May 2018
Known as the Kingdom of Wonder with a flag adorned with the largest religious monument in the world, Cambodia was a place we could not stop thinking about. Cambodia has had a tumultuous political history, no doubt. During our trip we witnessed an overwhelming amount of optimism and compassion and really fell in love with the country.
76 Hours Left…
We got into Phnom Penh in the evening and took a taxi to the White Mansion Hotel – a chic, boutique hotel in the heart of the city. This hotel renovated the former residence of the American Embassy in PP, so it has a very unique charm and elegance. We enjoyed a tasty plate of fresh fruit upon arrival and were greeted with the friendliest staff. Because we arrived late in the day, we decided to wait to explore the hotel. Instead, we dropped our things and headed out to PP’s pub street.
As you can imagine, we were craving street food 🙂 We roamed the buzzing alleyways and sat down to have a delicious plate of chicken noodles with vegetables and two ice cold cans of Angkor beer.
66 Hours Left…
One of the many perks of the White Mansion Hotel was its proximity to the Eric Kayser cafe. We wandered down to the cafe bright and early to snag a window seat and enjoy a delicious breakfast to fuel the rest of our busy day.
After breakfast, we walked around the hotel and pool and then hired a tuk-tuk to take us around for the day.
First, we toured through the Royal Palace. Due to strict rules, everyone needs to cover their shoulders and knees, which was not easy in the sweltering heat!
We made our way a bit further out of the city toward the sobering Choeung Ek Genocidal Center where we did the audio tour on the history of the Khmer Rouge. This area is one of the execution and burial sites. This was an extremely touching experience, and however heartbreaking it was, we felt it was so important to take time to understand the complicated history and internal struggles of this country. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to stop into the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum that is also nearby.
After a somber morning, we were even more ready to experience Cambodia’s capital city knowing that its dark past was behind it. We stopped for lunch at Eleven One Kitchen, a unique restaurant that is zero-waste and eco-friendly serving delicious Cambodian food on a great outdoor patio. We cooled ourselves off with fresh watermelon juice which also helped with the spicy food!
We headed back to hotel to pack our things as we were ready to fly off to Siem Reap to experience the wonder of Angkor Wat.
After touching down in Siem Reap, we took a taxi to the elegant and exquisite Park Hyatt Siem Reap. This will forever be our most favorite and memorable hotel experience to-date. From the moment you step into the hotel, you experience the unmatched friendliness of the Cambodian people. Not only does the hotel feel like a Cambodian palace, but the food was some of the best we have ever had and still crave to this day.
We had heard so much about the famous “Pub Street” of Siem Reap, so we took a quick walk over from our hotel to grab a beer, people-watch, and have some noodles at Diamond, one of the restaurants along the main street.
42 Hours Left…
For breakfast, we devoured two bowls of beef noodle soup and a heaping plate of fruit at the Hyatt and sipped some piping hot tea while admiring the garden and koi pond.
We wandered through the old market and the Made in Cambodia market.
Nearby, we went up to the rooftop patio of Rohatt Cafe to have some chicken, eggplant, and noodles. We ordered some more fresh watermelon juice to wash it all down.
The heat was killer, so we went back to the Hyatt for a relaxing dip in one of their two pools.
We strategically planned to visit Angkor Wat that evening for sunset because it allowed us to maximize the value of our tickets. By visiting just before closing time, you are able to use the same ticket to visit the temples the following day. We hired a tuk tuk to take us to the temples and as we rounded the corner of the dirt path to the main Angkor Wat temple, we actually gasped as to how expansive and serene it looked. We had seen pictures of Angkor Wat so many times before, but it was truly a majestic site to see in person and really takes your breath away upon first glance.
We entered the vast temple just before they started ushering people out. We wandered around, climbed stairs, got lost, and met some monkeys and bats as it started to get dark.
We had a quick dinner at the hotel and went to bed early to make sure we had a good night’s rest before a packed day of exploring the massive template complex.
18 Hours Left…
We took off in a tuk tuk at 4am (which still seemed like the middle of the night) to get to the entrance of Angkor Wat by 4:30am for sunrise. We were the first ones into the temple and used the flashlights on our phones to find our way to the edge of the water on the left side of the pathway where we sat down on a straw mat and waited for the rest of the crowds to build up in anticipation of the sunrise. It was a magical experience to see the sun start to peek out from behind the temple and illuminate it in a calm, misty light.
We grabbed a plate of fried rice and some hot tea from one of the food carts nearby and then headed back to find our tuk tuk to keep making our way around the grounds.
Next up were Angkor Thom and Ta Phrom, plus some smaller temples along the way. We had an opportunity to channel our inner Lara Croft as we gazed at the mind bending roots that surrounded us.
We ate some pineapple with our tuk tuk driver to keep us hydrated and fueled up!
Around 10am, we were back at our hotel and quite hungry, so we both had two more bowls of beef noodle soup each.
The Park Hyatt Siem Reap was kind enough to provide us some complimentary massages which made for the perfect midday activity after a long morning of exploration. The spa is an oasis in an already magnificent environment. After that, we were fully rejuvenated and ready for more!
Because we had reserved our tuk tuk for the whole day, we were eager to explore a few more places around Siem Reap before calling it a day. We visited Wat Thmei, a memorial pagoda marking the site of a killing field.
Then we visited an artisan market to catch a glimpse into how local artists create crafts, textiles, and sculptures by hand to sell all over Cambodia.
Back at the hotel that evening, we watched a beautiful cultural dance at The Dining Room and recounted all of our most memorable moments from the trip while enjoying delicious Cambodian food.
That evening, it was time to go home, so we packed up our things and made the long trip back to SFO.
