The one thing I won't miss about Siem Reap (aside from the too many tourists) is the dust. There's sand everywhere... on the paths to the temples, on the sides of roads, on the roads... so that every vehicle driving by throws up a bunch of it towards you while you're walking.
For K and me, there were a bit too many temples... same general designs, images, etc. But we did get some variety and also some resting period in, which was good. (Beilie and Ling both said they would come back for a 7-day temple pass though).
We were really lucky with our pick of Mr Peou for our driver. (If anyone reads this who's going to Siem Reap, feel free to ask for his info.) He spoke decent English, knew various details (like when the best times to see each temple were), didn't take us anywhere we didn't want, didn't honk his car horn too much, parked in the shade, and his car had working backseat seatbelts (yay for K!). He took us to the airport the last day, too (standard price of $5).
Showing posts with label Cambodia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cambodia. Show all posts
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Day 15: Siem Reap
7am. Wake.
Ling went out by herself to try to catch the sunrise again (the rest of us had given up). She says she's actually successful in catching it this time, so I just get her pictures ^o^
Today is a semi rest day for K and me. We spend the morning pretty much lazing about in the hotel, me writing and reading, him playing GBA. Beilie and Ling headed out for Bayon again.
Oh, a note... the air in Siem Reap is quite dry... which makes our laundry drying experience very good... a little over 24 hours for our stuff to dry. And, the hotel gave us hangers not stuck to the closet rod (we asked for extra hangers) so we can hang our wet clothes to dry on the bathroom shower curtain rod instead of the closet rod.
We head out to lunch at a restaurant, Amok, named after the Khmer dish.
Mr Peou picks us up at 3pm.
We originally intended to see the war and landmine museum, but Mr Peou says the museum is small and there's nothing much to see there. So, we head off to the hot air balloon instead. K decides last minute not to go on it, so it's just me. The aerial views are breathtaking, so much so that I only remember to take aerial pictures of the view and forget about asking someone to take a picture of me or to record a quick video.
The balloon ride finishes quite quickly... 15-20 minutes... and now that I think about it, I'm not sure whether the cost is worth it... $15 (was $11 a couple of years ago). It *is* really cool, but cost-wise... hmmm. A toss-up.
Next - back to Angkor Wat. Ling tells us the outer walls are supposed to have many carvings telling a story, but we spend a while looking to no avail. So, we head off to find the "Churning of the Sea of Milk" section of the bas-relief galleries, upon which we realize that those galleries are probably what Ling meant, not the outer wall as she said. Oops!
The gallery carvings really are quite amazing... not that deep like the carvings at Banteay Srei but very extensive in their storytelling. Too bad good pictures of the scenes are impossible to take with the low light of dusk. We sadly have to somewhat rush through them before the temple closes.
We then walk quickly out to the pond to prepare for more pictures of the lighted temple, which starts at 6pm and one has until 6:15 before they kick you out. After waiting past the expected time, we find out that there are no lights tonight. The lights are only turned on when there is a concert on the side courtyard of Angkor Wat and concerts occur a few times a month. So, I guess we were lucky to have chanced upon the lights two nights ago :-/
Dinner at another random restaurant ($2.50 a dish, $1.50 per drink). I get a noodle soup on the "traditional Khmer dishes" section of the menu. The soup turns out to be instant noodles in a broth! It even had instant noodle sauce packets on the side for extra added taste! After dinner, K and I check out the one juice bar in town and get a Pina Colada. Then, while walking back out, we spot a restaurant specializing in Cambodian BBQ (only became aware there was such a thing earlier in the night)... with interesting items like kangaroo and ostrich (also, rattlesnake, alligator, etc., which we've had before). Too bad we leave early tomorrow so we won't have a chance to try it.
Sleep. 10pm.
Ling went out by herself to try to catch the sunrise again (the rest of us had given up). She says she's actually successful in catching it this time, so I just get her pictures ^o^
Today is a semi rest day for K and me. We spend the morning pretty much lazing about in the hotel, me writing and reading, him playing GBA. Beilie and Ling headed out for Bayon again.
Oh, a note... the air in Siem Reap is quite dry... which makes our laundry drying experience very good... a little over 24 hours for our stuff to dry. And, the hotel gave us hangers not stuck to the closet rod (we asked for extra hangers) so we can hang our wet clothes to dry on the bathroom shower curtain rod instead of the closet rod.
We head out to lunch at a restaurant, Amok, named after the Khmer dish.
Mr Peou picks us up at 3pm.
We originally intended to see the war and landmine museum, but Mr Peou says the museum is small and there's nothing much to see there. So, we head off to the hot air balloon instead. K decides last minute not to go on it, so it's just me. The aerial views are breathtaking, so much so that I only remember to take aerial pictures of the view and forget about asking someone to take a picture of me or to record a quick video.
The balloon ride finishes quite quickly... 15-20 minutes... and now that I think about it, I'm not sure whether the cost is worth it... $15 (was $11 a couple of years ago). It *is* really cool, but cost-wise... hmmm. A toss-up.
Next - back to Angkor Wat. Ling tells us the outer walls are supposed to have many carvings telling a story, but we spend a while looking to no avail. So, we head off to find the "Churning of the Sea of Milk" section of the bas-relief galleries, upon which we realize that those galleries are probably what Ling meant, not the outer wall as she said. Oops!
The gallery carvings really are quite amazing... not that deep like the carvings at Banteay Srei but very extensive in their storytelling. Too bad good pictures of the scenes are impossible to take with the low light of dusk. We sadly have to somewhat rush through them before the temple closes.
We then walk quickly out to the pond to prepare for more pictures of the lighted temple, which starts at 6pm and one has until 6:15 before they kick you out. After waiting past the expected time, we find out that there are no lights tonight. The lights are only turned on when there is a concert on the side courtyard of Angkor Wat and concerts occur a few times a month. So, I guess we were lucky to have chanced upon the lights two nights ago :-/
Dinner at another random restaurant ($2.50 a dish, $1.50 per drink). I get a noodle soup on the "traditional Khmer dishes" section of the menu. The soup turns out to be instant noodles in a broth! It even had instant noodle sauce packets on the side for extra added taste! After dinner, K and I check out the one juice bar in town and get a Pina Colada. Then, while walking back out, we spot a restaurant specializing in Cambodian BBQ (only became aware there was such a thing earlier in the night)... with interesting items like kangaroo and ostrich (also, rattlesnake, alligator, etc., which we've had before). Too bad we leave early tomorrow so we won't have a chance to try it.
Sleep. 10pm.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Day 14: Siem Reap
7am. Wake.
Bunch of smaller temples in the morning...
... Prasat Kravan
... what Mr. Peou called the King's old swimming pool but is really Srah Srang (includes a big lake)
... Banteay Kdei
... Ta Keo, which we had to climb
... Thommanon
... Funky tree growing on rock piles
... Ta Prohm, which was left unrestored, so there's tons of trees just shooting over the temple. Or as Beilie likes to call it, "the Tomb Raider temple" as the temple was used as a set for shooting parts of Tomb Raider. Many parts of the temple look quite dangerous; I cross my fingers no rocks will fall on me.
We saw some people burning piles of leaves here and later again throughout different areas. For people who are just trying to survive day-to-day, they really don't have the luxury to worry about what burning leaves every day does to the environment, but I still wonder what the reason for burning them were.
Mr Peou brings us to a nearby restaurant for lunch, after which we drive 40 minutes out to see Banteay Srei... which has pink stones (vs. gray). There seems to be only one road from the main temples to Banteay Srei and the road is very bumpy and somewhat disrepair. In some parts, the car had to stop off on the side for other vehicles to pass.
Banteay Srei is a small temple, but it has by far the deepest carvings of the temples we've seen. Towards the end, I encountered a Chinese tour group with a tour guide explaining some of the carvings and stories behind the scenes. The guide is quite knowledgeable (I think he said something about having studied overseas in Paris at some point) and I listen for a while before finishing up. (K noticed the tour group had a 7-day temples pass!)
People still litter quite a bit in some places here but not nearly as much as we saw in Hanoi, and it seems the government is trying to stop people from littering as well... we actually saw public trash cans (yay!). There was still random litter though... even people throwing gum wrappers on the ground of Banteay Srei. I suppose it's tough to completely eliminate, especially with so many tourists from Asian countries... according to Mr Peou, #1 is Koreans followed by Japanese and Chinese in close second.
K and I wanted to go back to Angkor Wat for the night lights if we could make it in time. But, it was already late, so Mr Peou suggests watching the sunset on Pre Rup. The steps up to the central tower are steep like Angkor Wat's, but they're also wider... yay! Sunset is always pretty but I think I much prefer watching the sun set over water.
It's been really easy to fall asleep in Siem Reap. I lie on the bed and the next minute (or even less), I'm out.
Sleep. 10pm.
Bunch of smaller temples in the morning...
... Prasat Kravan
... what Mr. Peou called the King's old swimming pool but is really Srah Srang (includes a big lake)
... Banteay Kdei
... Ta Keo, which we had to climb
... Thommanon
... Funky tree growing on rock piles
... Ta Prohm, which was left unrestored, so there's tons of trees just shooting over the temple. Or as Beilie likes to call it, "the Tomb Raider temple" as the temple was used as a set for shooting parts of Tomb Raider. Many parts of the temple look quite dangerous; I cross my fingers no rocks will fall on me.
We saw some people burning piles of leaves here and later again throughout different areas. For people who are just trying to survive day-to-day, they really don't have the luxury to worry about what burning leaves every day does to the environment, but I still wonder what the reason for burning them were.
Mr Peou brings us to a nearby restaurant for lunch, after which we drive 40 minutes out to see Banteay Srei... which has pink stones (vs. gray). There seems to be only one road from the main temples to Banteay Srei and the road is very bumpy and somewhat disrepair. In some parts, the car had to stop off on the side for other vehicles to pass.
Banteay Srei is a small temple, but it has by far the deepest carvings of the temples we've seen. Towards the end, I encountered a Chinese tour group with a tour guide explaining some of the carvings and stories behind the scenes. The guide is quite knowledgeable (I think he said something about having studied overseas in Paris at some point) and I listen for a while before finishing up. (K noticed the tour group had a 7-day temples pass!)
People still litter quite a bit in some places here but not nearly as much as we saw in Hanoi, and it seems the government is trying to stop people from littering as well... we actually saw public trash cans (yay!). There was still random litter though... even people throwing gum wrappers on the ground of Banteay Srei. I suppose it's tough to completely eliminate, especially with so many tourists from Asian countries... according to Mr Peou, #1 is Koreans followed by Japanese and Chinese in close second.
K and I wanted to go back to Angkor Wat for the night lights if we could make it in time. But, it was already late, so Mr Peou suggests watching the sunset on Pre Rup. The steps up to the central tower are steep like Angkor Wat's, but they're also wider... yay! Sunset is always pretty but I think I much prefer watching the sun set over water.
It's been really easy to fall asleep in Siem Reap. I lie on the bed and the next minute (or even less), I'm out.
Sleep. 10pm.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Day 13: Siem Reap
4:30am. Wake.
We rush through our morning routine and head out with Mr Peou at 5:15 to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat. There is already a large crowd of people scattered about. We try to stake out an ok spot, eventually settling in front of the pond in front of the temple.
The 3rd sunrise that never came... cloudy skies mean we leave disappointed (yet again) at 7:15 to go back to the hotel for free breakfast.
A slight bit of sun poking through...
Picked up again at 9am. We head to Angkor Thom area first, with recommendations from Mr. Peou that the lighting will be better at Angkor Wat in the afternoon (though our tradeoff is more tourists). First stop at Angkor Thom is Bayon temple, where I get an elephant ride around the temple. Mr. Peou drops us off and says he will meet us on the other side of Angkor Thom at 12:30-ish.
Since it's only me riding an elephant, I get a small one-person baby elephant. All the elephants have speckled trunks and skin; I hope it isn't a result of the stress of not being in their natural living conditions :-/ The elephant ride around the temple is a very bumpy one and the elephant is not entirely too slow (K had to run to catch up and take photos). The elephant is very well-trained... well, at least he seemed to listen to the trainer's every command.
Elephants can be proud of the size of their poo...
Bayon is really huge with lots of faces (Lonely Planet touts 216 faces of Avalokiteshvara and we later find out there's apparently three expressions on all these faces)... built around 1200 in the exact center of the city.
Looking up, sometimes it feels like the rocks may just decide to crumble and squash you...
After Bayon... Baphuon, but we only get to see the outside since it's under reconstruction.
Kids playing checkers with shells...
Phimeanakas. The sign on the left says "no climbing" while the one on the right warns "climb at your own risk"...
Terrace of the Elephants.
Terrace of the Leper King (narrow turning walkway of many many wall carvings)...
All around the temple entrances are young kids selling items... toys, books, postcards... accosting you as you walk by. They are really insistent, giving you their sad smiles even after you're in the car. At least they're not just begging, but selling something... but isn't there school? If there are no tourists to approach, they just put their wares down and run around playing with all the other kids.
Having finished our tour of Angkor Thom, we have Mr. Peou take us back to the hotel, where we walk five minutes to Old Market and pick a random restaurant for lunch. Thankfully, the spicy Khmer dishes are not deadly spicy like Thai food.
The monkeys come out around noon everyday...
3pm. Picked up at the hotel and head to Angkor Wat... gigantic temple built around the 1100's to honor Vishnu. We, of course, make the step climb up the central tower (rising 55 meters / ~180ft above ground). There is only "safety steps" on one of the four sets of stairs, which is what I use to get back down (K uses a regular set so that Ling, who is watching our stuff, still has time to climb up and enjoy the tower before the temple starts kicking people out). The line to use the "safety steps" ends up being ~40 minutes.
Neither my words nor pictures can come close to doing justice to the amazingness of Angkor Wat. How did they manage to build this back then?!
We then head out to the pond where a nice couple during sunrise told us about the lights that are shone on the temple towers after sunset...
Dinner at another restaurant in Old Market, good food... I get a fish soup... well-flavored with ginger, lime, scallions, basil, and other fresh herbs. It's yummy! But... I get the dish 30 minutes after all the other dishes have come out... and the waitress is all apologetic in the middle of the waiting, which makes us think they had forgotten about my dish. Oh well.
The only people around eating are tourists, of course.
Sleep. 10pm.
We rush through our morning routine and head out with Mr Peou at 5:15 to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat. There is already a large crowd of people scattered about. We try to stake out an ok spot, eventually settling in front of the pond in front of the temple.
The 3rd sunrise that never came... cloudy skies mean we leave disappointed (yet again) at 7:15 to go back to the hotel for free breakfast.
A slight bit of sun poking through...
Picked up again at 9am. We head to Angkor Thom area first, with recommendations from Mr. Peou that the lighting will be better at Angkor Wat in the afternoon (though our tradeoff is more tourists). First stop at Angkor Thom is Bayon temple, where I get an elephant ride around the temple. Mr. Peou drops us off and says he will meet us on the other side of Angkor Thom at 12:30-ish.
Since it's only me riding an elephant, I get a small one-person baby elephant. All the elephants have speckled trunks and skin; I hope it isn't a result of the stress of not being in their natural living conditions :-/ The elephant ride around the temple is a very bumpy one and the elephant is not entirely too slow (K had to run to catch up and take photos). The elephant is very well-trained... well, at least he seemed to listen to the trainer's every command.
Elephants can be proud of the size of their poo...
Bayon is really huge with lots of faces (Lonely Planet touts 216 faces of Avalokiteshvara and we later find out there's apparently three expressions on all these faces)... built around 1200 in the exact center of the city.
Looking up, sometimes it feels like the rocks may just decide to crumble and squash you...
After Bayon... Baphuon, but we only get to see the outside since it's under reconstruction.
Kids playing checkers with shells...
Phimeanakas. The sign on the left says "no climbing" while the one on the right warns "climb at your own risk"...
Terrace of the Elephants.
Terrace of the Leper King (narrow turning walkway of many many wall carvings)...
All around the temple entrances are young kids selling items... toys, books, postcards... accosting you as you walk by. They are really insistent, giving you their sad smiles even after you're in the car. At least they're not just begging, but selling something... but isn't there school? If there are no tourists to approach, they just put their wares down and run around playing with all the other kids.
Having finished our tour of Angkor Thom, we have Mr. Peou take us back to the hotel, where we walk five minutes to Old Market and pick a random restaurant for lunch. Thankfully, the spicy Khmer dishes are not deadly spicy like Thai food.
The monkeys come out around noon everyday...
3pm. Picked up at the hotel and head to Angkor Wat... gigantic temple built around the 1100's to honor Vishnu. We, of course, make the step climb up the central tower (rising 55 meters / ~180ft above ground). There is only "safety steps" on one of the four sets of stairs, which is what I use to get back down (K uses a regular set so that Ling, who is watching our stuff, still has time to climb up and enjoy the tower before the temple starts kicking people out). The line to use the "safety steps" ends up being ~40 minutes.
Neither my words nor pictures can come close to doing justice to the amazingness of Angkor Wat. How did they manage to build this back then?!
We then head out to the pond where a nice couple during sunrise told us about the lights that are shone on the temple towers after sunset...
Dinner at another restaurant in Old Market, good food... I get a fish soup... well-flavored with ginger, lime, scallions, basil, and other fresh herbs. It's yummy! But... I get the dish 30 minutes after all the other dishes have come out... and the waitress is all apologetic in the middle of the waiting, which makes us think they had forgotten about my dish. Oh well.
The only people around eating are tourists, of course.
Sleep. 10pm.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Day 12: Siem Reap, Cambodia
The airport taxi to the hotel fare is just $5. Our taxi driver, Mr. Peou, speaks decent English. On the drive to our hotel, all we see is one fancy hotel after another. Oh, and a few restaurants. As K later commented, "The only people in Siem Reap are tourists and local Cambodians serving the tourists," which pretty much sums up the population.
Upon arriving at the hotel, L is waiting for us in the lobby (she arrived in the morning). She convinces us we should try to catch the sunrise in the morning. She says according to other people's travel journals of Angkor area, it was one of the major highlights of their trip.
While driving us to the hotel, Mr. Peou had inquired as to whether or not we had a driver for our stay in Siem Reap, and if not, he offered to take us around for $25 a day. When we arrive at the hotel, we call him. We're a little skeptical, but the price is as stated in our tour book, he speaks decent English, and he doesn't raise the price for 5am to 6pm as the hours. After some deliberation, we agree to his offer.
Having secured our ride for the next day, B and L head out to dinner while K and I chill at the hotel. Neither of us is hungry and we still had some leftovers from our Hanoi airport lunch.
Sleep. 10pm.
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