Siem Reap in Cambodia is a place that we were suppose to visit in 2009. unfortunately, a family crisis of sorts happened that year and i couldn't leave the country. But i knew, its only a matter of time and we'll get there, somehow... someday...
3yrs later, on board the only direct flight from Manila to Siem Reap*my first time on a budget airline at that* we were on our way to Siem Reap in Cambodia.
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| waiting for our flight @ Naia Terminal 3 |
this "About Asia Travel" tour is much like our China tour. basically, it's just me, my sister, our guide(Mr. Kim) and our driver(Tira). which is great if you're like me who doesn't like to be hustled and hurried and rushed from one tourist destination to the other. the guide is always there to make a suggestion but we move at our own pace.
Mr. Kim and Tira picked us up at the airport and brought us to our hotel, Sofitel Angkor Phokeetra Golf and Spa Resort Hotel. now let me take you on a tour of our awesome hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia... here's the hotel lobby...
here's our hotel room...
here's our veranda/porch...
check out my video of the hotel grounds...
i don't think 'ill be able to give a detailed overview of each of these temples so let me just share this verrry short info about the Angkorian period. it began from the 9th century until late 15th century. it was a mega city that supports a large slice of the global populace. but before one can start the tour of the temples, you have to go to this place and stand behind one of those booths so they can take a snapshot of you to be used...
our 1st temple is called Banteay Kdei "A Citadle of Chambers" ...
here's my video of Banteay Kdei...
as we exit this temple, we were greeted by what seems like a large man-made lake... we were told that in the old days, this is the king's swimming pool...
we then took a boat ride around a famous Angkor temple complex ... the Angkor Thom Moat...
here's the vid...
Cambodia became famous recently as a movie location site, thanks to Angelina Jolie's Tomb Raider. and one of the temples made famous during that shoot was Ta Prohm(12th-13th century)...
my video of Ta Prohm...
those trees from Ta Prohm are real people and amongst all the temples none has more impressive in numbers, appearance and location than here in Ta Prohm! we were told that the conservationists did consider cutting the trees in order to better restore the buildings but in the end they agreed that they are not a hindrance but that they help stabilize the structures instead. sure glad they didn't do that, they added character to the place.
next is the 12th century temple called Ta Nei...
my video of Ta Nei...
next is reputed to be the 1st built entirely of sandstone in the 9th century... Ta Keo...
my video of the the sunrise at Angkor Wat...
here's some photos as we approach the entrance to the 1st Gallery...
as i was checking out the 3rd gallery, taking photos here and there, i realize i have no "certification shot" that i was actually there so i asked a stranger and she graciously agreed to my request...
so, i've done what i need to do at the 3rd gallery*to take photos of course :p* and it's time to go down... *Orz* Mr Kim told us that a tourist died a few weeks before because he went down too fast and fell head first on this stairs *Orz* the ascent was pretty easy but the descent was something else. just have a look at what i had to contend with!?#%@...
our photos as we exit Angkor Wat grounds... last pose ^^..c.
bought a lot of stuff from this girl from the Old Market... i forgot her name, but she was sooo friendly and in her broken english *she amazingly taught herself the language* she managed to sell us lots of souvenir items. in fact we went to her store 2 or 3 times!...
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| there it is... the famous tree from Tomb Raider! |
next is the 12th century temple called Ta Nei...
next is reputed to be the 1st built entirely of sandstone in the 9th century... Ta Keo...
the blocks of stones scattered around these temples are all marked and numbered for future restoration works... i can only imagine the amount of work that still needs to be done and what wonders and treasures are yet to be discovered ...
my video of Ta Keo...
Angkor Thom was the last capital city of the Khmer Empire. built in the 12th century and has an area of about 9 sq km.
we did ride a boat and sail around it's moat the day before and as i looked at the walls of Angkor Thom i found myself very curious as to what was inside those very old fortification and from where i was seated on that boat, i could see thick vegetation inside... rainforest perhaps, maybe how it was like when those explorers first found these ancient Angkor temples... aaahhh, let's see... let's start at the Victory Gate...
so, Mr Kim the guide made us experience walking part of the walls of Angkor Thom itself! there is indeed a rainforest inside and i swear my sister and Mr Kim were walking ahead of me and they are unaware of all the stupid things i was doing just to avoid those insects crawling all over the place...
waiting for us near the "Death Gate" was driver Tira who is always ready with his refreshing wipes and ice cold drinks... God bless you Tira...
there are a lot of notable temples and important architectural structures within Angkor Thom. the ruins below is what the king used as a platform to view his victorious returning army. this is what's left of the Terrace of the Elephants...
my short video of The Terrace of the Elephants...
one of the main entrances to Angkor Thom...
this is a 3 tier Hindu Temple pyramid called Phimeanakas...
if this structure was located in the middle of a wide open space, it's manificence would have been better appreciated. still, im in awe, even in it's ruined state in the middle of a rainforest, there is still an air of grandeur in this place. this magnificent pyramid temple is Baphuon...
my video of Baphuon...
located right at the center of Angkor Thom is this state temple of the king. built in the 12th-13th century, its distinct feature is the multitude of massive stone faces on its many towers. from afar, it is like the ruins of a ghost town in its color and general appearance. this is Bayon Temple...
and here are the gullible tourists, Nnylanna and Piberg doing exactly what their guide told them to do... doing a silly pose... Orz...
my video of Bayon Temple...
About Asia Travels, the tour that we took for this trip, planned our tour itinerary such that we started with the lesser known temples and building up to the more famous and grand lot.
our last stop is the star of the crown jewels, well, so to speak, the most popular of them all... it is a symbol of Cambodia and it's image appears on their national flag. built in the 12th century, it is surrounded by a moat and an outer wall with 3 rectangular galleries each raised above the next. there is a tower on each of the four corners of the 2 inner galleries shaped like a lotus bud and the center gallery has 5 towers including the highest one right in the middle. it's long walls are adorned with some of the most intricately designed stone carvings... it is actually really hard to describe the beauty that is... Angkor Wat...
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| magnificent Angkor Wat and it's surrounding moat as viewed from above. *cto of pic |
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| Miniature Angkor Wat in it's complete form *cto of pic |
our rendezvous with Angkor Wat started very early the day before our last in Cambodia, 5:30am to be exact to catch the famous sunrise as viewed at the temple grounds. while everybody else were trooping and amassing inside the temple very early that morning, our guide Mr Kim found us a spot just outside the temple, right in front of the moat. there were just a handful of us tourist there and judging by the number of people i can see making their way inside the temple, i could tell that it must be a bit crowded inside the temple grounds itself *good thinking Mr Kim!*...
my video of us approaching the entrance...
inside the 1st gallery near the entrance...
this 2 beautiful structures, located right across each other are libraries...
approaching the 2nd Gallery...
inside the 2nd Gallery, there are 4 pools*Mr Kim said that there are actually 12 pools inside the Angkor Wat grounds, 4 in each of the 3 galleries but i didn't see the ones on the 1st gallery. oh well...* used i assume as some sort of a ceremonial ritual by worshipers to cleanse themselves before praying. those huge pools are now empty but i did wonder where they get the water and how does it get there? aaahhh, i marvel at the ancient builders, they are amazing...
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| imagine...hundreds of years ago, this was filled with water and people taking turns to have a dip... |
my video of the 1st and 2nd galleries...
approaching the 3rd gallery...
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| i thought this stairs without any railings was way too steep... i didn't know what's ahead... |
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| something like this was up ahead... fruck! *Orz... |
an unfortunate thing happened when we were about to climb those stairs to go to the upper gallery. we were told that my sister Nnylanna cant go up because she was wearing a sleeveless blouse... whattt??? we showed them she can wear the shawl we were carrying but still they said no... why??? the shawl can cover her shoulders and arms right? so??? i don't get it, but there's no point in arguing with whoever was manning the place, this is after all their country and it is a functioning religious place of worship, if they say she is not appropriately attired then excuse me... sorry sis >.< i think i should thank whatever gods are in this place 'coz that nearly perpendicular stairs that we have to use to go up was covered by wooden boards*to protect the ancient stone stairs* and more importantly, they have railings on the side that you can hold on to... still, it's one heck of a steep stairs. off i went, one step at a time, reminding myself that whatever happens... don't look down!
the view from the 3rd/upper gallery...
this is what's up on the 3rd gallery...
and this is the highest point in Siem Reap, The Middle Tower* Mr Kim said that the building code in Siem Reap states that no structures should be built higher than Angkor Wat*... it looks so grand, and so old and sooo beautiful!...
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| Piberg inside 1 of the 4 pools on the 3rd gallery |
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| behind me is the tallest tower of Angkor Wat |
so, i've done what i need to do at the 3rd gallery*to take photos of course :p* and it's time to go down... *Orz* Mr Kim told us that a tourist died a few weeks before because he went down too fast and fell head first on this stairs *Orz* the ascent was pretty easy but the descent was something else. just have a look at what i had to contend with!?#%@...
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| Piberg trying to look cool and composed descending those stairs ^^ |
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| if you could only see how tightly i was holding on to those railings ^^ |
my video of the 3rd Gallery...
our photos as we exit Angkor Wat grounds... last pose ^^..c.
my video of the back entrance of Angkor Wat...
the last place we visited as part of our tour is Kompong Khleang, a floating village. it is actually a further drive than the temples but it was something i have never seen before... they have schools, places of worship, shops, clinics but still, i was culture shocked tbh! how, why they live like this, i have no idea...
we dined at the hotel restaurant one evening because we heard there is a cultural show that goes with the dinner...
that's it... our official About Asia tour is done. my appetite and hunger for historical/heritage sites has been indulged and i am more than satisfied with what i saw. nevertheless, even if Mr Kim and Tira are excellent guides, Nnylanna and Piberg has this habit of wanting to explore a strange place on our own, so, off we went and rode a Tuktuk that took us around the old market, the local mall, and to a KFC!
here's our ride for US$1, the Tuktuk...
and what's the big deal about KFC? well if you have not had the kind of food you're used to in 5 days, then to me KFC is a big deal! in fact, we asked for directions just to get there... thank you very much...
we wanted to go to the local mall to shop and dine and we saw this nice building and we thought it was a mall so we asked our tuktuk to drop us there and guess what... its far from being a mall... it's the Angkor National Museum... *epic fail*
the local mall is actually this 3 storey building... Lucky Supermarket... bought a lot of snacks at the supermarket, ate their fastfood/burger Lucky Burger and had japanese food on the 3rd floor...
famous among the locals and specially the tourists... this is Pub Street...
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| had lunch in one of the nicer restaurants on Pub Street ^^ |
before i end this travel blog entry, just want to give a shout-out to a couple of people for making this whole Siem Reap experience truly awesome. 1st, to the men and women who served us at our home in Siem Reap for 5 days, the staff of Sofitel Angkor Phokeetra Golf and Spa Resort... you guys made our stay truly memorable. the room itself was fab, the L'Occitane toiletries, the little mementos on the bed*forgot to take a pic of that one* and on the side table, so thoughtful and sweet...
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| a hotel staff gave us this before we left our room to check-out. it is called a KRAMA, a traditional Cambodian garment. |
2nd, to the girl from the Old Market who sold us those souvenir items. to me she represents the new Cambodia, young and fun and carefree, far from the horrors of this country's bloody past.
on a side note, the old king of Cambodia died on the 2 or 3rd day of our stay so the whole nation was in mourning, this girl asked us if we wanted to wear mourning ribbons. she gave us 2 and so we did.
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| she gave us her calling card |
3rd and last, to the 2 people who were with us everyday, Mr Kim the guide and Tira, the driver, and About Asia tour, thank you for an amazing Siem Reap experience...
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| from left to right... Mr Kim, Nnylanna, Piberg & Tira |
