Previous Trip Notes:
A Real Round-The-World Trip – Part Five: MH794, Hilton Arcadia, Phuket, Thailand
A Real Round-The-World Trip – Part Four: MH79 HKG>KUL Business Class, Grand Hyatt KL, & KL
A Real Round-The-World Trip – Part Three: One Night in Hong Kong
A Real Round-The-World Trip – Part Two: CX 807, Take Two
A Real Round-The-World Trip – Part One: The Setup
We woke up early. Like painfully early. We had a 6:34am flight to catch on Bangkok Airways. Our itinerary was Phuket to Siem Reap with a layover in Bangkok. With an hour bus ride to the airport, we set our alarms for 4:00am. Our driver was waiting for us as soon as we got down to the checkout area, and it was a drowsy drive to the airport. We wanted to get there at least 75 minutes in advance given that it was an International flight. In reality, we could have probably arrived 45 minutes early and still had plenty of time. We made it through security with an hour to spare and bought NSPpeanut some french fries from Burger King (it was open at 5am!!):
Enjoying Burger King French Fries at 5am – Phuket Airport, Thailand
We waited for the Coral Executive Priority Pass Lounge to open, which was supposed to open at 5:45am. Unfortunately, it was still dark inside and locked. Which didn’t change at 5:50am. And 5:55am. And 6:00am. So we simply went to the gate and boarded the plane:
HKT > BKK, Bangkok Airways
The flight was uneventful, and completely empty – I enjoyed an entire row to myself. When we landed in Bangkok, we headed to the Miracle First Class Lounge. While nothing was particularly special, it was a nice place to relax and get some food and drinks given how tired we were.
Priority Pass Miracle Lounge, BKK Airport
Priority Pass Miracle Lounge, BKK Airport
Priority Pass Miracle Lounge, BKK Airport
Priority Pass Miracle Lounge, BKK Airport
Priority Pass Miracle Lounge, BKK Airport
Priority Pass Miracle Lounge, BKK Airport
Priority Pass Miracle Lounge, BKK Airport
Priority Pass Miracle Lounge, BKK Airport
Priority Pass Miracle Lounge, BKK Airport
Priority Pass Miracle Lounge, BKK Airport
Priority Pass Miracle Lounge View, BKK Airport
After about 45 minutes in the lounge, we headed to the gate. We realized this was one of those gates that you needed to be at only a couple of minutes before takeoff, and decided to go to a different Miracle Lounge that was only a two minute walk to the gate. Again, it was nothing special, but it was a slightly different F&B offering, so we had one more drink and headed to the prop plane:
BKK > REP, Bangkok Airways
We touched down at 11:45am, grabbed a Taxi and headed to the Park Hyatt. Taxis are a set price from the hotel, which was around $15 USD, and there are no other options. On a side note, I really love small airports in Asia. My first experience was in Hui, Vietnam, where when the plane turned around on the tarmac, you could see the entire Airport Terminal which looked like the size of a large house. We were able to clear customs, collect our bags and grab a taxi in under ten minutes. It also helped that we purchased e-visas in advance which allowed us to bypass any line created by other passengers on our flight:
Siem Reap Airport
Skip Immigration Lines with a Cambodian e-Visa
The taxi ride was somewhere between 10-15 minutes. While the Park Hyatt is somewhat unassuming from the exterior, the moment you walk in you are reminded of why this is, indeed, a Park Hyatt. The reception area, which is also an extension of the bar area, in eloquently designed. We were welcomed with some non-alcoholic beverages and clean towels. After going through the hotel policies, they took us to our rooms. While not the size of the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur Suite, our room was extremely nice:
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Suite, Walk-In Closet
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Suite, Bar Area
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Suite, Bar Area
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Suite, Sitting Room
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Suite, Sitting Room
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Suite, Entry Way
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Suite, Master Bath
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Suite, Master Bath
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Suite, Bedroom
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Suite, Bedroom
We quickly settled in and took a stroll to Pub Street for lunch. The walk was much quicker than we had anticipated, roughly 5 minutes and we were in the heart of Pub Street. While relatively calm in the day, the street – and immediate area surrounding the street – exudes a calm before the storm feeling. It reminded me of Bourbon Street and the French Quarter. Except drinks on Pub Street ranged from $0.50-$1.00, and full lunch meals were $3-$4. This was where I was first introduced to Khmer curry. Amazing.
Pub Street Prices – Siem Reap, Cambodia
Siem Reap – Pub Street
We went back to the hotel and decided to go relax at the pool. Wow. Talk about classy, this was one of the nicest pool settings I’ve seen:
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Pool
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Pool
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Pool
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Pool Lounging
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Pool Bridge
We ordered food at the pool and relaxed for a while. We then went back to the rooms, changed, and headed out toward pub street for an early dinner since we were getting picked up the next morning at 4:45am to head on a Temple Tour. Pub Street by night…different than Pub Street by day. Like 720 degrees difference. Bourbon Street meets Fremont Street meets 6th Street. This is a mix of crazy party, sales pitches galore, live music (some good, some not), tons of food, and even more people. The main difference is how cheap everything is. The number of expats is crazy, almost all signs/menus are in English, and everything is called “Temple” or has a picture of Angelina Jolie.
The Unofficial Governor of Siem Reap, Cambodia
It’s straight up fun and affordable. We settled on an Indian restaurant, one that unfortunately only had mediocre food. Although continually kicking out the stray diseased-ridden cat that would find its way back to us kept us entertained. We settled back in at the hotel and got some rest in order to be up at the crack of dawn.
We booked a driver through the Park Hyatt. The price was very reasonable ~$115 and included an all-day tour to multiple temples, a driver in an air-conditioned mini-van, and an English speaking guide. I assume it is to stop fraud, but all visitors need to stop at the official ticket center to purchase temple tickets, which is about 4 kilometers away from Angkor Wat, where they take your photo and print out your pass. 1-day passes were $37. Unfortunately, the amount of time it took to purchase the day passes was long enough for us to watch the actual sunrise, although we did catch the sky growing brighter over Angkor Wat:
Angkor Wat is one of UNESCO’s Seven Wonders of the world, and it is truly amazing. We toured the temples and the grounds for hours. NSPwife’s grandfather had a rubbing of some of the intricate designs, but given the historic nature and increased number of tourists, that is no longer allowed. We totally understand, but would have been a great keepsake to hang next to NSPwife’s grandfather’s.
After touring Angkor Wat, we visited a handful of other temples. All are amazing to think that they were build as early as the 12th century.
Angkor Wat – Siem Reap
Angkor Wat – Siem Reap
Temples – Siem Reap
Angkor Wat – Siem Reap
Angkor Wat – Siem Reap
Angkor Wat – Siem Reap
Angkor Wat – Siem Reap
Angkor Wat – Siem Reap
Angkor Wat – Siem Reap
Angkor Wat – Siem Reap
Angkor Wat – Siem Reap
Angkor Wat – Siem Reap
After the temple tours, we found an isolated spot to fly the drone. I was hoping to capture some temples in the background, but unfortunately we were a bit too far away:
Following a long morning of activity, we headed back to the hotel to catch a nap and take a swim at the amazing pool. The poolside service was fantastic, and I can’t think of a nicer setting to enjoy a beer, cigar, and relax.
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Pool
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Pool
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Pool
Park Hyatt Siem Reap – Pool
Evening set in and we headed back to Pub Street. We ventured around the area pursuing a number of markets that had the latest Under Armour and Rolex releases, all for pennies on the dollar, and then made our way to the Temple Bar for some drinks.
Pub Street – Siem Reap, Cambodia
Pub Street – Siem Reap, Cambodia
Pub Street – Siem Reap, Cambodia
Pub Street – Siem Reap, Cambodia
One note about the wares at the markets. We didn’t load up on anything given quality was a pretty big concern; however, some of my favorite t-shirts at this point in my wardrobe are the $1 t-shirts sold around the market, and they have kept up quite well. If I had to do it over, I would have bought a dozen or more shirts! At that point NSPpeanut had had enough. A 4am start, hours of walking (and being carried) around Temples, and an afternoon swim, had worn her out. After a mild meltdown, we decided to just grab dinner at the hotel. The food was pretty good, although we were all too tired and half-asleep to really appreciate it, and promptly went up to our rooms to catch a good night sleep.
Morning came and we enjoyed the fabulous breakfast provided to Hyatt Globalist members. Sitting outside, while a tad on the hot side, was again very relaxing in their serene courtyard. We packed up our bags and headed to the airport. We had a good count of all of our bags, stroller, car seats, and backpacks. So at check-in, something didn’t feel right. OUR NEW BAG WITH ALL OF OUR CUSTOM SUITS, JACKETS, AND SHIRTS WAS LEFT AT THE HOTEL. We hadn’t added it to our bag count! Wow. What a crazy feeling. We had bought a new bag to accommodate all of the clothes we purchased, and somehow NSPwife and I had left it sitting on the table right in the middle of our room. NSPwife, NSPpeanut, and NSPbabysitter headed through security to the plane, and I jumped in a taxi to head to the hotel. While en route I called the hotel, who promptly grabbed the bag and headed to the airport. So the taxi made a u-turn back to the airport. The longest 15 minutes slugged by, and finally the bag arrived. I had spoken to the check-in desk about the situation, and they said as long as I got there with 30 minutes to spare, I would be ok. I ran back inside with 31 minutes to spare, and no one was at the check-in counter. It was closed! I managed to find a security officer who went to the back, and an individual came out. At this point it was 25 minutes, and I was pretty sure I would be meeting everyone in Bangkok later that evening. As luck would have it, they called some additional supervisors, and with 20 minutes prior to take-off they checked my last bag. I ran through the airport to security, cleared it, and made it to the gate about five minutes prior to boarding.
As we took off and looked down over the rural country, it was with mixed emotions. The vibrancy of Siem Reap, the history of the Temples, the kindness of the people, and the luxury situated in the heart of the city was amazing. Two days wasn’t enough. I could spend an entire year there. But there was another side of the city. On our way to Angkor Wat we passed the Children’s Hospital. It was around 5am, where there were hundreds of families waiting to get help. Who knows how long, or how far they traveled by foot, just to get care. The amount of poor people throughout the city was like most other tourist cities. While there is also a sadness of cities and countries losing their authenticity to increased tourism and capitalism, I hope an influx of dollars can help the economy. Cambodia, I will be back.
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