So after our adventure getting to Siem Reap (see last Facebook post) we took Wednesday to recover. Swimming and screen time and rest. We had a 30 minute orientation drive around in the late afternoon which was nice. We liked the size of Siem Reap instantly. A quick google told us it was a similar size to our home town.

 

The following day BK did some work so the kids and I headed out to a butterfly park/sanctuary. Very educational, our kids both know the life cycle very well from their Montessori preschool covering it extensively. The afternoon was spent in the pool.

 

Friday I didn’t feel too flash so spent most of the day in bed. BK took the kids to play arcade games and they had a ball (all 3 of them!) they came back to get me and we all went into the Main Street in town for dinner (pizza – this girl is a little over rice!)

 

On Saturday we decided to do a sunset tour of the Pre Rup temple. If we bought tickets for the temples for following day after 4.30pm we could get free entry into the temples for that evening. So from 4.30pm it was a rush to: buy the tickets, race out to the temple, climb it and then sit and watch the sky turn fire engine red!!! Amazing. It was also fun to have a quick look around to see what we were in for the following day.

 

We were up at 6am (most people are up at 5am to do the sunrise but not us 💤 )

It was chilly (18 degrees) so R and I wore our jackets. We decided to see the temples the opposite way to the norm to avoid some of the crowds. This was the best decision of the day. We arrived at our first temple 4 minutes after it opened. Beautiful, peaceful and cold! We clambered around for a whole hour before moving on to the next one, and the day continued like that….

 

We saw:

Ta Prohm (if you’ve seen the movie Tomb Raider….that one with the tree growing through it)

Bantesy Kdei

Ta Nei

Chau Say Tevoda

Thomanom

Terrace of the Elephants

Bayon

Angkor Wat

 

By 2pm we’d had enough. The sun was hot and our legs weren’t wanting to go any further. The trusty Fitbit told me I’d walked 15km. No wonder R was refusing to walk by the end of it.

 

Unfortunately the pool had turned a green colour by the time we got back to our villa so no one was going in there to cool off. Sitting under the air con had to suffice, of course it did when there were screens to look at!

 

Monday was spent doing errands around town such as, checking out where the bus to our next location leaves from and having some of the best ice cream in town. And also errands online like paying GST and having email conversations with the kids’ school. Yes, life at home carries on, got to keep up!

 

So thanks Siem Reap for a great time. The week whizzed past so quickly. I would have liked to do the floating markets/village but we ran out of time. I guess we will have to come back!

 

A really cute moment was when C decided that when he is older he had to bring his best friend back to Cambodia to show him the temples he was having such a great time clambering over. Maybe his Mum and I could tag along…

 

Till next time,

 

Claire

 

 

Budget update :

Siem Reap – $136 under

Total Budget – $399 under