Arriving in Cambodia

After spending four wonderful nights in Malaysia it was time to head off to Cambodia. We were super stoked out to visit the country, especially Siem Reap–the home of the infamous Angkor Wat. Visiting Cambodia can be very easy with a U.S. passport. You just need to make sure to plan ahead and obtain your E-Visa beforehand to make the arrival process eazy-breezy (smooth and seamless). We chose to fly to Siem Reap because there are many low cost carriers in Southeast Asia, making the plane ride affordable. It is also quicker and safer than entering Cambodia over land, where you might have to pay off border agents to let you through.

Pro Tip

To find the cheapest flights try to buy your tickets on a Tuesday. It is when most airlines begin their sale. We like to use Google Flights to do a quick search to find the cheapest airfare.

Accomodations

Siem Reap has accommodations to fit any budget. You can find a really nice boutique hotel for $30/night. We stayed at the King Rock Boutique Hotel. The service at our hotel, and in Siem Reap in general, was superb. The staff were attentive and provided us with insider tips to exploring the city. They even arranged for our tour the first day. We only went with the hotel tour for one day because it was with a tuk-tuk and after a quick search online we were able to book another tour with an a/c car for about 25% less. Every penny saved brings us one step closer to our next trip.

The breakfast was ono. We had our choice of made to order local or western cuisine as well as an assortment of fruits breads, drinks, and cereals at the buffet.  

Free Upgrade

They even provided both our parties with a free upgrade. We were given the honeymoon suite, which came with a giant granite bathtub, balcony, and a rainfall shower.

The hotel also came with a free airport transfer, which is super convenient and alleviated the stress of trying to figure out how to reach the hotel.   If you are on a tight budget, you can easily find a budget hotel or a room at a hostel for under $10 per night. If you want to splurge you don’t have to break your wallet doing so. You can find luxury accommodations for as low as $50 per night and a suite for $100 per night.

Exploring the City

Because we didn’t arrive in Siem Reap until the afternoon we decided to wait to begin our exploration of the temples for the next day.  A little tired and really hungry we decided to explore the city in search of some local eats. One of the reasons why we decided to go with a mid-level accommodation was the location. Most of the luxury resorts are outside of the main city of Siem Reap. Sure, you can take a tuk-tuk to the city, but arranging for transportation can take up a lot of time. Lucky for us, we were within walking distance of the city center. Siem Reap, and probably every city in Southeast Asia, during the monsoon season is happening (bustling) at night. And for good reason–it’s really hot and humid during the day. If you no like sweat ‘um do your sightseeing in the early morning and at night.

50 Cent Beers & $2 Massages

The city of Siem Reap has everything a tourist could ask for. First of all everything is cheap. I mean cheap. Beers for 50 cents. One hour massages for two dollars. Whole meals for just a few bucks. Did I mention that beers were 50 cents and that you could get a one hour massage for two dollars? I couldn’t believe.

Feeling Hungry? Have a Scorpion

There are many shops selling men’s and women’s clothing for a fraction of the cost of buying in the States as well as art, jewelry, and other trinkets for you to buy as souvenirs. We even came across a merchant selling scorpions, snakes, and other weird insects to eat.

Pub Street

We decided to make our way down Pub Street, which, as you may have guessed by the name, is where all the pubs were at. The World Cup was going on at the time, so the pubs and restaurants were lively with fans. You can find all types of international cuisine: thai, chinese, american, brick oven pizza, cambodian, and many others–the list goes on.  Since it was our first night in Cambodia we decided to try some of the local delicacies. We tried the Khmer Red Curry with tofu (which is similar to thai curry, but less spicy), banana flower salad (which taste like a green mango or papaya salad), and a vegetarian Amok (this local delicacy is usually made with fish and is streamed with ginger, lemongrass, and other herbs.)

The food was great. The drinks were cheap. And for less than $10 dollars our party of three had an onolicious Cambodian feast.