Jan 24, 2013 - Siem Reap

Angkor Wat Sunrise, Fishing Village and Tonle Sap Sunset Up at 4.15am to be ready at 5.00am. We’re going to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is the signature temple complex here. It’s the one you see on all the travel info and brochures. It is also incorporated on the Cambodian flag. We better not forget a flashlight – no street lights there! Kom led us in the dark to a spot where we could sit and see the sun rise from behind the temple. As we later saw when it was a bit lighter, we sat on the steps of one of the temple buildings....

Jan 23, 2013 - Siem Reap

City of Angkor We’re leaving at 7 am this morning to beat the rush of tourists and the heat at the temples. We are asked again to cover knees and shoulders out of respect for the monks, ancestors, and the place. The temperature was nice when we arrived at the Angkor site. The city of Angkor was built in the area of Siem Reap from the 8th – 13th century. There is an enormous number of temples and royal palaces. They are spread out over some 40 square miles around Siem Reap. Restoration work was started by the French already in 1929. It was...

Jan 23, 2013 - Disillusioned

When I first arrived in Siem Reap, I discovered that even monks have their differences, and I learned they have a hierarchy. Believing Buddhist monks would be above jealousies and would have let go of the desire for power and status, I felt disillusioned to discover that wasn’t the case. But that is my idealism coming into play again! Monks are human beings after all, and all of us have our failings--even holy men. Just look at the Catholic Church! Chea told me that he had started the Enkosa River free English School but the head monk at...

Jan 23, 2013 - Siem Reap/Angkor Wat

Today we start our exploration of Angkor Wat and discover that Kom is a registered tour guide for Angkor Wat and so we don’t need a local guide as well here. He is very smartly dressed in his official guides’ uniform. We set out at 7.00 to try to avoid the heat and the crowds. First stop is to get photographed for our 3 day passes and then we head out to Ta Prohm the jungle temple made famous in movies such as Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider. It has been left largely in the state it was found and provides numerous photo opportunities where...

Jan 22, 2013 - Siem Reap/Angkor Wat

I woke refreshed at 5.30am and after reading my book for an hour I went for a walk in the village. The road was surprisingly busy at that time in the morning with trucks roaring past sending the red dust swirling. It will certainly make a huge difference once the road has been sealed. Children were all on the move as well with primary children walking to the nearby school and secondary students biking further away. I had lots of delightful conversations as they all wanted to say hello and practise their English. The party was in full swing...

Jan 8, 2013 - Visited the Angkor Temples

Visited Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Phrom and Banteay Kdei, otherwise known as the short circuit. I am not going to eulogise at any length other than to say they are absolutely stunning feats of engineering and should be on anyone's list of sights to see and probably one of the main reasons why tourists come to Cambodia.

Jan 7, 2013 - Travelling Day to Siem Reap, Cambodia

While Samantha was returning to the UK we were travelling overland to Siem Reap in Cambodia. We spent almost 6 hours on a train covering 255km from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet near the Cambodian border for £1 each. It must be one of the cheapest train journeys in the world. Only third class carriages which are probably approaching 50 years old with firm very slightly padded seats (some carriages had wooden seats) but you see the real world travelling with the local population. The train stops everywhere and local delicacies are on sale...

Jan 3, 2013 - Siem Reap shopping extravaganza

Today I made the mistake of setting foot inside the old market here in Siem Reap. Fortunately the tuk-tuk drivers are all out at Angkor, so during the day the roads are quiet. step inside the market and its the standard, "Mister, you buy from me" lines. Other classics of course are "It free to look" or the more complicated response to "no" being "You buy for your lovely wife girlfriend sister mother". I told one of them they all died in a horrific car accident, but the seller kept on going. I did end up making a few purchases, plus was...

Dec 31, 2012 - A taste of Angkor Wat

Today was meant to be a travel day and it mostly was. A 9am bus was as late as I wanted to leave it, after all i was told its 6 hours. The hustle and bustle of the bus station was easily navigated and i boarded the bus and off we went. There were two stops on the way, plus numerous more to pick up and drop off passengers. At one stage we had passengers sitting on small plastic stools in the aisle. I made it to Siem Reap about an hour later then scheduled. I suspect they never ever do the trip in 6 hours. My guest house had a tuk tuk pick me...

Nov 5, 2012 - 2nd-5th Thai/Cambodian border crossing and Seam Reap Cambodia

First night with my group and Siam Reap, Cambodia Hello, I have had a very busy few days! On Friday I met my group which I will be travelling with on my tour round Cambodia, Vietnam, Loas and Thailand. Everybody is really nice and we all get along, which is nice otherwise it would be a nightmare month. Some people are only doing as far as Vietnam but we are probably going to get joined by more people on the way. We went to khao San road by tuk tuk on our first night, which was crazy. There were so many people and there was defiantly plenty...

Sep 14, 2012 - Siem Reap

I had been feeling quite proud of myself for getting so far without getting sick, buy my luck ran out on the way to Siem Reap. I started to feel a bit carsick and sore during our bus trip there the previous day, and the feeling of queasiness persisted into the evening. When I woke up the next morning to go out and see some of the temples around Angkor Wat, my symptoms were worse and I felt weak. We headed out to see the temples, most of which had been built in the 11th or 12th centuries, of which Angkor Wat is the largest and most famous....

Aug 16, 2012 - Siem Reap - Ta Prhom - Tonle Sap lake

Today we toured the small circuit Angkor Temples and the highlight was Ta Prhom,a monastery built by Jayavarman VII as a residence for his mother, now abandoned and overgrown by the jungle and giant banyan trees. Large sections of the temple are unstable rubble and have been cordoned off, as they are in real danger of collapse. As of 2010, authorities have started to restore Ta Prohm and wooden walkways now block some of the previously famous postcard photos. Scenes from Tomb Raiders starring a very fit looking Angelina Jolie were filmed...