Flying into Siem Reap was easy from Bangkok. The flight was supposed to be a little over an hour but we were well under that. From the window of the plane the Cambodian landscape seemed to be pretty spread out. There were no large buildings and the airport was relatively small. You have to pay to get into Cambodia. $15 USD and another $15 USD if you do not have a passport photo of yourself. So $30 USD to get into Cambodia. I happened to have about $75 USD in some Twenties and Fives so I made it happen without a trip to the ATM.
They get you through this airport REALLY quick even with printing the photo. In fact, all over Thailand and Cambodia they really shuffle you through the airports relatively quickly. Everyone through customs was more than friendly.
As I walked outside I was met by my Tuk Tuk driver, Chang, almost instantly. He shook my hand and showed me the way and asked where would I like to go. I found Chang and his brother Daniel on AirBnB and booked their small rooms for $10 USD just outside of Ankor Wat.
Riding through Siem Reap was much different than Thailand. First you are driving back on the right side of the road. Second there are American cars there. Third the symbolism and statues are much different. Funny for being not so far away.
There was also a clear difference in buildings in Cambodia. There were not many buildings over 1 story tall and much of them could use repair. A good description to paint a picture would be to say some buildings looked “Bombed Out” or “Looted”. One of the only ATM’s I saw was the one Chang took me to after I dropped my bag at the room was attached to a building that looked like this. To the left was what looked to be the leftovers of a jewelry store and to the right was a small convenience store, no formal front door, just a convenience store in a bombed out building. I bought stuff.
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