Siem Reap, Cambodia by Gautam Khattak
Last updated: June 24, 2014
Disclaimer: These are notes I’ve written or gathered from various sources. I have not experienced all things in this document nor is it intended to be a definitive guide.
General Tips
Currency: Riel –But be aware, most everyone takes USD. To get small bills for most of the time I just paid for a bottle of water in US and asked for change in Riel. For reference a bottle of water is like $0.40
Conversion Tool: http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi?Amount=1&From=USD&To=KHR
(Update for current rates)
100 USD = 403,500.00 KHR
1 USD = 4,035 KHR
10,000 KHR = 2.48 USD
Tipping:
Tipping is not normally expected but it can go a long way since wages are very low. If you get a tour guide it is recommend to tip them, if they did a good job.
Local Customs:
Transportation
From the airport you go to a booth and hire a taxi. It is about $6 to town I think. It’s a fixed rate so as long as you go with the airport appointed taxi you won’t get ripped off.
Tuk Tuk – is an auto rickshaw or basically a scooter drawn rickshaw. In Siem Reap it is an easy method of travel. A Tuk Tuk to the airport is about $10US. Around town you should pay $1-$2. Ask your hotel what the going rate is from the hotel to downtown.
If your hotel offers tour guide service they will probably offer up their shuttle as well. My guide had his own car, which we had to pay additional money for but it was private and air conditioned. Tourists are not allowed to rent motorbikes in Siem Reap.
Tourist Destinations
There are dozens of temples in Cambodia, but after a few days you kind of get sick of them. I spent two days visiting temples and was content. There are a few more temples I would have like to have seen but
I didn’t do much advanced research to know so I left it up to my tour guide. In hindsight I probably would have done 2 days of Temples, 1 day break (relax, spa) and then a 3rd day of Temples but even so, 2 days is enough. See “Itinerary I followed” for details on the Temples.
Shopping
Old Market has some shopping but nothing to get too excited about.
Lodging
It seems like every building is a hotel in Siem Reap so there isn’t a shortage of places to stay. I strongly recommend booking via www.Agoda.com. I used that site for all my bookings in Cambodia and Vietnam and we got some pretty good rates as opposed to calling the hotel directly.
Tara Angkor Hotel
http://www.taraangkorhotel.com/
I stayed at Tara Angkor both times I was in Siem Reap…it is a great hotel. I booked it www.Agoda.com for $40 a night for the first 3 nights, and then I extended my stay for about $60-$80 a night. You can definitely find cheaper hotels, in the $25 range, but this hotel was very good. It is on par with the bigger chains like a Marriott. It was very new, comfortable and clean and it is closer to Angkor Wat than the other temples so it saves you 10-20 minute drive. There is a gym (nothing to brag about) a sauna I used daily and a spa. Massages were fantastic and only $25. I do recommend this hotel. It’s not as close to the Old Market Area so it’s a little quieter but it’s only a $2 Tuk Tuk ride from downtown so it’s still convenient. Pisith’s wife (see Tour Guide section below) works here and she can give a pretty good discount ($40-ish for a regular room which was plenty big and $80 for the executive suite which was two rooms)
Golden Temple Villa – Siem Reap
http://www.villa.goldentemplevilla.com/
In the Old Market Area, this is more of a hostel than a hotel but it came recommended by Lonely Planet. I was going to stay here originally but Tara Angkor came so highly recommend by some folks I met in Saigon so I switched up my booking…which was lucky for me because this hotel didn’t even have a record of my booking (which may be an indication of the service).
Golden Temple Hotel
http://www.goldentemplehotel.com/
This is the hotel version of the Golden Temple Villa. It looked pretty nice in the pictures but was unavailable when I was looking to book. I still think the Tara Angkor is a nicer establishment.
Le Méridien
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1825
Since I’m always looking out for Starwood properties I’ll just say that there is a Le Méridien in Siem Reap. I didn’t get a chance to go there though.
Dining & Nightlife
Food & Drinks are CHEAP in Cambodia! In my opinion the food is a combination of Thai and Vietnamese food but not as spicy as the former. The local food is called Khmer. If you eat in the Pub Street Area, you’re going to be paying a little more for your food. Beer is probably going to cost you $1-1.50 and a dish will be marked up to anywhere from $6.00 to $8.00 a dish. Yes that is the rip-off price! If you go to the local joints (your guide would probably be happy to take you out) you’re looking at $5.00 a dish and $0.50 a beer. OR you can get a 4L pitcher of Angkor beer for about $4US. Big smiles everyone!
Fortunately our guide was willing to take us around town at night to eat dinner so we went to the local establishments. Unfortunately that meant I didn’t really pay attention as to where I was or the name of the restaurants because nothing was in English and I didn’t do any of the ordering. But when I was alone I stuck with the local Khmer food in the Old Market area (8th Street – Parallel to Pub Street). There are also A LOT of Western restaurants in the Old Market. Good rule of thumb is that if it’s busy, the food is probably good…if it’s empty, keep moving to the next joint.
When you visit the temples there is one restaurant the guides take everyone too. It is centrally located for viewing the Temples so I ate there on both Temple days. The food was good. I always ordered the Fish Amok and some egg rolls.
Amok – This is the national dish. It’s a curry but it is prepared differently in every restaurant I went to. Sometimes it’s with rice, other times served with coconut or prepared in a banana leaf. Either way, it was delicious every time I had it. I typically always got the fish amok.
I do remember having some amazing beef skewers at one outdoor beer garden place but unfortunately it wasn’t even anything on the menu we just asked for it and the chef made them for us.
We ended up hanging out with the tour guide so he took us out to clubs and stuff but again I don’t know the names. Otherwise Pub Street in Old Market Area is where all the tourists go.
Le Tigre De Papier – Pub Street & 8th Street. I ate hear the first night. I sat on the back alley side (not on Pub Street entrance). The food was OK, nothing that special.
BUT directly across from Le Tigre was another Khmer restaurant that has a sign advertising how cheap the beer is. That place had really good food and half the price of Le Tigre. It might have been called Banana Leaf but I can’t be sure but I recommend that place for dinner.
iViva Restaurant – Surprisingly the Mexican food here was pretty good! Located in Pub Street.
Most of the nightlife is centered on Pub Street and for the tourists.
Curry Walla – If you’re looking for some Indian food, check out Curry Walla. It was a 5-7 minute Tuk Tuk ride from Tara Angkor. Nothing fantastic but my family wanted their weekly dose of Indian food.
Sivatha Rd, Siem Reap, Cambodia
+855 63 965 451
Helpful Links
- http://www.aboutasiatravel.com/cambodia/guide/angkor-temple/angkor-temple.htm – Do some research on the close and remote temples
- UNESCO World Heritage Site – http://www.asiaexplorers.com/cambodia/angkor-unesco-world-heritage-site.htm
- Love & Hope Association – An orphanage outside of Siem Reap. To get here you need to off-road for about 30 minutes – http://www.lifeandhopeangkor.org/
- Volunteer Organizations – www.omprakash.org
Tour Guide & Temples
I recommend booking a tour guide to take you around. 1) you’ll get an air conditioned car (SO worth it) and 2) you’ll really learn a lot about Cambodia and the history of all the sites.
I used the same Tour Guide both times I visited, he’s excellent!
Name: Chuung Pisith (we pronounced it Peesit (or close to that but I’m sure we were wrong) but when you write him an email address it to Pisith)
Psth.angkorwat@gmail.com
Mobile: 855.12 765 668
I’ve recommended him to 4 or 5 different groups of people and they all have had extremely positive feedback.
The rate was about $100 a day + tip
$30 for his car (A/C was a must even in the winter!)
$30 for him
And we paid for his meals + a tip at the end.
You will also have to pay a separate fee for the Temple Pass: $20 a day or $40 for 3 days which is what I bought (but only used two days). So basically in total you’re looking at $100 a day (30+30+20). The $20 for the pass is per person but the rest is divided by however many people you have.
Pisith was great, he was very informative and new the times to be at certain places to avoid the rush.
So here’s the thing about Tour guides….IF you are interested in hearing a lot of details about the temples then get a tour guide. But it will be a lot of info. We spent 2 hours at the first temple and I probably would have spent half that on my own but I did learn a lot. The first temple we were also being polite and not telling him to move on but later on Pisith figured out our pace and it was much better. Also in his defense since it was the first temple he explained a lot of history of Cambodia. I really believe the tour guide is worth it in the end. He also was happy to take us to dinner afterwards if we weren’t comfortable going on our own. He basically says you’ve paid for me the entire day so he’ll keep his evenings free if you want him to. He’s cool to hang out with too and we had a good time with him. He was really nice and helped us with errands on the 3rd day without taking any money. He even dropped off and picked up my laundry for me on his day off. He does tours around the rest of Cambodia so if you are interested ask him too plan a trip for you.
I also ended up buying a book that explains everything about the Temples, I’m happy to loan it out to anyone who needs it. The kids sell them everywhere (oh btw you will be harassed by EVERYONE when you are walking around) They will sell the book for around $15, I bought mine for $4 but that was a really good deal and I was in a remote Temple but don’t pay more than $5 or 6 for the book.
Itinerary I followed my first time in Siem Reap (December)
Day 1 – Temples!
- Started around 9am
- Bayon Temple in Ankgor Thom. We spent a long time here but it was one of the cooler temples. Actually there were several buildings we went to within Ankgor Thom but you mostly drive by them (you can get out and walk of course):
- Baphuon, Preah Palilay, Royal Enclosure & Phimeanakas, Terrace of Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King
- Ta Keo – On the way out of Angkor Thom I stopped here to climb to the top. The Temple is different because it looks like a Mayan temple the way it is mountainous. I only spent about 10 minutes here, just climbing to the top and taking some pictures. You can get a good view of the inside of the temple from above so it’s a cool vantage point. It is on the way to Ta Prohm so an easy stop.
- Lunch – Near one of the Temples
- Angkor Wat. This is the most famous are of Siem Reap which is surprising because it wasn’t all that impressive compared to Bayon or Ta Prohm. But the grounds were beautiful. The temple is supposed to be very beautiful at dawn (but the placement of the sun depends on the season)
- Phnom Bakheng Temple – We climbed to the top to see the Sunset over Siem Reap. Get there early because 1000 other people are going to the same place! Our guide knows a shortcut (steep climb through the woods) that saved us about 20 minutes of walking and got us to the top first so that was great. That night after dinner I got a full body oil massage for $6US in Old Market Area. It was a legit establishment but simple and not a high-end spa by any means.
Day 2 – Temples & Floating Village of Chong Kneas
- Banteay Srei – About 45 minute drive away but the temple is very different than the others. It’s a red sandstone with very detailed carvings. It’s also called the Ladies Temple because of all the intricate workmanship.
- Lunch
- Ta Prohm Temple – This is the temple that Tomb Raider was filmed at. It’s my favorite one. Ta Prohm is overrun by giant trees that are growing around, through and on top of the building. It is very very impressive!
- Floating Village of Chong Kneas – We went to the Floating Village a few hours before sunset. This isn’t really an option in the summer time because the lake is dry. We rented a boat for $13 (total) and it was about 20-30 minute ride to the end where there was an ‘aquarium.’ Okay this was not even close to an aquarium but you can see dozens of crocodiles and there is a great viewing platform for the sunset. The floating village was pretty cool to go through. You don’t really do anything but boat on through but it’s a nice change from the Temples and the colors of everything are really vibrant especially around sunset.
- On the way to the Floating Village Pisith offered to take us to a shooting range where you can fire pretty much any kind of gun. We didn’t go but I think it was about $40 to shoot 15 rounds from a rifle or something like that. BUT you can also pay $400 and shoot an RPG at a cow!! Which of course is a horribly cruel thing to do (and yet pretty cool at the same time)
Day 3 – The next 3 days we spent preparing and volunteering at the Love & Hope Association – an orphanage for kids rescued from sex trafficking.
The Second Visit to Siem Reap
Much like the first, we saw a lot of temples! This time because it was June, the start of the monsoon season.
Day 1 – Temples!
9am start back at 3pm.
- Angkor Wat
- Bayon Temple
- Ta Prohm
- Back to the hotel for a massage
Day 2 – Kulen Mountain, Banteay Srei, Pre Rup
9am start back at 4pm.
- Drove to Kulen Mountain to see the giant lying down Buddha, some waterfalls, and 1000 linga statues carved into the Riverbed. GK Editorial: Since this was my second visit Kulen Mountain was something new for me to see but otherwise I don’t recommend taking the trip out here if you can do something like the fishing village (not really an option in the summer).
- Banteay Srei (Ladies Temple)
- Pre Rup – The only new temple I saw. This temple was like Ta Keo. You climb up to the top and you get a great view of the Cambodian country side. I only spent about 10 minutes here and it was on the way back from Banteay Srei.
- Back to the hotel for a massage
- Pub Street for a little shopping and then dinner at iViva
Other Temples I didn’t see but would have liked to (See UNESCO Link above to find out more):
Preah Khan
Pre Rup
Beng Mealea – Another Temple reclaimed by the jungle.
Banteay Samré
Other place I heard about in the area but did not go to:
Flooded Forest of Kompong Phhluk
Bamboo Train in Battambang
Khmer Phrases
Here are some useful Khmer words and phrases, written phonetically, that may come in handy. There are 33 consonants and 26 vowels. “Ai” is pronounced as in Thai; “ay” as in pay; “dt” takes the t sound while “bp”takes the p sound. “Oo” is pronounced as in cook and “ao” as in Laos.
| English | Khmer |
| Hello | jum-reap soo-a |
| How are you? | tau neak sok sapbaiy teh? |
| Good morning | arun sour sdei |
| Good afternoon | tiveah sour sdei |
| Good night | reah-trey sour sdei |
| My name is….. | k’nyom tchmouh… |
| Yes | baat |
| No | dteh |
| Please | suom mehta |
| Thank You | or-koon |
| Excuse me | sohm dtoh |
| Goodbye | joom-reap leah |
| I don’t understand | k’nyom men yoo-ul tee |
| I want a… | k’nyom jang baan… |
| Water | teuk |
| Tea | tai |
| Rice (cooked) | bia |
| Rice (uncooked) | angkoh |
| Meat | saich |
| Fish | t’ray |
| Chicken | moan |
| Bread | num pung |
| Restaurant | haang bai |
| Where is the…? | noev eah nah…? |
| Market | p’sah |
| Bank | tho neea kear |
| Post Office | bprai sa nee |
| Doctor | peth |
| Bus | laan ch’noul |
| Train | ra dteah plerng |
| Cycle | see kloa |
| Policeman | bpoa leeh or norkor-bahl |
| Turn left | bot dtoy ch’wayng |
| Turn right | bot dtoy s’dum |
| Go straight | dtov dtrong |
| Morning | bpreuk |
| Midnight | aa-tree-at |
| Night | yoop |
| Sunday | t/ngai aa-dteut |
| Monday | t’ngai jan |
| Tuesday | t’ngai ong-gee-a |
| Wednesday | t’ngai bpoot |
| Thursday | t’ngai bpra-hoa-a |
| Friday | t’ngai sok |
| Saturday | t’ngai sao |
| Yesterday | m’serl menht |
| Today | ‘ngai niht |
| Tomorrow | ‘ngai sa-aik |
| Month | khaeh |
| Year | ch’nam |
| Last Year | ch’nam moon |
| New Year | ch’nam thmey |
| Next Year | ch’nam groy |
| January | ma ga raa |
| February | kompheak |
| March | mee nah |
| April | meh sah |
| May | oo sa phea |
| June | mi thok nah |
| July | ka kada |
| August | say haa |
| September | kan’ya |
| October | to laa |
| November | wech a gaa |
| December | t’noo |
| One | moo ay |
| Two | bpee |
| Three | bay |
| Four | boun |
| Five | bpram |
| Six | bpram moo ay |
| Seven | bpram bpee |
| Eight | bpram bay |
| Night | bpram buon |
| Ten | dahp |
| Eleven | dahp moo ay |
| Twenty | m’pay |
| Thirty | saam seup |
| Forty | sai seup |
| Fifty | ha seup |
| Sixty | hok seup |
| Seventy | jeht seup |
| Eighty | bpait seup |
| Ninety | gao seup |
| Hundred | moo-ay roy |
| Thousand | moo-ay bpoan |
| Ten thousand | moo-ay meun |
| Hundred thousand | moo-ay sain |
| Million | moo-ay lee-un |
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat
Ta Prohm Temple
Ta Prohm Temple
Ta Prohm Temple
Bayon Temple
Bayong Temple – Fisheye
Bayon Temple
Pre Rup Temple from Above
Banteay Srei – The Ladies Temple