Waking up. 8 am. Tired, but mildly energized. Packing some things in my bag. Taking a shower. Elevator down. Eating breakfast at the food court. Elevator up. Brushing teeth. Packing things. Taking extra cash last minute. Elevator down. Grab with friends to Changi Airport. Checking in. Waiting for ‘friends’ to finish up their business, because they have to keep up with the speed of a snail moving on a sloth. Aaaaaand we can begin!
The people I was travelling with were Lukas, Sara and Eric, and looking back at the trip, it was a great group to travel with. We all agreed on that!
Whilst still at the airport, Lukas the first of Austria, photographer of The Group (our group), breaker of brains, Khaleesi, and mother of a drone (people need to start watching Game of Thrones - it is a great series!), told us that there were massage chairs for your feet inside the gate. Correct he was, and sitting in the chairs we did. For half an hour. I also ate some kind of expensive ramen, as I did not think we would get food on the airplane. In the future, I suggest not eating any food at the airport, as it is quite expensive. Just enjoy the service and esthetics of the airport - it is more than enough!
Moving forward, our flight got a one hour delay, but the airport is rated among the best in the world, so everything went smoothly. The food on the plane was very good, and it ended with an ice cream in four small chocolate balls as dessert - simply the best airplane food I have ever eaten! After two hours in the air, we had landed in Siem Reap, but since the country is one hour behind, we only lost one hour.
The airport is the most unique I have ever been to - both aesthetically and procedurally. Before we could enter the country, we had to fill out three forms and pay 30 USD in order to get a visa valid for 30 days stapled into our passport. Quite an expensive entry fee for a weekend trip; something that made us consider taking a weekend trips in two weeks to Pnomh Penh as well. A quick note before moving on: in Cambodia, they use USD as a currency, so do not get confused when I refer to prices in USD.
Exiting the airport, two Tuk-Tuk drivers were waiting for us outside - ready to take us to Hideout Hostel Siem Reap. The trip took 20 minutes, and as with many other asian countries, the short trip gave us a brief view of the dirtiness and poverty of the country. Trash and damaged buildings mixing with nature, all the while everyday life progressed with four person scooter riding, Tuk-Tuk riders, hectic traffic and overly curious tourists taking in the fresh new experience that currently flowed over them. Ending with our arrival at the hostel.
Arriving at the hostel, we were handed non-alcoholic lemongrass drinks and smoothly transitioned into our rooms to quickly install ourselves. The hostel was very modern and fresh, with a western vibe to it, as this was a stop for many backpackers. Over our stay, we would meet a Canadian Griffin and a Texas Tessa that had both travelled around in Asia for some months, and gave us tips about locations to travel to in the future. I gladly handed over their contact details to my cousin Kristina’s boyfriend, who is currently doing a Vietnam trip for some weeks. If you read this Leo, I hope it helps, and high five!
The hostel also had an infinity pool, pool table, drinking games such as jenga and card games, hammocks, a bar that you could also order food from, a bathtub on our room’s balcony, as well as safety lockers in the room for storing valuables. It was a very clean and beautiful hostel, and we only paid 5 USD per night per person for this stay. Needless to say, I am very happy with this ho(s)tel, and I highly recommend it! Especially since it had a calm atmosphere around it. Oh, and also, you get two free beers between 7-8 pm every day.
After having settled in, we walked into the center of the city. Modern and very cool-looking bars, restaurants and buildings mixed with older, worn down structures as we made our way to pub street. Whilst there, there were alot of bars with very cheap alcohol prices; around 50 US cents for a beer. We decided to eat in a locally high-end restaurant called Easy Speaking restaurant, where I ate the local dish Amok fish for 7 USD. Expensive and not that tasty either, so I do not recommend going here.
We also strolled around some markets, where we could see delicious food such as fried ice cream and banana pancakes, as well as souvenirs such as paintings, figurines and clothes. After the restaurant, however, we made our way back to the hostel, since we would have to wake up at 3.30 am next day to see Angkor Wat. On the way, we stopped to get fish massage for 2 USD with beer included. Massage here is very cheap, along with many other things. The price you have to pay for that, however, is having people constantly over you, trying to sell their stuff or services to you. The winners of this game were by far the Tuk-Tuk drivers who always made a big effort to convince you to ride with them. For future travellers, you could probably speak to two competing Tuk-Tuk drivers and make them negotiate the lowest price if you want to travel somewhere. I end this post with a video of our fish massage!
For part two, prepare yourselves for Angkor Wat!