Being an avid traveler, I’ve always loved exploring other countries. Whether it be in luxury or backpacking I’m there. One of the places to visit before you die was Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I decided to cross that off my bucket list this week.

Located in the province of Siem Reap, this area is where most of the huge temples or Wats are located. Since Cebu Pacific opened up the first direct flight to Siem Reap, I was lucky to be able to take advantage of the deal. [WARNING: POST CONTAINS A LOT OF PHOTOS!]

Arrived at Cambodia on Sunday Evening and first impression was the airport was new. It was quite well maintained, clean and efficient. Made me wish our airports were similar.

But here is a quick rundown of the 15 things you must do in Cambodia.

1. Ride a Tuktuk!

This is Pov Hing. He was our Tuk Tuk driver for the weekend. All I can say is he made the trip very enjoyable. He really took care of us. He planned the best routes, never complained, had tons of stories, and didn’t overcharge. He even took us to his home and showed us where he lived. He also had his wife cook us a traditional Cambodia lunch. (I’ll blog about that later!) Yes, Pov was amazing. He even went the extra mile of hooking us up with a Tuk Tuk driver friend in Phnom Penh when we arrived so we didn’t get overcharged! He called us up when we arrived at Phnom Penh to make sure we arrived safely. This is service. Pov is a good friend I gladly made when I went to Cambodia. For those of you who will be traveling to Siem Reap please get in touch with Pov. I really am trying to help his business after some hackers destroyed his old email account. Email him at hing_pov@yahoo.com

He actually made sure he had cold water during our entire tour. He even has a short film on the history of Cambodia that you can watch during the trip in between.

Thanks for everything Pov!

2. Visit Angkor Wat

The sheer majesty of the structure amazed me. There was a 200 yard moat which leads you to the inner courtyard and from there, about 3 more layers of structures and towers. The history and carvings and sheer scale of the entire thing was quite beautiful. I could see why it was one of the places to visit before you die.

3. Play with the wildlife

We literally got mobbed by these demon monkeys! Ok I exaggerate but there was about 15-20 of them all over our TukTuk at one point grabbing our things.

And these elephants. It’s my first time to see one up close and actually touch it. Such gentle creatures and they move so gracefully but at any given time can squash you or your car! It was quite an adventure!

4. Do the Temple Run!

Ok so you don’t really have to run in the temples but do try to visit almost all the temples you can. I loved the Elephant King’s temple and Bayon! The carvings and majesty of the structures continued to amaze me and really surprise me. Think about it, 1000 years ago people built these things. What have we built today that would last 1000 years?

5. Try Local Beer! (Anchor and Cambodia)

Very similar to Tiger beer which had a very fruity taste. $1 for 2L of beer is awesome.

Well, I’m ending it here for now. Wait for part 2!