Cambodia Siem Reap, immediately the name Angkor Wat will surface to mind. Even if you have not actually been there, anyone would have at least heard of it's name and it's glory. Situated 6km north of Siem Reap. It is a place with MANY MANY tourist, mostly from Japan, korea, china.
Kingdom of wonder
US$1.50 meal. Everything in Cambodia is denoted in US$. Dont be shocked when you see the atms cough out US$
There are many night food stalls at the split road in the middle of town. Rule of thumb, head to the 1 with the most motor parked.
My very clean(and yellow) "Yellow Guesthouse" complete with private toilet and cable tv. A steal at US$4/day(after some bargaining since i am staying for a week)
Cambodia buddha of fortune. Fans of lottery players flock here everyday
Miniature angkor wat. Nice structure however not interesting to keep me for long.(US$1.50)As of January 09. Admission price for Angkor Temple stays at a heafty US$20(1day), US$40(3days) and US$60(1week). Dont expect much of it to go back into the actual conservation funds of the temple.
To suck more money from the wallets of tourist, foreigners are forbidden to rent a motorcycle in Siem Reap, which leaves many people with the problem of transportation since the temple area covers a huge area, a handful of them even 50km away. Unless you are on a tour bus, few options are available.
1.Private car-The most comfortable and luxurious way of getting around, especially so in the hot striking sun of Siem Reap. Zoom past in air conditioned comfort and laugh at people in the hot sun. Expect around US$70/day
2.Tuk Tuk-Motorcycle with a trailer behind. By far the most popular way to get around. Fits 2 person comfortably with the potential to seat 4 or more. Able to shelter you from the sun, little protection from rain and no defence from the dusty road which is common with the outlaying temples . Expect around US$25(US$20 is fine between 2 people but they will ask for US$30-US$50 or even more)
3.Moto driver-On the back of a motorcycle. Able to get you to destination swifty albeit not as comfortable as Tuk Tuk. The only reason why people choose this over tuk tuk is the price, half it of Tuk Tuk. Expect to pay US$12-15/day. 80% of the time, they tried to overcharge me and quote me prices of US$20-35.
*Note that Angkor wat is a place with high tourist volumes. Especially with Tuk tuk and moto drivers, they have a habit of overcharging tourist by a huge margin and will quote you 3x or more. Use my rates above for reference and walk away immediately if they starts shooting up prices.
4.Bicycle-A environmental friendly way to get around the temple and have the option of admiring the surroundings at a slower pace. Bicycle can be rented from a few shops in the city. US$1-3/day
5.Foot-No need for introduction. Some crazy people do that.
Ticket counter. Those who buy 3days and 1 week tickets will need to have their picture taken at their ticket counter. Cheese!
Tuk tuk(They will find you before you find them)As with all touristy places, expect alot of selling and begging, especially with small children. All if not most of the children speaks excellent english along with many other languages. Dont be surprise if they can speak more languages than you can! That said, they do sell some useful (pirated)books about the temples at just a couple of US dollars. You would save alot more if you buy from them than at home. Even a lonely planet cambodia cost just $US3 here.
Any ticket you buy will allow you into the compound on the evening the day before the starting date. So i made use of it and cycled my way for my first sunset at Phnom Bakheng. I knew that it was the most popular sunset spot, what i didnt know was that it means i would have to share the place with 3000 other people........
Endless line of human 20mins walk up to the temple
Tourist straight from the bus flood the temples at all levels
The steps up to the top is really steep 
So unless you have the money to see it from the hot air balloon, bearing it with 3000 other people is the way to go.Immediately after, i ran my way down to the foot of the hill. I had cycled my way here and it is a 9km ride back to town. The only light i had was my small flashlight and the streets do not have street lamps, making it dangerous for me. At least i made it back to town, starving to the max!
Back to my favourite night food stall
Antique ice shaving machine
I was so hungry, i even got a take away back to my guesthouse. Pork Fried Rice US$0.75First day. I wanted to start with the outer temple furthest away and work my 3 days to the most impressive temples on my last.
What it means is that i would need to find a moto driver for my first day. It was very difficult trying to find a suitable one. Everybody is trying to jump on the tourist wagon and wants to suck every foreigner dry. Many people quote me US$30-50/day giving the excuses that the temples i wanted to go are far. Fortunately after some hard searching, i met one who did not even attempt to rip me off and quoted me just US$12 for the day. He did not speak much english, however he is an extremely nice guy and takes good care of me throughout the day. If you ever need a moto driver, call Sokhom at 089987477. Tell him Jay from singapore said HELLO!!
Sunrise at Sra srang
Sun peeping behind the tree lines
This girl speaks amazingly good american english. Most of the kids will try to hard sell you stuff. "coffee later? T shirt sir?" However if you made it firm and clear that you are not buying anything, they will still gladly join you for some chat and laughter.
Sra srang is very much less touristy and is still a good place for sunriseNext we ride through extremely dusty road to Kbal Spean. Famouse for its riverbed carving.
Climb the well marked route for an hour
To see this 
Not really impressive in my opinionSokhom and i started very early, we made our way at 5.30am and this place is a big distance from the next. Wanting to have breakfast, we went to take a look at the eatery and was shocked by the extremely high price. Funny thing was, they agreeded to cut the price in half as we were about to leave.
En route we went to Banteay Sriel(Temple of women) with nice carvings and many people
Preserved detailed carvings
Much better is the landmine museum(US$1) that can be combined with the above 2 places. Inspiring and educational, they feature stories of people who suffered from mine blast and many facts about landmines. Definitely worth a visit.
Landmine Museum
Drawings by children
The shell of the mines defused
Next we make our way to Beng Melea, about 50km away from Siem Reap. It is a long and hard ride there, mainly deserted areas and bad road. Half way there, we got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. Sokhom my driver got me a comfortable place to sit down and he slowly push his bike in the hot sun to get it fix, not wanting me to follow him. Half an hour later, he came back and we are burning rubber again. Just as i thought it would be smooth riding from now on, 5mins of riding we had another flat tire!! Fortunately there is a car nearby and we got a lift to the repair shop. I know that replacing the inner tubing is about US$3-4 and i did not want Sokhom to spend all his earning today on repairs and petrol and bring nothing home. So i politely offered to pay for his 2nd repair. 
How many pigs can you fit on the back of a motorcycle? 3 on the motorcycle on the left!!
To me, Beng Melea is the most impressive temple of all. Even though it is not included in the Angkor Ticket and you need to pay another US$5 to get to this temple. It is well worth it. The whole temple is devoured by nature's elemental forces and what remains is the ruins and crumbles of what used to be a standing temple.
Fallen boulders everywhere
Tree roots along the walls
Very much less touristy. Because of the distance, tour buses do not make the trip here
At the entrance, the guards wearing uniform will gladly take you along a climbing path in the compound. It would be polite to tip them at the end
HELP!!
I had 10 seconds to run 5meters down a bridge, leap over the railings, run another 7meters and climb up the boulders and POSE!
In the evening, Sokhom suggested i go to Prasat Bakong Temple for sunset
A nice place with a good view
On the way back, we rode past Psar Leu(Leu Market) where his wife sells fruits at a stall there. Before sending me back, he even gave me a big bag of fruits!!
Sokhom and his family
Day 2. I decided to be environmental(Frugal) today and rented a bicycle to do the outer loop of the temples. 
Tug of war liked structure
A few nice spots
Unique picture
Dried up fountain
With weird statue
Waterless fountain
Elephant head
Whats up there?
After taking this picture, what i feared actually happened, he had missed and cut his finger. Fortunately it was a small cut and his young sister amusingly wrapped his finger up to a big bun
Angkor books for you miss??
Going to Angkor, it is best to hire guides to prevent getting temple fatigue(which i got) so that what you see actually make sense to you. Proper guides will wear this uniform.
Sunset @ Pre Rup. It is also because of this that leads me to....
Pizza(US$7)!! So hungry after cycling that i only remember to take a picture after eating a slice
Day 3. Woke up at 5am!!!! and cycled my way to Angkor wat for Sun rise. I took a short cut and ended up cycling in COMPLETE darkness with the rare headlights from vehicles passing me. A daunting 45mins of cycling without light later, i arrive at Angkor wat for the disappointing Sunrise because of the clouds. I was so tired of waking up early and sleeping late the past few days, i decided to cycle all the way back to sleep!! Thinking back, i must have been half asleep when i make that decision.....
Angkor Wat
3000Riel(US$0.75) for locals, Double for foreigners. That is what the hawker told me openly
Ended up over sleeping leaving too little time for too many sights.
Angkor wat pathway
Angkor wat is a huge complex with has interesting carvings along the walls depicting folktale stories. Useful with a guide here.
Everybody in this picture stood motionless 
Tomb Raider Temple Ta Phrom. You would have to wait awhile to get a shot without any tourist in it
Temple of faces Bayon
Best view in morning or late afternoon
With that, i end my Angkor Temple part. The temples are nice and full of historical value. 3 days was enough to see all those that i wanted. Part of the trip i got templed out and some of the temples are just merely rocks that i see yet again. Others were more unique and offered a much better photographic experience. Also if you are not in a hurry, take some time to talk to the hard selling children and the ladies at the eatery, especially at the less crowded temples. I had interesting coversations with them and it was a very pleasant way to understand the locals point of view admist the waves of foreign tourists.
After 3 days of hard work, i decided to treat myself to a nice dinner at a cosy cambodian fine dining restaurant.
WOO HOO! Thany Khmer Kitchen
Fish Amoc(Cambodian speciality)US$8
On my last day in Siem Reap, i went to attend a cooking class(US$13) at Tigre le papier where they train street kids and provide them with jobs. As with all cooking classes, we begin with a trip to the market.
Fresh rice vermicelli
4 sets of ingredients for 4 students
TADA! Fish Amoc and banana flower salad for me
In the afternoon, i went to do some quad biking(US$20)
I even had a free pick up by the owner on his dirt bike!
MUHAHA
We rode through villages and pass by houses with kids waving and shouting at us. A very enjoyable ride.
Curry with unwanted bits of chicken(head,neck,bones) It was still the best curry i had tasted
Down it with a cambodian desert with egg yolk, yam, sweet potatoe and some other stuff i cant recognise. So tasty that i had this every time i see it.
Shadow puppet show at La Noria Hotel
Performed by children who used to wander the streets
Half the time, it was conversational in Khmer with the kids playing the voice rendering it a little boring at times
Near the end, they have a traditional Khmer dance
All in all, it is for a very good cause as the money(US$6) actually helps the children.
After spending so many days in Siem Reap, I am dying to move on. The initial excitement had died down completely and it was dreadful staying there. Booked a ticket to battambang. I thought that the bus ride(US$3.50) would be boring so i decided to take the boat(US$18) through Tonle Sap Lake instead. Indeed it turned out to be a pretty nice ride passing through many floating communities along the way.
A 3 year old naked boy even wave and shouted HELLO! to us while peeing into the river completely naked!! If only i got that shot!
Kinda felt like Luang Prabang Slow boat again...
Everything is on water for the next 9hours
Including houses
Basket ball courts
And pig sty
Fishing is a major part of the people's life here
And i end it with my Picture of the day!!
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