Hard Rock Cafe - Angkor / Siem Reap

After spending the bulk of the day at Angkor Wat, we headed to Hard Rock Cafe Angkor, in Siem Reap. Mel is a confirmed Hard Rock addict, with quite an impressive collection of memorabilia, so we would be visiting two Hard Rock Cafe locations in Cambodia.

Mel with the guitar outside Hard Rock Cafe Angkor, in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Now for the big question - what did we think of Hard Rock Cafe Angkor? Well, our impressions needed to be tempered with the knowledge that Cambodia is still returning to popularity after COVID put the brakes on tourism world wide for several years, and more recently, we were visiting at the tail end of the wet season, historically a slow time for tourism in the region.

Mel and Lori checking out the shirts in the Rock Shop at Hard Rock Cafe Angkor.

We were the only guests for most of the night, with another couple coming in while we were there, and the Rock Shop was missing quite a few regular items. There were no Hurricane glasses and no collectors pins, so our cocktails came in well worn hurricane glasses, but the collectors glasses we brought home were pint glasses. This was also the case in Phnom Penh and from speaking to the staff at the two venues, this will be rectified soon.

Loaded fries and potato skins at Hard Rock Cafe Angkor, in Siem Reap.

We also noted that there was a reduced menu here for food and drink, but that what was presented to us was top notch, we certainly had no complaints about the food, drinks or service here. While there was no live music on offer here, we would find out later that the band was only a week or so away, as they were performing at the Phnom Penh venue at the time, as that venue was training the new bands for both locations.

There was no live music here tonight, so Mel hopped on the skins for a photo. We would later find out that we missed the return of live music to this venue by a matter of weeks.

Would we come back to Hard Rock Cafe Angkor? Of course! Although being the only guests there put a bit of a dampener on the atmosphere, we're quite confident that with the return of live music and as tourists return to the Angkor region, Siem Reaps own Hard Rock Cafe will start to see the crowds returning and we would love to see this venue when it's really pumping.

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Nerk Restaurant - Siem Reap

After spending the morning exploring Angkor Wat, we asked Sophorn, our driver, to take us somewhere nice for lunch. He recommended Nerk Restaurant, an upscale restaurant in suburban Siem Reap. Lori and Mel both ordered Chicken Amok, a traditional Khmer dish that they had both been looking forward to trying while we were in Cambodia. Ken ordered a serve of frogs and I ordered eel, however I was informed that they were out of eel, so I ended up ordering the Beef Lok Lak instead, another traditional Khmer dish.

Outdoor bar at Nerk Restaurant.

We drank a lot of Pina Colada's this trip, this was Lori's here at Nerk.

I opted for a Margarita with lunch, and Nerk's version hit the mark just right.

Lori and Mel both ordered Chicken Amok, a traditional Khmer dish we had been really keen to try here in Cambodia.

Mels' Chicken Amok, removed from it's coconut casing. Chicken and fish amok are tradional Khmer dishes usually cooked in these little banana leaf cups.

Lori also had a serve of satay chicken and Jasmine rice.

The food, drinks and service here at Nerk Restaurant were all on point and we all left full and happy. This is a higher than average priced restaurant for Siem Reap, but the quality and the setting is on par with the pricing.

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Angkor Wat - Part 2

Angkor Wat was our first temple visit in Cambodia, it's the largest religious monument in the world and something truly amazing to see. My previous post covered the walk from the carpark to the outer Libraries, while this post covers the remaining part of the journey to the innermost and uppermost parts of this amazing place. Along the way we were accomanied by our driver, guide and mate, Sophorn and our Angkor guide Kea Simon.

The Griswalds, Phil, Lori, Mikah, Mel and Ken, in front of the southern reflecting pool of Angkor Wat. These pools are normally a lot fuller than this, and are a very popular spot to shoot the sunrise over Angkor Wat. We decided to avoid that, as we preferred to go when there were less tourists around, not more.

The entrance to the western gallery of Angkor Wat, on the right of the shot you can see a bullet hole left behind after a shoot out between Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese forces as the Vietnamese pushed the Khmer Rouge west towards the Thai border.

Three Apsara depicted dancing on the walls of the western gallery of Angkor Wat.

The northwest corner of the five central towers of Angkor Wat, symbolizing the five peaked Mount Meru, mythical home of the gods in both Buddhist and Hindu lore.

The view from the upper gallery of Angkor Wat, looking out over the western gallery, down the Terrace of Honor that leads between the North and South Libraries to the horizon. This upper level is the most revered portion of Angkor Wat, where dress standards are more strictly enforced. This is where you will need your shoulders and knees covered and your head uncovered.

The central sanctuary tower of Angkor Wat, this is one the sun rises over on the Equinox.

Cambodia is still a deeply religious country and you will come across monks anywhere, all wearing those beautiful bright orange robes. I personally just love this shot, this part of Angkor Wat is quieter, harder to get to and a great spot for reflection, we all took time to take in the enormity of this site and it's history.

Mel, Mikah and Lori after climbing back down from the upper gallery at Angkor Wat. There are some pretty steep climbs in these temples, even after they've had new steps installed over the top to protect the originals and make them a little easier for tourists and pilgrims to climb. Here Mikah's having a little giggle and wondering if I'm going to trip myself up scooting backwards across the lava stone floor.

A passage way at Angkor Wat, with Sanskrit writing carved into the columns.

The five central sanctuary towers of Angkor Wat, seen from the north east. In the foreground is the northern of two reflecting pools, maintenance crews are taking advantage of the lower water levels at this time to perform some upkeep on the pools.

And that's a wrap for Angkor Wat this time around for us, this was our first visit, and I'm sure we will be back again. Like many of the great wonders of the world, this place draws you back to explore it more. Over several hundred metres of intricately carved walls telling epic tales from Hindu mythology and so much more detail we barely discovered deserve another look.

For now, however, Sophorns' air conditioned van awaits.

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