Angkor... this is why most of the tourists come to Cambodia, us included! Angkor it is hundreds of temples built in the IX - XV centuries, when the Khmer empire was vast and powerful. We did not do it in purpose but we ended up visiting Angkor during the Khmer New Year, our third new year this year, after the first one in Sydney and the second one in Malaysia for the Chinese New Year!!!
Visiting Angkor has been for us a contrasted experience. We liked a lot the temples but did not appreciate the visits fully especially at Angkor Wat due to the very high number of tourists. Moreover we have been under a constant pressure from shop owners and kids to buy food, drinks, souvenirs and postcards. On the other hand it was an interesting experience to see Angkor during the Khmer New Year, a very important 3 days holiday time in Cambodia. Numerous Cambodian families from Phnom Penh but also some from the area were visiting Angkor. The richest driving expensive 4WD cars, others were packed at the back of trucks but mainly we saw entire families travelling all squeezed on one motorbike!
Entrance fee
There are 3 types of passes: for a day $20, for 3 days $40 or for a week $60. We took the three days pass but to save money it will be possible to take only the 1 day pass and do the small and big circuits in one day... a very early start and a lot of energy will be required as it will be a long day. When you buy the 3 or the 7 days pass they quickly take a picture of you and your photo gets printed on the ticket (no need to bring a photo).
The temples
Two days allowed us to take our time to do the small and the big circuits. The small circuit took us nearly a full day but the big circuit was much quicker (more kilometers but smaller temples) and we did it in a morning without rushing, so in the afternoon we went back to our favourite temples of the small circuit. We initially wanted to go to temples that are a bit further on our 3rd day but at the end of our 2nd day we felt that we had enough. Moreover our tuk-tuk man wanted $20 to drive us to the temple of Bantey Srei and we thought it was a bit too much.
On the first day we did the small circuit which regroups the biggest and most famous temples. Our favorite temple was Ta Phrom as it offers the experience visitors are looking for when coming in Angkor, ruins swallowed by the roots of massive trees. Angkor Wat was very impressive by its size but the visit was less enjoyable due to the high number of visitors. The Bayon with all its towers decorated with massive faces was also one of the highlights of the visit. We found Te Kao not that special as it has never been finished but climbing its very steep stairs was fun and the view from the top was nice.
On the second day we did the big circuit in the morning, the temples are smaller but there is always something nice to see in each of them. In the afternoon we went back to the Bayon and then to Angkor Wat for the sunset.
The kids
Next to all the temples, as soon as we jumped off our tuk-tuk kids were following us trying to sell us drinks and souvenirs. They were more annoying at the most famous temples but they all used the same technique. "You buy me water lady", we always had water so we were showing them our full bottle and they always replied "ok, so you buy me when you come back", some of them were quite aggressive when we still did not want to buy anything when we came back to our tuk-tuk after the visit. During the visit of the temples kids were following us trying to sell postcards or other souvenirs. If we showed them a little bit of attention when saying "no thank you" they were following us until we started ignoring them totally. It was difficult to find the balance to stay polite towards those kids without giving them any hope that we will buy something. They are really young kids and we found it very hard to not buy anything. The kids know that tourists feel bad and they have been trained to play on it a lot. We did not want to give money to the kids as it will encourage the parents who send them "begging" all the day. Probably those families don't do too bad compare to the really poor farmers as many tourists will end up giving some money to one of the kids at one time. However we knew we will do better by giving our money to one of the numerous NGOs present in Cambodia as they really help families to be self sufficient and give the kids the opportunity to go to school. We were very impressed as those kids, which are 5 to 10 years old, spoke pretty well English. They all have the same tricks to get the tourists to buy what they offer. They know how to count in many languages, even in Polish! They have learnt the capital of many countries and even the name of the prime minister. They tell you that because they know the capital of your country you have to buy from them.
Food and drinks
In Angkor all prices are to be discussed when buying drinks or meals in restaurants. A coke was sold for $1 but it was very easy to get 2 cokes for $1. Looking for a restaurant we just had to ask to people trying to get us in their restaurant if they will do us a special price and we easily had the fried rice and noodles for $2 instead of the $3.50 printed on the menu and 2 cokes for $1. We had a cheaper and better meal in a restaurant next to the Bayon than the one we had next to Angkor Wat.
Transport
There is not the option to rent a motorbike to visit Angkor. To rent a tuk-tuk for a day to do the small or the big circuit it costs $15, which is very expensive for Cambodia! We managed to negotiate with our tuk-tuk driver to pay $12. But still the tuk-tuk plus the entrance to Angkor made our stay in Siem Reap quite expensive. It is also possible to rent a bike but as the site is 8km from Siem Reap and the weather is very hot we would not advise this option at this time of the year.
Visiting Angkor has been for us a contrasted experience. We liked a lot the temples but did not appreciate the visits fully especially at Angkor Wat due to the very high number of tourists. Moreover we have been under a constant pressure from shop owners and kids to buy food, drinks, souvenirs and postcards. On the other hand it was an interesting experience to see Angkor during the Khmer New Year, a very important 3 days holiday time in Cambodia. Numerous Cambodian families from Phnom Penh but also some from the area were visiting Angkor. The richest driving expensive 4WD cars, others were packed at the back of trucks but mainly we saw entire families travelling all squeezed on one motorbike!
Entrance fee
There are 3 types of passes: for a day $20, for 3 days $40 or for a week $60. We took the three days pass but to save money it will be possible to take only the 1 day pass and do the small and big circuits in one day... a very early start and a lot of energy will be required as it will be a long day. When you buy the 3 or the 7 days pass they quickly take a picture of you and your photo gets printed on the ticket (no need to bring a photo).
The temples
Two days allowed us to take our time to do the small and the big circuits. The small circuit took us nearly a full day but the big circuit was much quicker (more kilometers but smaller temples) and we did it in a morning without rushing, so in the afternoon we went back to our favourite temples of the small circuit. We initially wanted to go to temples that are a bit further on our 3rd day but at the end of our 2nd day we felt that we had enough. Moreover our tuk-tuk man wanted $20 to drive us to the temple of Bantey Srei and we thought it was a bit too much.
On the first day we did the small circuit which regroups the biggest and most famous temples. Our favorite temple was Ta Phrom as it offers the experience visitors are looking for when coming in Angkor, ruins swallowed by the roots of massive trees. Angkor Wat was very impressive by its size but the visit was less enjoyable due to the high number of visitors. The Bayon with all its towers decorated with massive faces was also one of the highlights of the visit. We found Te Kao not that special as it has never been finished but climbing its very steep stairs was fun and the view from the top was nice.
On the second day we did the big circuit in the morning, the temples are smaller but there is always something nice to see in each of them. In the afternoon we went back to the Bayon and then to Angkor Wat for the sunset.
The kids
Next to all the temples, as soon as we jumped off our tuk-tuk kids were following us trying to sell us drinks and souvenirs. They were more annoying at the most famous temples but they all used the same technique. "You buy me water lady", we always had water so we were showing them our full bottle and they always replied "ok, so you buy me when you come back", some of them were quite aggressive when we still did not want to buy anything when we came back to our tuk-tuk after the visit. During the visit of the temples kids were following us trying to sell postcards or other souvenirs. If we showed them a little bit of attention when saying "no thank you" they were following us until we started ignoring them totally. It was difficult to find the balance to stay polite towards those kids without giving them any hope that we will buy something. They are really young kids and we found it very hard to not buy anything. The kids know that tourists feel bad and they have been trained to play on it a lot. We did not want to give money to the kids as it will encourage the parents who send them "begging" all the day. Probably those families don't do too bad compare to the really poor farmers as many tourists will end up giving some money to one of the kids at one time. However we knew we will do better by giving our money to one of the numerous NGOs present in Cambodia as they really help families to be self sufficient and give the kids the opportunity to go to school. We were very impressed as those kids, which are 5 to 10 years old, spoke pretty well English. They all have the same tricks to get the tourists to buy what they offer. They know how to count in many languages, even in Polish! They have learnt the capital of many countries and even the name of the prime minister. They tell you that because they know the capital of your country you have to buy from them.
Food and drinks
In Angkor all prices are to be discussed when buying drinks or meals in restaurants. A coke was sold for $1 but it was very easy to get 2 cokes for $1. Looking for a restaurant we just had to ask to people trying to get us in their restaurant if they will do us a special price and we easily had the fried rice and noodles for $2 instead of the $3.50 printed on the menu and 2 cokes for $1. We had a cheaper and better meal in a restaurant next to the Bayon than the one we had next to Angkor Wat.
Transport
There is not the option to rent a motorbike to visit Angkor. To rent a tuk-tuk for a day to do the small or the big circuit it costs $15, which is very expensive for Cambodia! We managed to negotiate with our tuk-tuk driver to pay $12. But still the tuk-tuk plus the entrance to Angkor made our stay in Siem Reap quite expensive. It is also possible to rent a bike but as the site is 8km from Siem Reap and the weather is very hot we would not advise this option at this time of the year.
