Siem Reap, Cambodia – January 24th – 27st, 2017

Rather than waste an entire day suffering in buses, we opted for a flight from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap. The most stress that day came when Lillian and my facials ran long, causing us to arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare – tough life we’ve got goin’. As promised, our hotel picked us up from the airport and transported us to luxury – the hotel was a HUGE step up from our authentic beach front bungalows. That evening, we made our way to old town, Siem Reap where we ate and explored the Made in Cambodia Market. Although a very touristy area, it was nice to have the western conveniences.

At the airport happy to not be on a bus and our first night in Siem Reap.

Over the next two days we hired tuk tuk drivers and explored the temples of Angkor Wat. The many temples were built between the 9^th and 13^th centuries and were absolutely spectacular! Each had its own distinguishing features which made it different than the last. My personal favorite were the temples with massive 300+ year old trees growing through and around the stonework. In contrast to Bagan, these Hindu (and later Buddhist) temples were surrounded by lush forest and were built in a completely different style than the Buddhist pagodas in Myanmar. Most had large walls and/or moats surrounding them and many had been cities as well as temples. Rather than the monotony of Buddha images, each temple had a mix of mostly preserved carvings and statues of Hindu gods and other symbolic deities. Another exciting difference is that at the Angkor Wat temples you got to leave your shoes on. We are happy to report that the Schmidt family will be going home fungus free (we hope)!

Day 1 exploring the less-visited temples around Angkor Wat. 

Day 1 exploring the less-visited temples around Angkor Wat. 

On the second day, we, and about 2,000 of our closest tourist friends, made it up for sunrise in front of the main Angkor Wat temple. We arrived before 5am to watch the moon, and then the sun, rise over the temple while reflecting in the pond directly in front of us. The site was beyond words beautiful, but the massive crowd pushing their way ever-closer with outstretched selfie sticks was more than a little irritating. After the sun came up, we hired a guide to bring us around the complex. Well, I should say we thought we hired a guide, what we really hired was a 45 minute recording. At one point, the “guide” realized he pointed in the wrong direction, said sorry, turned, pointed in the correct direction, and started the previous minute of script over again. Even better, the entire recording was performed in monotone which made it extra exciting. After we said goodbye to our “guide” we waited an hour in line to climb up to the top of the temple. During the wait, we eavesdropped on a nearby guide who gave us many interesting tidbits about the temples. For example, the local people and temples would change religion based on the beliefs of the current king. All the temples have been both Hindu and Buddhist multiple times throughout their history.

Angkor Wat and the crowds at sunrise. 

Day 2 around Angkor Wat - including the temple that Tomb Raider was filmed. Rotten tomatoes gave the movie a 20% so we haven't bothered watching it. 

The only thing that hindered our experience at Angkor Wat were stomach problems galore. Everyone in the family had some sort of stomach issue at one point or another. Symptoms ranged from cramping to diarrhea to full-fledged 3^rd trimester gas babies. Luckily, our tummy issues didn’t keep anyone from getting to experience the incredible history and beauty of the area.  

Day 2 around Angkor Wat. The top middle photo shows the Chinese tour bus crowds - they were our favorite (heavy dose of sarcasm).