October 22, 2024

Today marked another exciting and seamless day of travel as we made our way to Siem Reap, Cambodia with AirAsia. Before boarding, we enjoyed a relaxing and rejuvenating break in the airport lounge, thanks to our Priority Pass memberships. The lounge experience was a refreshing interlude, offering delicious and satisfying complimentary food and, best of all, a soothing and invigorating Thai massage that melted away any lingering travel fatigue. Feeling both well-fed and rejuvenated, we were ready to embrace our next adventure in Siem Reap.

We arrived at the modern and pristine Siem Reap airport, which was surprisingly quiet and nearly deserted, with our plane being the only one on the tarmac. We paid $30 for a taxi to the city center, and it was intriguing to see so many taxi drivers waiting in the parking lot, despite the lack of passengers. Once in the taxi, our driver shared insights about the city’s struggles after COVID. He explained how Chinese tourists, who had been the number-one visitors before the pandemic, dropped to fifth place due to negative portrayals on TikTok and other social media platforms. The drive along the smooth and scenic highway from the airport was pleasant, flanked by lush green rice fields, though traffic was notably sparse. Along the way, the driver reiterated the city’s challenge of not attracting enough visitors to Angkor Wat, which left us reflecting on the impact of the pandemic on global tourism.

After settling into our hotel, we ventured out to enjoy our first Cambodian meal. As soon as we stepped outside, we were approached by a friendly TukTuk driver, who initially asked for $4 to take us to the restaurant. After some friendly negotiation, we agreed on $2. The ride in the colorful and surprisingly comfortable electric TukTuk turned out to be a delightful and unique experience, something we were initially hesitant to try but quickly grew to enjoy.

Dinner was decent and reasonably priced, providing a simple but satisfying introduction to Cambodian cuisine. Afterward, we strolled to the night market and Pub Street, where we felt completely safe and relaxed wandering through the city center. (Seeing pub street made it obvious that Siem reap and pub street was a tourist city.)

2024年10月22日

今天, 我们搭乘亚洲航空飞往柬埔寨的暹粒, 是一次令人期待且顺利的旅行日，。在登机之前，我们凭借 Priority Pass 会员去了机场休息室。机场休息室的体验是一段令人耳目一新的间歇，提供了美味可口的免费餐点，更棒的是一场舒缓且振奋身心的泰式按摩，消除了旅途中的疲惫。在充分享受美食与放松后，我们焕然一新，满怀期待地迎接在暹粒的下一段令人期待的旅程。

抵达暹粒时，我们被这座现代化且干净的机场所吸引。令人惊讶的是，机场非常安静，停机坪上只有我们的飞机。我们支付了30美元乘坐出租车前往市中心。让人好奇的是，尽管机场几乎没有其他乘客，但停车场里却有许多出租车司机在等待。上车后，司机与我们聊起了疫情后的城市现状。他提到，在疫情之前，中国游客是暹粒的主要游客，但由于抖音等社交媒体上的负面评价，现在中国游客数量急剧下降，排到了第五位。沿着平坦且风景优美的机场公路前行，道路两旁是郁郁葱葱的稻田，景色怡人，但车流稀少。司机一路上反复提到吴哥窟缺乏游客的挑战，让我们深刻感受到疫情对全球旅游业的冲击。

到达酒店安顿好后，我们出门去享用第一顿柬埔寨美食。刚出酒店，一位热情的嘟嘟车司机便主动上前搭话，原本报价4美元送我们去餐馆，但经过一番友好的讨价还价后，我们以2美元成交。这辆色彩斑斓且意外舒适的电动嘟嘟车为我们带来了一段别开生面的体验，原本有些犹豫的我们很快便爱上了这种独特的交通方式。

晚餐简单但令人满意，为我们初次品尝柬埔寨菜肴开了一个好头。饭后，我们漫步前往夜市和酒吧街，完全放松地徜徉于市中心。看到热闹的酒吧街，暹粒作为一座以旅游为主的城市特色显而易见。这里的氛围轻松又安全，为我们的第一天画上了圆满的句号。