Hilary K
I'm starting a new blog on my trip to Cambodia, November 16-30, 2008. Look at the first entry to see the program of the trip arranged by "Voyager Autrement".HilaryCambodia08
Travel Blog Posts
November 28th 2008
It's 11:30 a.m. local time on Saturday, November 29, here in Siem Reap. We're leaving for the airport in an hour and a half. Luckily, we're flying back to Paris via Kuala Lumpar because most of the flights via Bangkok have been cancelled, and lots of the foreigners in this cybercafe are using the Internet and Skype to try and rearrange their travel plans. I've had a marvelous time in Cambodia. This past week was fantastic, what with the Angkor Archaeological Park and the competence of our guide. As for the first week, it was very interesting, too, esp. from a humanitarian point of view. Probably what I'll remember most, though, is the kindness and the "resilience" of the Cambodian people. The end of a good trip is always a bit sad, particularly as I know ... read more
November 27th 2008
Today, Darith, our guide, wished me a Happy Thanksgiving. I'd completely forgotten about it. Quite naturally so, as we're so busy that I barely have time to think about anything else but temples, vishnus, shivas, etc. To all of you out there who celebrate this American holiday, Happy Thanksgiving to you, too! Thanks so much for the interesting comments. Nancy, before I left Paris, a friend gave me the book "The Gate" in French and I'm reading it in the evenings. It's very interesting, but hard going. And Betty, yes, Cambodia is definitely worth visiting, and you can have easy access to NGO's. Apparently, the government here really counts on them, which in a way isn't good (because there's rampant corruption at top levels here), but if it's sustainable help, the Cambodian people certainly need it. ... read more
November 25th 2008
In answer to Elaine's questions. Angkor Wat is indeed very crowded. There are tourists from all over the world arriving in coaches, with Cambodian guides (distinguished by their coral-colored shirts and blue pants or skirts) translating and describing in all sorts of languages. Apparently, the government requires that each group have a state-licensed guide accompanying it. That's why we have two guides now: Da, a 22-year old who only speaks English, and our Angkor specialist Darith (a freelance guide who used to have an executive job at Asian Trails), who looks about 35 but turns out to be 53. As for ecological tourism, there are signs about it in the hotels and brochures, but, frankly, I think foreigners are probably much more aware about ecological concerns than the majority of Cambodians. Trash is everywhere: along the ... read more
November 24th 2008
I ran out of time last night so my photos went mostly without commentary. Sorry. As you probably know, Siem Reap is the city that's developed around the World Heritage Site of Angkor, which comprises many temples and monuments, inluding the famous "Angkor Wat" (temple of Angkor). We are staying at an "associative hotel" that encourages sustainable tourism called La Noria and will be here for 6 nights, which means we have 5 full days in the archaeological park. Siem Reap is now full of hotels, shops, new buildings, etc., but still has a lot of charm, at least by the river where our hotel is because of all the exotic, green vegetation. Our guide to Angkor and the region around Siem Reap is younger and much more competent than the one we had in Phnom ... read more
November 23rd 2008
We arrived in Siem Reap this afternoon by boat on the Sangkae Rver, and I have lots of photos to post of our time in Battambang and our trip here. Two things I forgot to mention about our stay in Phnom Penh: While there, I met with Aline, a French gal of Cambodian descent who is the president of an NGO here called Elephant Blanc and who also helps manage an orphange. My friend Paris Tanish put me in touch with her. Also: Jean-Marc and Annie are very active in France in the NGO we visited in Phnom Pehn called "Pour un Sourire d'Enfant." Jean-Marc actually donated 5 bicycles, which were shipped to the Phnom Penh site a year ago. While we were there last week, he spent a morning at the center training the mechanical ... read more
November 21st 2008
Back again after our dinner in a French restaurant in Battambang called "La Villa", which is an old colonial house reminding me very much of a house in the film "Indochine". Thanks for your comments and messages. In reply to a question about climate, it's been really quite pleasant. We had grey skies and some rain the first day, but otherwise it's been sunny and warm, about 26 or 28 degrees celsius with bearable humidity and a north wind from China (it seems). As for the food, the menus have been set for our group so they haven't been too varied. This being said, they've been good and healthy. Usually a starter of "nems" (egg-rolls), seafood salad or soup, followed by a curry or fish or pork with rice, and then plates of tropical fruit. Most ... read more
November 21st 2008
Here are some more photos from Phnom Penh and some from the road to Battambang... read more
November 18th 2008
Well, we've been here for two days now. Yesterday was exhausting after our long flight. We were greeted at the airport by our guide, "San" and our driver. After checking into our hotel --the Bougainvilliers--which is on the river, we then took individual cycle-taxis to a man-made hill where there's a pagoda. (I'm sorry, but I forgot to bring my notes with names to this cybercafe where I'm writing this from.) Then we did a river boat cruise, followed by dinner at the hotel. We began our day today with a visit to an association that teaches poor children how to do Cambodian dances and enjoyed a dance demonstration.We then visited PSE (Pour le sourire dún enfant), an association started by a French couple who saw all the children picking garbage out of the dumb and ... read more
November 17th 2008
The group from Voyager Autrement (including my friend Marie Boyer) and I --there are 10 of us altogether, 3 couples and 4 single women--left CDG in Paris yesterday at noon. Here's a description of the group: -Jean-Claude and Agnes from Orleans (he's a cartographer, she works in RH) -Jean-Marc and Annie from a town near Lille (they're now retired, but before he had a bicycle shop and she was a nursery school teacher) -Daniel and Francoise from Marseille (he was a train engineer; she worked with disabled children) -Danielle from Lyon (she owns and manages a perfume shop) -Christiane from Vichy (she worked with difficult children and social workers) -Marie from outside Paris (whom I met while on an organized hike in Greece two years ago. She's a librarian and manages 5 libraries in the ... read more
November 11th 2008
Hello Everyone, All is set up now for you to receive notices when I add an entry or photos to the blog on my Cambodia trip, which starts November 16. Please click on "previous entry" to see the program of our tour with Voyager Autrement, a tour operator supporting "sustainable tourism".... read more
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