How to Spend 2 Days in Siem Reap

Siem Reap is one of those places in the world that everyone should see, not only because of the incredible Angkor temples that reside there, but also because of the history and culture that has survived there for thousands of years through war and conflict and finally now, peace.  While Siem Reap itself is fairly small, it’s a bustling town and comes alive particularly at night when the temperatures drop.  The are of Siem Reap is also a broad term to cover the landscape around the town that houses the massive and ancient ruins of the Angkor temples and their subsequent complexes.  So when you head to SE Asia, make sure and schedule a couple days to stop in this ancient and complex part of the world.  Here is how to make the most of your time there and how to spend 2 days in Siem Reap.

Stay in Siem Reap proper.

When my husband and I visited we chose to stay outside of town thinking it would be closer to the temples, in reality I wish we would have stayed within the borders of town to be able to walk to resturants and markets more easily. 

I would suggest the Victoria Angkor Resort and Spa.

DAY 1

Start your first day in Siem Reap bright and early to beat the intense heat in this part of the world and grab a tuk tuk from your hotel.  You can easily (and cheaply) hire a tuk tuk for long periods of time which means they’ll take you wherever you want to go, then wait for you, then take you to your next stop.  It’s a convenient way to get around and don’t worry, they’ll remember you and wave you down when trying to find them again in the seas of tuk tuks that circle all the major tourist sites.  Have them take you to buy your tickets and then just after sunrise, head to Angkor Wat.  (Note: You can buy your tickets the previous day around 4pm if you want to take in the sunset for free at one of the temples.) 

When you arrive at Angkor Wat, the crowds that were there to watch the sunrise will just be dispersing, so instead of following the masses for the main gate, head around the temple and you’ll make your way through the side entrances that will have less people.   Wander around and take it all in, there is lots to see. 

When you’re feeling ready to move on, go back to the entrance and find your driver.  Have him drive you the fifteen minutes or so down the road to Ta Prohm, the temple made famous by the movie Tomb Raider.  This temple is much different than the rest, it’s intimate and small in size, except for the massive rooted trees that have built up inside the walls of this ancient space.  It’s eerie walking around here, shadowy and feels like there is a bit of magic within those walls. 

By this point in the morning, you’ll be feeling drained from the intense heat and humidity, so be sure to drink lots of water and stay in the shade whenever you can.  I would suggest finishing your morning tour of the temples around 10am and returning to your hotel.  Your driver can take you back and if you’d like to rehire him, you can arrange to have him pick you up again later in the day.  You’ll want to spend the mid part of the day in your hotel with AC after the heat starts to escalate. 

Spend the rest of the morning and early afternoon resting, having lunch nearby, or with a dip in the hotel pool.  You’ll want to be well rested for the evening to come.

About 4pm, pack up your gear again and head back out to meet your ride.  Have them take you to Bayon in the Angkor Thom complex. This temple was my favorite of them all, a place that exudes a total sense of place, a temple that you can almost feel the history within its stones.  The surreal faces in the rocks here that stare down upon you, smiling, transport you to a different time and place.  Take in the sunset here, as the long shadows fall throughout the complex, creating surrealistic edges in the face carved from stone.  

Next, have your driver take you to the East Gate of Angkor Thom.  Yet another scene location from Tomb Raider, this long abandoned gate in the middle of the jungle about ten minutes drive from Bayon is a quiet spot in the middle of the Cambodian jungle.  This spot is not in the guidebook but  it’s beyond worth it.  When you’re ready to go, head back to your hotel to grab dinner near your hotel, perhaps street noodles from a vendor nearby, and then rest for the night.

DAY 2

Wake up early again, but this time make sure to be awake about two hours before sunrise and grab a tuk tuk.  Have them take you back to Angkor Wat, but this time you’re there for a different reason.  Follow the crowds to the lake in front of the complex, where the temple towers reflect on the surface of the water.  Be prepared for the crowds, as people swell around the lake for this.  Watch the sunrise over the water and take in the perfect symmetry of the ruins.

After the sun rises and the crowds head into the temple, go back to your hotel after the morning spectacle and spend the morning relaxing and taking a dip in the hotel pool.  After a quiet day of rest, head out around 4pm for downtown Siem Reap.  Check out the famous Night Market just off of Pub Street, wander the stalls and pick up souvenirs from your trip.  Then wander up and down Pub Street and the surrounding areas, grabbing street food as you go or sit down for Cambodia BBQ, one of the best things I’ve ever eaten anywhere in the world.  Enjoy it with a coconut milkshake and spring rolls for a taste of local ingredients. 

Watch the night (and the temperatures) fall as you watch dusk turn into gleaming city lights around you.  Siem Reap will make an impression on you; it's an up and coming destination in Asia that more and more people are realizing is out there.  So get there fast before this quirky little Cambodian town becomes a staple in every travel guidebook.

For more tips on Siem Reap check out my article here.

Paris Off the Beaten Path : Quiet Spots in the Middle of the City

Paris is one of those cities that everyone has on their bucket lists, but what makes a trip to Paris truly memorable is taking in the city like the Parisians do.  That means venturing off of the beaten tourist path and seeing places in the city that the tourists might not know about, making them the perfect quiet spots to enjoy the French capital and see Paris through the eyes of the Parisians.  I love finding spots on each trip to Paris that might not be in a tourist guide or a map of popular destinations.  The best spots in Paris are sometimes not even that far from major tourist spots, but it's peeking around corners and behind famous buildings that lay some of the best places in Paris to enjoy a quiet afternoon, perhaps eating a fresh baguette or a box of macarons and watching the world go by.

Square Jean XXIII
Right behind Notre Dame sits a fantastic little park that is always empty.  I've been all times of year from the quiet Winter months to the busy Summer months and for some reason, hardly anyone ventures to the back of the famous Cathedral, meaning it's the perfect spot to take in a peaceful afternoon.  This little square is landscaped beautifully all times of the year and the back views of Notre Dame are perhaps even more breathtaking than the front where the massive crowds of tourists flood.  My favorite thing to do is to grab a freshly baked croissant and a glass bottle of Orangina from Maison Martin on the Île Saint-Louis, find a bench in Square Jean XXIII and then just watch as Paris buzzes around me.

Le Jardin du Luxembourg

I only recently found the Luxembourg Gardens on my last trip to Paris last Summer, but I know this spot will become a regular for return trips.  Not only are the gardens breathtaking, filled with flowers and ponds, but the Palais du Luxembourg is a gorgeous architectural treat as well.  Perhaps the best thing about the Luxembourg gardens though, is that it's not a major tourist attraction (yet).  It's mostly filled with locals doing yoga or reading a book on a warm Summer afternoon.  For a spot in the middle of the Left Bank that's untouched by tourists, this is your spot.

Jardin des Tuileries

While floods of tourists will be at the Louvre as well as the large open squares that border it, if you walk just a bit further towards Musée de l'Orangerie, the Tuileries can be a surprisingly quiet escape.  The South West corner of the park is lined with trees and small paths and a surprising amount of peace can be found so close to the crowds near the Louvre.  I love to grab a box of macarons just up the street at Ladurée on Rue St. Honoré, find a chair in the Tuileries and pull out a good book.  This area can be a great escape from the heat in the Summer months as well, with lots of shade and nice breezes off of the large ponds throughout the park.

Grand Canal de Versailles

Though this spot isn't in Paris proper, I always suggest travelers make the trip out to Versailles while in the city.  It's a quick 30 minute train ride to the famous palace and it's definitely worth the trip to take in the Palace and grounds.  However, it can get quite crowded here as well, so when you want to find some peace and quiet at Versailles, rent one of the small paddle boats on the Grand Canal and spend the afternoon floating on the water.  Not only is it peaceful, it's a scenic adventure too with swans and great views of the Palace gardens and grounds.  It's always worth getting away from the massive crowds you can encounter at the Palace and this is the perfect spot to get away.

Photo Credit : Nick Nieto

Road Trips

Hi Route Bliss readers!  I’m Casey from True Colours and I’m so excited to be here guest posting today.  I’ve been a fan of Christina’s for a while now and her passion for the open road and seeing what’s out in front of us is totally inspiring.  I do a lot of traveling and over the years, one of my favorite thing about spots around the world have been driving through the countries, experiencing more than just the cities.  So here in no particular order are some of my favorite road trips that I’ve experienced, near and far!

Being based in Oregon, there is so much see in the Pacific North West, that often a road trip is the best way to take in the gorgeous scenary that my home has to offer.  A few months ago my husband and I made the 3 hour drive from Portland to EasternWashington State, a drive full of rolling hills and wind farms, mountain forests and road-side streams.  The drive is breath-taking and totally unique to this part of the world. 

Where to stay when you arrive: Desert Wind Winery

Don’t miss: the scenic drive through the Columbia River Gorge as you make your way East.

A couple years ago our Thanksgiving plans opened up a few weeks before the holiday and not wanting to waste a holiday weekend, we booked tickets for Iceland, a place that had been at the top of our list for a while.  We hopped on a flight to Reykjavik and embraced four days in this gorgeous country.  We spent one whole day driving around the Icelandic countryside with a guide, which gave us the option to stop at spots along the way that the normal tours don’t cover.  We watched the sun rise over Thingvelir (where the first Viking parliament began), stopped to nuzzle Icelandic horses and took in the sunset over the ocean and Southern beaches.  It’s still a day I remember with magical memories.

Tip to hiring a guide: Spend the extra money to hire a personal guide.  They will offer a more private experience and have some great knowledge of fantastic spots.

Don’t miss: Thingvelir and Gulfoss

For Memorial Day last year, my husband and I spent the long weekend road tripping through New England.  We based ourselves in Boston and spent one day driving North to Maine and another day driving South through Cape Cod and Rhode Island.  The scenery is gorgeous here and totally worth the adventure, but add in lighthouses galore, lobster rolls and scenic cliffs, this is a road trip not to miss in your life.

Planning tip: Plan out a directional itinerary and know where you want to stop, but leave room for unintentional stops as well.

Don’t Miss: Newport, Rhode Island – this town was by far our favorite!

Last November, we spent time exploring the UK and Ireland.  In Scotland, we based ourselves in Edinburgh and rented a car to make the drive up the coast to lovely little St. Andrews.  It was such a wonderful experience and besides the experience of driving on the “wrong” side of the road, we took in gorgeous Scottish countryside and stopped in little charming towns along the way. 

Where to stay: Don’t miss the experience of staying in the Hotel Missoni in Edinburgh.  It’s the perfect jumping off point and a fantastic experience!

Don’t miss: Sticky toffee pudding in a Scottish pub!

Along with Scotland, we also road tripped through Northern Ireland, renting a car in Belfast and driving North along the coast.  We stopped in towns like Bushmills (famous for their whiskey) and had one of the best meals of our travels, explored the Giant’s Causeway and walked through ruined castles along the cliffs.  Driving through miles and miles of green fields and sheep roaming along, you realize “this is Ireland.”

Driving tip: Research the speed zones before you get in the car when driving abroad.  Ireland doesn’t post their speeds, you just have to know them.

Don’t miss: The tiny town of Bushmills (eat at the Bushmills Inn) and the views on the Giant’s Causeway.

Travel Lessons

Hi Endlessly Beloved readers!  I’m Casey from True Colours, a travel blog that features my globe-trotting adventures while my husband takes gorgeous photos and I fill in the blanks with words.  I'm so excited to be guest posting here today!  

I do a lot of traveling, both for work and for pleasure, and in my travels, I've realized over the years that the world has a unique way of teaching us, feeding us lessons with each new place we see.  Over my years of traveling, I've been taught lesson after lesson with each new place I experience, but perhaps some of the most important lessons are those that you realize over time, after you've had months or years to relive a trip in your mind and really realize what you might have taken away from it.  So today, these are some of the best lessons I've learned from my travels over the years and ones that I try to hold with me for each new trip on the horizon!

When you travel, you give up control.  You give up control of the weather, of airplanes being on time, of hotels being what you thought they would be.  Traveling can be brutal sometimes and it's those times that you really do need to be prepared for anything, even if that means you're not prepared at all for what comes and you just have to take it in stride.  Often times, you're left sleeping on airport floors or rerouting a trip that didn't go according to plan, but in those times, you learn very well how to prepare yourself in the future and using that as a lesson in itself.

So many times while traveling, many people are trying to cram so many things into a specific place, trying to hit every museum, every new restaurant, every activity.  It can be so draining to travel that way and you don't really even get to enjoy the place.  For me, I travel the way I live, if I want to go into a museum, I'll go.  But if I don't, I don't worry about it.  For me, wandering through Central Park with my husband or hitting our favorite restaurant (even though there might be 5 million others to try) are more important to me than making sure I see everything.  

Sometimes it's the smaller things you see in a place, the way you feel just wandering around that makes more of an imprint on you than being a typical "tourist."

This is an important lesson to learn early on when traveling.  I'm the type of traveler that likes a nice hotel, that likes to sleep in, and that likes to have an itinerary for each day of where we're headed.  For me, that's what works best.  For others though, the complete opposite might be true.  Before you travel with other people or even listen to others' travel advice before a trip, realize that not everyone travels the same.  What might be important to you, might be worthless to someone else.  Figure out what works best for you and don't worry about what other people will think.

So often when traveling, it's the things you see in the most random places that end up being the most memorable.  Like when you're lost in Marrakech and wander upon a gorgeous spice market or end up using your French in Paris because you can't find your hotel without it.  It's those times when you really embrace the unexpected things that come up along the way that you will remember more than other moments.  Embrace what's around you, take it all in.

A really important lesson I've learned over the years, and perhaps one of the most important, is that you aren't going to love every place you see.  For me, I don't love Italy and while most people do, I often get strange comments or looks when I say that.  But that's just me.  I happen to love Paris, but many people do not.  Traveling is about finding those places you love and being ok with the ones you don't.  But on the same hand, the places you don't end up loving, often they are the ones that follow you and you think about often afterwards.  Each place you see and experience will stay with you, whether it ends up that you love it or not.

Chasing Happy Guest Post

Hi Chasing Happy readers!  I'm so excited to be guest posting here today!  I’m Casey from True Colours, a travel blog that encompasses my passion for seeing the world and documenting my trips and tips for everyone with a little wanderlust in their hearts!  I do a lot of traveling, both for work and for pleasure, and in my travels, I've realized over the years that the world has a unique way of inspiring us.  For me, there is nothing that makes me happier or inspires me more than setting foot on a plane headed somewhere foreign, somewhere to intoxicate my senses, somewhere to pull me in with color and with beauty.  Being an Interior Designer by trade, I'm always open to new inspirations, new things to catch my attention and my travels have kept me inspired and feeling full of imagination over the years.  

So the next time you're looking for inspiration, for something to spur on your creativity, travel can offer each of us so much. From the spice markets of Marrakech to the old world buildings of Paris to the busy and rushed streets of London, the world is full of inspiration.  I've come up with a few different ways to spur on your creativity when you need it next, with inspiration from the world around us.  You don't even need to jump on a plane to experience it, although if you're like me, that would be my first choice!

1.  There is constantly inspiration around us but we often don't see it because we are so busy rushing around.  Color in our world is something that can be incredibly inspiring, taking in colors of buildings, colors of nature, it's really all around us all the time.  Whether you're taking in the orange brick of London buildings or a beautiful flowering tree in your backyard, color can inspire us tremendously if we only take the time to look for it.

2.  Our senses have a way of opening up our imaginations, whether you're walking through a spice market in Marrakech or smelling a fresh baked loaf of bread.  Let your senses open on on their own to the world around us and let your senses guide you.

3.  As humans, we tend to get in our bubbles and forget the world around us but as soon as you are able to open your mind and really see the world we live in, a whole new world of possibilities are open to us.  Whether that means listening to a different view point or wandering the streets of a new country, understanding how other people live and opening your mind to things you might not understand can be incredibly freeing and inspirational.

4.  Sometimes in order to really see what's in front of us, we need to take a step back and see the bigger picture.  Often times when we're looking for inspiration, we're too close to it to really see it.  When you step back, take in the larger picture around you, that's often times where inspiration will take over.  Whether that means you take in the views of Oahu from the top of a cliff or simply take a step back from a project you've been working on, often times it's when you take a step back you'll really see what you need.

5.  At the end of the day, no matter where you search for inspiration and no matter what your imagination is craving, it's the moment when you can really imagine the possibilities when you know you've found inspiration.  Our world is a blank canvas to draw from and when we can really draw our energy and our inspiration from the planet we call home, we'll be able to imagine an entire new world of possibilities. 

Defining Moments around the World

Hi! I'm so excited to be guest posting on Found Love. Now What? today!  I've been an avid reader of Belinda's blog since the beginning and had the lovely chance to meet up with her in Dublin a couple weeks ago.  I felt like we could sit and talk for hours and I've added Wales to my long list of travel destinations in the coming years after seeing her gorgeous pictures of the area.

Anyways, I’m Casey from True Colours, a travel blog that encompasses my passion for seeing the world and documenting my trips and tips for everyone with a little wanderlust in their hearts!  I do a lot of traveling, both for work and for pleasure, and throughout each trip, I always come out the other end with a lesson, with something that stopped me in my tracks and taught me something important.  I've had some pretty defining moments around the world, moments that changed the course of my life, moments that took my breath away, and moments that changed me within my soul.  Travel has a way of teaching us in ways that perhaps nothing else can; it makes us look at our world and find within us the strength to find our own place within it. 

I've had the pleasure and opportunity to see many different places in the world and each of the places I've traveled has brought with it lessons, moments and memories.  Though a few destinations have stood out among the rest for various reasons, whether it be lessons I've learned, places I've fallen in love with, or locations that pull from my heritage, each of them has defined me in ways that sometimes I don't even realize until after I'm home.  Each of these places has defined me in different ways but at the end of the day, it has been the culmination of my travels that has shaped me into who I am and I know that as I continue to travel, our beautiful world will only continue to shape and change me and I look forward to that.

I spent a couple years living in Hawaii for work and during that time my husband, Nick, stayed at our home in Portland for a number of reasons.  Long story short, we did long distance for a while and it was a very trying time.  While Hawaii wasn't for me in the end, it is still a place that holds great meaning for me because it was my time there that gave me the much needed perspective I had been missing previously.  I woke up to this view everyday living there and while I was often in awe of the beauty of "Paradise," Hawaii showed me definitively that the life I wanted wasn't on the Islands, it was at home with my husband, in a place with rain and gray clouds.  And even though Hawaii might be paradise to some, I realized that it wasn't mine.

During my time in Hawaii, I was making regular trips to Seoul, South Korea for work.  My time in Seoul was eye opening and touched me deeply.  I fell in love with Korea, with traveling, with different cultures.  It was my time in Seoul that defined the traveler I have become.  Seoul was the first international destination I had traveled to since moving back to the States when I was 12 from the Middle East (more on that here if you're interested) and it was in Seoul that I spent a good deal of time soul-searching (pun intended).  The South Korean capital helped me find myself again and it was there that my whole life changed direction.

I just recently returned from Ireland in the last couple weeks and to say that Ireland was a defining place for me would be an understatement.  I'm very Irish, with close family still living there and my whole life I've heard stories about the country.  To see it finally with my own eyes, to breathe it in, to find myself in love with it changed me.  I saw my heritage, I felt it and I felt right at home, as cliche as that sounds.  Ireland for me was a new love, a place I always held within me but now it's really there, now it's in my soul.

After growing up in the Middle East, I desperately missed the Arab culture when we returned to the States.  It was my first trip back to a Muslim country when I visited Morocco a couple years ago that I felt a deep reminiscence for my Arab roots.  But perhaps the most defining moment for me in Morocco was having my hands done in Henna.  The woman that did it for me did one hand in the traditional Saudi designs and the other in the traditional Moroccan themes, which for me was such a beautiful reminder of who I am, a mix of cultures, a mix of countries, a mix of places all over the world.

And this list wouldn't be complete without my time in Paris as some of the most defining moments I've had while traveling.  If you follow my blog at all, you know I adore Paris.  The City of Lights for me is a place that I just "fit," that inspires me, that is my home away from home.  I try to make it to Paris at least once a year, but perhaps in all the trips there, the most defining was my first trip back as an adult with my husband on our honeymoon.  I watched him fall as in love with Paris as I did and together, we've found a place that will always be "our place."  

Traveling is a way to not only expand our horizons but a way to help our lives progress.  For me, I've experienced these and so many more moments around the world that have shaped the path of my life, that have shown me incredible experiences and in the end, have defined for me how small our world really is and that we really are all the same, searching for our place in this beautiful world we call home.