Cambodia Day 3

Day 3: Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, Cambodia (07/12/06)

We waited for around half an hour for the minibus to reach and fetch us to the bus terminal. There were a lot of people taking the bus to Siem Reap and we took the remaining 4 seats at the back of the bus. The bus ride took around 6 hours including some breaks along the way and we reached Siem Reap at 1.30 pm. The bus ride is not very comfortable as the aircon is minimal, the seats are quite cramped and the air is quite stuffy. It was much better after we opened the windows.

At a bus pitstop


Some roadside stalls selling fruits


Passed by some stone carvings village


The landscape taken during the 6 hour bus ride


A lunch break stop at around 11 am

A taxi driver from our guesthouse, Golden Temple Villa, picked us up from the bus terminal which is quite some distance from the city. The guesthouse tried to overcharge us upon our arrival but i had printed the online receipt from Hostels.com and showed them the exact amount which we should pay. The rooms are actually quite comfortable and nice like a hotel. The best part is that we only need to pay around $8 a night per pax only.

After we unloaded our luggage, we went to the restaurant in our guesthouse for our lunch. We had not eaten breakfast and were quite hungry. The food was quite delicious but we waited about 45 mins for the food to arrive. After fulfilling our empty stomaches, we headed to the Old Market area just 5 mins walk away from the guesthouse. We bought some silk scarves or shawls there.

Old Market

We proceeded to walk around the shops around the Old Market area and decided to take a tuk tuk to Cambodian Cultural Village. When we arrived at around 5.45 pm, we were told that the tourist site closes at 7 pm. We all agreed that we should go back another day instead and visited the souvenir shop there as well as taking some photos outside.

Near the entrance of Cambodian Cultural Village


The sunset behind the silhouette


The entrance of Cambodian Cultural Village

We headed back to our guesthouse to unload our shopping bags before heading back out to Pub Street and the numerous restaurants and pubs around the area.

Posing beside a statue outside our guesthouse

We decided to have dinner at Blue Pumpkin, a restaurant among the list of recommended restaurants i've researched. The deco inside is chic and modern, and the price of each dish is not too expensive as well.

Blue Pumpkin

We enjoyed our dinner there and headed over to In Touch, a bar where a live band is playing.

Jamming and singing


Cocktails for us

We played some poker card games there while enjoying the music and the drinks. Headed back to our guesthouse at 11 pm and we will have to wake up at 4 am the next day to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat!