Smiley's Guesthouse Siem Reap

On my way down to Siem Reap one of the main questions I have been asking other travelers is how long do you really need to spend at Angkor Wat. According to the Lonely Planet one day is not enough but when tickets only come in 3 day passes (USD40) or 1 day (USD20) it is actually a big dilemma. Fortunately I met an English girl on the bus who also felt that a one day ticket is quite enough and we would just see as many temples as possible in one day and leave it at that. Ok - just one of those...

Entry containing 20 photos titled: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

Hello everyone We made it to Siem Reap by boat. It was a 5/6 hour journey but we'd been warned it would be closer to 9. It took 8 so wasn't that bad. Our driver (driving the tin can with a Toyota car steering column) only got the boat stuck in a sandbank a couple of times so that wasn't so bad. Although he did have to stop to take a leak off the front of the boat at one point, despite there being a toilet at the back. Obviously too far to walk. The journey was quite cool actually - we have bo...

Getting back to Thailand was a straightforward affair. We took a tuk tuk to the Pakse market at 7:45, found a sawngthaew headed to the border, rode for an hour, and then walked 500 meters to Laos immigration for our stamps. After another 500 meters (and many hawker stalls) we reached the Thai immigration building and took care of business there in just a few minutes. From the border we hired a taxi for the hour ride to the Ubon Ratchatani train station, got there by noon, and bought the last ...

Got picked up at 06.45 to be taken to the bus station for our bus to Siem Reap. When we got to the bus station (about 10 minutes later) and onto the big bus we discovered that it wasn't actually leaving until 08.30 - could have had a lot longer in bed! Roads from PP to SR is pretty good - single carriageway each way. Landscape was very similar to India - very dry occasional fields with crops, palm trees. Small wooden houses on stilts and even smaller shops. Certainly a marked contrast to the ...

After our short stopover in Kompong Thom, we returned to the beaten tourist trail for our final port of call in Cambodia: Siem Reap. Our bus driver forcibly dropping us on the very outskirts of town (unloading our bags from the hold and dumping them on the pavement despite our protests that we weren't yet at our destination) to proffer some business to his mates the tuk-tuk drivers , wasn't quite the welcome we'd have hoped for, but I guess these little scams are pretty much part and parcel o...

There is a little secret to staying thin in Cambodia - A little Indian Restaurant named Curry Walla. The food is delicious, so the more you eat the better. Then after, hit the nightclub strip with all your pals and mix up a couple of Whisky Redbulls with a beer! All will leave you in less than 12 hours by whatever means necessary, taking the path of least resistance! You will find yourself about 8 lbs lighter at the end! I woke up the next morning feeling like I'd been devoured by wolves and ...

11.4 - 15.4.2008 Siem Reap. Cambodia Ranskalaiskolonialistien astuessa ensimmaista kertaa Angkorin pyhalle maankamaralle paikalliset maanviljelijat kertoivat pelonsekaisin tuntein etta: "..there are temples in the jungle that we're build either by gods or giants.." Niinpa niin. Temppeleita tosiaan on ja niita onkin sitten varmasti tarpeeksi patologisimmankin "rauniofiilin" intohimojen tyydyttamiseksi. Muinaisen Angkorin ( http://www.angkor.com ) temppelialua levittaytyy vaatimattomasti tuhann...

Dag 13 - dinsdag 28 oktober: Boot Phnom Pehn-Siem Reap. Overnachting in Smiley's Guesthouse. Dag 14 - woensdag 29 oktober: Bezoek Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat, sunset vanop Phnom Bakheng. Dag 15 - donderdag 30 oktober: Sunrise aan Angkor Wat, bezoek Ta Keo, Ta Prohm. Einde middag shoppen Old Market. Dag 16 - vrijdag 31 oktober: Uitstap naar Kbal Spean en Bantaey Srei. 's Avonds buffet met traditionele dansen in restaurant "Jasmine Angkor ". Dag 17 - zaterdag 1 november: Fiets gehuurd en naar Croco...