I stayed in Siem Reap for five days. But we arrived in the country during night time – even later than we expected because our flight was delayed so the first night was simply just about getting to the hotel, eating late dinner and then turning in for the night. This is what we call Day Zero.

Like my past travels in Malaysia and Hongkong, we used Klook to book most of the places we went to except for our first official day in Cambodia which was a DIY since it was just in the city anyway. Ver, who’s been to Cambodia before, advised us that it would be better that we just explore around the city and get around a feel of the place during our first day.   

To get around on our first day, the same tuktuk driver who picked us up from the airport when we arrived the night before volunteered to take us around and show us the sights. At first I thought it was really nice of him to do so even though it was unnecessary since we already knew the places we wanted to go to. Nevertheless we let him. We’d find out later on that he had an ulterior motive for wanting to drive us around. 
Angkor National Museum

When we wanted to go to Angkor National Museum, he took us first to a travel agency. He said we should buy tickets there so we could enter. I personally wouldn’t have minded paying USD12.00 to go inside because I like museums. But my companions weren’t so willing. I was actually thinking of suggesting visiting Angkor National Museum but thought better of it. Oh well. I could always just read up about the history of Siem Reap online. 
We still went to the museum. But just outside and on the first floor to take photos. It does provide a beautiful background for a photo. 
Posing in front of a tuktuk, a three wheeled vehicle that we used to get around Siem Reap
My first day outfit is a dress I bought from Cotton On which Ryan and I spotted while walking around Mall of Asia. It’s made from cotton so the material is light enough for the heat of Cambodia. It’s my first time to wear such a long dress and I have to say I look tall! Thank you Ryan for having such a good eye for fashion!😙

Wat Bo Pagoda

We also went to visit a couple of pagodas in the area. The first is Wat Bo Pagoda which is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Siem Reap. There’s no entrance fee but it’s suggested that visitors make a donation. Because it’s so quiet around, it’ll give you that feeling of wanting to set up a hammock tied between trees and just sleep. In fact I believe our tuktuk driver did just that but he set up his on the tuktuk.

If you’re wondering what those tall cone shaped looking things are, well I will tell you. They’re tombs. I only found out from our tour guide, Kim, during our Angkor Wat visit since you’ll find some of these there as well.

Wat Bo is a working pagoda. There are monks and people praying in the place so one should be respectful still. And yes, it’s a beautiful place as you could probably tell from my photos. I love the large grounds that you could walk around at. Just you know be wary of insects and especially of ants in the area because there’s a lot! 
Preah Prom Rath Pagoda
Later that afternoon after eating lunch, we went to another pagoda in the city. This is Wat Preah Prom Rath. This pagoda is at the heart of the city so if you don’t want to stray too far, you should include this in your itinerary. 
Compared to Wat Bo, this one will give you a vibe of wealth. I think I got that from all the sights to see inside. But like the first pagoda, entrance here is free. Donation is encouraged though. 
According to Your Cambodia, this replica of a boat with a monk in it holds a significant story. As it goes, in 1500 AD, there’s a monk who regularly travels to fetch rice from Long Vek, which is the ancient capital of Cambodia. During one of his travels, he was attacked and the boat was broken. He survived though and he made it safely back on a part of the boat. The reclining Buddha, which I also read is a must-see when in Wat Preah Prom, and the boat monument were built to honor that event. 
BFF Ver posing regally at Wat Preah Prom 

It was early afternoon when we visited this place when the sun was beating down hard. Despite the heat, we made sure to cover up when we dressed up with a top that covers the shoulders and a skirt and a dress (in my case) that covers the knees. While these are tourist attractions, they are also still sacred places so we wanted to be respectful.

By 4PM or 5PM, we were ready to call it a day. Our tuktuk driver though thought he’d push for just one more suggestion before we go back to the hotel and so he stopped at another travel agency. He suggested we do the Kompong Phluk Floating Village tour but I discouraged my friends from doing so. I read reviews from Klook, which also included this activity, that during this dry season, you’re not going to see floating villages at Tonle Sap so what’s the point then, right?

Needless to say our tuktuk driver was not very pleased with us because we just kept declining which means no commission for him. Well we’re Filipinos. We know how it works. Also we’re smart tourists. We won’t easily get pushed around.

Anyway so that’s basically how my first day in Siem Reap went. On my next posts, I’ll share more about how my travel went. Meanwhile, you can check out some of my travel photos on Instagram because I’ve already started uploading!😊