Blogs from Cambodia, Asia - page 5

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Asia » Cambodia » South » Phnom Penh October 19th 2022

We sailed from Phnom Penh this morning with only seven couples remaining on board. Until our arrival in Phnom Penh our number had included a group of four people working in the travel industry who were invited on board to find out more about Pandaw so that they will, hopefully, promote their cruises to clients. There was also a group of six Vietnamese and I never quite established if they were also working in travel or if they were a group of family/friends. We also said farewell to Sarah from Sydney who only had a short break from work and could only do the short cruise and a rather strange Indian guy who only seemed to want to drink and smoke. Seriously, by 10.30am when we were out on our excursion yesterday he was desperate to ... read more
Silkworms
Silk cocoons on the sticks
Silk cocoons

Asia » Cambodia » South » Phnom Penh October 18th 2022

We were up on the sun deck this morning just after 7.00am so that the immigration official could check our faces against our passports. The officer checking our faces actually had a sense of humour which is a most unusual trait amongst immigration officials! He looked at me, looked at my passport and announced ‘very beautiful’. Given that he also said this to Steve, he may not have been very discerning in regard to the standard of western feminine beauty, ha, ha, ha?? Anyhow, all of us were verified and cleared for entry to Cambodia. After breakfast we boarded cyclos for our ‘smoke free’ tour of Phnom Penh City and set off into the city with our Cambodian guide, Leng. Spelled Leng, but he pronounced his name as ‘Ling’ to my ear. Our itinerary said that ... read more
Ready, Set, Go
Wat Phnom Daun Penh
Wat Phnom Daun Penh

Asia » Cambodia » North » Angkor October 1st 2022

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I found myself with extra time on my hands in Singapore because I didn't have to begin working on certain family logistics. I therefore decided to cut short my time there to spend a few days exploring a site I've always wanted to visit. As an added bonus, I figured Angkor would be without the pre-Covid tourist hordes, which made this an even more attractive time to visit. I arrived in a rainy Siem Reap late morning on Wednesday. As soon as I checked in to my accommodation, I headed out the door to explore Siem Reap. My first impression was that there were lots of Prius (Prii?) on the road. Siem Reap felt like your typical Southeast Asian tourist boomtown; you see lots of motorcycles, a mix of ... read more
Siem Reap
My Tuk Tuk
Angkor Wat

Asia » Cambodia » North » Angkor March 3rd 2022

Our last cycling day was to be a bit easier. We were to spend the day riding through the extensive ruins of Angkor, the former capital of the Khmer Empire, visiting three main temple complexes. However, the day did not start off great when half of us were ill. Everyone says food poisoning, but I don't think so. I think we were all different. For me, I am pretty sure it was the dinner I ate the night before - a sauce just did not agree with me. I was not in ideal condition, but I was mainly ok. However, the one guy of our group was very sick; we knew this because he was unusually quiet, resting more than site-seeing, and not taking any photos of this remarkable area! He must have been ill! First ... read more
Ta Prohm Temple
Ta Prohm Temple
Bayon Temple - end of the ride

Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap March 2nd 2022

For the next two days, we cycled the back country roads outside of Cambodia, to see the local life and experience more food stops! When we left the floating village, thankfully we did not have to cycle along the long long levee, and instead got a ride in the support van. We stopped at the village near the entrance to the park and visited the local market, where there were many vendors selling fruit, raw fish, meat, and pretty much anything else you could think of. It was interesting, but we did not buy anything here. We continued on the country roads, getting covered in more red dust, and getting some more shade this time. There no real stops on the way except for some refreshments. It was fun to see so many school children on ... read more
Phnom Kulen National Park
Lunch stop Day 2
Cycling Day 2

Asia » Cambodia » North » Tonlé Sap February 28th 2022

After having a short couple of hours in our very nice hotel, New Riverside Hotel, a quick shower and nap, we got ready to start our adventure. First we got lunch in the town center, "western" food, which was not all that great... but the fresh papaya juice more than made up for it! It was so good and the best one of the trip. Back at the hotel, our bikes were assigned to us (we had previously sent in our heights) and we put our day supplies in the pouches. We also gave our overnight bags to the van support crew as we were not coming back to the hotel until the next afternoon. Yes, 3 nights of poor sleep - hello Trekkup! Once we got our bikes and supplies for the day sorted, off ... read more
Preparing to cycle!
Along the levee to floating village
Floating village

Asia » Cambodia » South » Phnom Penh February 27th 2022

My next big Trekkup trip was a cycling trip to Cambodia, including a visit to Angkor Wat, one of my big bucket list items. The Far East is only now just starting to open after two years of Covid restrictions and we were amongst the first tourists to visit this lovely country. It was pretty interesting to see how happy people were to see tourists again, which I am sure I'll mention a few times throughout my blogs. First - we had to get there. We weren't able to get our plane tickets until a couple of weeks before we left due to some restriction and flight changes. So, we wound up going through Singapore (via a vaccinated travel lane corridor, meaning you had to be vaccinated - indeed you had to be vaccinated to enter ... read more
Cloud 9 Sky Bar
Passion Fruit Mojito
Singapore airport

Asia » Cambodia November 12th 2021

A 360 degrees view on the temple complex and countryside. Best of all? You don’t need a temple pass to fly the Angkor Balloon. Angkor Balloon is a tethered helium balloon which allows you to witness Angkor Wat from a bird’s eye-view and experience a breathtaking view of the temple’s surroundings. From sunrise to sunset enjoy the views of Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng, and West Baray. In clear-sky conditions, you will even observe the Tonle Sap Lake and Phnom Khrom. Take amazing pictures and bring home memories that last a lifetime! The Angkor Balloon ascends to approximately 120m (394 feet) for a 10 to 15 minutes ride and can carry up to 30 passengers. This Helium tethered balloon is the least polluting aircraft in the world and works thanks to the principle of Archimède. Some technical ... read more

Asia » Cambodia November 6th 2021

Angkor Wat – built by Suryavarman II (r 1112–52). The temple is the heart and soul of Cambodia and a source of fierce national pride. Unlike the other Angkor monuments, it was never abandoned to the elements and has been in virtually continuous use since it was built. The sandstone blocks from which Angkor Wat was built were quarried from the holy mountain of Phnom Kulen, more than 50km away, and floated down the Siem Reap River on rafts. The logistics of such an operation are mind-blowing, according to inscriptions, the construction of Angkor Wat involved 300,000 workers and 6000 elephants. The stairs to the upper level are immensely steep, because reaching the kingdom of the gods was no easy task. Sam took us to level two with so many beautiful carvings. It wasn’t a spectacular ... read more

Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap September 21st 2021

Most of you who know me, know that I travel with my good buddy, Mr. Mike, or I travel solo. Mike is the BEST travel buddy ever. We are not joined at the hip when we travel, though we have similar interests. And we never, I repeat, never, talk about money!! But perhaps you would like a different perspective on solo travel, other than mine. I had the benefit of traveling solo on business throughout the late Seventies, and most of the Eighties. And I was able to start traveling for pleasure at a fairly young age (to Europe), essentially, on my own.The Point Guy has a great website, and email. I strongly suggest that you subscribe, not only for travel, but their advice on best use of award points and airline miles ... read more
Our Siem Reap hotel, Viroth's
My new friends in Athens, in Plaka




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