Cambodia Travel Diary: Day 4 at Siem Reap

Day 4 was our last day in Cambodia! This day was a very relaxing one since we had no activity scheduled. It's our last chance to shop for souvenirs and some food to bring home from the supermarkets.
 

We walked around shops near the Old Market and saw a couple of interesting ones. I chanced upon a Tous les Jours store there and got curious on how different it was with the ones in Manila. The store itself had a similar look, but they have this cute fresh fruit cake we don't have here.

For our last lunch, we went back to The Brothers Bar & Restaurant! It's a new bar and restaurant in a traditional Khmer wooden house. They serve an extensive range of Asian, Western, and Khmer cuisine. They have free WIFI that actually works, and live music during the evening.

 

European Set II ($5.00)

Greek salad served with Samosas

Blue Fettuccini: Fettuccini pasta with creamy blue cheese sauce

Dessert of seasonal fruits platter

This time, I ordered a different European Set. Samosas weren't available, so they had me trade it with Royal Spring Roll (fried mixed vegetables and minced beef in rice wrapper with spicy sauce). I'm not complaining at all. :D The Royal Spring Roll was good, the pasta had a sharp cheese taste, and I also liked the fresh fruit platter. This meal costs just P236 when converted to PHP as of press time. OA sa sulit! ♥

Spanish omelet ($2.00)

Omelet with fried potatoes and onions served with bread
 

The rest of the dishes I wasn't able to note the names and prices, but everyone was happy with their orders.
 

Tall glasses of shakes range from $1.20 to $2.00 only.

The Brothers Restaurant
Telephone no.: 012-460097, 093-811810
Address: King’s Road Angkor, Old Market area
Open: 9:00AM - 12:00PM 
 

While walking around, Panda and I saw this Manulife clock and we just had to take a photo. I used to work for them before I went back to school this year.

 

Before heading back to the airport, we thought of having a quick dinner to combat hunger during our 3-hour flight. I remember Siem Reap International Airport having limited food choices, so we dropped by Pub Street again for the last time. Not everyone in our group has tried Khmer Family Restaurant, so we had dinner here. It was a wrong decision since their service was extremely slow, they got our orders mixed up, and the staff weren't even nice. Also, the WIFI was creeping at a glacial pace. After dining at The Brothers twice, this restaurant was already pushed towards the expensive category, since they don't give value for your money. It's the same price or even a bit pricier than my European Set meal above! Not recommended. So much for being our last dinner, we should have gone to The Brothers or Blue Pumpkin again instead. :/

 

Goodbye, Pub Street!
 

This trip has gave me a lot of realizations. Here are my honest feelings, and I don't mean to offend:

• I'm not really into temples/ruins. They're almost all the same to me. LOL
• Siem Reap is ideal only as a stopover during your Asian tour, 1-2 days tops.
• Four full days at Siem Reap is more than enough. It's the provincial side of Cambodia, so there's nothing much to do here. I've already seen what I intended to, so it's very unlikely that I'll go back there.
• During the trip, I've encountered few very kind people, particularly in host in King Boutique Hotel and the waiter in The Brother's Bar and Restaurant. Some were normal and okay, but there were a lot of shopkeepers whom I felt were rude and were just after my USDs. Once you ask the price, they'd assume you're going to buy and some would get angry when you don't purchase.
• Break your USDs into small denominations, so there will be less chance of you getting change in Cambodian Riel. It's very hard to use and manage because USD 1.00 = 4027.71 Cambodian Riel.
• There's nothing much to buy here. Case in point: Pashminas and scarves excited me while I was at Siem Reap, and I don't even care about here in Manila.
• Next time, I'll think before I book a plane ticket.
• I enjoyed last year's trip to Bangkok, Thailand last year more.
 

So this ends my Cambodia Travel Diary series. I've got #TopeTravelandTours to thank for arranging our trip and itinerary!

Love,
Helen
 

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Cambodia Travel Diary: Day 3 at Siem Reap

Day 3 was chill day! We only had a short visit to 2 temples before lunch, but it was worthwhile. We woke up extra early to witness the sunrise at Angkor Wat. 

We thought weather wasn't cooperating that day, because the sky was so cloudy, and it was already past the forecasted sunrise schedule. A lot of people (including us) gave up on ever seeing the sun rise in its full glory, we headed back to the van to go to our next destination. Lo and behold, we saw the red sunrise while on the road. Fail. Haha! >.<

The last temple in our ininerary was Bayon Temple. It's the "Temple of Many Faces" built in dedication to Buddha during the 12th century. This one's just near the Angkor Wat and is way less crowded. We rushed here right after sunrise, which is the perfect timing since it's not yet hot and we had the place almost all to ourselves.
 

This temple has withstood the test of time really well. It's famous for the giant stone-carved Buddha faces, and they're all smiling! :)

We returned to the hotel early, so we had the luxury of time to visit commercial centers and supermarkets. Panda and I had lunch at Lucky Burger, but it was so-so, hence no picture. There's no McDonald's here, which was sad.

After lunch, we went to The Great Escape. I've never been to one here in Manila, so it's my first time to do an "escape hunt" kind of game. They have a 5-star rating at TripAdvisor, and I didn't bother stalking their Facebook page because I didn't want any potential spoilers.

We chose the room "John Monroe's Detective Office" for our mystery challenge.
 

It's so fun because they took our photos via the CCTV cameras inside the room. We weren't able to solve the mystery, though! We weren't satisfied with our performance, so we asked if we could have an additional discount for the next room, and they obliged! :D

The other room we tried was "The Lost Room of Jack Travis". It's way more challenging. We had our game face on and strategy, hence the lack of photos. LOL! No spoilers, but this was super FUN! The staff were nice, but the only thing I didn't like were the mosquitoes present in every room. Just arm yourself with a mosquito repellent, and go to The Great Escape!
 

WE WON!
 

Happy group shot :D

We wandered across King's Road Angkor, near the Old Market. There were a lot of restaurants, and we stumbled upon The Brothers Bar & Restaurant. At first, we were hesitant because there were only a few clients dining there; the place was mainly for drinking, or so we thought. The menu had a wide selection of food and drinks at very affordable prices so we tried it.

European Set III ($6.00)

Pumpkin Soup served with bread

Fried fish fillet with lemon butter and creamy sauce served with vegetables

Home fried dessert of seasonal fruits platter

I ordered the European Set III. Pumpkin Soup wasn't available that day, so they replaced it with a soup of my choice (Minestrone Soup, not in the photo). This was the last night we're spending in Cambodia, how come it's just now that we discovered The Brothers! T_T I thought this deal of a meal might be too good to be true, but it isn't! The servings were big and the taste was excellent. I know I can't get a meal this complete and fancy at this price (approximately P288) here in Manila. The Brothers deserve more buzz and recognition. Go visit them! The waiter was very kind as well, so it's great food and great service in one.

Our last activity for the day was the Phare, The Cambodian Circus. The actors here are scholars of Phare Ponleu Selpak Association's performing arts school, and their shows are comprised of acrobatics, dance, music, and theater.

 

Each show is unique and the performers give touching representations of Cambodian history and culture. By going to one of the shows, you're also helping the Cambodian youth develop their skills even more. Poverty is no hindrance to them. The social businesses I've encountered here in Cambodia are geared towards their youth and education; they are all meaningful, and they provide a real positive impact on the world.

Stay tuned for Day 4 of my Cambodia Travel Diary - the last chapter!

Love,

Helen

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Cambodia Travel Diary: Day 2 at Siem Reap

Day 2 was when we finally got to see the majestic Angkor Wat. This is the largest religious monument in the world. The term "Angkor Wat" means "Temple City" or "City of Temples". We went there early, but there were already a lot of tourists who also wanted to see this wonder.

Tip: Here in Angkor Wat they're more strict with visitors when it comes to clothing. Even if you may not share the same faith as them, we still have to respect their tradition and wear appropriate, non-revealing clothes. Avoid wearing spaghetti strap tops and short shorts here.

Relics inside Angkor Wat
 

It's also better to go early, since Angkor Wat is a temple complex, and if you're not inside the temples, you're out in the open with no shade. Umbrellas, hats, SPF, and bottled water are very handy things to bring.

Magsasaka OOTD. I love my giant hat from Cotton On! :D
 

Scattered throughout the Angkor Wat complex are various worship sites like this one.

 

We had to fall in line in order to go to the inner, highest point of the temple. This was the view from the top.

 

A lot of tourists took photos at this spot before leaving, and so we did, too. LOL! I loved how scenic this spot was, the water reflected the symmetry of the Angkor Wat temples beautifully.

After Angkor Wat, we dropped by the Terrace of the Elephants, part of the walled city of Angkor Thom, a ruined temple complex in Cambodia. The terrace used to be an audience hall and for public ceremonies.

Last temple for the day was Ta Prohm, AKA the "Tomb Raider Temple". I think this is the second most visited one because of Hollywood fame. Since Angkor Wat covers a vast area, some of the temples  are surrounded by and taken over by forests, this being the best example. I remember this part being the most tiring one, since it's easy to get lost inside this particular temple with several exit points.

After the temple run, we were starving so we wanted to go to a nice cold place with good food. Guess where we went?

Blue Pumpkin, of course! :D I had the pasta, while my friend had a double patty burger. *drool*

After our late lunch, we headed back to the hotel because of our scheduled shuttle to our afternoon activity: Quad Adventure Cambodia's Sunset on the Paddy Fields ATV Adventure! Long name, but THIS was my favorite memory here in Cambodia.

A short practice/training was required before anyone can ride the ATV. I rode one in Boracay way back in 2013, and I had a smooth ride. Quad Aventure Cambodia's ATVs were bigger and more detailed. I had a super short practice run with my instructor and failed. Haha! I couldn't drive it, but I can be a passenger.

We were provided with helmets and masks to protect us from the dust.

It was a long drive, and I thank Panda for taking me as his passenger. He had no choice! :D One funny/scary part was when we encountered a group of carabaos, and they stared at our friend's ATV. o_o

 

Finally, we reached the paddy fields and waited for the sun to set.

The cameras weren't able to capture the full glory of the sunset. The sun turned red and sinked into the clouds, and it really was the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen (so far). We left with wonderful memories this day.

We headed back to King Boutique Hotel to freshen up (since we were all covered with sweat and dust). We decided to eat at Pub Street and do a bit of shopping at the Night Market.

We chose Cambodia's Top Tables BBQ-BAR because they had fresh seafood on display, and we couldn't believe the price of the huge prawns! ♥

 

Fresh river prawn (1 pc.) ($2.75)

Beef skewer (1 pc.) ($1.50)

Pork ribs ($2.50)

Stir-fried rice with choice of beef, chicken, or seafood ($2.50)

Beef steak ($2.50)

Stir-fried rice with choice of beef, chicken, or seafood ($2.50)

The items we ordered we good for their prices. We liked almost everything, but I had my beef skewer sent back to the kitchen because it was undercooked. The staff weren't the friendliest, too.

After dinner was shopping! When I first came here, I wondered why people sold a lot of scarves. It's so hot here! Then I realized, people use it to protect themselves from the sun's rays, too. I've usually ignored scarves here in Manila, but they were all that got me excited shopping at Siem Reap. I was able to buy pretty ones for $2 to $4. However, it made me sad as well, since there was nothing else to buy here aside from scarves and few unique stuff at the grocery. (Bangkok still tops my list of shopping havens!)

Last thing we did on Day 2 was to have dessert at Project Y Frozen Yogurt at Siem Reap's Night Market. It's a social business run by volunteers, and each cup of yogurt you buy sponsors the education of a person in need. The staff here were very kind and engaging. I love the concept, and I loved the yogurt! You can have free tastes of the different flavors first before buying; they have banana, blueberry, mango, strawberry, chocolate, plain, etc! It's very creamy and less tart. It actually tastes just like ice cream, only lighter and healthier. It's the best yogurt we've had, and our group agrees unanimously.

Stay tuned for Day 3 of my Cambodia Travel Diary! :D

Love,

Helen

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