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I'm forever being asked, "What's your favorite country?" To which I reply, "Where? Europe, Asia, Africa? Pick one continent and I'd still have trouble deciding on a favorite." There is so much to see and do anywhere you go, but I can narrow it down (not easy, and I left off Vietnam, another wonderful country to visit) to my 7 favorite "Asian countries, two with populations in the billions, and all with friendly, helpful people. Here we go, listing the smaller countries first....
- Cambodia. Cambodia has the Khmer temples of Angkor Wat, chaotic but interesting Phnom Penh, the beaches of Sihanoukville, don't miss the Genocide museum/prison, good food and gorgeous hotels ranging from extreme luxury to rock bottom. I could happily veg out in Siem Riep (gateway for the temples of Angkor Wat) for several days and do nothing. The country shares borders on the north with Thailand and Laos, and Vietnam on the east.
Continue reading "Sheila's 7 Favorite Asian Countries" »
Looking for a winter destination that's sunny and warm? Cambodia is easy to arrange. Do it on your own with help from Lonely Planet (most tourists seemed to be carrying a copy) or one of the many websites available. Prefer group travel? Check out Adventure Center (on the side bar who booked our "Heart of Cambodia" tour), Intrepid Travel (bookable through Adventure Center), iExplore, GAP Adventures to name a few.
Cambodia has good food, gorgeous hotels ranging from extreme luxury (Raffles) to rock bottom, and friendly, helpful people. The country shares borders on the north with Thailand and Laos, and Vietnam on the east. The main historical site is the Khmer temples of Angkor Wat. Head south to Sihanoukville for beaches. Cambodia is another inexpensive country to visit. Read through past posts on TWS detailing the entire "Heart of Cambodia" Adventure Center trip...
Continue reading "Seven Warm Winter Destinations - #5 Easy Cambodia" »
- Some restaurants and hotels charge for every cup of coffee at breakfast. One cup only allowed but since the additional cup is usually not more than 50 cents, not too bad. Just a surprise.
- Definitely use mosquito repellent ("mossies" according to our U.K. and Aussie friends) during early morning and early evening.
- Drink bottled water only.
- You can choke to death from all the dirt and dust riding in the open tuk-tuks. That doesn't even take into account the pollution. Motorcycles cutting in and out of traffic, automobiles, trucks without emission controls. We're all sneezing and coughing. And my hair looks like a big, brown Brillo pad.
typical street scene
Continue reading "A Little Cambodia Traveling Advice and Information" »
There was still one temple left, Ta Sum, late 12th century, King Jayavarman VII (he sure did like to build). We all thought, "oh no, not another temple. Just shoot me." Big but...Ta Sum is a smaller, less crowded version of Ta Prohm. The biggy there was a huge tree at the eastern end that looks like it is growing out of Buddha's head.
A fast walk through one end, out the other end, and back again. Totally uninteresting until Norang pointed out the beautiful and distinctive "devata" carvings, every one different. One, a woman showing off her hair. Another, displaying earrings in one ear. A stone lotus flower...View image... and more. You either need a good guide or buy one the the picture books all the people are selling with descriptions of each sight. Karen and Jeremy were smart enough to do that and then knew what to look for while visiting the temples.
Buddha with tree
Continue reading "Ta Sum and A Little More Siem Riep, Cambodia" »
I don't know if we all can keep the interest levels up through a total of five temples today. Ta Prohm for sure. That's the one used in "Tomb Raider" with all the trees growing up through the temples. Very "Indiana Jones" looking and #4 on the list today. But all the others...
The first was Prasat Kravan from the early 10th century, originally constructed by noblemen rather than a king. The most interesting part of Prasat Kravan is the Vishnu carvings inside, rendered in brick and some inscriptions. This temple has the only example of brick bas-reliefs in the Angkor area.
mural inside Prasat Kravan
Continue reading "Ta Prohm and Four Other Temples, Cambodia" »
Banteay Srey is a late 10th century temple commonly known as the temple of the women. What made this temple outstanding and worthwhile seeing was the many different types of stone used to build it. Pink sandstone, limestone and laterite. These gave the temple a beautiful coloring. Banteay Srey is also small, and covered with the most delicate and intricate carvings of all the Angkorian temples. The colors are best before 10:00 am or after 2:00 pm when we were there. It's also less crowded. There was only one other group along with us...View image...
Norang Chap was our guide. Very personable and extremely knowledgeable. Norang is one of the over 1,000 guides in Siem Riep but if you are looking for an English-speaking guide, e-mail him at: chapnarong@yahoo.com, or telephone: (855) 12963492.
Banteay Srey distinct colors
Continue reading "More Angkor Temples: Banteay Srey, East Mebon and The Land Mine Museum in Cambodia" »
Today, it was time for what some tourists consider the piece de resistance of Angkor Wat, the famous Bayon, built by King Jayavarmann VII, a Buddhist Temple. I happen to like the Bayon better than Angkor Wat itself. Probably because of the 37 towers, all with four carved faces oriented towards the cardinal points. There is disagreement as to whether the faces are the compassionate Buddha, Bodhisatttva, King Jayavarman or a combination of both. Who cares. It is very, very impressive.
Our bus was too big to go through the gate and we transferred to tuk-tuks into the Bayon. You can also ride an elephant to this point, or around the Bayon itself. We were fortunate to see the Head Mahout idling on the elephant when we got off the tuk-tuks and our guide asked him to take us for a fast 10-minute ride around.
head Mahout waiting with his elephant
Continue reading "Angkor Thom (The Bayon) and Terrace of The Elephants, Cambodia" »
Still on the same day, two more temples were scheduled. First, over to Neak Pean, again 12th century, built by Jayavarman VII. The central temple sat at an axis of a lotus pattern of eight pools and resembled a coiled serpent. (Enclosed "Nagas" -- snakes -- encircled the temple.) My highlight was the statue of a horse facing the temple saving drowning sailors. Neak Pean also served as a hospital at that time and the waters were thought to have healing properties.
The spouts in each of the four pool faced east, west, north and south and were really interesting as well as photogenic, especially the elephant spout. During the wet season, water runs out the spouts into the surrounding pools.
Neak Pean elephant spout
Continue reading "Neak Pean and Pre Rup Temples, Evening in Siem Riep, Cambodia" »
We had the next three days to explore the ruined city (really a series of cities) built between 9th-13th centuries by Khmer kings and some of the other carved stone temples, sculptures and bas-reliefs scattered over 155 square kilometers.. I really think everyone knows (or has heard) about Angkor but nonetheless:
- Angkor Wat itself was constructed in the mid-12th century, is surrounded by a moat and dedicated to the Hindu God, Vishnu.
- Its form is a massive "temple-mountain." The temple is one of the largest monuments to religion ever built.
- There are about 2,000 Apsara carvings and bas-reliefs depicting historical wars of Suryavarman along with stories and Hindu mythology. The bas-reliefs around the walls of the outer gallery are 2kms/1+ miles long and tell stories of Vishnu and Suryavarman II's successes on the battlefield. My favorite part of Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat reflections
Continue reading "Fabulous Angkor Wat and Preah Kahn, Cambodia" »
This "Heart of Cambodia" trip spent four nights in Siem Riep. Four nights in one place...amazing. We'd actually have a chance to unpack and see what's in our suitcases. It's New Year's Eve but we're not great celebrators even though our conveniently located hotel, the Angkorland, has a big gala going on tonight in the pool-side area. Instead, ex-Marine and I took the 2-8 block walk from the hotel into the central area of Siem Riep. Could have taken a tuk-tuk for $1.50 but it felt so good, not only to walk, but to walk around an area where things were happening...
We wouldn't have known that this was the same Siem Riep we saw in 1999. Siem Riep was a little provincial town with few facilities. There were very few large hotels, handful of budget guesthouses, no restaurants to speak of, no taxis and tuk-tuks, or places to shop. Only the Central Market, still there. Now....well! Almost beyond description.
some of the many restaurants
Continue reading "Fantastic Siem Riep, Cambodia -- My, how you have changed!!" »
Breakfast was in the same restaurant that we ate dinner in last night since this hotel didn't serve food. Out the door, across the bridge and down the street. Only two blocks away. The baguettes were hard and eggs greasy. Not one of the better ones.
Heading to Siem Riep today but first a stop at a rural school to hand out two uniforms to a little girl and boy. This is a very poor area and most families can't afford uniforms for their children. Also, many of the children come from one-parent homes or are orphans. Sam asked the teacher (via Eak) to select the most deserving ones to receive the uniforms. We also handed out books and pens. Very, very cute children and I did my famous "Head, shoulders, knees and toes" rendition with great back-up from Karen and others in the group.
a rural school
Continue reading " On The Way to Siem Riep, Cambodia: Prasat Sambor, A Pre-Angkorian Complex" »
The economic differences in Cambodia were startling. Especially compared to our trip in 1999 when everyone seemed to be poor or lower middle-class. It was almost impossible to get a clear answer from any Cambodia on exactly what the people earn, etc., but below are a few examples with clear-cut distinctions we noticed:
- New motorbikes cost around $1,400. Used around $600. You would expect to see motorbikes, regular bicycles and old cars in Southeast Asia. What we didn't expect to see were hundreds of brand-new Lexus SUV's everywhere. BMW's, Toyota Ravas, Mercedes Benz. Who can afford these expensive cars? One word - corruption. Money from skimmed off development funds, cargo, petrol, import/export (the worst offenders), and palm oil plantations. Naturally, the "have-nots" are still using bullocks, ponies, horses or an old tractor for transportation.
Lexus' everywhere
Continue reading "You've Either Got It...Or You Don't, In Cambodia" »
Are all these Kompong Cham...Kompong Thom...names driving you crazy? They were us...and I'll never remember where we've been. Not only are all the similarities in names difficult, but it's been one night in each hotel with the exception of a two-nighter in Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh in the beginning.
Today, we had morning choices. A bicycle ride to visit Koh Paen Island, a drive up to Phrom Pros and Phrom Srei (hills with views), or none of the above. Eight of the group decided on the bicycle ride leaving early in the morning while the rest of us went in two tuk-tuks to sightsee. There were quite a few European tour groups staying at the same hotel, along with one from Intrepid Travel, another reasonably priced tour company.
Us tuk-tukers went to visit the "man" temple and "woman" temple. There were long stories about both, totally unimportant and both temples were new. The temples were used by the Khmer as prisons and the fields around as more Killing Fields. That was of importance and the monkeys were of interest.
Continue reading "Kompong Cham and Kompong Thom, Cambodia" »
During our trip through Laos last year, there was also a chance to see the Irrawady Dolphins. After literally sitting on a rock for hours and occasionally seeing a blur in the distance, it really was no big deal. Hopefully, this time would be better.
Only about 15-20 of these rare freshwater Irrawady Dolphins make their home around Kratie. They are not jumpers like their sea relatives and are much shyer. There may only be around 70 left in the world. Most of them were exterminated during Pol Pot's regime (used for oil) and the remainder have gotten caught in fishing nets, and killed by pollution. They are now so inbred that the babies don't live long.
dolphin watching boats
Continue reading "Irrawady Dolphins and Kompong Cham, Cambodia" »
Today, we visited the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda before heading to Kratie. The Royal Palace was only about a three-block walk from Star Royal Hotel. The roads were in the process of being blocked by the military because the King was going to be motoring through this area. A new guide but ex-Marine and I excused ourselves and set off for the Silver Pagoda since we'd explored the Palace thoroughly in 1999.
The Royal Palace gleamed in gold. It is home to His Majesty Preah Bat smdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk (quite a long name). His Majesty is unmarried and supposed to be a very "good dancer." Many different Temples and Stupas within the complex. Photography is permitted outside the enclosed areas only. Fantastic murals that are supposed to be the biggest mural frescos in Southeast Asia...View image..., and the square in front of the Silver Pagoda was calm, serene and very picturesque with the many "spirit houses."
The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh
Continue reading "The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh and Kratie, Cambodia" »
Don't know if Anthony Bourdain has made his way through Cambodia (probably) but there were several foods for sale that we had never seen before.
A fast stop on the way from Phnom Penh to Kampot at the "fried frog" stand. These little frogs are considered a delicacy and some of the group, including intrepid Karen from Perth, Australia gave it a go. I'm rather finicky when it comes to picking a frog out of a platter that everyone else was touching, and had been sitting out in the heat, AND fried in god-knows what. Not for me. Eak thinks they are delicious. Karen said "not bad."
Frogs are also widely eaten for lunch in the country. The farmers look for a big crab hole and poke around with a stick. If they feel a frog, they use another stick with a hook on the end to drag the frog out and make a fast pot of frog soup.
Karen and her frog
Continue reading "Some Unusual Foods in Cambodia" »
A long way back to Phnom Penh on the same bumpy roads with Anne very sick, Gina and Jeremy not feeling great. There would be lots of stops for sick ones to do what they had to do. Eak told us a little about schooling in Cambodia. Not compulsory but free. Most of the time, teachers charge the children a small fee because they only earn around $40 a month and consider themselves underpaid. The Government is trying to stamp this out but very difficult to do. There are two different classes each day. You either attend from 7-11 am, or 1-5 pm. If they can afford it, children then take a second private class. School begins at age 6, private kindergarten at age 4 and some children have to walk more than 10k/6.2 miles a day to school.
On the way back, we stopped at the infamous Killing Fields. Between 1975 and 1978, about 17,000 men, women, children and infants (including nine westerners), were detained and tortured at S-21 prison (now Tuoi Sleng Museum). They were then transported to the Killing Fields for extermination to avoid wasting precious bullets.
Cambodia's genocide memorial
Continue reading "The Killing Fields and Tuoi Sleng (Genocide Museum) of Cambodia" »
Sihanoukville's (also known as Kompong Som) main attractions are offshore islands and beaches around the headlands. The group headed out in a converted fishing boat to spend the day swimming, snorkeling and relaxing around the islands in the Ream National Park. None of the islands have been developed yet.
ex-Marine and I just headed out of the Jasmine Hotel after breakfast for a long walk along the beach to town. The beach was moving and grooving already with many Cambodians enjoying the very warm water, riding banana boats and building castles in the sand. Many lounges and little restaurants along the entire stretch. Drugs can be had freely in this area and it wasn't unusual to see signs for "Happy pizzas" and/or "Happy" anything. The "Happy" is usually marijuana put in baked goods and sprinkled on pizzas. Big warning -- if you do buy drugs, it may be a set-up and prepare to spend years in a Cambodian jail. That is not a "Happy" thought.
Sihanoukville's "happy pizza"
Continue reading "A Day in Sihanoukville, Cambodia" »
Still in Kampot, it was not a good morning. Debilitated from diarrhea, I took a pass on this morning's breakfast and excursion. Jeremy and Stevie also felt ill. ex-Marine and group had breakfast at a little restaurant run by a handicapped association. The staff and employees were primarily deaf (hearing-impaired if I have to be politically correct). Breakfast was wonderful according to him. One of the best omelets he's had in ages. Then he went with off with the group on the tour while my Immodium and I communed in the hotel room.
They traveled by "remorques," an unusual form of transportation. It is based on a tractor-type contraption that looked like a flat-bed. A hot and dusty ride into the countryside. The group stopped in a village and visited several markets...View image....selling fish, chicken, fruit and other miscellaney.
loading up the remorque
Continue reading "From Kampot to Sihanoukville, Cambodia" »
Up early, breakfast and on the bus for the long ride south to Kampot. Eak is our Cambodian guide. Some information given on the bus including an interesting discussion of "Wa's" the traditional greeting in Cambodia. There are many different hand placements depending on whether it is a child-father, monk-king, old-young, young-old greeting. If it's up to the forehead, a greeting to Buddha.
A stop for bread (baguettes) along the road and a supermarket to buy lunch makings for a picnic lunch. Not every town in Cambodia has a bakery and when people visit their families, they always bring bread...a treat. Students, factory workers and everyone else also pulled up on their bicycles to buy a daily baguette.
Eak showing the proper way to "Wa"
Continue reading "To Kampot, Cambodia via Angkor Borei" »
We walked back to Hotel Royal to meet the Explore group. A full tour of 16 people. Five from Australia, the U.K., Isle of Jersey, Edinburgh and us - the token Americans as usual. Karen, Jeremy, Stevie, Graeme, Lynn, Judy, Patrick, Allison, Shehayda, Richard, Kathy, Anna and Gina. Sam (a woman) is our leader and proceeded with today's information. Forms to be filled out and checked, tip kitty paid for and then it was off to Wat Phnom by cyclos.
Cyclos are old traditional bicycle rickshaws. One person to a cyclo and they were all waiting outside the hotel for us to jump in. The cyclo drivers peddled off to Wat Phnom, the lengendary founding place of Phnom Penh. It is said that the first pagoda was built here in 1373. The one and only elephant walking down Sisanouk Quay yesterday was there taking people for elephant rides. Did you ever see an elephant wearing elephant clogs? Well, now you have.
Elephant wearing flip-flops
Continue reading "The Heart of Cambodia Tour Begins" »
Breakfast was served on the 5th floor of the hotel in an open area. Eggs, Chinese food and some of the hottest coffee we've ever had eaten overlooking the Tonle Sap river. There were all kinds of boats docked this morning. They go on short river cruises ranging from 1-1/2 hours on up. One main tourist cruise runs along the riverfront area, across the Tonle Sap and up the Mekong River to visit floating fishing villages.
I had torn out an article from one of my travel magazines about Photo Op extreme makeovers in Phnom Penh. According to this article, you can visit a photo studio on almost any major street. They transform you into an Apsara (or a Cambodian Princess) with their own make up artists, costumes and backdrops. This sounded like fun and we set off on a pilgrimage to find such a studio.
rooftop view from the Star Royal Hotel
Continue reading "Apsara Photos in Phnom Penh, Cambodia" »
A very early morning flight from Bangkok to Phnom Penh on Thai Airlines (two flights every day). Please explain to me how Thai can serve a hot meal on a 50-minute flight and our airlines only throw a bag of nuts at us (if we're lucky) in the same amount of time. On board, Thai distributed Visa On Arrival forms along with regular immigration forms.
Landing, you take the filled out forms to one line. Hand in passport and Visa On Arrival form along with a passport-sized photo. Mill around for the next 10+ minutes until an official holds up a passport and calls out the name. When your name is called, walk up, hand in your $20 (Cash only in American Dollars), and you are done. A Cambodian visa in your passport.
Star Royal Hotel
Continue reading "Arriving in Phnom Penh, Cambodia" »
The planning was easy for "The Heart of Cambodia" since it was a group tour. Did some googling to dig up some of the latest information on Cambodia...always visit the Lonely Planet...Fodor's...Frommers...Cambodia Government site.
Air? We flew Chicago to Bangkok via Tokyo on United (our airline of choice). You have many, many airlines to pick from since almost every major airline flies to Bangkok. From there, it is an easy one-hour flight on Thai Airlines. Some of the other airlines currently flying into Cambodia are: Bangkok Airways, China Southern Airlines, Dragonair, EVA Air, Lao Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Mekong Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Siem Reap Airways International, Silk Air, Royal Phnom Penh Airways, and Vietnam Airlines. There are definitely enough to choose from.
Hotel? The tour didn't start until Sunday but we flew into Bangkok two days earlier. Tip: Always plan on arriving at least one day before your trip starts in case of weather delays, cancelled flights, etc. United lands around 11:30pm...you don't arrive at the hotel until perhaps 1:00am...and we've found it impractical to pay perhaps $200+ for the rest of that night to stay in a luxury hotel. We picked the Grand Mercure Park Royal. Have stayed here before, like the Sukhumvit area, rates are reasonable, they have a wonderful buffet breakfast, and it's near the sky train.
Continue reading "Planning For "The Heart of Cambodia"" »
What comes to mind when you think of Cambodia? Angkor Wat? Pol Pot? Land Mines? Genocide? I'm afraid these are the most common responses. It was ours when we first visited Cambodia over the Millenium. A short two days in Phnom Penh and fast fly-in to the rightfully famous Angkor Wat. This is what most travelers did and still do. However, Cambodia now has much to offer besides Angkor Wat and ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I decided to look for a tour encompassing more of Cambodia's sights.
Voila... Adventure Center (see side bar on page for offerings) had quite a few trips to choose from through their U.K. and Australian tour operaters. Explore, (the U.K. tour organizer we frequently use through Adventure Center) had one that sounded right up our alley. "The Heart of Cambodia," a 16 day/15 night tour, off the beaten path that is definitely becoming more "beaten" every day.
 Cambodia country map
Continue reading "The Heart of Cambodia" »
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