Siem Reap: Sometimes There Just Aren't Enough Rocks

So I'll admit I was worried given that this was the first solo part of my journey. I can't speak any of the language, the currency confuses the shit out of me, and I don't know how to randomly introduce myself to people. Well...I did just fine. I met a girl immediately on the bus and then talked to her more at lunch and we ended up splitting a tuk-tuk to the city. I then followed her to her hostel, went to lunch, and booked tours with her. Monday  afternoon was mostly spent just finding some food and booking stuff. Tuesday we wandered around the large circuit of the temples and Wednesday we did the shorter circuit. This is the opposite of how you are supposed to do it, but I feel like it was good option because the temples got more beautiful and interesting instead of growing more boring, and we could sleep in the day after we woke up early for sunrise.

I'll say that there were crowds even though technically it was the off season for traveling, and more than once I was annoyed by large groups of Chinese tourists. The temples were gorgeous and by far my favorites were Angkor Thom(with faces) and Ta Phrohm, which had trees going out of the middle of it. It is amazing what nature can do with a small seed. I won't bore you will details. Just be sure to see them yourself if you ever get to the area, and enjoy what I feel to be a small selection of photos:

Larger Circuit: day one

Angkor Thom

She was blocking the entrance to try and collect money

Ta Phrohm

Eastern Mebon (end of Large circuit)

Lovely view of faces 

My first day was spent just roaming the area. I went to the night market and indulged in some super cheap travel clothes/ presents.

I ate lots of cheap and delicious food. Most of meals were taken at Joe To Go, which is a restaurant that supports local schools and art education. The restaurant is decorated with lots of childrens' beautiful artwork. They serve incredible coffee (double espresso was 1.25) and delicious food, both western and Asian for an average of 4 dollars a plate. Servings are quite large and service was excellent. They knew me and my espresso order by the end. I also ate a few times at a Mexican joint called something Vida. Satisfied my Mexican needs and had cheap fish tacos and margaritas. 3 dollars for one of each. I could tell the tortillas were freshly made, so that was nice. 

The day I didn't go to the temples was quite boring. Mostly because I didn't want to pay for a tuk-tuk by myself and it was expensive to get to most places. I visited the silk farm and Angkor Artisans, which was free of charge, hung in the hostel and then went for a few random walks that ended in a 50 cent beer or 2 dollar wine stop. Who could resist? The day I woke up to see the sunrise I got invited to a pub crawl, went that evening, but felt extremely exhausted after a beer. There is a good party scene in this city it just wasn't seen at the hostel I stayed in.

I left the following morning for Phnom Penh on a pretty crappy bus. It was bad (air con, bathroom available) but it just kept stopping to pick up and drop off people in random places. If this is something that bothers you I recommend you do not take Sorya bus, though it is 4-5 dollars cheaper than the other bus companies

I think there is absolutely more to do in the area of you are willing to pay for tuk-tuks, however as far as temples go, two days was enough.