Cambodia

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The first place we visited in Cambodia was Siam Reap. It was a strange feeling to arrive in Siam Reap after Bangkok because it was much smaller and much more peaceful. We got visas when we arrived at the airport and the visa process was fast and easy. The staff at the airport was really impatient and unfriendly, but aside from that it was a positive experience to arrive in Cambodia and there was less waiting time than I expected. The main attraction in Siam Reap is the Angkor Wat area. We hired a driver for one day and explored the main temples and a couple of the small temples. At first we visited Angkor Thom and it is a very large area, but we visited some of the major sights like Bayon which was very impressive. Later on we visited Ta Prohm (the overgrown temple) and that was also a very interesting place to explore. The last stop was Angkor Wat. We went there in the afternoon and the weather was extremely hot, but it was amazing to visit the temples in person. It took us a while to walk from the gate to the central part of the temple, and it was interesting to walk around in the area that I had only seen on pictures before we arrived. The next day we visited a place called Cambodia Cultural village. There were a wax museum, some miniatures of famous buildings in Cambodia and many small villages where you could learn more about the ethnic groups from Cambodia. We were the only visitors in the village because we arrived quite early, and we didn't have the chance to see the dance or some of the other performances, but it was still an interesting place to visit. After Siam Reap we visited Phnom Penh. During our stay there we visited some of the famous sights like beautiful sliver pagoda, Wat Phnom (a temple on a hill) and Killing Fields. Killing Fields was different from my expectations. We walked from place to place while we listened to information on our headphones. It was a very sad experience and I was very touched by the personal stories that I heard. I don't regret going there, and I learned a lot about the history of Cambodia, but it was sad and scary to see the mass graves and listen to the stories. Have you been to Cambodia? Which places did you visit and what did you think about the country?