For going to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh, there are various bus and comfortable mini vans available. There is a night bus which departs at 11 pm and covers the distance in six hours, so early morning you are in Siem Reap. Otherwise during the day the bus or minivan start departing from 6:30 a.m and are available at half n hour intervals. They all offer pickups from your hotel location. The price ranges from $6 to $12. I booked a minivan which had a nice comfortable single seat and departed at 9 am. The minivan covered the distance in a comfortable 5 hours with three stops.

After reaching Siem Reap bus station at 2 p.m. I called the hotel where I was staying and they had arranged a pick up for me. I had called them a day earlier to arrange pick up from the bus station, the transfer cost was complimentary. The tuk tuk driver arranged by hotel was speaking decent English, so I decided to stick to him for my remaining trip. Siem Reap as a city seemed to be more posh than Phnom Penh and was well maintained. Good to even ride around in a rented bicycle (Just 1 or 2 dollars a day). Parklane hotel on street Taphul seemed to be pretty decent and was better than the hotel in Phnom Penh, shockingly it was same price. Now at the reception, I acquired information on how to visit Angkor Complex. They suggested starting with Angkor Wat at sunrise and then visiting other temples in the complex. For visiting the Angkor Wat at sunrise you need to pay extra bucks to driver as well as the guide and many tourists visit this place at sunrise, so its very crowded. However the place looks magnificent in the morning, so what I recommend is go here at sunrise and have a picture clicked from the main spot where reflection falls on the lake but do not enter inside. Head to Angkor Thom for exploration which is one of the largest temple complexes. The one day pass for Angkor complex is $37 now (earlier $20) and is checked at all entry points. The tuk tuk drivers know exactly where tickets are sold and the counter starts at 5 am. I decided to start the tour next day at 9 and not sunrise.

There was a restaurant called Sida next to my hotel on street Taphul. It had a very nice and calm ambience and food was so awesome. I visited this place nearly four times during my two day trip in Siem Reap. I tried the traditional Tom Yom soup with steamed rice and it was delicious.

Now the question was what to do for the rest of the evening. Siem Reap has more massage parlours than restaurants & bars which offer one hour full body massage at a decent cost like 5-8$. Also just a foot massage would be beneficial, since the next day visit to Angkor complex will be very tiring.  An hour or two of this of this followed by a short walk to the pub street is worth it.

Pub street has it all…restaurants, clubs, market and nightlife. All expats and tourists hang out here in the night. The street is very lively and gives you a feeling that the night shall never end!

I hired the tuk tuk driver to take me to the Angkor complex for $13 (whole day with waiting cost), started at 9 am next day with purchasing the ticket and then headed to

Ta Prohm which is referred as the Tomb Raider temple since the movie was shot here. It’s an amazing place with old trees growing out of the ruins. It’s a Buddhist temple which will take a good one hour to explore.

Once you enter Angkor complex or any of the temples your photography passion with outgrow itself. Every point is worth getting a click. There are children selling souvenirs and books outside who will chase the hell out of you, so be wary. Refreshments are available all across the temples, coconut water is the best rescue during the hot day. It’s available for $1 and is served cold. It does not seem to get over as it's so filling.

After this temple, headed to Takeo which is on a foothill. The steps here are very steep and do test your stamina. But view from top is worth it.

Just a few minutes away are two temples on opposite sides of the road. Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda. Both are unique and offer quick exploration. There are souvenirs available here. One guy particularly was selling painting made on rice paper for quite reasonable price. Once framed they will look quite classy. The painting is traced from the walls of the temple complexes so are quite unique. One with Apsara dancer are more interesting.

After this came the Angkor Thom which is so superb. Can’t describe in words. The complex is huge and can take a good two hour to cover by foot. Start with Bayon temple which has the smiling Buddha face on towers looking at all four directions.

Then head to the royal enclosure and Phimeanakas. The paths leading to these buildings are so interior that one feels like you are on an expedition.

During noon, I visited finally the Angkor Wat temple-the most awaited and popular site in Cambodia. As it was noon there were very few tourists around. Here guide is a must, who are available for $15. I bargained one for $10. Audio guides are available at just $6 however they demand passport and $100 deposit which seemed to be stupid. So I decided to go for a live one. You enter the temple complex via floating bridge which has been recently built. There are three entries..one for the king, one for priests and commoners and third for elephants.

You should walk down the king’s path. There is a lake in front of the temple in which all towers are reflected well. People wait for these shots to be taken in the morning. I got a decent one in the afternoon too. The inside has all carvings of Ramayan as this is a Hindu temple built before Cambodians converted to Buddhists.

The temple inside has centre of universe where if you hold a compass, it will show all four directions precisely. It is now the so called selfie point. The entire temple has been built well and you get an immense feeling that yes I am visiting one of the wonders in the world. After all it is the biggest religious complex in the world.

Once done here, next to Angkor Wat is Phnom Bakheng which is a sunset point. Line starts from 5pm so it’s a good thing to go here early to avoid que. From this point, the entire Angkor Wat complex can be seen. It’s the best way to end the one day visit to Angkor complex. There are other temples to explore as well which can be done additionally.