Tom’s Adventure Through Southeast Asia Part 9 — Koh Rong Sanloem & Siem Reap, Cambodia
Up until this point in my trip, I had been following a relatively strict schedule that I had planned out before leaving home. My original plan was to head from Kampot to Siem Reap, but I had been hearing about two Cambodian islands from other travelers that sounded really interesting: Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem.
During the time I was in Cambodia, everyone was coming back from Koh Rong with food poisoning from contaminated water. Add to this the fact that Mad Monkey had a hostel on Sanloem, and I knew I had to visit the island. Unfortunately, since the hostel was booked up I was only able to stay there for one night. It was so worth it though, this island was amazing!
After catching a speed boat in the coastal city of Sihanoukville, I was on the island of Koh Rong Sanloem. By this time it was already late in the afternoon and a little overcast, but that didn’t take away from the beauty of this island. As I checked into the hostel and got myself settled, I realized how good it felt to be on a beach after all of the city and temple exploring I had done so far. While I was on a beach in Ha Long Bay the weather was quite bad, so this felt like my first opportunity to kick back and relax in the sun.
After some food and drinks with the other backpackers I decided to walk around the area and explore before it got too dark. Unfortunately, it started pouring rain and I had to call it an early night.
The next day however was perfect weather for enjoying the island. Whether you wanted to take in the views, relax on the beach or go for a swim, the Mad Monkey hostel had everything. They even had awesome hammocks and rope swings hanging just above the water!
While I wish I could’ve stayed longer on the island, I was still happy that I was able to visit at all considering the circumstances. From Sihanoukville I took an overnight bus to Siem Reap. Due to the lack of roads in Cambodia, the bus had to travel back to Phnom Penh and then to Siem Reap, even though a direct road to Siem Reap would’ve been much faster. It made me appreciate the developed highways and road systems back home.
The overnight buses in Cambodia are quite nice, with air conditioning, charging ports and even included WiFi! The bus arrived in Siem Reap around five in the morning, but since the front desk of the hostel didn’t open until eight I had to wait at reception for three hours until they opened. The Siem Reap Mad Monkey was probably my favourite of the four hostels. The pool was awesome, I met tons of cool, friendly people, and their top floor bar had a beach sand floor!
It was tempting to stay up late partying, but I had to call it an early night as I had to be up at four in the morning to catch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. For those who don’t know, one of Cambodia’s most popular tourist attractions is the ancient city of Angkor, only a fifteen minute tuk tuk ride from Siem Reap. The ruins of Angkor are huge and you can easily spend a whole week getting lost in all of the temples here. The most popular temple in Angkor is Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world and one of the most beautiful locations for sunrises and sunsets.
After watching the sunrise, I began to explore the Angkor Wat area with the people from the hostel I was there with. If you couldn’t tell, this place was huge and truly a sight to behold.
Next was Bayon Temple, which is famous for its smiling face sculptures. By this time it was mid morning and the temples were already flooding with tourists.
Last was Ta Prohm, which was my favourite temple of them all. It is also known as the “Tomb Raider temple” as it was featured in the first Tomb Raider film starring Angelina Jolie. Giant, white trees have grown around the temples with their roots embedding themselves into the beautiful stone designs.
While there are many other temples to visit in Angkor, by this point it was approaching mid day (remember, I got there around five in the morning) and the heat was starting to wear us out. I hope to go back to this place someday so I can experience more of this ancient city.
After a much needed rest at the hostel, I was back out at night to experience another essential attraction in the city: the Siem Reap Pub Street. Covered in neon lights, cheap bars and restaurants with booming loud music everywhere, it is certainly not for the faint of heart but a must for anyone looking for an awesome night out.
My time in Cambodia had come to an end, and with the Full Moon Party less than two weeks away it was time to return to Thailand, the country where I started my trip. I was heading to islands in the southern part of the country, which would mark the official beginning of the “beach” part of my trip that I got an early head start on in Koh Rong Sanloem. It marked the beginning of the end of my trip, and I was excited to get some sand under my feet, a beer in my hand and settle into the island lifestyle.
Next: Ko Samui, Thailand
