Day 1 Siem Reap

After experiencing a bad jam at ECP that nearly caused us our flight, we decided to be kiasu and made more allowance for traveling time. Luckily there was no jam this time and we arrived at terminal 2 safely ahead of schedule.

As we checked in at the counter, the excitement sank in - yes, we are going to Siem Reap. We are going to Angkor Wat FINALLY! Nearly 90% of the people who knew that we are going there this time had the same response, "I thought you have been there?" I don't know why, but many had the impression that we have covered the entire Indochina. No, Laos is the only country we have been to. Even then, I must qualify that we have only set foot on Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang.

I was looking forward to a relaxing trip at Siem Reap. I can't help but think it's going to be very much like Luang Prabang.

The 140-minute silkair flight was ok, except for the food. I shall keep the complaints to myself. I quite like the airport. The architecture is very Cambodian. To my pleasant surprise, the airport was very quiet, orderly and efficient. My bag was already on the belt, waiting for me to pick it up. Clearing the customs was a breeze- no visa needed for Singaporeans.

We saw the hotel staff as soon as we made a left turn. We checked into the hotel after a 15-minute drive, took a rest in our room before exploring the hotel facilities. We have a complimentary foot massage and cocktail yet to redeem. Perhaps we will do so tomorrow.

Lunch was at a Khmer restaurant about 200 meters from the hotel. We had fried rice, noodles and spring rolls. Beer is cheaper than soft drinks so we ordered a beer Lao. The rice was nice, can't say the same for the noodles. It had a unique taste which wasn't to my liking. Not sure if it's the taste of ghee.

Strong winds started blowing strongly while we were eating. I was wondering if the canvas roof will tear. The waitress was trying to stop the wind from blowing away the glasses. Luckily she succeeded. After a while, it poured very heavily. We decided to wait for the rain to subside. Before 2 pm, we were able to make our way back to the hotel with the help of my mini umbrella. There were puddles of mud water in the potholes and when the cars drove past, the water splashed onto me, slightly. Once again, I was reminded of the flood we have back at home. Haha!

We met up with our guide at 2.30 pm and set off for the lake. The guide spoke really good English. We were so embarrassed with ours.

The boat ride was quite nice despite the slight drizzle. It's amazing how the Cambodians can live in such bad conditions. Though poor, they looked happy. Many were enjoying swinging in their hanmooks, watching tv with their family and the children derived fun waving at the tourists... They have no iPhones, no iPads.... They may not even know that such things exist. Life is hard, but happiness is simple. I thought about myself, my life as the boat moved back to the jetty.... What do I really want? I have no answer....

We asked the guide to drop us off at the old market. He took us around for a while and left when we decided to have dinner there. After walking round and round a few times, we finally settled for Khmer BBQ. Arghhh, another sinful meal! We took a tuk-tuk back to the hotel after a short walk at the night market. Back in the room before 8 pm. That's early!

Tomorrow we are going to watch the sunrise. I hope the weather will be good.

Age is catching up. I'm feeling tired already. It's time to sleep.:)