Blogs from Cambodia, Asia

Gestern hatten wir noch einmal zwei Highlights: wir beobachteten den Sonnenaufgang in Angkor Wat (leider konnte man den Stern wegen Wolken nicht sehen) und später am Tag machten wir eine Fahrt mit einem Fesselballon. Letztere wäre beinahe wegen zu viel Wind ausgefallen. Abends bekamen wir dann noch ein Essen in einem schönen Restaurant.... read more

Heute besichtigten wir zwei Objekte in Phnom Penh: das Nationalmuseum und den Markt. Danach machten wir uns auf die etwa 7 stündige Fahrt nach Siem Reap. Dort angekommen bezogen wir unsere Zimmer und ich aß zu Abend im Hotelrestaurant.... read more

I headed to Siem Reap in Cambodia from Luang Prabang. My goal was to explore the Angkor Wat complex, which is the largest pre-industrial city in the world with an urban sprawl of nearly 3,000 square kilometres at its peak (based on LIDAR studies). Cambodia's history is deeply intertwined with India, linkages dating back to the Pallava Dynasty in Southern India. The fact that Angkor started as a Hindu Temple complex dedicated to Lord Vishnu (and Vishnu was the deity that the Pallavas worshipped) before morphing to Buddhism is a sign of this. Its complicated history of monarchies, colonial rulers, Khmer Rouge and the genocide, and subsequent political rulers, nothing has taken away the deep intrigue Angkor creates among anyone interested in history and architecture. Nearly 1/4th of Cambodia's employment is from the tourism sector and ... read more

Tour Day 108, Cruise Day 6 – Sihanoukville, Cambodia– Tour Name: Le Kep – Those who have been following my post–COVID blogs might know that I typically copy and paste the shore excursion description into my blog to give my readers some information and insight into the photos I have included. For some reason, Holland America has decided to remove those ports of call (and the accompanying shore excursions) from its web site within hours of leaving port. For a few blogs, you’re not going to get much background as I cannot remember the names of the gardens, temples and shrines I visited and photographed. Anyway, here it is, and I hope you enjoy!... read more

Susan got a taxi to Chantaburi bus station to catch a bus bound for Bangkok. She would have one night in Bangkok and then a flight back to Kazakhstan and her job at the University. Lisa and I were waiting outside the 7/11 store for a minibus to the Cambodian border crossing when we saw her fly by in the taxi! Our mini bus stopped and we squeezed in, luggage on the back seat. Our fellow travellers greeted us and smiled and Lisa had a bit of conversation with the man sitting beside her. I had a single seat to myself. We seemed to collect trays of eggs and collect and deliver parcels along the way. A sort of rural Amazon delivery. We were heading for a border crossing into Cambodia, Ban Pakkad, where our friends ... read more