I’ve been to Siem Reap countless of times but never before have I ever experienced this mix feeling of anxiety and excitement.

THIS IS IT. Here comes Blogger Bootcamp, the very first travel blogger event in Cambodia.

Wait wait, don’t leave the article just yet. I’m just briefing a bit of our event here, you’ll find places to visit in this same article a few minutes later after this paragraph.

The event took place in Siem Reap for 2 days with 20 participants.

There are four speakers; each of whom has different blogging-related topics to share, and I’m one of them.

Speaker, seriously?

The thought of it had made my blood turn cold. Sharing experience to a group of people isn’t my thing, BUT I DID IT ANYWAY.

Well– I know you don’t care about our event here, you just want to know where we’ve been to in Siem Reap to plan your itinerary, so let skip the session talk and get on to it.

#1. Chong Kneas Floating Village

Besides going all the way up to admire the sunset from Bakheng Temple, you can also choose to go to Chong Kneas Floating Village.

Chong Kneas is a 20mn drive from Siem Reap City Center. Find their little port and you know you’re in the right place.

I’m not sure how much it costs for the ticket and the boat because everything was covered for me.

I asked around and my friend told me he spent 100USD for all of us (20 people) which makes 5USD each, but that’s a package price.

If you’re going alone or with a few other friends, I’ve heard they charge 1USD for the ticket and up to 20USD for a small boat and up to 50USD for a bigger one. Correct me if I’m wrong, I’m dead curious.

But just to be safe, make sure to bring a lot of people with you to share the boat price.

Don’t get it wrong by the photo. There are actually proper seats in the first story. We just wanted to see the view clearer so we climbed up.

Look at my lucky shot!

And look at the sunset!

Besides the irresistible sunset of the floating village, you can also get to see some crocodiles at this one house. I wouldn’t call it a crocodile farm as there are not that many.

We were first welcomed by this snowball cutie in the photo. She couldn’t stay still and kept barking until they set her free. She’s super adorable and friendly. She likes petting and wouldn’t want to let me go.

Besides crocodile visit, you can also find food, drinks, clothes and souvenirs at this place.

#2. Pub Crawling

On scale from 1-10, how good are you with alcohol beverages?

You gotta find out by joining Lub D’s Pub Crawling!

It costs you 5USD/person for one drink from Lub D and 3 shots from 3 other bars.

Getting a little bit tipsy from Lub D’s drink, we made our way to our next stop, Experimental Cocktail Lounge.

We were supposed to go to 2 other bars after Experimental, but we were running late and had to skip to our next place, Hard Rock Cafe Angkor.

 

#3. Hard Rock Cafe Angkor

Did you know that there’s a 2-hour free flow of drink at Hard Rock Cafe Angkor?

Yes, there is (we even got everything covered lol)- that’s why we left our pub crawling early!

You can find their 2-hour free flow of drink package with 1 canapé every Wednesday for 12USD/person.

And no worries if you’re in Siem Reap on the other day of the week, there are different parties and promotions every night.

Whether you want to rock hard with the rock band or enjoy After Dark Party (9:30PM-2:00AM every day) on the dance floor with the DJ, you can have it all at Hard Rock Cafe Angkor.

 

#4. Have Lunch at Chouk Khmer

It already took us half-day for our sessions, so I’ll just start our Day 2 with our lovely lunch place called Chouk Khmer or Khmer Lotus in English.

This place is located around Phnom Krorm as well as along the way to Chong Kneas Floating Village, so you may plan your itinerary accordingly.

Their food are quite good and affordable. But if you wish to pass the lunch, it’d be alright too. You can choose to pay 2000Riels (0.5USD) for photos.

#5. Pre Rub Temple

2pm was way too hot for temple hopping, but we did it anyway. A trip to Siem Reap without temple hopping is like eating fries without ketchup. Bad comparison? Try giving me a good one. Hahaha

Our very first stop was Pre Rub Temple.

I’ve usually driven past this temple every time I’m in Siem Reap but never made any stop until this time.

Who would have thought Pre Rub Temple makes quite scenic photos!?

Unlike any other temples in Siem Reap, there’s no crowd here at Pre Rub which makes it really easy for photos.

My suggestion would be to go there between 4:30-5:00PM.  The golden sunlight would make the temples and your photos even more eye catching.

 

#6. Ta Sorm Temple

Is it just me or hasn’t anyone heard of Ta Sorm Temple too?

Well, I guess it’s just me. How could other people miss such beautiful place?

With the tree covered on the beautiful ancient structure, everyone would undoubtedly say this is Ta Prohm.

If you’ve been longing to take similar photos to the one at Ta Prohm but want to avoid the crowd, try this less visited temple of Ta Sorm.

#7. Neak Poan Temple

Other than the temple itself, the surrounded pond is what makes Neak Poan even more special. It’s weird how everything around is dead and dry during this time of the year.

To avoid disappointment, your best time to visit Neak Poan would be between July and September.

 

#8. Bayon Temple

Bayon Temple, also known as Angkor Thom, was our last stop.

Isn’t it awesome how Bayon looks perfect from every angle? I mean how could our ancestors build something this great? I wish I could turn back time/time-traveled then conducted interview of how they’d come up with the concept.

Trust me, you don’t want to miss this place during your time in Siem Reap!

#9. Lub D Pool Party

Not a big pool party like those Hollywood movies, ours was basically an 8 people-pool party with some beers and light snacks.

In case you wonder where the photos are, there’s none. I was so kept up with the moment. Hehehe

Lub D‘s pool is open from 9:00AM-9:30PM, but we broke the rule and stayed until their hotel bar closed and everybody else’s gone to sleep. I was the first one who went to bed. I’ve heard the others stayed until 3:30AM. Sorry not sorry, I couldn’t keep up with that.

 

And THAT sums up our Blogger Bootcamp 2019. Looking forward to the next one!