Jan 22, 2012 - Angkor

I'm now over a week late writing this journal. I'm currently in Luang Prabang in northern Laos, but still haven't finished writing about Cambodia! This entry is about the temples of Angkor near Siem Reap, that I visited over 3 days (Jan 17, 19 and 20). Angkor is considered the largest collection of ancient religious buildings in the world. They are hindu and buddhist temples built roughly between the 9th and 12th century by various kings, and are spread out over a vast area, some as far as 35 kms away. There are dozens of them. Of course...

Jan 20, 2012 - Sofitel Angkor Phokeethera Golf and Spa Resort

Oh my Lord, every bone in my body aches from yesterday's adventure. But there are more sights to see. A bowl of pho will do the trick. I have to reiterate, the breakfasts every morning are spectacular. There is always an abundance of eggs, bacon, waffles, etc etc , the fruits, and local cuisine, the French breads. The presentations are beautiful and the cleanliness outstanding. When we returned to the temple complex, I saw some elephants with people on their backs taking a ride. I was fascinated because the elephants were black. Surprise, I...

Jan 20, 2012 - Angkor Thom ("Royal City")

Angkor Thom (“Great City”) was the capitol of the Angkor Kingdom and the residence of their “god-king”. Today's journal entry is a basically historical background on Angor Thom to give some context for the photos. Skip it if you don't care to read about the ancient Khmer empire. I visited Angkor Thom several times during the week. It's too much to truly absorb in one day. While most Americans have never heard of the Angkor Kingdom, from the 9th to the 11th centuries, it was among the most powerful empires in the world, covering most of...

Jan 18, 2012 - Temples, Temples and More Temples

I spent two weeks visiting temples near Siem Reap. There are a lot of them here! For those who know very little of the Ankor temples, think “Tomb Raider” with Angelina Jolie playing the role of Lara Croft. Many of the scenes from the movies were shot here. I've seen many more Americans here than earlier in my trip. Backpackers go to Hanoi, Sa Pa and other places that I've visited for the cheap beer and hotels. But, here, there are families traveling together and 5-star hotels. One guy was wearing a “Brown U” t-shirt. I asked if that was...

Mar 13, 2011 - SE Asia#2: Cambodia

We arrived at Siam Reap after all the visa formalities at the boarder. Everyone had to tip the boarder police off with $1 to get the stamp! Cambodia uses a combination or US Dollar and Cambodian Riels, this took a while to get used to! 4000 Riels = $1. We all freshened up and headed out to try some Cambodian cuisine and head to the pretty night market after. I got a fish massage in the market, you stick your feet in a fish tank and thousands of tiny fish suck and nibble your feet and toes! Christ on a bike did it tickle! The next day we...

Dec 25, 2010 - What 'Wat' is 'Wat'??

Boxing Day and Lynda is still suffering from her cold but we get up and attempt at least a visit to the local museum in Siem Reap. It was a half day and not too strenuous AND it offered audio guides which are always a hit when you are attempting to understand a new culture. Turns out the museum was quite modern and the displays were very helpful in giving us a basic understanding of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom the "Big Two" sites people come to Siem Reap to explore. Centuries ago, the area now know as Cambodia was heavily influenced by...

Dec 4, 2010 - Temples of Angkor

Off to see more temples and sights of Angkor today. Some of the group opted for a cooking class but of course we wanted to see more of the temples. Our first stop was Preah Khan, temporary residence of Jayavarnan VII while Angkor Thom was being built. We walked through the eastern entrance which is an unusual 2 storey structure with the look of a Greek villa, albeit slightly decayed and overgrown. The building is in the shape of a cross and is covered in vines and trees like Ta Prohm but in a better state of preservation. Next stop was...

Dec 3, 2010 - Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat is the largest religious site in the world and was voted one of the new seven wonders of the world. It was built around 1112-1152 to honour the Hindu God Vishnu and is surrounded by a moat 1.5km by 1.3 km. It is just as spectacular as the pictures you see. We set out at 5am hoping for great sunrise photos but it didn't quite happen as it was cloudy. We climbed up a very steep stairway (a modern wooden one not the old steps)for wonderful views over the site. Next stop was Ta Prohm one of the most spectacular of Angkor's many...

Oct 13, 2010 - The Temples of Angkor Wat !!

Thursday saw me arrive in Siem Reap, the satellite town that services tourists wishing to visit the ancient temple complexes of Angkor. Angkor has been the centre of the Khmer empire between 800 AD and 1220 AD and during this time, the 10 Kings constructed multiple temples spread out over an area of 25 x 15km. What makes Angkor so unique therefore is that it is not just a single temple complex but that it consists of over 30 temple complexes. Each has different design, construction or decoration styles. Some are open, others surrounded by...

Sep 15, 2010 - Angkor - on remet ca!

Virg profite de la visite de Magali pour s'échapper au Cambodge une nouvelle fois afin d'admirer les merveilles d' Angkor. Décidément les temples sont exceptionnels. Mais quelle chance d'avoir visite ces temples 6 ans auparavant alors que le tourisme s'ouvrait tout juste et que les temples étaient encore vierges d'échafaudage et de passerelles. Si vous songez a y faire un tour, dépêchez-vous avant qu'ils soient interdit de grimper sur les temples. Par contre le village de Siem Reap (la on l'on séjourne lorsqu'on vite Angkor) n'a pas résiste...

May 4, 2010 - Angkor

4th May Insomnia hit again last night and when I eventually got to sleep I woke up early. However it meant that I could go to reception and sorted out leaving a bag of jumpers an warm clothes I needed for china in their luggage storage and I will just collect them at the end of my trip. Bonus, got a light bag now. We had an absolute marathon of a breakfast spending half an hour at the buffet (another advantage of insomnia) and I was reunited with cereal so had 4 bowls. There was also sushi on offer! Imagine that Chungking mansions. Ha. We...

Apr 4, 2010 - Angkor Wat

welcome to cambodia!!! the heat is unbearable...drinking like 5l a day to not get a heat stroke! we were walking around angkor wat, ta phrom, angkor tom and some other temples today...sweating, sweating, sweating...3 more days until the beach, can't wait!!! angkor wat is one of these places you see a picture of and think: why this hype? but it's like cliffs of moher...you have to be there to understand the hype! not as impressive as the taj mahal, but again massive temples build by hands, millions of beautiful carvings telling stories...and...