I left Sydney early on Monday morning for my flight to KL where I was to night stop before getting my Air Asia flight to Siem Reap on Tuesday morning. I decided to stay in a transit hostel close to the airport as I had a very early start the next day. Like many transit hotels the Sri Packers airport hostel was in a bit of an out of the way location, a no-mans land on what looked like a business estate near the F1 racetrack. The in-room information pack described the hostel as having a ‘strategic location’ due to its locality next to the racetrack and the airport – but that was pretty much all it had going for it! Not the best decision I’ve made but it was clean, cheap and close to the airport, so convenient for my 0650 flight to Siem Reap.

I landed at Siem Reap at 07:30 and was picked up at the airport by a remork from the hostel I was staying at – Hosteling International, Siem Reap. A remork is a bit like a Thai tuk tuk, a motobike with a partially covered passenger carriage attached to the back of the bike. After checking in at the hostel I went for a wander around town. The hostel was in a great location, just over the river from the central area of town, the main market Psar Chaa and Pub Street – no prizes for guess what that street was renowned for! I found a place to stop for a coffee and began to consult the LP and the various emails that I had received from friends about what to do in Angkor and Siem Reap.

Remorke ride selfie to my hostel in Siem Reap.

Remorke ride to my hostel in Siem Reap.

View up the river in Siem Reap.

Talk about being overwhelmed! So many temples, so many possible itineraries, so many different transport options! Should I get an official guide and a car, or an unofficial guide and a remorke, what about on the back of a motorbike, or should I just hire a mountain bike and go it alone? Should I start with Angkor Wat and then work to the more remote temples or the other way round? Should I see sunrise at Angkor and sunset at Pre Rup and risk the crowds or try somewhere else. The jet-lag certainly wasn’t helping my itinerary planning and I kept going round and round in circles about what I should do, in what order and how! I was incapable of making a decision. So I had another coffee. Maybe that would help?!

I decided I had temple FOMO – the fear of missing out of the ‘best’ Angkor experience.

Finally a plan started to come together. I booked a guide for the first day to do what is known as the ‘Small Circuit’ incorporating the temples of Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom and Bayon. On day two I’d hire a mountain bike and explore the temples on the ‘Grand Circuit’, including Preah Khan, Preah Neak Poan, Pre Rup and Ta Som. On day three, I’d wing it and make a decision closer to the time.

Happier with sort of a plan in place I headed off for a wander via the markets and to orientate myself with the town. That afternoon I visited the National Museum which provided a good introduction to the history of Angkor as well as how to interpret the many architectural elements and religious symbols at the temples. For anyone visiting Angkor I would highly recommend a visit here on the first day as it definitely helped me to get more out of my Angkor experience. http://angkornationalmuseum.com/

That evening I decided that I’d try out the yoga class that was held at the ‘Peace Café’. Like a number of cafes and restaurants in Cambodia, the Peace Café advertises itself as a social enterprise with profits supporting local NGOs, in this case the organisation ‘Living Values’ http://www.livingvalues.net/. I tried out the evening yoga class, had dinner at the café afterwards and then made my way back to the hostel and collapsed exhausted on my bunk…also to note I scored the bottom bunk this time, so no inelegant and compromising mounts and dismounts to and from the top bunk!

My hostel – Hosteling International – Siem Reap.

The view up the street from my hostel in Siem Reap.