Cambodia - Kingdom of Wonder [Part 2]

​Continuing from the previous post (Part 1)

I headed back to the hostel after having grabbed a pint of beer at Pub Street.

It was located right smack at the cross junction of the entrance of Pub Street and the main road. There was a pharmacy nearby whom I bought my daily supply of water from. The husband and wife duo later became my friends.

Back to ​my 8-bedder mixed dorm. Space was kinda small, as double deck capsule beds lined the 2 sides of the room, with only an 8m x 2m middle space for occupants to walk. Whenever one of us packed our bags, no one could pass to the other side.

Staying in a hostel is not so much about the cost. I can get a decent private room just paying a couple more dollars. But it is the new friends to be made, new knowledge to be shared, a new culture to be learned, and new experiences to be forged​ that excites me. ​For the night, there were 2 Malaysian lads, an American lady, a fellow Taiwanese girl the same age as us, a French guy, and a Vietnamese lady to keep me accompany.

While waiting for the bathroom to be empty, ​I had a chat​ with the 2 Malaysian lads on which temples to visit as they had visited the site earlier. Just then, the American lady popped her head out of her capsule and said "I engaged a tuk-tuk tomorrow. Wanna join?"

The Vietnamese lady chipped in "Can I join too?"

And that's the start of an hour-long conversation, ranging from tomorrow's plan, the number of temples to visit, to getting to know​ more about ​​​each other. Oh yes, politics is always one hot topic to be discussed when I travel, and just so happen​ed ​it was the period where Trump won the election. I'm sure the conversation could have lasted much longer if we didn't have a 4 am Tuk Tuk to catch the following day.

​Day 2 - 0400hrs

Waited in the empty street, with small pockets of tourists walking in zigzag lines, after a long night of partying at Pub Street.

15mins past. Time was running out. There would be a massive jam at the ticket counter, and the sunrise would long be up.

Just then, a tuk-tuk driver drove by. After a quick negotiation, we hopped on as he sped his way to the ticketing building. Quickly got our tickets, and the driver zoomed his way to the entrance of the temples.

Ang Kor Archaelogical Park

This historical site houses numerous temples. It's impossible to visit every temple within a day, which is why there are different number of day-passes for people of different interests. While most of the structures have collapsed and covered in greenery, there are thousands of stone carvings that continue to attract millions of visitors yearly.

Personally, every temple has a different 'feel' to it. However, I would recommend people who are not history buffs to only go for a half day tour (Morning / Afternoon). This is also what most Tuk-Tuk drivers offer. If you feel like soaking up some history, a full day tour suits you as well. But frankly, I don't think it is necessary to buy anything more than a day pass unless you are planning to hit each and every of the 50 temples.

Top 5 Temples

1. Ang Kor Wat

2. Ang Kor Thom

3. Ba Yon Temple

4. Ta Prohm Temple

5. Terrace of the Elephants

We arrived around 0645hrs. Everyone was camping at the spot to catch a glimpse of the magnificent sunrise, which was supposed to look like this.

(Credits: Thousand Wonders)

But in reality, it was sardine-packed with people who were waiting for the sun rays that never came, no thanks to the cloudy morning.

Nonetheless, the vast structures really amazed me. How people from the 12th Century were able to create such magnificent monuments.

Concluded the trip with a Tuk-Tuk ride back, to the comfort of the air-conditioned room and for a good lunch at 2pm.