January 2020
Cambodia
Asia
Trip Summary
15 Days Total
Arrival Flight: Philippine Airlines Toronto to Bangkok
Bangkok, Thailand | 3 days
Transfer Flight: Air Asia Bangkok, Thailand to Siem Reap, Cambodia
Siem Reap, Cambodia | 1 day
Transfer Flight: Air Asia Siem Reap, Cambodia to Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai, Thailand | 3 days
Transfer Flight: Air Asia Chiang Mai, Thailand to Krabi, Thailand
Krabi (Railay Beach), Thailand | 2 days
Transfer Ferry: Andaman Wave Master Krabi to Ko Phi Phi
Ko Phi Phi, Thailand | 2 days
Transfer Ferry: Andaman Wave Master Ko Phi Phi to Phuket
Phuket, Thailand | 3 days
Transfer Flight: Air Asia Phuket, Thailand to Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand | 1 day
Departure Flight: Philippine Airlines Bangkok to Toronto
DAY 01
SIEM REAP
Temples
We had just one full day in Siem Reap, Cambodia which was mostly spent exploring the ancient temples of Angkor Wat. We flew into Siem Reap from Bangkok the prior evening, and then returned to Thailand the morning after one full day exploring, flying from Siem Reap to Chiang Mai. Both flights were taken with Air Asia, which was a fine, budget-friendly, no-frills airline. To get into Cambodia, you do need a tourist Visa. You can get your Visa online before here. It is easy to register, you just need to fork over $30 USD and upload a passport sized photo to verify your identity. If you do get your Visa online before you go, just remember to print it off and print it with you - they will request a hard copy at the airport.
Siem Reap overall is a fairly relaxed, simple and poor city. Angkor Wat is the main attraction in Siem Reap and the main reason for tourists visiting, as the largest religious monument in the world. Here is a video tour of our time there. It is stunning, and I would definitely recommend adding this stop to your Thailand or Southeast Asia trip itinerary if you are going. Entrance to the park is ~$37 CAD and the park is so large that you will spend your whole day exploring. You can rent a tuk tuk driver from your hotel in the morning to drive you to Angkor Wat, and from temple to temple while you are there. Angkor Wat spans over 160 hectares, so I strongly suggest hiring the driver for the day if you only have one day to cover everything you want to see at Angkor Wat. You will still get over 10,000 steps by noon just exploring the temples themselves, so adding on the walk from temple to temple would just be silly (and very tiring). We paid ~$15 CAD total to the tuk tuk driver for my husband and I for the day and he took us on a tour of 6 of the temples, driving us there, waiting for us to get out and explore, and then continuing on to the next. He also provided us with water in a cooler which was a bonus we were very grateful for. It is hot in Siem Reap in January, so come prepared. The most important temples to visit (in my opinion) if you are short on time are - Angkor Wat (the main temple), Ta Phrom, and Angkor Thom. There are many tour guides waiting at the entrance of Angkor Wat offering tours to tourists visiting. We did not opt for a tour because we like to make our own schedule, but this is one of the rare occasions where we both wished we did. We knew some of the history of Angkor Wat due to a few quick Google searches, but we overheard some other tour guides sharing really interesting stories and tidbits of information as we were exploring, and in my opinion, it would have really added to the experience. The tours are by no mean expensive, and you could do a private tour and still make your own schedule, so that would be my suggestion if you are going. We definitely got to experience the beauty of Angkor Wat, but we missed out on most of the history and significant of the different parts of the temple complex - so don't make the same mistake as us :)
After your legs start to give out from climbing up and town temples all day and you are ready to pack it in for the evening, you can head to Siem Reap's main strip in the "downtown" called Pub Street. Pub Street is a super lively backpacker area with fun stops like 50 cent beers, $1 massages, fish pedicures, the famous Angkor Wat? and Yolo bars, and lots of other restaurants, bars, and of course, tourists. There is also the Old Market in the Old French Quarter which is close by Pub Street with some great shopping (if you feel like it or have room if your suitcase) - we scored 2 pairs of "Nike" shorts for ~ $8 CAD.
One full day was perfect for this stop, especially considering our jam-packed itinerary, but if you have a few more days to spend here there are lots of ATV tours, food tours, and cooking classes that you can book directly with your hotel for a good price. We stayed at this hotel that we booked on Airbnb while we were in Siem Reap, and I would recommend it if you are going! They include a great breakfast with an omelette bar, and an airport transfer with your stay which were great perks. The hotel itself and the room was spacious and nice, with a decent pool and restaurant area. The only caveat is that your private shower and bath are outside your room, in a private backyard sort of area - some may love this, and some not so much - but it is worth a mention!
