We left our apartment super early in the morning on Thursday and made our way to Changi Airport. The two hour flight to Cambodia was fairly painless. Brandon woke up when we left the apartment, so by the time we were on the plane he was ready for a nap.
Since our flight was so early in the morning, we arrived at our hotel around 8 am. We stayed at the Borei Angkor Resort and Spa. www.boreiangkor.com/resort/
As we were traveling with a toddler, we hired a driver and tour guide to help us travel more comfortably while in Siem Reap. Our tour guide, Mr. F, was at the hotel to greet us when we arrived.
I was so tired from the traveling, but we decided to make the most of our time and head out for our first excursion.
Mr. Lucky drove us to Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom was a Buddhist temple complex built around the late 12th - early 13th century.
These are the Buddha statues that line the walkway to one of Angkor Thom's entrances.
The complex's main temple is the Bayon Temple. There are 54 towers, each with 4 large faces.
We climbed up through the Bayon Temple.
So elaborate. So stunning. Such detail.
The temple features a series of bas-reliefs. Some depict historical events and scenes from everyday life. Others depict mythological events.
We walked past the Terrace of the Elephants.
What a great start to our trip!
It was so hot outside, and we were exhausted. We headed back to the car for some a/c and back to the hotel for some naps.
In the afternoon, we decided to venture out again. A very busy first day in Cambodia!
We drove past some rice fields on our way to the Roluos Group temples.
The Ruluos Group is a set of three temple complexes from the late 9th century.
Lolei was the first of the Hindu temples we visited. It was built on an island, but now the surrounding reservoir is dry. Lolei is now a monastery.
Dragon fruit growing on a mango tree.
After Lolei, we went to Preah Ko. Preah Ko is the oldest of the three temple complexes in the Roluos Group.
Brandon rode the bull.
Lastly, we visited Bakong.
After our temple tours, we had our driver drop us off at the Old Market, the downtown area of bars, restaurants, and shops in Siem Reap.
We stopped for beer at The Temple Club bar. $.50 for a beer! Can't beat that! Even though Cambodia's national currency is the riel, we only used U.S. dollars while in Siem Reap. Very neat to us that they use our currency more there than their own.
Great first day! We took a tuk tuk ride back to the hotel for $3. Cheap!!!
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