Cambodia

Home to one of the greatest archaeological wonders in the world — the temple complex Angkor Wat — Cambodia is a country of rich Khmer culture, and warm, welcoming people.

We spent four nights in Siem Reap, Cambodia, using it as a base to explore Angkor and the surrounding area. Our hotel, FCC Angkor by Avani, ended up being one of our favorites of the entire trip (we also visited nearby Laos and Vietnam). The hotel had a nice atmosphere with live music and twinkle-lights wrapped around the vines and trees throughout the property, comfortable rooms, and a staff that remembered our names.

We spent a few days exploring Angkor with local guides. One day covered the famous sites: Angkor Wat, Bayon with its giant stone faces, and Ta Prohm, where enormous trees seem to be swallowing the ruins. Another day took us out to some of the quieter temples in the countryside. Angkor Wat is impressive, but some of our favorite moments came at the less-visited sites. Having guides made a huge difference. Without them, we would have spent most of the day admiring old rocks without understanding what we were looking at.

In between temple days, we slowed down and enjoyed Siem Reap itself. We wandered through the local artisan shops of Kandal Village, got massages, stopped for boba teas, and ate our way through as much Cambodian food as possible. One restaurant had a tasting menu full of local Cambodian flavors which rivaled any big-city restaurant around the world.

One of the most memorable days was a trip out to the floating villages. Entire communities live on the water, and seeing how different daily life looked there was fascinating. We took a small boat through the mangroves with a local woman. She was one of many boat operators waiting their turn for the chance to earn a few dollars from a tour. It was one of those travel experiences that leaves you feeling two things at once: grateful for the life you have and deeply respectful of the people whose lives look very different from your own. We left with a lot of admiration for how hard people work and how kind and resourceful they are.

Looking back, Siem Reap was much more than Angkor Wat. The temples were incredible, but so were the people, the food, and the floating villages. We arrived expecting ancient ruins and left feeling like we'd gotten a much broader glimpse of Cambodia.