Chiang Mai to Siem Reap - Day Five

Some final thoughts on Chiang Mai:

Chiang Mai has a very laid back, hippie vibe. The food is dirt cheap and delicious. Be there on Sunday night to experience the Walking Street Market. If you aren't going to have a day with elephants, I don't know if it's a must-see place in Thailand. The temples are plentiful, just depends how much you like temples. I'm so glad we went to Chiang Mai first, because we lost at least half a day due to jet lag, and I would've been heartbroken to lose any time anywhere else we went. All in all, for us, it was the perfect place to start our trip, but it's not a place to which we'll be daydreaming about returning.

We flew out from Chiang Mai to Siem Reap via Bangkok. Each flight was an hour.

When we arrived at Siem Reap, our tuk-tuk driver, Mr. Han, the man who would be our guide for our entire stay, was waiting for us with a beer for the ride back to the hotel (Angkor beer tastes worse than it smells). Not a bad way to start. Through our hotel package at The Villa Siem Reap, we basically had a driver at our call whenever we wished during the day. And at night, we were within walking distance from the downtown area.

I highly recommend The Villa Siam Reap. The hotel was clean, air conditioning was great, and the staff was very friendly. Perhaps we could've gotten a better deal elsewhere, but the convenience of booking everything we wanted to do through the hotel was worth paying extra for. Plus, the hotel had a nice bar and a good breakfast. And, most importantly, they employed Mr. Han.

After we checked in, Mr. Han gave us a quick tour around Siam Reap to get us acclimated. I immediately bought a bag made out of a Siam Co. cement sack. So much for shopping around, but I ended up not regretting the decision.

As we passed the  Children's Hospital, Mr. Han gushed at how great it was, how it was closed during the Khmer Rouge, and how glad grateful he is that it's open again. Down the road, he pulled into a cemetery where there was a display of skulls from a nearby killing field. This was the Cambodia I was nervous about putting a damper on our trip (and, yes, I realize how trite that sounds). But it turned out to be the Cambodia I needed to see. Mr. Han briefly told his story, the Khmer Rouge murdering many of his family members. The rawness of this event decades ago sitting just below the surface, tears still brimming at the retelling of its horror. Hearing his story, the resilience of all the beautiful people we met, the gorgeous country shone through. This war was so recent, not a single resident hasn't been affected by it.

Then we went to Angkor Wat to watch the sunset. The temple was beautiful, the temple of our dreams. We drank wine and ate cheese, the temple reflecting in the pond at our feet.

We ate a complimentary dinner at our hotel. Hubs had chicken and sour cabbage, which was great.

I had traditional Khmer curry (Cambodian curry is similar to Thai curry, but less spicy but still packed with flavor) served in a coconut. Fun! It was very good, not too rich.

And then it was time to sleep after a long, good, emotional day.