Travel Diary #4: Templed out? Here are other activities Siem Reap has to offer

To be honest, the only thing I know about Siem Reap before was Angkor Wat. When you search Siem Reap online, Angkor Wat shows up as the no. 1 result. Therefore, touring the complex was the main activity we had in our itinerary. Since we were staying there for 2 days only and we already planned on touring Angkor Wat for only 1 day, we have to check out what other attractions the place has to offer. With recommendations from friends and our own research, here are some of the things we did during our trip. There are plenty of other activities for sure but these are the only ones we managed to do.

ATV Ride Adventure

Our friend, @memebibiboboo recommended us this activity. We immediately included this in our itinerary since neither I nor my travel buddy, Katrina tried it before. We planned this way before our trip and emailed the same company (Quad Adventure) our friend suggested months prior. The package cost USD 30. It includes a free transfer to and from your hotel (a very good add-on service).

Before you go for the official ATV Ride, one of the staff needs to assess how good of a driver you are specially if you don't have a license or never had any driving experience before. Since Katrina and I never driven before, we did this quick driving test where you have an instructor riding with you. Luckily, I passed therefore, I was able to drive on my own but Katrina has to be assisted by an instructor for the whole ride.

It was the dry season during our trip so the roads are really dusty. We passed by some quiet streets and rice fields. Our final destination was an area for sunset viewing. It was a little cloudy that time so the sunset was not really showing that much which is such a shame. Still I enjoyed the ATV Ride since it was my first time and it was a new experience for me.

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Pub Street

After our ATV Ride, we asked our driver to drop us off at Pub Street instead of going back to the Hotel.

The majority of bars and pubs of Siem Reap are concentrated in on a strip called Pub Street and it's surrounding alleys. Although peaceful during the day, the streets in the Pub Street area which is just a block away from the historic Psah Chas (Old Market), comes alive with lights and music. Tourists, both local and international alike, starts pouring into the bars and pubs and give the streets almost a nightly street party scene. - Wikipedia

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As per recommendation, we dined in The Red Piano Restaurant. We heard that it was where Angelina Jolie hung out while filming Tomb Raider in Cambodia. Who wouldn't want to eat where Angelina ate right? On the menu, there was also a Tomb Raider cocktail that we ordered which was initiated by Angelina too. It was stated that every 10th sold is free and every 500th drink sold will win a t-shirt and 100USD cash. Well, there weren't a lot of people yet since it was still very early in the evening, so we did not win it obviously. LOL All in all, my dinner cost me around USD 10.

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Aspara Show

We didn't really plan anything after our Angkor Tour. So we didn't even know where to eat. The hotel staff then offered this package with buffet dinner, Aspara Show and land transfer to Amazon Restaurant that cost around USD 11. We gladly accepted the offer since the price is not that bad. We were picked up from our hotel as expected. When we arrived at the restaurant, a group of local musicians where already on stage performing. Later on while the guests were seated and eating, Apsara dancers was next on stage.

An apsara, also spelled as apsaras by the Oxford Dictionary (respective plurals apsaras and apsarases), is a female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist culture. In Indian mythology, apsaras are beautiful, supernatural female beings. They are youthful and elegant, and superb in the art of dancing.- Wikipedia

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They were really amazing on stage and very talented. I made my way in front of the stage to take some photos before and after eating my dinner. I even ended up going up on stage to take a photo with one of the dancers. The food was ordinary but the highlight of the night was seeing the show so we still enjoyed it.

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All photos were taken using Nikon D3100.

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This will be the conclusion of my Travel Diary: Siem Reap series. If you would like to read my previous post about Siem Reap, you can click here and here.

See you on my next Travel Diary Series! 😊