*** First of all, very sorry for the very late post for this day 2 journal. I will not go missing in action again! π You will find some of the details are missing because I forgot about it already. Sorry! But I hope you still can enjoy the reading~
The plan was to wake up at 3.30am. Of course, I failed.. I woke up at 3.45am. Close enough though. I prepared everything for the trip; umbrella, water, power bank and cable, camera + back up battery, and camera charger. By 4.30am, we already at the lobby and ready for Angkor Wat. The hotel staff gave us our breakfast in boxes, then we headed out to our tuk-tuk. Mr. Bun Rong was already there and ready for us. He greeted us and told us to not use the phone on the way to Angkor Wat Ticket Office because it’s dangerous. We had to buy the ticket first before going to the site. We followed his instructions and just sat quietly. At 4.30am, inside the running tuktuk, sleepy, with no protection from wind. It was quite chill. The trip to Ticket Office was about 20 minutes. The streets were dark and not many vehicles around, only some other tuktuks on the same way.
When I saw a bright building with many buses, cars, and tuk-tuks, I knew we have reached our destination. There were so many people inside the ticket office. They were queueing at the ticket counters which were still closed by the time we came. There is a sign on each counter depending on how many days you want to spend in Angkor Wat. Since we only want to buy a 1-day ticket, we had to look for a counter with a “1-day” sign. My friend wanted a coffee to start her day so we went back to the coffee shop near the entrance. But then, I was thinking since I didn’t want coffee maybe I should just stay there and queue for both of us. And so I did. I went back to the counter that we left, which now has more people in the queue.
At 5 am, they opened the counter and started selling the ticket. Finally, the queue moved! They took a photo for ticketing purposes. Therefore, for a group of people, everyone needs to be present when they buy the ticket. It was almost our turn but my friend was not with me yet. Luckily, she came back right on time when the officer called me. They took our photos and we had to wait for the printed ticket. The ticket has my face on it π
After we got our tickets, we continued our journey to Angkor Wat. When we got on the remorge, the driver told us that we now can use our phone because it is safe. The area near Pub Street is dangerous because a lot of robbery cases before, meanwhile on the way to Angkor Wat (after the ticket office) is safer because there are many police officers in the area.
After another 20 minutes ride, we arrived at the check-in area. An officer checked our tickets and let us passed through. Our driver brought us to the entrance and told us that he will meet us back there in 2 hours. We followed the flow of people to enter Angkor Wat. We walked through a floating bridge and keep walking until we see the magnificent Angkor Wat. I checked my app to see which direction the sun will come. There are 2 areas to watch the sunrise. From the entrance, you can go either to the left or right area. We chose to go to the right side. There were many people already waiting there.
It didn’t take long until we finally see the sun is coming slowly from behind the temple. It was a bit cloudy at that time but the shadow and lights were still amazing. I tried taking photos with my camera on different settings and hope I got at least one decent photo. After we satisfied with thousands of photos that we took, we continued walking. We stopped by a moment to eat our breakfast. When we were eating, we saw the opposite area of our spot (which is the left area from entrance) and we saw A LOT of people there! Apparently, that area is more famous for photo taking than the other one. I was curious to see what is the difference and how good is it taking a photo from that area, but then I was too lazy to compete with all those people.
Angkor Wat is really a must-see place in Siam Reap. The huge building, the historical story behind it, the magnificent design. Everything about it is amazing. We didn’t have a tour guide so we just walked around by ourselves and once in a while we eavesdropped an explanation from nearby tour guide π We also went to the tallest tower inside (prepare your legs for a long journey up on a steep stairs!).
If you like historical sites (or just photography and selfies enthusiast), you will spend 2 hours here easily. There are so many amazing views, sculptures and spot that is photogenic (a.k.a instagrammable :D). When we finished looking around, it was around 8 am and we rushed to the parking lot to meet our remorge driver.
The driver took us to another temple in that area. Angkor Wat is only a part of the big area of temples in Siem Reap. There are many other temples and they also have their charm! Even on the road in between those temples, you can find beautiful sculptures.
Bayon Temple
The next temple we visited was Bayon Temple. I love this temple. I think it is very pretty and unique. The area of the temple is not as huge as Angkor Wat because Bayon is just one of the temple in Angkor Thom. Bayon is a temple of a thousand faces. We can see the faces on each tower. For some people might be scary though..
The Bayon’s most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and smiling stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak.[3] The temple has two sets of bas-reliefs, which present a combination of mythological, historical, and mundane scenes. The main conservatory body, the Japanese Government Team for the Safeguarding of Angkor (the JSA) has described the temple as “the most striking expression of the baroque style” of Khmer architecture, as contrasted with the classical style of Angkor Wat
Wikipedia
Baphuon Temple
The Baphuon (Khmer: ααααΆααΆαααΆαα½α) is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia. It is located in Angkor Thom, northwest of the Bayon. Built in the mid-11th century, it is a three-tiered temple mountain[1]:103 built as the state temple of Udayadityavarman II[2]:103 dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. It is the archetype of the Baphuon style with intricate carvings covering every available surface.[3] The temple adjoins the southern enclosure of the royal palace and measures 120 metres east-west by 100 metres north-south at its base and stands 34 meters tall without its tower, which would have made it roughly 50 meters tall.
Wikipedia
A beautiful temple with the tower of Bronze and more than 10 chambers at its base. I didn’t climb up because I was tired already (weak!) and I planned to save some stamina for the next temple.
On the way to meet our driver, we passed by an area with some giant trees around. Remember to always pay respect to everything in the temple area. This goes for the tree as well. I excused myself before I took a photo with it or when I stand near it. I don’t know how is it in another country but in my country (or at least in my hometown) it is believed that the bigger a tree the stronger spirit that lives there. Therefore we can’t do or say something disrespectful if we don’t want to bear the consequences.
Ta Keo Temple
Ta Keo (Khmer: ααααΆααΆαααΆααα) is a temple-mountain in Angkor (Cambodia), possibly the first to be built entirely of sandstone by Khmers
Wikipedia
This temple is under reconstruction with the help of China. I saw many stones and metal frame around the top of the temple. What I remember vividly of this temple are the steep stairs to go to the summit! This temple has a pyramid style and each terrace/level is connected by the stairs from the base. So when we went up there, it felt like never-ending stairs lol. The stairs are not just steep but also each step is high! Maybe each step about 30 cm?! If you have a knee problem, better be careful.
The four stairways that lead on the summit are continuous and very steep.
Wikipedia
After the long and tiring journey at Ta Keo Temple, we stopped by at the restaurant in front of it to have lunch because I was starving. The driver wanted to continue but I said I can’t! I need food to refill my energy. So there we go to the local restaurant and we ordered a beef dish and Khmer Curry. After trying 2 times of Khmer curry, I must say it’s not my thing. The beef was great though! It reminded me of Bo Luc Lac from Vietnam.
Beef Khmer Style 
Khmer Curry
Ta Prohm Temple
Ta Prohm is the 2nd most famous temple in Angkor because of a Hollywood movie. Can you guess which movie is it? The clue is Angelina Jolie. Yup, it’s Lara Croft: Tomb Rider! It looks like a neglected temple but really spectacular. I think Ta Prohm is the only temple in Angkor that was not reconstructed or restored, as it is said that it has the same look as it was when people found it. The trees and the building make an astonishing merger between nature and architecture.
Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm is in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and theΒ jungleΒ surroundings have made it one of Angkor’s most popular temples with visitors. UNESCO inscribed Ta Prohm on the World Heritage List in 1992.
Wikipedia
Banteay Kdei
The last temple we visited was Banteay Kdei. There is nothing special about this temple especially after seeing Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm. It has a similar style as Bayon but smaller size.
Banteay KdeiΒ (Khmer:Β ααααΆααΆααααααΆαααααΈ; Prasat Banteay Kdei), meaning “A Citadel of Chambers”,[1]Β also known as “Citadel of Monks’ cells”,[2]Β is aΒ Buddhist templeΒ inΒ Angkor,Β Cambodia. It is located southeast ofΒ Ta ProhmΒ and east ofΒ Angkor Thom
Wikipedia
On the way out of this temple, we passed by several souvenir shops. The paintings are wonderful! I love looking at them but can’t buy them because I have no space at home, unfortunately.
Painting Shop 
Souvenir Shop
What is the best thing to do after a half-day walking (and climbing) at Angkor Wat? Massage! Yes, we were waiting for this so much. There are a lot of massage parlors in Siem Reap and we had no idea which one is a good one. The driver brought us to Temple Massage as it is one of the favorites among his guests. We settled down with a body massage AND a foot massage. It costs us very little compared to Singapore so we enjoyed it while we can!
Temple Massage 
Temple Massage 
Temple Massage Pricelist 
Temple Massage Pricelist 
Temple Massage Rooms
After the massage comes the hunger lol. Time for afternoon snack! We headed to Pub Street (again) and looked for a place to sit and enjoy the afternoon while waiting for dinner time.
For the dinner, we had decided to try Ecstatic Pizza. My friend wanted to try happy pizza and she heard it from her friend that we can get it there. The menu is normal though, pizza, bread, seafood, etc. We chose small-sized Salami Pizza and Grilled Scallop. To order a happy pizza, we had to tell the waitress that we want “happy pizza” then she gave us the price for the extra topping.
So what is happy pizza? It’s a normal pizza topped with cannabis (a.k.a weed). Yup, you read it right, cannabis. For me, who never tried it before, it didn’t taste nice. I prefer normal pizza lol. And for the effect, I didn’t feel any change (or happy) but I slept really well. Maybe that’s the effect for me!
Depending on how much pizza you devour, the woozy effects take only an hour to kick in. Waiters also walk by with tall pepper grinders chock-full of fresh, pungent weed. Need more carbs (and, subsequently, more buzz)? Some spots have weed-infused bread on the menu, too, which can be washed down with pot-spiked βhappyβ fruit shakes.
http://www.ozy.com
Beware when you consumed it though because recreational weed is illegal in Cambodia, and the fine is $700 if youβre caught consuming these happy pizzas.
Thank you for reading my day 2 journal of Siem Reap Trip!
See you on day 3 π Ciao!
tastymonial 