Cambodia Day 2 – Siem Reap Without The Temples

“It's a bizarre but wonderful feeling, to arrive dead center of a target you didn't even know you were aiming for.” - Lois McMaster Bujold

The second day of our adventure was supposed to be spent in Pattaya, Thailand (which we later found out that Mario Maurer was there… sigh!). Unfortunately, the Thai anti-government protesters called for a shutdown which totally ruined our plan for that day.

Of course I wanted to push through with my plans for Thailand - to visit as many countries as I can even in a limited extent of time but… when you are traveling in a group, it is important to acknowledge what the majority decides. This time, I was outvoted!

Sure we can take a risk as it was reported to only affect Bangkok but, we can’t be too audacious because our flight going back to the Philippines was in Siem Reap. It would be uneconomical for any traveler to be locked down in a city and miss a booked flight. On the brighter side, that gave us the chance to get to know Siem Reap even more.

Crocodile Farm In Siem Reap

Tuktuks can take you to places from $2 to $4 depending on the distance of your destination. We headed towards the Crocodile farm. What to expect? Just crocodiles!

War Museum Cambodia

We decided to check the war museum which is far from the Crocodile farm. It would be better if you check the museum in the morning and carry on to Cambodian Cultural Village after lunch as they are near to each other. The museum has $5 entry fee.

I'm not the girl your mom warned you about. Her imagination was never this good. Chos!

DIY Bike Tour

Just a few minutes’ walk from our hotel (Vimean Angkor Pich), we saw numerous bike displays that can be rented for just $2-$9 a day. Since only two knows how to bike, we chose a 2-seater bike which costs $9 per bike.

Remembering how excited I was made me smile while writing this. Yes, I don’t know how to bike but getting the chance to sit in the saddle, hold the handle bars and place my feet on the pedals gave me the illusion of controlling the whole ride even though I was just seated behind. The full control is in the hands of the one seated in the front – Jenny’s spot. For the moment, Lavin seated behind ate Kristen.

It always makes me smile remembering how Jenny got panicky, stopping countless times in the middle of an intersection, and walked our bike to the side while Jenny’s complaining and I was there laughing at her! The pressure was all hers being in charge of our safety. She even yelled at people who overtakes her! Hahaha! I know it was difficult for her and I will always thank her for that experience.

I never thought that bicycling in a busy foreign national highway can be this exhilarating!

We explored the whole city of Siem Reap except for the temple area because it will require us to pay another dollar for the temple passes.

Check out the map below to start planning your own bike tour around Siem Reap:

We may not be able to carry on with our original plan but that day was not bad at all. Of course, that’s how life is. A turn of events may seem very small at the time it’s happening, but you never really know, do you? How can you?

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Siem Reap Cambodia Day 1 - Temple Run!