Local Bus to Siem Reap

It was tough to get a bus ticket to Siem Reap. The best buses cost $10 and $8, but they were all fully booked, so we had to settle for the local bus for $5. The whole journey took about 6 hours. The local bus played Cambodian music videos the entire way, so I guess we’re up to date with the latest hits for a while! :) It’s really hot up here. You can definitely feel the difference in the heat. We’re definitely going to stay somewhere with air conditioning (Shadow of Angkor for $15). Siem Reap is a small, super cozy town known as the home of Angkor Wat. This is undoubtedly Cambodia's biggest attraction. Angkor Wat was once the capital of Cambodia. Over the years, 10 kings contributed to building, expanding, and rebuilding Angkor Wat, making it bigger and bigger. The massive structures, which are a testament to a very wealthy Cambodia, also took a toll on the population, leading to the city eventually being abandoned and the capital moving to Phnom Penh. Siem Reap is so small that you can easily walk around the town. It’s a little slice of heaven for a backpacker, with tons of restaurants, massage places, and markets. There’s even a bit of a rivalry between the streets to see which one has the most bars! :) We arrived in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day relaxing in the town. We had delicious food, enjoyed a couple of drinks, and treated ourselves to some really good foot massages. Getting a foot massage is a great way to chat with the locals. One girl told me she goes to school for an hour every day to learn English. She dreams of working at one of the fancy hotels. The other girl came from a poor family, so she couldn’t afford to learn English. A month of English lessons costs $10... They earn $30 a month giving massages, and their workdays are 12 to 14 hours long. So they don’t really have time to find a boyfriend either.