Day 2 - Singapore - Cambodia

Today we set off bright and early to the first official stop in our fantastic holiday - Cambodia! The lovely taxi driver from last night kindly agreed to take us to the airport this morning so we were treated to another unofficial tour as we drove. I have to admit, I'm still not the biggest fan of Singapore, but I was looking forward to making the best of it by scoping out some bargains at the newly built Terminal 3 of the airport, a terminal that puts many, many others to shame. Unfortunately there was no time before our flight out, but we've got a long layover on the way back so we should find a few minutes to have a look around.




The flight to Siem Reap went very well - no turbulence and very friendly staff, although we weren't quite game to ask if we could pinch the empty seats up in first class. I wonder what they would have said! Landing in Siem Reap was by far the best part of the journey though. Everywhere I've been in the world, the airports are always only slight variations on the large concrete theme - no life, no individuality, no warmth. Not so in Siem Reap. Here the building resembled a temple and inside, somehow everything felt very serene, a strange feeling for an aiport. The picture below doesn't quite do it justice, but you get the idea...





In keeping with the theme of welcoming simiplicity, happily, customs was a breeze, and as we walked out of the building, there stood a man holding a sign with our names on it (met at the airport by a driver - luxury!). The drive from the airport to Siem Reap was a quiet one though, as we drove past large, opulent hotels situated right next to poor, ramshackle huts. Apparently the tourism boom has been useful in terms of employment, but has sent property prices through the roof, and no surprise, pay rates have not kept up. The poverty was difficult to see and, as always, I wish we could just re-distribute the world's wealth appropriately, but I acknowledge that my holiday journal is not the place to whip out my soapbox, and I recognise the hint of hypocrisy since I was there on a luxurious holiday, so I'll leave the ranting there, promise.


Arriving at our resort, Palm Village, was fantastic! The entire place is made of natural materials and set in the midst of a leafy jungle, creating a very peaceful and welcoming atmosphere. The staff were also incredibly friendly and the pool was great (most of the day was spent there, enjoying our first chance to really relax). The room, well, nothing short of bamboo heaven... all in all, a great first day in Siem Reap!