the next morning to fly back to Auckland. From Auckland we would catch our next 12 hour flight out of New Zealand to Bangkok, Thailand. We spent one quick night near the airport in Bangkok before catching an early morning flight to Siem Reap in Cambodia. A couple of solid days of traveling! Arriving in Asia was an instant change. From the frigid temperatures we'd experienced in NZ, Bangkok (and Cambodia even more) was hot hot and sticky. It was nice to be able to put on those tank tops and flip flops again. We arrived in Siem Reap without much of a plan other than to catch a cab 
into town and find a hostel. Everything worked out perfectly and we arrived at the Popular Guesthouse to find an open room, nice cafe, and loads of travelers. What more could we want. We dropped off our bags, made arrangements for a tuk tuk driver to take us for a sunset drive to a nearby temple, and then hit the streets to do some exploring.
into town and find a hostel. Everything worked out perfectly and we arrived at the Popular Guesthouse to find an open room, nice cafe, and loads of travelers. What more could we want. We dropped off our bags, made arrangements for a tuk tuk driver to take us for a sunset drive to a nearby temple, and then hit the streets to do some exploring. Cambodia was a stark contrast to the traveling we had grown accustomed to in NZ. Despite Siem Reap's tourism boom in the last ten years, the country is still extremely poor with many families living in relatively primative conditions. Our walk around town made this clear quickly but everyone's smiles along with Matt's ability to get a laugh out of anyone assured us of how wonderful and kind the people were.
After our walk and first taste of khmer food (love the amock), we headed back to our guesthouse to meet up with our tuk tuk driver. A tuk tuk is a moto with a small carriage pulled behind and they are absolutely everywhere in Cambodia. Accompanying these are persistent drivers and their constant calls of 'Mister, you wanna tuk tuk?' We were happy to have one hired for the next few days as it would simplify transportation not to mention give us an honest reply of 'No, tuk tuk. We have a driver.' We met up with Soan for our first drive out to Angkor Wat. The temples of 
Angkor Wat were something we were both looking forward to during our trip so we were eager to get started. We drove out and bought a three-day pass to the complex and then headed up the hill for some good sunset views. This is a very popular activity around sunset time so we had to share the beautiful sunset with a few hundred other tourists. We still managed to snap a few good photos before heading back into town.
Angkor Wat were something we were both looking forward to during our trip so we were eager to get started. We drove out and bought a three-day pass to the complex and then headed up the hill for some good sunset views. This is a very popular activity around sunset time so we had to share the beautiful sunset with a few hundred other tourists. We still managed to snap a few good photos before heading back into town. We spent the next three days exploring the vast temple complex. It is overwhelming to go into detail on all that we saw but we took MANY 
pictures and they do more justice than any explanation. We decided not to hire a guide for the three days and bought a book which provided ample detail on the history of both the architecture of the temples and the Angkor Empire (always DIY). The book was a perfect companion and we arranged our tour in somewhat chronilogical order. Neither one of us could pick a favorite but we spent the most time exploring Angkor Wat itself as well as Bayon and Ta Prohm. The structures are immense carved sandstone with some brick and laterite and some dating back to the seventh century (Angkor Wat was constructled closer to the eleventh). They are a sacred place to many buddhist khmers and others and were truly spectacular. This was definitely a highlight on our trip so far. 
pictures and they do more justice than any explanation. We decided not to hire a guide for the three days and bought a book which provided ample detail on the history of both the architecture of the temples and the Angkor Empire (always DIY). The book was a perfect companion and we arranged our tour in somewhat chronilogical order. Neither one of us could pick a favorite but we spent the most time exploring Angkor Wat itself as well as Bayon and Ta Prohm. The structures are immense carved sandstone with some brick and laterite and some dating back to the seventh century (Angkor Wat was constructled closer to the eleventh). They are a sacred place to many buddhist khmers and others and were truly spectacular. This was definitely a highlight on our trip so far. 
Our evenings in Siem Reap were spent trying out the many fantastic restaurants and cafes in town. This included our favorite - the Red Piano - which we discovered later was also a favorite of Angelina Jolie's while staying in town filming Tomb Raider (nice choice!). The food was delicious but we were a bit cautious as Matt has a notoriously fragile stomach. No trouble so far and we can say we enjoyed many a khmer specialty! (No, we did not opt for the fried cricket.)
Click HERE for many more pics.
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