Last Leg of the Trip and finally-- ARRIVAL

Hello everyone!

Today's post is just me, Sasha, and it is 5:30 here in Siem Reap, Cambodia on the 11th of September. It is weird to think that we are living in "the future". We have now been in Cambodia for two days and a lot has gone down in those that time. SO here is the breakdown of what has happened.

As we thoroughly explained in our last post the Singapore Airlines flight was amazing! The second half of the flight was only six and a half hours. Leah slept the whole time, which surprisingly ended up being a bad idea. I enjoyed some in-flight entertainment and then slept for about two hours. They gave us hot towelettes at the beginning of the flight, Leah put it on her face, I thought that was really weird. She didn't care.

When we landed at the Changi Sinapore Airport we were so excited to explore because we had a five hour layover. We walked around for a good amount of time. The airport was really empty because it was 2 AM. We got some noodles and fried rice at a small market style food court. There were also really cool foot massagers all around the airport (these were free, which made them even cooler). We played some cards as we waited for our next flight. The Changi airport is so cool because it also has Sky-trains which are subway style cars that take you to different terminals but they are automatic and don’t have a driver. Our favorite part about the airport was that there were live trees IN THE AIRPORT and a beautiful Sunflower Garden on the roof. We spent some time in the garden before we headed to our gate to board our final flight, a two hour flight to Siem Reap. 

SOO nice!!

 

We came back after the sun came up

 

Changi Airport-- Super Eco!!

One of Changi's (multiple) koy ponds.

I loooved the Skytrain

Leah and I loved the gardens.

Just to show you how big they were!

The underside was just as pretty!

Koy, Koy, Koy!

Our last flight was fine, nothing to complain about but nothing to write home about (even though I am in fact writing about it). Leah and I didn’t get to sit next to each other, the food was pretty bad and the seats weren't very comfortable (and now, I am in fact complaining about it). There was also a man snoring VERY LOUDLY a row over from me and snoring is one of my biggest pet peeves so that made it hard for me to sleep. The one good part of the flight was the man that I was sitting next to. He lived in Australia but was originally from Cambodia. He helped me to fill out my information sheet for my visa and was really nice.



When we got off the plane the heat immediately hit me and I could barely see because the sun was shining so brightly. It was really hard to find Leah because she was in the front of the plane and I was in the back. I got off first and waited for her but when I watched about 40 people walk off the plane my stomach dropped a bit. I thought that she had left the plane and went to customs before me and that we had already lost each other only five minutes into our trip! But I finally found her then we went to get our visas.

 Here is a picture of the Tuk Tuk from the back.

After we got our bags we met our Tuk Tuk driver. He was very nice and offered to carry our bags. I really like the Tuk Tuks but (Mom, don’t read this) the traffic is TERRIFYING here, yet exhilarating. They drive about 10 miles an hour but everything is so chaotic around you and there are so many people going in so many different directions. There are a lot of moped and automatic bikes here but Leah said that there are a lot more cars than she remembers.

When we got to the V&A Villa that we are staying at we were greeted by a dog (Snowy, which is funny because we weren’t expecting to find any snow in Southeast Asia), a few young girls, and 10 cats (who are all very nice). Our room is good and has a fan and air conditioning, which is such a blessing.

 Our room at the V&A Villa

The view early this morning as the sun was coming up-- It's a jungle out there!

Because we got in at only 10AM we decided to go to the Old Market. There were surprisingly a lot of Westerners, which Leah said is something that has changed since she was last here. When we went into the actual market there were so many different stands selling everything from dried intestines, to bowls, to skirts, to cheap, fake Western brands (i.e. Nike, Beats, North Face, etc.), to jewelry and so much more. Everywhere we went we were bombarded with the same request to buy something, “Lady, you buy this.” I will admit, I respect their frankness. Leah and I were both intrigued by a few pairs of awesome printed pants but we refrained because we have plenty of time to buy them. The market does have a particular smell to it that might make the common traveler perk up their nose, and not in a good way. I can’t get this smell out of my head but hopefully after a few trips to the market I will get used to it.

When we finished perusing the market we stopped at a restaurant for a quick bite to eat and then our faces almost dropped in our bowls because we were so tired. We got a Tuk Tuk and traveled back to the villa. It was around 3:30 when we decided that we would take an hour nap. Rookie mistake. I slept for 16 hours straight LIKE A BABY. Leah only slept for a few hours but we were both refreshed when we woke up this morning so I guessed it worked out ok.

Sorry to make this post so long! I tried to condense it but everything is so new and exciting and I wanted to share it with you all!! Leah and I will post about our day today soon. Thanks for reading!

-Sasha