A Whirlwind Day In Cambodia.

When you’re traveling to multiple countries in the span of only a few weeks, sometimes you have to make cuts and take your losses to the number of sights you can see.

For me, Cambodia was that place.

I was only in the country for one full day, landing late in the evening the day before and flying out a day and a half later. But from what I had been told when planning the trip, you typically go to Cambodia to visit Siem Reap - in particular Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples, and that’s the extent of your adventure in Cambodia.

Having now done it myself, I’d agree that those are really some of the few things to do while in the country, not requiring more than a day or two to see it all.

What I can say about the temples is that they're absolutely breathtaking. Having been around for thousands of years - some as early as the 10th century - it’s incredible that some are still standing, much less that they look as great as they do. While this is in part due to restoration efforts the Cambodian government has funneled into rebuilding them, they’re an incredible sight to see nonetheless.

I decided to do an all day tour of Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples temples, something that I thought was one of those “all day” events that are usually advertised, but usually only go until two or three in the afternoon. Hardly a full day.

No. This was truly an all day event - one that I didn’t get back from until around six that evening, having set off for the temples around nine earlier that morning.

The hostel I stayed at - Palm Garden Lounge - while not the most extravagant, offered a $12 tour option - an all day tour to Angkor Wat and it's surrounding temples, the price including my own personal tuk tuk driver. He drove me to more temples than I could count, letting me off at the entrance and then waiting until I was finished, whisking me off to the next, one after another. He made sure I had a lunch and was never without a full water bottle throughout the day.

I can’t tell you how amazing it was not having to worry about getting from temple to temple. And while it’s not hard to find a driver that will drive you around for a day, a deal of $12 for a driver who not only drove me to the numerous temples, but also that night to dinner and the Night Market was a deal I couldn’t have snatched up any quicker.

So my recommendation for those of you looking to travel to Cambodia is to find those places to stay that’ll offer you the option of having a personal driver for the day, in addition to cheap room and board.

Taking whatever stress you can out of traveling goes a long way in ensuring you can actually enjoy the sights you're seeing.

As for the actual temples, I opted to not have an actual guide during my time at each one, which is something you can do if you’re looking to get more information out of your visits to each. I guess I was more interested in sightseeing than knowing the actual history of each. Come to think of it, I could’ve probably at least gotten a guide for the largest temple, Angkor Wat.

Live and learn, I suppose.

The logistics of actually seeing the temples involves getting a pass at the start of the day, which your tuk tuk driver will drive you to. One day passes are $37 - the most expensive excursion I’ve been on thus far this trip. That being said, it was worth it and I’d do it all over again. You show your pass at the entrance of each temple, gaining you access to any of them for the day. For those of you who absolutely L-O-V-E temples, you can buy multiple day passes. So go get your temple on.

Instead of talking about each temple I visited (it’d be a bit redundant, don’t you think?), I’m just going to include photos from those that were my favorite. Use them as you will when planning your own day of galavanting around those ancient Cambodian temples.

It’s something you won’t want to pass up.

Where I stayed: Palm Garden Lodge

Pros: