When our group arrived to Siem Reap, Cambodia, we were greeted with one of the most beautiful airports I had ever seen — it looked like it had been recently built, with shiny spotless floors, lots of glass, and uniquely Cambodian touches inside. Staff from the hostel we had booked were waiting outside the airport for us with tuk-tuks; we tossed our packs into any space we could fit them and enjoyed the breeze as the drivers buzzed us through the rural outskirts of Siem Reap and into town.
Our hostel provided clean and comfortable air-conditioned rooms, a pool with a swim-up bar, and plenty of space to relax with a snack. First things first: we found a great café around the corner run by a woman and her mother. The man seating customers, an enthusiastic older gentleman with a thick British accent, explained that the ladies running the place had lost many important members of their family to the Khmer Rouge regime. He kept reminding us that the food was simple, nothing fancy — but despite his modesty we were far from disappointed. I enjoyed a hot bowl of delicious curry and watched the line of hungry customers continue to grow outside the tiny restaurant.
The next full day in Siem Reap was spent exploring the temples inside Angkor Archaeological Park. We chose to rent mountain bikes from our hostel and head out late in the morning toward the entrance of the park. It certainly turned out to be an adventure — about a mile from our hostel, we ran into heavy traffic through the very center of town, nervously making our way into any space we could find in the insane convergence of motorbikes, tuk-tuks, and vehicles of all sizes. Although partly cloudy, the day was hot and unbearably humid, and I hung on to my bicycle for dear life with sweaty palms, drops of perspiration occasionally dripping into my eyes beneath my sunglasses. Miraculously, we made it out of Siem Reap all in one piece, despite one incident where I hit the front brakes on my bike too hard to avoid running into a vehicle in front of me and fell facedown onto a busy street. I was pretty shaken and breathless by the time we made it to the park's gate to purchase tickets, but we continued on another few miles to the main temple complex, where my breath was taken away again by the sheer size of Angkor Wat. Steady streams of tourists moved through its maze, snapping postcard-quality photos at every turn.
We continued our ride down paved and dirt roads through the park, visiting ruins of temples even older than the iconic Angkor Wat. I could feel myself getting more and more drained, even though all of us were sipping large amounts of water throughout the day; by the fourth or fifth temple and close to 13 miles in, I started to feel ill and reluctantly decided to call it a day. I was sweating from every pore, clothes soaked through, and utterly exhausted. Luckily, we had ended up at an air-conditioned building to stop for lunch by the time I started to feel really poorly, with a strange sort of chilly feeling accompanied by nausea. I had heard about heat exhaustion before, and I wasn't going to risk feeling worse. I asked the wait staff if anyone could call a tuk-tuk to return to town, as it seemed like a main stop inside the park and lots of cars were coming and going. Soon, a friendly tuk-tuk driver appeared and cleverly balanced my bike near my seat before buzzing back to town and our hostel. After returning to the air-conditioned room, drinking lots of water, and a lengthy nap, I felt much better. The rest of my travel companions returned just as exhausted, sweaty, and ready for cold showers, after riding over twenty miles in the unrelenting heat. Nothing some rest and a cold drink couldn't fix!
We left Siem Reap the next day, full of our adventure, feeling we had really experienced a slice of Cambodia and true Southeast Asia.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.