Siem Reap, Cambodia

Arrived in the afternoon to a guesthouse that was associated with the one we stayed at in Phnom Penh. They had informed us in Phnom Penh that it was a lot nicer but we would be given the same price. We were definitely skeptical but they definitely weren't lying. Nice hotel, good food, and a rooftop pool with an incredible view of Siem Reap. By far the nicest place we had stayed.

The next morning we visited Angkor Wat and probably 10 other temples. Angkor Wat was massive and the detail on every stone was amazing. Words can't do justice. Just check out the pics. We picked up a few painting from the temples and added a few more bracelets to our collection. The kids just chase you down and follow you for miles trying to sell you things. One girl told me that I could give the bracelet to my mom, sister or girlfriend. I told her I didn't have a girlfriend and then she asked me if I knew why I didn't have one. Having no response the girl then tells me its because I didn't buy her bracelet. Stunned by her reasoning I had no choice than to buy the bracelet.

When at lunch another girl walk up selling postcards. She asked where we were from, stating that she could tell us the president/prime minister, capital and population. Again I had no choice than to buy a postcard when I heard Barack Obama.

Saw a few more temples. Huge trees growing from between the stones, showing just how old they are. Few more temples the we headed home.

Three nights in a row we went to the same restaurant, which turned into a club around 10, followed by the same bar after and one night we added in 1 more bar. The reason we came to the same spot wasn't the good food, cheap drinks, or decent music, it was the fact that around 11 these 4 kids came out into the street and started dancing. The kids aged anywhere from 5 to 12 just dance for about an hour and hang out with everybody walking by, then around 12 they all disappear for 5 minutes and reappear with bracelets, roses and other little things to sell. So turns out it is all just a hustle to get you to buy things, but I ate it up. Probably bought 20 bracelets, 5 roses, and 1 bow tie over the 3 nights. I may have joined them dancing in the street every night too, and I think we got Dougie played 2 out of the 3 nights. Definitely some of the best nights of the trip. On the last night one of the girls, probably 9 years old, pulls me aside to try and sell me some more bracelets but I had already bought some from her earlier that night and every night before. So she asked me if I would be back the next night. Unfortunately I had to tell her I was leaving the next morning. She looked devastated and I'm choosing to believe it was because we were best friends and awesome dance partners and not because I was her best customer.

Our second full day in Siem Reap we took a trip to the floating village. Didn't really know what to expect but when we got there we were totally blown away. House after house built on 20 ft poles out of the water. All travel was done by water. It seemed like the kids were taught how to row before they were taught how to walk. Dogs scampering around on floating platforms trying to figure out how to get home. Pigs and chickens on floating platforms waiting to be dinner. We traveled for about 20 minutes through the village and switched to a smaller boat where young ladies guided us through a patch of mangroves. They dropped us onto a platform which happened to be a restaurant. Ate a quick meal and we continued on to what I think was the largest lake in Southeast Asia. After a 30 minute ride back we met up with our tuk tuk driver and headed home for another night out.

Mike: After our last night out in Siem Reap, we all checked out around noon and decided to make our way back to Phnom Penh by bus. We stayed at Okay Guest house one last time before parting ways. Max and Jessica both took a bus to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam while, Drew, Dean and myself took a bus to the Southern Cambodia... Kampot.