Feb 7, 2012 - Getting to Cambodia

Today was a LONG day of traveling. Night buses, although about 12 hours in length, do not feel so long because you can sleep through most of it. When the bus ride is during the day, it feels much worse. The minibus came and picked me up around 7 am along with 8 other people from various hostels. We drove about 4 ½ hours (with two bathroom spots) until we got to a restaurant near the border of Cambodia. We got out and were taken individually to fill out our visa application and pay for the visa. It was 1200 baht (about $40) for the visa but...

Feb 3, 2012 - Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

Third day in Siem Reap, the first two spent in the ancient temples around Angkor Wat. Absolutely amazing! Built in the 9th - 12th centuries, the understanding of architecture with cantelouvred ceilings, the bas-relief carvings into sandstone of intricate scenes of battles/day life/myths and the sculptures of buddhas and animal figures, all are mind-blowing. Lots of photos here. Perhaps too many, but for us, a memory of temples and Khmer history. The first day we had a guide, Dom - very knowledgeable but hard work to follow his English. He...

Jan 27, 2012 - Wats Are What Cambodia Is All About

Driving in Siem Reap Cambodia is more akin to India than was Laos, so we felt right at home. Driver Pa was on his best behavior and we fekt quite relaxed Have just spent 2 awe inspiring days in the ancient capital city of Cambodia the highlight of which was visiting its most famous Wat (temple) and one of the great wonders of the world, Angkor Wat. Rose before dawn to ensure a good spot to capture the sun rise over Angkor Wat. Arrived at 5:20 AM to see the hundreds upon hundreds of people who had arrived earlier to get the best places in...

Jan 26, 2012 - Kratie, Siam Reap and Phnom Phen

Hi everyone, so while we were on 4000 islands we met a girl who had just came in the opposite direction from Cambodia and she told us that she had just spent 3 nights at a monastery, which is free to do as long as you make a contribution at the end. We thought this would be a good thing to do and decided that kratie would be our first stop. When we arrived at the monastery it was quiet and no one seemed to be there, after walking around for a few minutes we met a friend who was doing the same thing as us but had arrived a day earlier. He...

Jan 22, 2012 - Ending Up in a Cambodian Police Station

So we left off the evening before leaving to Siem Reap on the “fast” boat. Our tuk tuk driver Mr.Kim was there right on time to take us to the boat dock. He carried our bags down to the boat for us & we were thankful for that because we heard from two other ladies that the 2 men checking boat tickets told them they had to pay $2 to get down to the boat! This of course, was a scam! We had already made arrangements with Mr.Kim’s friend in Siem Reap to pick us up once the boat got there. The boat was about 120 feet long & maybe 15 feet wide...

Jan 22, 2012 - Siem Reap

I have just arrived in Luang Prabang (Laos) this afternoon, so before my memory of Siem Reap fades, I'll try to give you an overview of the place. I stayed in Siemp Reap for 7 nights and 6 days, 3 of which I spent exploring the temples of Angkor, and three relaxing and hanging around the town. I'll write about Angkor in a separate post. This is about the town itself. On my first morning in town, I found myself buying a book called "First they killed my father" from a man with no arms, while small fish ate the dead skin on my feet. If this...

Jan 11, 2012 - Cambodia, Siem and Reap

Hello to all our fans back in the UK (Mansell after Indy Car crash), We arrived in Siem Reap Cambodia yesterday and are looking forward to exploring the town later today. We are staying in a decent hotel for 4.80 a night and its a real steal. Luxuries like a fridge, hot water and TV make a big difference we couldn't believe how cheap it was after some of the places we stayed in in Bangkok. Anyway our first impressions of Cambodia are that it's going to be a great adventure. It has the "off the map" feel like India did. After the modernised...

Jan 10, 2012 - Siem Reap (Cambodia)

Siem Reap has been the tourist center of Cambodia ever since the publication in 1907 of the findings of a French expedition to nearby Ankor, the ancient city of the Khmer empire. I'm intentionally waiting until the end of my trip to visit Ankor, because it is so large and so grand that it will hard to appreciate the smaller archeological sites after seeing Ankor. I will be blogging about Ankor but not yet. First, I wanted to get to know the modern city of Siem Reap. I'm really enjoying what I find. I think Siem Reap is the perfect size...

Dec 15, 2011 - Siem Reap

After one day at the temples, we were watted out. There were other things around Siem Reap to visit such as more temples but farther away, floating villages and memorials to the genocide committed by Pol Pot. We decided to stay in Siem Reap and reap what the city had to offer. We wanted to walk the town and see the markets etc. It would keep us away from the hawkers out at the Wats. I needed some batteries for my camera while at Angkor Wat. We went to an area that was set aside for vendors. They saw us coming and it was like stirring up a...

Dec 14, 2011 - Anchor Wat

Wednesday we went to Angkor Wat. Actually we went to Angkor Archaeological Park. Angkor Wat is only one of a number of temples and sites in the vicinity. It is the most well known and gets all the press. We took the tuk tuk out to the park. Of course it was the same driver who delivered us to our hotel the previous day. These guys become your best buddy who will serve you faithfully, save you money, and give a service never to be equalled. Which is true, unless you come back and get the next tuk tuker who will save you money, find you...

Dec 13, 2011 - Crossing into Cambodia

One thing that I forgot to mention about Chinatown in Bangkok was how clean it was. Considering how many people were out shopping and eating it was hard to find litter on the ground. And I was trying to find some so that I could throw my litter onto it. I had bought a bottle of fresh pomegranate juice from a street vendor. The bottle was emptied so I looked for a trash bin. There were no street bins. I looked in other vendor stalls hoping to slip one by. There were none visible. Looked for litter such as coffee cups and fast food wrappings....

Dec 9, 2011 - Beautiful Laos & Cambodia

Just pointing out, although my entries may sound as though I am drinking a fair amount, this is not the case. Meeting people from around the world, grabbing a beer or two together is just something you do :) Don't worry mom and dad I'm still being a good girl! My first day in Luang Prabang, was incredible! The place is beautiful, just like its people. This place in particular is filled with monks, and for me, that puts an automatic smile on my face. I got up early the first day just to realize that my guesthouse was located right across...