Hi All,
I am finally back after a long hiatus. Life has its ups and downs, the reason why I am inactive in blogging is pretty obvious- I am very much occupied with works and works!
I long for a vacation for now!
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Monday, July 20, 2015
Siem Reap Trip
Hi guys,
Just back from Siem Reap a couples of days ago.
We went on a gang of four and it was an awesome experience. We would highly recommend Van Vireak and Ngin Thorn for their fantastic driving and tour experiences.
Let me share with you on our journey:
Day 1:
Arrived at airport around 3.40pm, our flight got delayed about 50 minutes late. Upon arriving, Thorn has been waiting for us in the airport holding a name ‘ Miss Baoniess’ (how cute the name isn’t it?)
We got in the tuk tuk by then and he drove us all the way long to buy the tickets first around 430pm. Thank God we bought the ticket that day as the next day morning when we woke up to see sun rise, the crowd were terribly huge!!
After buying the ticket ( 3 days pass to Angkor Wat, it is not actually 3 days pass je, it is 6 days pass!!) for 40USD, Thorn dropped us at our hotel (Angkor Twinkle Villa), some 15 minutes walk away from the Pub Street.
Then we checked in and right after he fetched us to the pub street/old market. We learned that he got an Mandarin class at 7pm so upon his kindness, he agreed to fetch us back at 830pm when he done with his class.
So we have a stroll around pub street and end up having a good dinner at one of the restaurant. Got to taste the fresh fruit shake- Mango! Yum that was delicious!!
Fish amok also very nice-- Amok, a delicious coconut curry with fish chunks.
Day 2:
-Get up 430am to see the sun rise in Angkor, went on to explore the other temples like Bayon, Angkor Thom.
We continued going north and after a short drive we came to an impressive gate – the bridge leading over the moat was lined by stone statues holding the naga (the giant serpent) – demons on one side and gods on the other.
Angkor Thom was the fortified city built by King Jayavarman VII and historians think it housed about 1 million people.
Walking around in the temple is a bit eerie – wherever you go, whatever you see there is always a huge stone face looking down at you – with a strange smile.
We took a walk outside Bayon afterwards and visited Terrace of Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King etc. before we drove out of the gates in the east wall (the Victory gate). We made a short stop at Ta Keoand as Nikki and our guide were ready for a break from climbing steep temple stairs, I went to the top alone. This is an unfinished temple built by Jayavarman V and they speculate that it was not completed due to the king’s death. Anyway, being about 50 meters high it is still impressive. The staircases leading to the top are steep so be careful on the way down.
Day 3
We started out by driving to Ta Prohm. I guess this place got real famous when Angelina Jolie was running around as Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider.
After exploring amazing Angkor Wat with Thorn ,it will be time for him to bring us to head to Bakheng Mountain to watch the sunset. From a height of 65 meters at the top of the hill you’ll have outstanding views of the temple complex against the changing colors of the evening sky.
Phnom Bakheng, a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, was built at the end of the 9th century atop a mountain. It is now a popular spot for visitors to watch the sun set over the much larger temple Angkor Wat, situated in the jungle about 1.5 kilometers to the south-east.
For security reason, the place will be closed at 630pm as the sky is getting the darker, Just watch your step as you are coming down in the fading light.
Day 4:
Vireak bring us with a car!!
Started off our breakfast and what makes our breakfast memorable is the beefy soup ordered by Vireak. Yumm..
And then soon after we head to Mountain of Kulen. Phnom Kulen National Park is located about 60 km north of Siem Reap. The park is home to beautiful waterfalls, an active pagoda with a Reclining Statue of Buddha, and the stone carvings of the 1000 lingas. The waterfalls are a popular swimming destination among the locals.
The Kulen Mountain which is also called “mountain of lychees” is considered a holy mountain with both Buddhists and Hindus making pilgrimages there. It was at Phnom Khulen that King Jayavarma II proclaimed independence from Java in 804, thus giving birth to the Khmer Empire. It was also the final strong hold of the Khmer Rouge as their regime finally came to an end in 1979.(this taken from Google obviously, what an interesting fact huh)
The site is known for its carvings representing fertility and its waters hold special significance to the people of Cambodia. Just a few inches under the surface of the water, over 1000 carvings of Yoni and Linga are etched into the sandstone riverbed. The waters are regarded as holy, given the sacred carvings which also include a stone representation of the Hindu god Vishnu lying on his serpent Ananta, with his wife Lakshmi at his feet.
Phnom Kulen is regarded highly by Cambodian people as a sacred location and we saw a lots of local people there too!!
Next, we went to Beng Mealea! It is a jungle temple I'd been wanting to see for our trip. Unlike most Angkor temples, Beng Mealea has not undergone any significant restoration, so it remains in a ruined state.
Day 5:
Vireak send us to airport!
We got to see a bit of the Cambodian culture and we got to experience a new country. Before I reached Siem reap, I though that the driving would be similar to what I experienced in Vietnam but the driving experience here was totally different. In Hanoi, they did drive pretty crazy but most of the motors took it slow and easy. Cambodia is regarded as a third world country with a GDP per capita of about 2000 USD. Most of economics income comes from agriculture and tourism. And we learn the fact that not all Tourism profits are taken
Housing we saw along the way to the hotel was quite modest – shacks, plastic chairs, people selling stuff along the road, cows walking on the fields etc.
If you get a chance to go here, don’t hesitate. It is an experience of a lifetime and as Angkor Wat’s popularity is on the rise maybe you should go there before it is too late. Sooner or later I think there will be too many tourist and they will eventually have to protect these ancient monuments in various ways.
For Ngin Thorn Tuk Tuk, pls visit his fb:
Angkor Drive Ngin Thor
For Vireak Van
Vireak Van
Just back from Siem Reap a couples of days ago.
We went on a gang of four and it was an awesome experience. We would highly recommend Van Vireak and Ngin Thorn for their fantastic driving and tour experiences.
Let me share with you on our journey:
Day 1:
Arrived at airport around 3.40pm, our flight got delayed about 50 minutes late. Upon arriving, Thorn has been waiting for us in the airport holding a name ‘ Miss Baoniess’ (how cute the name isn’t it?)
We got in the tuk tuk by then and he drove us all the way long to buy the tickets first around 430pm. Thank God we bought the ticket that day as the next day morning when we woke up to see sun rise, the crowd were terribly huge!!
After buying the ticket ( 3 days pass to Angkor Wat, it is not actually 3 days pass je, it is 6 days pass!!) for 40USD, Thorn dropped us at our hotel (Angkor Twinkle Villa), some 15 minutes walk away from the Pub Street.
Then we checked in and right after he fetched us to the pub street/old market. We learned that he got an Mandarin class at 7pm so upon his kindness, he agreed to fetch us back at 830pm when he done with his class.
So we have a stroll around pub street and end up having a good dinner at one of the restaurant. Got to taste the fresh fruit shake- Mango! Yum that was delicious!!
Fish amok also very nice-- Amok, a delicious coconut curry with fish chunks.
Day 2:
-Get up 430am to see the sun rise in Angkor, went on to explore the other temples like Bayon, Angkor Thom.
We continued going north and after a short drive we came to an impressive gate – the bridge leading over the moat was lined by stone statues holding the naga (the giant serpent) – demons on one side and gods on the other.
Angkor Thom was the fortified city built by King Jayavarman VII and historians think it housed about 1 million people.
Walking around in the temple is a bit eerie – wherever you go, whatever you see there is always a huge stone face looking down at you – with a strange smile.
We took a walk outside Bayon afterwards and visited Terrace of Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King etc. before we drove out of the gates in the east wall (the Victory gate). We made a short stop at Ta Keoand as Nikki and our guide were ready for a break from climbing steep temple stairs, I went to the top alone. This is an unfinished temple built by Jayavarman V and they speculate that it was not completed due to the king’s death. Anyway, being about 50 meters high it is still impressive. The staircases leading to the top are steep so be careful on the way down.
 |
| South Gate of Angkor Thom |
 |
| Terrace of Elephant |
Day 3
We started out by driving to Ta Prohm. I guess this place got real famous when Angelina Jolie was running around as Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider.
After exploring amazing Angkor Wat with Thorn ,it will be time for him to bring us to head to Bakheng Mountain to watch the sunset. From a height of 65 meters at the top of the hill you’ll have outstanding views of the temple complex against the changing colors of the evening sky.
Phnom Bakheng, a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, was built at the end of the 9th century atop a mountain. It is now a popular spot for visitors to watch the sun set over the much larger temple Angkor Wat, situated in the jungle about 1.5 kilometers to the south-east.
For security reason, the place will be closed at 630pm as the sky is getting the darker, Just watch your step as you are coming down in the fading light.
 |
| Having a good break fast at red Piano early in the morning! |
 |
| Ngin Torn with us in his Tuk Tuk |
Day 4:
Vireak bring us with a car!!
Started off our breakfast and what makes our breakfast memorable is the beefy soup ordered by Vireak. Yumm..
And then soon after we head to Mountain of Kulen. Phnom Kulen National Park is located about 60 km north of Siem Reap. The park is home to beautiful waterfalls, an active pagoda with a Reclining Statue of Buddha, and the stone carvings of the 1000 lingas. The waterfalls are a popular swimming destination among the locals.
The Kulen Mountain which is also called “mountain of lychees” is considered a holy mountain with both Buddhists and Hindus making pilgrimages there. It was at Phnom Khulen that King Jayavarma II proclaimed independence from Java in 804, thus giving birth to the Khmer Empire. It was also the final strong hold of the Khmer Rouge as their regime finally came to an end in 1979.(this taken from Google obviously, what an interesting fact huh)
The site is known for its carvings representing fertility and its waters hold special significance to the people of Cambodia. Just a few inches under the surface of the water, over 1000 carvings of Yoni and Linga are etched into the sandstone riverbed. The waters are regarded as holy, given the sacred carvings which also include a stone representation of the Hindu god Vishnu lying on his serpent Ananta, with his wife Lakshmi at his feet.
Phnom Kulen is regarded highly by Cambodian people as a sacred location and we saw a lots of local people there too!!
Next, we went to Beng Mealea! It is a jungle temple I'd been wanting to see for our trip. Unlike most Angkor temples, Beng Mealea has not undergone any significant restoration, so it remains in a ruined state.
 |
| Atop the mountain Kulen |
 |
| The Magnificent Waterfall |
 |
| The ruins of Beng Mealea |
 |
| The ruins of Beng Mealea |
Day 5:
Vireak send us to airport!
We got to see a bit of the Cambodian culture and we got to experience a new country. Before I reached Siem reap, I though that the driving would be similar to what I experienced in Vietnam but the driving experience here was totally different. In Hanoi, they did drive pretty crazy but most of the motors took it slow and easy. Cambodia is regarded as a third world country with a GDP per capita of about 2000 USD. Most of economics income comes from agriculture and tourism. And we learn the fact that not all Tourism profits are taken
Housing we saw along the way to the hotel was quite modest – shacks, plastic chairs, people selling stuff along the road, cows walking on the fields etc.
 |
| Farewell with Vireak |
If you get a chance to go here, don’t hesitate. It is an experience of a lifetime and as Angkor Wat’s popularity is on the rise maybe you should go there before it is too late. Sooner or later I think there will be too many tourist and they will eventually have to protect these ancient monuments in various ways.
For Ngin Thorn Tuk Tuk, pls visit his fb:
Angkor Drive Ngin Thor
For Vireak Van
Vireak Van
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