Cambodia

Hey again! I just got back from a weekend trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia, home of the Angkor Temples. I think this should be on everyone's bucket list because it was one of my favorite trips to date. The people, the architecture, the history, and the food were all superb. There are hundreds of temples to see in the massive complex, but we decided to visit the three main ones - Angkor Wat, Bayon/Angkor Thom (with all the faces) and Ta Prom (where Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie was filmed). I wanted to share with you all some tips and tricks we gathered along the way and through our research. The "thing to do" there is watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Although there has been a lot of buzz recently on how crowded it can get, we did decide to watch the sunrise and we were not disappointed. Here are my recommendations:

- Get your ticket the night before, between 5 and 5:30 PM to avoid the lines in the morning
- Reserve a tuk tuk (main mode of transportation there) through your hotel, and have them pick you up by 4:45 AM, the gates to the temple open at 5
- The hotels can prepare you breakfast in a box, or you can come back to the hotel after sunrise for breakfast
- Wear pants (longer shorts are also acceptable) and a shirt that covers your shoulders
- Wear closed-toed shoes and bring a flashlight or use your phone light since the ground is uneven and it is dark
- Best place to stand is on the left side of the temple, slightly off center
- If you make it there by 5:15, you should be able to get a spot in the first or second row
- Bring a professional camera if you have one, you won't be disappointed
- Visit a travel clinic before you go and bring anti-malaria pills, as well as lots of good bug spray

Note: we went on a Saturday, which was relatively speaking, not that busy for the sunrise. But the third floor of the Angkor Wat temple is closed on this day so we unfortunately missed out on that. Besides that, just walk around and explore. It is really amazing that humans were able to build these massive temples without all the technology we have today.

Panorama of the sunrise, absolutely stunning

Seeing all the colors change with time

The sun finally up

Entrance to Ta Prom 

I didn't know much about Cambodian food before this trip but I absolutely loved it. The flavors were similar to Thai food and every bite was extremely tasty. I couldn't get enough. Here are some of their local dishes I tried. I also recommend going down to "Pub Street" (definitely Western influenced) for dinner, drinks, and walking the streets. There are small markets, crazy loud music, little food stalls, and mopeds with mobile bars lining the streets. We definitely enjoyed our weekend in Cambodia and I hope you all get to visit soon!

Fish Curry with eggplant

Pleah Sach Koo (raw beef salad) - probably my favorite thing I ate in Cambodia! It is Carpaccio-like beef flavored with a fish extract called Tuk Prahoc and peanuts. It is served with bean sprouts, basil, peppers, lemongrass and a chili-lime dressing.

Fish Amok Trey- one of Cambodia's national dishes. It is steamed fish with shallots, lemongrass, garlic, keffir lime, coconut milk, eggs, peanuts, served in a banana leaf. Very tasty.

Chicken with Cashews, A+ for presentation, with brown rice in the wooden container