Recently, I've had the great fortune of checking off an item from my bucket list - visiting Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. For those who are unfamiliar with Angkor, it is famous for its temples such as Angkor Wat and Bayon, which were built by the Khmer Empire way back in 800 A.D.
The Khmer Empire was one of the biggest civilisations at the time, with a population of up to a million people, or about 0.1% of the world's population at that time. Comparatively, London had about 10,000 - 15,000 people during the same era.
Day 0 and Earlier
The whole trip was rather spontaneous. I had two free weeks between changing jobs and my friend (the girl on the right in the picture) wanted to go somewhere while half of her company (which I would be joining in 2 weeks) were away for an event in Jamaica.
So 4 of us, including the 2 guys in the image below, decided to go to Siem Reap on a tight tight budget of RM1200 each for 5D4N!
I made all our plans and reservations, finding the most quality cheap stuff that I can. By then the expenses we've already accumulated were:
- Flights: ~RM500
- Hostel (USD8/night): RM175
- Tour (USD15/person): RM75
- Angkor Pass (USD37): RM150
TOTAL: RM900
Okay, everything was booked. Ready to fly off!
Day 1
We arrived in Siemreap at 8:00AM in the morning and got on the tuk-tuk to our hostel. At USD8/night, we really weren't expecting anything special. The hostel was WAYYYYYY better than we expected. If you ever go to Siem Reap, check out the Mad Monkey Hostel.
Pool and Pool-side Bar
Rooftop Bar with Sand-covered Floor
For USD8 per night, the place had its own pool, bar by the pool, and another bar on the rooftop with the floor covered with sand to feel like you're by the beach. The best part about the place is the people. We met many backpackers from all-over the world that had pretty interesting lives. Also, it was quite weird to be among the oldest people at the hostel when I'm only 25 years old! Seriously, how do all these young backpackers afford to come all the way here!
Once we arrived, we found out that the hostel also organises activities for everyone everyday. So, I canceled my tours that were previously booked and decided to go with the hostel tours. We booked a tour to 9 temples in Angkor Wat and at 2pm on that very same day, there was going to be a Sunset Booze Cruise at Lake Tonle Sap.
Booze Cruise
This was such a last minute decision. But to be able to visit Lake Tonle Sap, visit a small crocodile farm and floating village, AND have unlimited alcohol for USD25, it was too good to say no! So, we immediately signed up and were soon on our Tuk Tuks on the way to Lake Tonle Sap.
I'm actually really glad we decided to do this because we really got to know all the other backpackers really well through the Booze Cruise.
As the day went on, and we were drinking and diving into the lake, with more and more booze - memories started getting fuzzier but it was definitely one of the most fun experience I've had. Since we started at 2am, we were back at the hostel by 8pm and I think - more like I was told - that I fell asleep at about 9pm which was pretty early.
When I wokeup the next morning, I don't remember much of last night but EVERYBODY in the hostel already started calling me "The Loud Chinese Guy", "The Fun One", "The Annoying One". But my proudest would definitely be "The Yam Seng Guy" - I'm glad to have been able to spread my culture.