This morning we woke up early and had an all you can eat breakfast at our hotel. After an awesome fusion of Thai and American foods, we headed off to the airport for our flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We had to fly out of the Don Muang Airport, which was about an hour drive from our hotel, but luckily Joey found out that there was a free airport shuttle from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Don Muang (and vice versa if needed), as long as you have proof of outbound flight information. This little tip only cost us a ride on the Airport Link (45 baht) and saved us 10-15 USD!
We arrived to the airport in time for our one-hour flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was honestly one of the shortest plane rides we’ve ever been on, which was convenient compared to the alternative…a 13-hour bus ride from Bangkok to Siem Reap. The Siem Reap-Angkor Airport was so beautiful, both inside and out, that we had to stop and get some footage.
Once we got our visas and passed through customs, we met our driver outside who was sent by our hotel and had a sign just for us! I absolutely loved the drive through the countryside of Cambodia, especially because it reminded me a little bit of my hometown in the Philippines. When we arrived at our hotel (The Golden Butterfly Villa), we were welcomed with complimentary snacks, drinks, and a 60-minute massage, which we took advantage of right away!
After walking around Bangkok all day yesterday and now carrying 25lb backpacks, this massage was just what we needed! We left the massage feeling so refreshed, but when we got to our room we heard the rain start…but that didn’t stop us! Summer is often considered the rainy season here in Southeast Asia, so we were expecting it at some point.
We are only in Siem Reap for one night, so we had to check out the old market and the bustling night markets. We stopped to have dinner at Amok, where we shared a Khmer sample platter for two…and it was all so delicious!
It continued to rain throughout the night, but the night markets are covered, so we stayed dry and found some nice Cambodian relics to adorn our walls in New York City. After the market, we ended up on Pub Street where all the nightlife and bars can be found…Angkor What?! included.
We couldn’t stay out too late tonight since we plan to wake up VERY early tomorrow to catch the sunrise coming over the magnificent Angkor Wat, which is suppose to be the most picturesque time. We also plan to have a personal tuk-tuk take us around and provide us with all the historical context we’re looking for, so make sure to stay posted!