sf7307

We arrived in Siem Reap today. It's very warm, but not nearly as hot as we expected it to be, so we were thinking of doing the close-in temples (Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom) by tuk-tuk tomorrow. Does that make sense? We figured we would hire a car and driver the next day to go farther outside of town. If we do hire a tuk-tuk for the a.m., do we hire one to get us to one temple, and then pick up another when we're done, or does the first one hang around or come back for us?

Should we expect to do one temple, then return to the hotel for a bit, then another temple, or should we plan to do two before returning to the hotel (which is in town)?

Sorry for all the questions, but we just have three full days and everyone says you need 3 days just to see the "main" temples, so we want to be sure we do!!

dgunbug

Plan on hiring a tuk tuk that will stay with you the entire day. Most people tour all morning and return to the room to be out of the sun mid-day. The tuk tuk will return to pick you up in the late afternoon to take you back for more touring. If it is not too hot and you wish to continue all day, then go for it. The price is more than reasonable to hire a driver for the day.

crellston

Hire a Tuk Tuk for the whole day the going rate is around $14 US compared with $25 for a car plus $25 for a guide. we found our driver through the guest house we stayed in and he was better than the guide and driver we employed on a previous visit. a car would be better for teh more remote sites.

Kathie

Whether you hire a car and driver or a tuk-tuk and driver, that person will expect to transport you all day. If you want a guide (always a different person from a driver), you'll need a car as opposed to a tuk-tuk to transport three of you.

Do you have Dawn Rooney's book? She lays out possible itineraries for you.

Kathie

Oh, and you'll want to visit several temples during each half-day period. There are a lot of close-in temples, the small circuit and the large circuit, plus many that are farther away.

sf7307

Thanks - one more thing I don't understand. Dgunbug, you said the driver would take us back for late-afternoon touring, but I thought the temples close in late afternoon, maybe 5 or 5:30?

Kathie

The temples are open until after sunset. You go out as early as you can in the morning, stay out until noon or a bit before, head back out the the temples at 3:00ish. This is all meant to keep you out of the sun at the hottest part of the day and give you time to relax, cool off and have lunch. The mid-day meal is the most important meal of the day for Cambodians, so your driver also needs a break to have time for his meal.

lcuy

It takes a while to get from your hotel to the temple areas, so you will likely want to do it as mentioned above: see all you want in one area in the morning, go eat and rest, then go back out in the afternoon.

The reason that guides are often recommended (or a good bit of research on your own) is to do the circuit a bit different from the tour bus crowd to avoid the biggest crowds, and to make sure you hit all the temples that interest you without wasting time crisscrossing all over.

If you use two different drivers, make sure you take a map or a list and "X" out where you've been, or highlight the route you want them to take. Again, the distances aren't terribly far, but it will waste your time to jump around. Plus many of the temples have very similar names si it's good to have a record as they all start to sound alike after a while!

dgunbug

Kathie's suggestion is perfect. Do try to get out as early as possible as the heat is oppressive. You won't be able to stay out in the mid-day sun. Going back out at 3ish is perfect. I would recommend using the same driver, who will be delighted to transport you so that he will remember where you have been. Most of the drivers can also recommend a route. We used a guide but were so bored with his continuous rambling and we just wanted to soak in the sites and take pictures. Many on this board suggested using a taxi, which we did while seeing the temples, but the times we used a tuk tuk we enjoyed even more (we used a tuk tuk to go out to Tonle Lake). We really enjoyed the time we went to Tonle Lake and we took some extra time to visit the village on the side of the lake (the waters were low at the time). The Lake is the home of many Vietnamese who fled Vietnam and who make their livings off the waters. We found that it is very similar to what you will find in the Mekong Delta area.

thursdaysd

"a car would be better for the more remote sites." - true, although I used a motor bike with my tuk tuk driver, but I was traveling solo.

marmot

Since it's already morning in Asia you're probably already out and about, enjoying the breeze from a tuktuk.

I just thought I'd add a bit. Although it's SOP to return to your hotel for midday lunch and rest, we usually stayed in the temple area. We had lunch at one of the tourist restaurants, which was surprisingly good and very cheap. Then, had a chance to see the temples when everyone else was snoozing.

If you do this, however, it's best to confirm with your driver so he could plan his own lunch/resttime.

We didn't find the noonday heat any worse than the rest of the day. It's just plain hot. But for sure, midday is a quiet, uncrowded time at many temples. At 3:00 you get waves of people returning.

Plus, the commute back and forth to Siem Reap town gets a little tired by the 3rd or 4th time.

sf7307

Thanks everyone. Now that we've completed our first morning of touring, we have a better handle on it. We had a late start, but hired a tuk-tuk for the day, and so glad we did ---- it's just part of the experience. We went to Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm -- intended to stay out through lunch, but the weather is gorgeous, so we're back at the hotel for a rest (really for some pool and sun for my DH) and lunch (crazy expensive at the hotel, but at least it was good!). Our driver is picking us up at 3 to go to Angkor Thom.

silverwool

No need to eat at the hotel. Lots of good restaurants around and very reasonable. I've eaten street food in SR for $1 a serve but maybe you don't want to be that adventurous! There is a restaurant thread on Fodors for SR (Ofwego) Check it out.

sf7307

silverwool, we only ate at the hotel because my husband wanted a couple of hours at the pool -- no time for lunch anywhere else! Tonight (shortly) we're having Khmer food in town. Maybe not as adventurous as street foot, but definitely don't need the "cocoon" of the hotel either!! (then I'm off for my second foot massage at the night market - had one last night and it was fabulous, after which probably a sherbet cone at Blue Pumpkin -- had passionfruit yesterday and it was great)

silverwool

You make me very envious. I don't get back there till July. I'm not that adventurous but my daughter has been in Siem Reap for 5 years and knows her way around. (I did eat a spider once though!!) How about trying a fish massage! Its a different sensation. If you want to go upmarket for a massage go to Frangipani. I'm told the hot stone massage is 'bliss'.

Enjoy Cambodia, I try and get there every year for a few days. This year we hope to either get up to Preah Vihear and/or up the Mekong to Kratie and beyond.