Setting out from Sligo I hadn’t much plans other than to arrive in Thailand and explore SE Asia. Happy to wing it and go with the flow and that’s what has lead me to Cambodia at this juncture.
Of course, Angkor Wat is high(est?) on the list of things to see in this neck of the woods so I knew I’d get to it eventually. But a chance encounter at a table quiz lead me to discover Nomads in Wonderlands—a digital nomad retreat in early February—so this seemed as good a time as any to go! I had a couple of days before the retreat so spent some time getting settled in to Cambodian life.
Straight Bussin No Cap
From Bangkok it’s an ~8 hour bus journey to Siem Reap. I went with Travel Bus Asia and glad I did—an excellent service with a comfy bus, good WiFi, nice food provided and best of all, a great guide who explained everything in detail and ensured we got across the border in a timely manner.
Is this the bus fae Yoker?
The journey to the border was about 5 hours and went by very quickly. I had my e-visa approved a few weeks (taking less than a week after applying) so just joined the queue and went through. Whatever kind of visa I had included a yellow sheet to fill out. DO NOT LOSE THE YELLOW SHEET!
We got back on the bus on the Cambodia side. The border town is full of casinos and gives off a bit of a grim vibe so I’m glad we weren’t hanging around. A few hours later we touched down in Siem Reap and after picking up my bags I was instantly met by a barrage of TukTuk drivers offering me a lift. I opted for the 5 minute walk.
I’ve yet to take a lift from a ‘friendly’ offer and instead always go with Grab or an app such as that.
Settling In
Staying in a nice old hotel building, although I’m once again ruing the fact I opted for the cheap dorm option. Having a private room is always far better, and over here it’s not even that much more expensive. I figured since I’m staying at a nice villa next week I’d go for the cheaper option.
Paying for the room was an interesting experience—they use both US dollar and their own currency, Cambodian Riel—and my dollars weren’t crisp enough so had to get out more money.
Once the bags were dropped off I went for a wander and tried out some of the local cuisine.
Amok, a tasty Cambodian dish
Siem Reap is a small city and easy to get around. While going for a night walk I thought the place was eerily quiet. That is until I stumbled upon Pub Street! All the craic is centred here and it’s the loudest place I’ve set foot in so far.
Gotta have a drink on Pub Street
On my way home from Pub Street I overheard some Irish accents in the distance. A sound gang from Galway and Dublin so had great chats with them, as well as a cuplá focal!
Sightseeing
A lot of the main sights are planned for the retreat but since I had a few days extra I took the opportunity to check out the Angkor Museum, which was just around the corner from my gaff.
Angkor Wat for ants
Glad to hae done this before heading to the temples as it’s a great way to learn about the rich Khmer history. Full to the brim of Buddha’s and lots of information about the Khmer kings and history of religion in the area. I look forward to checking out the temples themselves.
Rup
Structure
Knowing I’ll be in Siem Reap for at least 2 weeks has helped me get a bit of structure on my day-to-day.
Decent WiFi and a good spacious lobby worked wonders for making progress on the blog.
A good place to get the head down
All work and no play makes dav a dull boy etc so I still ventured out in the evenings. Managed to meet up with Camille and Bauke for another quiz. They arrived to Siem Reap early as well to make sure everything is set up for the retreat. The quiz was a lot of fun with some novel rounds I’m not used to. We didn’t do as well as the Christmas quiz but it was still a fun evening.
Where is Ray!?
Will be catching up with them again soon at the retreat—can’t wait!
DavAI SummAIriser
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