48 Hours in Siem Reap Including Angkor Archeological Park
Angkor Wat at dawn
Siem Reap
Just before the world shut down for Covid 19 we traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia (see our trip report here) Following an AMA River Cruise, we asked Active Travels, a membership travel consultancy to plan 48 hours in Siem Reap after the cruise.
Pool at the Phum Baitang Resort in Siem Reap
Active Travels booked us at Phum Baitang a unique off the beaten path resort in Siem Reap. A quiet get away from the tourist hustle bustle of the Angkor Archeological Park and its star attraction, Angkor Wat, this resort was designed to mimic the traditional architecture of rural Cambodia, and it a true ecoresort, with special attention paid to limiting it’s impact on the environment.
We were transferred to Phum Baitang by the guide who planned to fetch us before dawn the next morning to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. We had a “foodie” tour planned by Active Travels that evening and our guide left us with a word of warning: be careful what you decide to eat tonight, because its an early wake up call, and you won’t want to have a tough night over the toilet!
Our Vespa tour of markets and eateries in Siem Reap was a highlight!
Did we take his advice? Well, sort of…
We’ve learned that people eat different things all over the world and we enjoyed trying things we might not try at home and what we’ve found is that bugs are full of protein and are often very tasty and plentiful!
We had the opportunity to try food and drink at high end restaurants, restaurants where the local people go for food, intimate historical bars and several night markets. We steered clear of street meats but ate plenty of fresh peeled peeled fruits at the markets and we felt we had to try the tasty insects!
Luckily, all our explorations didn’t affect our digestive systems and we were ready before sun up to watch the sun rise over the massive Angkor Wat in the Angkor Archeological Park. We were fortunate that our guide had arranged our admission to the park the day before, so we were able to arrive and take a position with the hundreds of other tourists there to experience the sunrise over the temple.
Angkor Wat reflection at dawn
We spent the rest of the day exploring Angkor Wat and the other temples of the ancient Khmer Empire Angkor Archeological Park. For many years after its golden age, the architecture declined and was subsumed by the jungle. In the late 19th century, Europeans exploring the area took an interest in restoring the ruins. Today, archeology and restoration continues, but there is a delicate balance between completely restoring the ancient temples and allowing some temples (which have been settings for movies) to remain interestingly entwined in the greenery of the jungle. There is also much discussion about how to protect the ruins and the local communities from over tourism.