sleep for this indescribable event. Pictures can’t judge the beauty, myth and incredible peace you feel, when standing with a few people in the early morning and see this world wonder for the first time while the day awakes. I will carry this experience with me for a long time.

The temples itself set you back in some sort of ancient times. You can only imagine how things must have been back then. While Angkor Wat is certainly the most impressive of the temples we visit, Ta Prohm is the one, which can and has been used in Hollywood movies like Tomb Rider.  The unbelievable age of all these master pieces and the amount of work force needed to complete them is just mind lowing.

After a full day of temple touring, we were ready for a few Angkor beer and the local Khymer food. A fusion mix of Thai and Vietnamese food. Very tasty indeed!