- 1 day ago
We never travel without SafetyWing Nomad Insurance—built for digital nomads & families, month-to-month. 👉 See prices/coverage: https://safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/?referenceID=lloydandmandy&campaign=is-bali-too-expensive&utm_campaign=is-bali-too-expensive&utm_source=lloydandmandy&utm_medium=Ambassador
Honestly… we were wrong about Cambodia.
After years of traveling Southeast Asia, we weren’t sure what to expect when we arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia — but from the moment we landed, this place completely surprised us.
In this video, we’re sharing our first day in Cambodia: exploring Siem Reap by tuk tuk, visiting local markets, trying Cambodian food (and some unexpected finds 👀), riding the Angkor Eye at sunset, and discovering why this city feels calmer, more affordable, and more welcoming than we imagined.
We also give a full tour of our Siem Reap Airbnb, break down costs, transport, food prices, and share honest first impressions of what it’s really like traveling Cambodia as a family.
If you’re planning a trip to Cambodia, considering Siem Reap beyond Angkor Wat, or just curious what daily life here feels like — this video is for you.
👇 Let us know in the comments:
W
Honestly… we were wrong about Cambodia.
After years of traveling Southeast Asia, we weren’t sure what to expect when we arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia — but from the moment we landed, this place completely surprised us.
In this video, we’re sharing our first day in Cambodia: exploring Siem Reap by tuk tuk, visiting local markets, trying Cambodian food (and some unexpected finds 👀), riding the Angkor Eye at sunset, and discovering why this city feels calmer, more affordable, and more welcoming than we imagined.
We also give a full tour of our Siem Reap Airbnb, break down costs, transport, food prices, and share honest first impressions of what it’s really like traveling Cambodia as a family.
If you’re planning a trip to Cambodia, considering Siem Reap beyond Angkor Wat, or just curious what daily life here feels like — this video is for you.
👇 Let us know in the comments:
W
Category
🏖
TravelTranscript
00:00Honestly, I'm really surprised. I wasn't sure what to expect coming here.
00:04See how Reet is just surrounded by trees and mountains.
00:10It looks like a volcano over there.
00:29They pulled out two chairs and her to sleep on.
00:53Nomad is not a vacation. It's freedom, but it's also discipline.
00:57It's an exchange of security for enhanced experiences. It's a way of life.
01:02When times are getting crazy, and everything seems hazy,
01:08Is there some place for safety I could go?
01:13Run away, run away, run away into your escape.
01:19Run away, run away, run away and have it too far run.
01:24Run away, run away, run away into your escape.
01:30Run away, run away, run away.
01:33Run away, run away, run away.
01:36Run away, run away, run away.
01:46Run away, run away, run away.
01:54Run away, run away.
02:31Sussay?
02:36Sussay!
02:41Hello!
02:43How are you?
02:45Okay.
02:47Old Market.
02:49Old Market.
02:51Okay sir?
02:52Yes, okay, yep.
03:16Alright guys, we're in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
03:20Our first day here.
03:23We're in a tuk-tuk because in Cambodia you can order tuk-tuks on grab instead of motorbikes like in
03:31Thailand and Bali.
03:33So, we're heading to Old Market.
03:36We're going to go do a little bit of browsing, a little bit of shopping.
03:41Grab something to eat and just check out downtown.
03:44We got here the day before yesterday.
03:47But we spent yesterday just catching up on sleep and eating food and relaxing by the pool.
03:53So today we're going to start exploring the area.
03:56So far, it looks pretty cool.
04:05Whoa!
04:06Look at this!
04:09Did he say thank you again?
04:19It's fine?
04:21It's okay?
04:21Yeah.
04:22It's fine.
04:23It's okay?
04:24It's okay?
04:31It's fine.
04:33It's okay?
04:34Good God.
04:35Come on!
04:41Hey!
04:43I'm gonna leave!
04:45Hello!
04:46Hello!
04:47I'm gonna leave!
04:47Hello!
04:54Thank you!
04:55Thank you!
05:00Thank you!
05:01Thank you!
05:01Thank you!
05:10Look at these in the same way.
06:24Okay, that restaurant back there was selling crocodile burgers, crocodile steaks.
06:28Let me know down below in the comments if I should try a crocodile burger while I'm here.
06:35I don't know, it sounds a bit weird.
06:38It could be good though.
06:40Wow, the prices here are so low.
06:46This restaurant was recommended to us from our tuk-tuk driver that took us from the airport
06:51to here.
06:52He says the food's awesome, but yeah, the prices are incredibly affordable.
06:58We'll see what the food's like.
07:00Mmm, I'm trying to decide if I get.
07:05The cow sleeping or the roast frogs?
07:13Or the bacon buddy, what do you reckon?
07:18Cow sleeping sounds good.
07:23Chicken parmigiano, ooh, what's that?
07:26Alright, we just did a bunch of shopping.
07:29Really good shopping here in Cambodia.
07:31I guess a lot of the stuff is made here.
07:35Even like the knockoff stuff feels like it's really good quality and it's super cheap.
07:40It's like $6 for a t-shirt or like $12 for a hoodie.
07:46I'm just having a coffee because Lila literally fell asleep in Mandy's arms and they pulled
07:52out two chairs for her to sleep on while Mandy's across the road getting a massage, which the
08:03massages here are amazing too and they're really cheap.
08:07Mandy's over there.
08:10Yeah, so it's going to be just me and Lila here for the next hour.
08:13Um, so far I'm loving Siem Reap and Cambodia in general.
08:18It's got this like kind of mixed vibe between like Thailand and Vietnam.
08:23It's like got the French colonial buildings and lots of cafes and bakeries and stuff, but
08:30it still feels a little bit like Thailand.
08:32It's kind of hard to explain, but it's pretty cool so far.
08:38What do you like with this one?
08:40I'm going to try our first Cambodian beer.
08:42It's literally called Cambodia beer, and it's $1.50 at this Greek place we found.
08:55Very cold.
08:57Very nice, actually.
08:59Very good.
09:22Oh, that was a great lunch.
09:24Um, actually a really good morning walking around Siem Reap.
09:29Mandy found some really cool clothing stores, got a nice massage, we just ate a really good
09:35lunch at this Greek restaurant.
09:37Um, we had breakfast at the local Cambodian restaurant, and now we're just heading back to our Airbnb, which is
09:45about a six minute drive out of town, which is honestly perfect.
09:49Because it's quiet, and it's actually really affordable.
09:52I might, um, we'll do a tour when we get home, and we'll leave a link down below for it.
09:57We're just going to chill out for a couple of hours, and then we're going to head out tonight
10:01to, um, the Ankur I, which is like this big Ferris wheel, uh, in the middle of town.
10:09You can see it from the rooftop.
10:10And then, I think we'll hit up the night markets, and that'll be our first day in Cambodia, Dan.
10:17Oi!
10:19Honestly, I'm really surprised.
10:21I wasn't sure what to expect coming here.
10:24Yeah, I just, I really didn't know.
10:26From watching other people's videos, I didn't seem this, like, up and happening.
10:32I'm not sure.
10:33Like, it felt more like I only saw market stalls, but I found some really, like, cool, you know,
10:39Cengu-style, like, cafes, and these amazing linen clothing stores.
10:45Um, all, like, handmade, uh, just, yeah, it's just a really interesting place.
10:51I really like it, and, like, it's a busy city, but the, the pace of it isn't too full-on.
10:59Um, like, everything sort of moves a little slowly, like, with the chok-choks sort of slow things down,
11:05so it doesn't feel too overwhelming.
11:07Maybe it's just because we've been in Asia for a while that we've, you know, become accustomed to it,
11:11but for, like, a city, it doesn't feel too full-on.
11:15I really like it.
11:17Yeah, I, I think, I think that's because, um, like, you look at Thailand's population,
11:23it's 80 million, and Cambodia's only 18 million, and they're about the same size, I'm pretty sure.
11:28And then Indonesia is, like, I don't even know, 100 million or a couple hundred million.
11:34Like, it's, they're both really densely populated, and Cambodia, yeah, it just feels a lot quieter.
11:41It's kind of nice.
11:49All right, so this is the rooftop of the apartment hotel we're staying at.
11:54It's called Skypark, is that right?
11:56Yeah.
11:58Skypark Service Departments.
12:00Um, you can book it on Airbnb or on, like, booking.com or Agoda.
12:05Uh, we booked ours on Airbnb off this really nice couple, actually.
12:10Um, they gave us a bunch of, like, tips on places to eat and things to do,
12:16places to go while we're in Siem Reap, and, um, it's super affordable.
12:21Trying to think what it was in U.S. dollars.
12:24It's $280?
12:27So, what's that, 30 bucks a night?
12:29No, 40 bucks a night?
12:30And for what it is, like, it's really affordable.
12:32It's five minutes out of, like, downtown Siem Reap.
12:35It's got this awesome rooftop here, which we've been coming up to and having, like,
12:40coffee and stuff in the morning, and it's not too hot.
12:42And there's a 360-degree view of the city.
12:46Um, there's a really nice rooftop pool and a really decent gym.
12:50And the apartment itself is, like, super modern.
12:53I think this place was only built, like, two years ago.
12:57Um, security guard's really nice.
12:58Everybody here's really nice.
13:00Uh, we found a real gem.
13:02I think as soon as we landed here and we spent the night, like, we just...
13:07Did you feel this?
13:08Like, a sense of, like, just calm and peace.
13:12Like, I think because we've been moving around quite a lot,
13:14we've been in, like, four or five different Airbnbs over the last couple of weeks.
13:19And, um, all of them, they don't feel like a home.
13:22Like, they were sort of missing, like, a kitchen or an indoor living room or, like,
13:28uh, this place has a washing machine.
13:30Like, just little things like that.
13:31And, um, it just felt really nice.
13:33And we just spent, literally spent the first day just relaxing.
13:36We got massages and ate food.
13:38Um, and, yeah, I highly recommend, like, if you come into Sam Reap,
13:43um, we'll leave a link down below for this place because it's a really good area to stay in.
13:48It's a little bit out of downtown, so you're not really, like, in amongst everything.
13:53But I think for us, with the peace and quiet, we really appreciate it.
13:56And with, uh, transport being so affordable as well, like,
14:00it's just a few minutes to get right into downtown to get a tuk-tuk.
14:04It'll always be here within three minutes as well.
14:07Like, it's not inconvenient.
14:08Um, so, yeah, it's not too far out at all.
14:12And it's quiet.
14:13Like, we can walk around on the street with Lila.
14:16Um, and we're not, yeah, being woken up by motorbikes or anything like that.
14:19So, it's really good.
14:20Yeah, and tuk-tuks here are, like, super affordable.
14:23It's, like, between $1 and $2 if you want to go anywhere.
14:27We're extending for another week because we just feel like there's so much to do in Sam Reap
14:31and so many things to see.
14:33And we don't want to rush it.
14:35One.
14:38I have two.
14:40Oh, you have two?
14:41Two girls.
14:42Two girls.
14:43Nine and five.
14:44Wow.
14:46You must be busy.
14:47Yeah, so busy.
14:51Okay, we're headed to the Angkor Eye, which is, like, the big, uh, I guess, Ferris wheel,
14:58right?
14:58Yes.
14:59Here in Sam Reap.
15:00Um, you can see it from our rooftop.
15:02So, it's nearly sunset.
15:05We're going to go check it out.
15:06Uh, it's only $10 per person to ride it.
15:10Um, and I'm pretty sure Lila will get on for free.
15:13I'm hoping so, anyway.
15:14Uh, so we're going to go check it out for sunset.
15:16Get a nice view of the whole town.
15:19And then, I think we're going to head over to the night food markets and get some dinner.
15:25So, we're starving.
15:28Have a good day.
15:38Wow.
15:43Yeah, pretty cool.
15:51Kenny on there?
15:57The weather's been so nice.
16:00Yeah.
16:01Um, I mean, coming from Bali, like, this is very, very mild.
16:06I'm not even sweating at all, which usually I'll sweat a lot.
16:09And it's about five o'clock at night.
16:12This thing's huge.
16:14This is going to be awesome.
16:16It's actually going to be such a nice view.
16:17Do we wait a little bit till, like, sunset?
16:21It's kind of already sunsetting.
16:24It's kind of already sunsetting.
16:27Can we get a drink and then you can go up?
16:30It's getting cloud covered, though.
16:32Let's just go up.
16:33Hello.
16:36Uh, for two people?
16:37Yes.
16:39Oh, and, uh, baby.
16:42Free for the baby.
16:43Free?
16:44Okay.
16:44Do it soon.
16:45Hello.
16:47Can we pay by card?
16:49Yeah, for sure.
16:50Oh, they've got tiger beer.
16:52Yeah.
16:54Can we buy two beer?
16:55Sure.
16:56Bok-bay tiger.
16:57Two tiger.
17:03We're literally the only people here.
17:05There's a aircon on it.
17:35All right.
17:38Nice.
17:38Are youaraty?
18:50Alright, we're halfway through right at the top.
18:52It's a pretty epic view eh?
18:54You can see everything.
18:58Siam Reap is like just surrounded by trees and mountains and it looks like a volcano over there
19:08I'm not sure but like the actual city itself doesn't spread that far it's kind of a cool view
19:15and we're starting to head down now it's already been like 15 minutes it's amazing because yeah
19:19we're like in downtown and we're staying downtown but like you can see in the distance like it's
19:25just like countryside right next to us which is pretty cool but then you've got yeah all these
19:30buildings and everything and then it just actually stays nature which I love and even in the most
19:37populated parts of the city it's densely filled with trees and yeah it's it's so beautiful I
19:47really really love it here
20:03so
20:24well that was pretty cool now we're going to head to the night markets and get some
20:29probably get some Cambodian food because we haven't really eaten any yet
20:35we've just been topping up on our our Thai food because I missed it I teared up a bit having
20:43having the Thai food that I used to eat pretty much every single day when we lived there so
20:48yeah we needed to top up on that plenty of Thai food around but yeah it's time to eat some
20:53Cambodian food for sure yeah Mandy literally started crying she was so happy hahaha it was pretty good
21:30so close up
21:32I don't want no trouble this feeling is so rough been dreaming of this moment since I've been alive
21:40I promise I'll remember, do you even realize
21:47Give me more of you, thinking we can make this right
21:54There's nothing I can do, feels like I can be myself with you
22:12It's really over here, isn't it? Which way?
22:17This way
22:30One pizza, three trapeel
22:32What is this one?
22:35Pizza, crocodile
22:39Crocodile burger
22:40Yes
22:50Okay, one more time
22:51Hair conditioning set, we have the western food, local and vegetarian
22:56Can we see the menu?
22:58Menu, beer, drapeel, 75 cents
23:02Cocktail, 4.75
23:04Okay, we changed plans a little bit
23:05It's a little bit confusing here actually
23:07So there's the night markets, which is just like clothing stores and everything
23:10Which was pretty cool
23:12And then there's like the food night markets
23:15But they're not really on the map and they don't have a name or anything
23:18We went to the old markets this morning, which is like fresh food and clothes and stuff
23:24But then we're pretty sure there's like an actual street food market and it's over the other side of the
23:29river
23:29We were on our way there
23:31But we had to walk through pub street to get there
23:35And honestly pub street's
23:37Really cool
23:38It's like Kaysan Road or
23:41It's like Beer Street in Hanoi
23:42But it's nowhere near as hectic
23:44It's not really like nightclubs
23:45It's more restaurants and family friendly places
23:48And the guy at the front of this restaurant really sold us on it
23:52And it's cheap
23:53It's like 6 bucks for a burger and 75 cents for a beer
23:57So we're gonna have dinner here
24:00And then we'll probably do like a Cambodian street food night on a separate night
24:31Oh man, there's no chocolates really
24:38All right we're on our way home that wraps up our first day in Cambodia really and in Siem Reap
24:46we liked it so much we're going to extend our stay we were meant to stay seven nights here
24:50but there's just too much to do we've already been here two nights so um wow look at that
24:56Christmas decorations yeah anyway I hope you enjoyed the video guys and um if you have any
25:02suggestions of things to do or places to go in Cambodia or Siem Reap let us know in the comments
25:10down below and don't forget to hit the like button the hype button and subscribe and we'll see you in
25:15the next one cheers
25:32you
25:35you
Comments