After a relaxing 10 days, in Thailand, the next stop was Cambodia.
We landed in Bangkok, and the plan was to take the bus four hours to the border of Cambodia, and head about 2 more hours to Siem Reap and stay there for 6 nights, but sometimes things don't always work out the way you plan it, especially when traveling.
What we didn't know, until we got to the bus station in Bangkok, was that the border closed at 8pm, so we would not be able to cross over until the next day. We decided to board our bus at 6:15pm and see what happens. It was a long bus ride, especially because we didn't know exactly what to expect when the bus line came to an end, but that just made the trip more interesting, right? We finally stopped in a small town near the border at 11:30 pm. We did find a hotel, not the most ideal place, but there was not other choice, so we slept there. We woke up early the next morning to battle the border. Surprisingly, process was easy (you never know how borders will work because they are all different) bought our VISA and just walked through the border. People were helpful along the way, and we spotted many other foreigners, so we knew we were doing something right. After passing through the border, we hopped in a taxi and head to Siem Reap.
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| On the Cambodia side of the border, there was a huge round-about with a ton of people huddled around. I didn't know what was going on, until the song Gangnam Style came on. Everyone within the circle started break dancing, and those around were cheering them on. It was interesting to see. Everyone in Asia is obsessed with that song!! |
The taxi ride was a bit interesting. After driving for about 20 minutes, the taxi driver pulls over, why he was doing this, I had no clue. He didn't know English, so asking was not an option. He pulls over and picks up two hitch-hikers, thinking to myself, what the h***! It was a father and his son, and they both sat in the front seat. I would like to point out, I wasn't alone. It was me and my friend in the back seat. After a bit of time a started to settle in and felt more comfortable as we were driving, and taking in all the sights along the way. About 30 minutes later, the child starts throwing up in the car!! Seriously!? Is this really happening to me? I couldn't believe it. Being completely out of my element to beginning with, then all this other stuff starts to happen!! We end up driving a little long, pull over again, we meet the child mom on the side of the rode, he gets outs of the car, and we continue on. Let me just say, it was a long 2 hours ride!!
Here are some pictures I took during the car ride.
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| An interesting way to travel to work. This was something we would see everywhere. |
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| Bike ride to school |
Finally made it to the hotel, and the trip was smooth sailing after that. The main thing we did on the trip was tour temples. It was enjoyable to see all the different ruins and temples. I took many picture. Here are a few that I captured.
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| Tuk-tuk ride to Angkor Wat |
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| Angkor Wat, temple 1 |
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| Temple 2 |
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| Temple 3 |
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| Temple 4 |
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| Temple 5 |
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| This temple had many interesting trees that were growing into the cement. It just shows how long it has been there. |
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| Walking through the temple. |
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| Temple 6 |
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| Temple 7 |
After exploring many temples, our tuk-tuk driver suggested that we take a river boat tour. The tour takes you along the river, and you get to see how people live their daily lives and survive. It is the area where the really poor live, and they use the river for their main source of water and for fishing. Enjoy the pictures!
Here are a few pictures I took around town.
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| I wish they had deals like this back home. |
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| Hotel room view |
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| the 4 hour van ride back to Bangkok. 15 people with tons of luggage. |
