Angkorwatt, I just want to ride my bicycle

ludekjirous
Feb 11, 2015
3 min read

Behind the green mountains and emerald rice fields there used to be a kingdom of mighty Khmers, a civilization that built the splendorous temples of Angkor, the largest temple complex in the world.

Siam Reap is the starting point to visit the monumental temples, a town with all sorts of accommodation, restaurants and shops. During the low season it is very easy to find a place to stay there. I looked up some budget hostels in the Lonely Planet and on the second attempt found a guest house which suited me. It was Ivy guesthouse II, a decent place with a restaurant, billiard and a roof terrace, only for 8USD per night.

Angkor watt: ,, Lara Croft - you got me, I am giving up."

the kings of the temples

The temples are eight kilometers away from town and there are a couple of options of how to visit them. Most people go on a tour with minibuses or tuk tuks, but I wanted something more adventurous (and cheaper). So I decided to visit the temples on a bicycle - no rattling engine, no annoying tuk tuk drivers, just me, the temples, the jungle …and my girlfriend, that I´ve forgotten to mention so far. It was a very nice experience to get to know this ancient place from the seat of a bicycle and we weren’t the only ones who liked it - the Korean tourists were waving at us from the windows of their busses, the tuk tuks were honking their horns and even the monkeys came to say hello.

sunrise at Angkor Thom

face tower of Bayon

We used to get up very early in the morning and then pedal to see the first beams of sun waking up the sleepy kingdom. We had breakfasts in stalls with funny names like “Harry Potter”, “Angelina Jolie” or “James Bond 007 licensed to make a coffee”. After the breakfasts we took a nap by one of the temples or read a book and chilled. Then we rode to another temple and when we liked it we stayed there for a couple of hours and when not we just kept going on. We liked to take it easy, walk around a bit, sit under a tree and read or just listen to the jungle sing. For lunches we stopped in one of the restaurants scattered along the road, had a nice meal with a cold beer or fresh coconut. For the sunsets we climbed up one of the higher temples and watched the burning sky.

breakfast at James Bond licenced to make coffe

reliefs at Prasat Bayon

When we got back to Siam Reap and still had some energy left, we went to the night market and strolled between the endless stalls of souvenirs, stands with food of different smells and tastes. We had a dinner, fruit shake or a beer, but we never stayed up too long because we knew that the next day was another day of exploring.

The temples of Angkor are an amazing place but the atmosphere is a little bit disappointing. Sometimes you get the feelings that you are just in the factory for tourists. Everybody tries to charge you double price, eager tuk-tuk drivers haunt you for a tour, the kids on the street try to sell you anything “only” for one dollar and there are loud tourists everywhere. The popularity of this town is taking its toll and the atmosphere of this ancient place is slowly disappearing.

I would still recommend the visit, but try to go in low season. When it ´s not so busy, it almost doesn’t rain and everything is nice and green.

Practical information below the line:

Expenses

Accommodation in hostels: 8 – 18 USD for a room/night

Bicycle 1 USD/day

The white bicycle 2 USD/day

Prices of Angkor pass, which allow you to visit all the temples in Siam Reap area.

1 day 20 USD

3 days 40 USD (valid for one week)

7 days 60 USD (valid for one month)

Kids under 12 years for free

Tuk Tuk driver for one day trip 15-20 USD