Regina's Trip to Siem Reap

Blogger’s Note: Regina is one of the residents of the House of Queens.  She has her own blog which you can visit.  It’s called My Unpublished Life

Regina spent the fourth of July weekend in Cambodia. I was not able to join her so I am trying to capture the highlights of her trip by interviewing her.

House of Queens: What interesting tidbit can you share about Siem Reap?

Regina: The people from Siem Reap eat fish almost everyday but it's odd that their life expectancy is only 50 years. In terms of food --- they have Lemon Grass everywhere. It smells like tanglad everywhere you go.

HOQ: How did you get to Siem Reap?

R: I used my PAL mileage to fly to Bangkok because they had a mileage sale. It cost me 5,000 miles for that leg of the trip. Then I used Bangkok Airways to fly from Bangkok to Siam Reep. That's the cheapest way to get there. It cost me 10,000 Baht.

HOQ: Where did you stay?

R: We stayed at Tara Hotel Angkor. It's a four star boutique hotel with the price of a two star hotel. It's pretty but it's odd that the bag that they use for the toiletries had to be returned upon check out. I was going to use it for my film rolls but they asked for it upon checkout. Take note we're talking about a paper bag. But apart from that oddity, it was a very pleasant stay and the breakfast is good for the price that we paid. Added to that - it's one of the hotels closest to the temples.

HOQ: For how long did you stay in SIem Reap? Do you think it's enough or too short?

R: We stayed there for three nights. It's enough. For the common person --- by the end of the trip - you'd feel temple'd out. I know that some people say that one day is enough. I don't agree with that --- if you're just talking about Angkor Wat --- that's true. However --- there are other temples worth seeing and those temples even look better in our photos.

HOQ: If there's one thing that you wish you could have done while you were there -- what would it be?

R: Stay at Aman Sara. It's the Aman resort in Siem Reap. The tour guide said that when Angelina Jolie shot the Lara Croft movie --- she stayed in Aman Sara. This is contrary to popular belief that she stayed at the Raffles Hotel. BTW --- I was hoping to take a picture of the Aman resort --- but the only thing you can see are walls and tall trees. It's very discreet. Even their signage is written in Khmer so you won't know it's Aman Sara unless a local tells you.

HOQ: How did you feel after the trip?
R: Exhausted beyond imagination. We enjoyed the sights --- but as warned by everyone --- it's hot, humid, dusty.




HOQ: Is the trip worth it?
R:  Plan a trip to Siem Reap in your lifetime.  Make sure you still have the strength to walk - because there'll be a lot of walking.  But it's worth it.