Siem Reap
This was a fun part of our trip because my brother Chris, his girlfriend Angie, and my Mom came to visit us. We met in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Our main reason for coming to Siem Reap was to see Angkor Wat. This was an incredible day and we really lucked out on the weather, meaning that it was about 95 degrees rather than 105. Angkor Wat is a series of Hindu turned Buddhist ruins built during the Khmer Empire in the 12th century. The massive structures are incredibly beautiful and intricate. Definitely a “bucket list” kind of place that everyone should see
Angkor Wat is a vast area of ruins with many different temples. You can spend days seeing them all. The Bayon Temple has hundreds of giant faces sculpted into the stones.
The Ta Prohm Temple is known as the "Tomb Raider" temple because this is the location where the movie was filmed. The temple has been overgrown by trees and moss and definitely a gorgeous place to visit.
A long day in exploring the templesin the heat will make you think this little guy has the right idea.
When the sun goes down the lively Night Market in Siem Reap comes alive. Hundreds of stalls sell everything you can imagine for extremely cheap. If you're looking for presents to bring home to loved ones, this is the place.
Rain poured as we wandered through the Night Market.
Sihanoukville
Our second stop in Cambodia was Sihanoukville. With beauiful sand beaches lined with fun beach bars Sihanoukville is a fun place to visit in Cambodia. Nothing beats a cool dip in the ocean on a hot day, followed by a cold beer. We loved to have dinner on the beach at night. The restaurants serve freshly grilled seafood while you sit with your toes in the sand. The grilled barracuda was our favorite.
A highlight for Jeff and his brother was renting dirt bikes. They rode over to a small beach, headed up through some local villages, and ended up on a road that took them up into the mountains. One scary moment was when Jeff was taking a photo of his brother in front of some water buffalo. As he was putting his camera away a buffalo started coming towards him. So he started his motorcycle and the loud sound of the engine made the water buffalo charge at him! Luckily he got out of there in time. They ended the ride at sunset by riding down the white sand beaches of Cambodia. A great story and a ride they will never forget.
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