http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Cambodia , North , Siem Reap en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 08:00:12 BST Sat, 26 Jul 2008 08:00:12 BST Yes that's what we call it. We began yesterday at sunrise trying to catch the classic photo of Angkor Wat in the reflecting pools continued to Angkor Thom Ta Phrom remember Angelina Jolie's big tree in Tomb Raider Bayon holy sweet mother of all temples Preah Kahn and then Pre Rup for sunset. As we watched the sun set we were sold cans of beer by an enterprising young cambodian man rum http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-304624.html Cambodia is surreal right now. It's Friday and I backed out of going to see a mangrove forest to stay in town and get some things done before moving countries...I head to Indonesia on Sunday.It's election time here...motos attract curious eyes as they crawl down the street with huge speakers blaring elections speeches and music through the village...trucks with their beds chock full of people in http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-304204.html We made it to Seam Reap and had a free afternoon yesterday. Eager to see some temples I went alone by motorbike to Bang Melea and had an ndiana Jones experience. This morning we went to Anglor for sunrise and will return in a few moments for an entire day of Angkor Wat Ta Phrom Bayon and the other temples and temple complexes. I think you may have to wait until I come home to see photos as http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-304170.html well today was our last day we cant believe it we are so glad we spent our time with the kids it was so hot teaching in a shack with tin roof and the heat building up inside .... but we didnt complain once how could we the kids were so grateful to us and didnt once give us any bother these kids had nothing only the friendship with each other the games they play together marbles c http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-303492.html Anyone else prefer Chinese tonight http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-303462.html After heading out of Thailand I landed in the Siem Reap Airport in Cambodia. It was late at night and the immigration officer literally threw my passport back at me when he found out I had neither the right money photos nor forms. After I found some forms and paid a lot more money he allowed me to pass through. I arrived at my guesthouse wandered through the relaxing lizards to my room wher http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-303372.html This is rushed since I'm running out of adrenaline from a 19hour day. We got up early to watch the sun rise from Angkor Wat. Only one day there which is hardly enough time so we had to cram it all in. With a group of 15 I'm the only American so I need to get used to being the butt of jokes for the next 4 weeksAngkor Wat is incredible and words can not do it justice scribbled thought out http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-302776.html Siem Reap feels like a really western town and its much more westernised than Phnom Penh. We have spent the last 3 days looking round loads of temples obviously including the amazing Angkor Wat. There are loads of temples and until you arrive you don''t realise how spread out they all are.. They are all different but the size of Angkor is massive and the view is amazing especially at sunrise. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-302646.html as it costs varying amount of money to use the internet in different places i have often been very rushed trying to answer emails and keep up with facebook and search for flights etc so this has kinda been abandoned but i am doing my best to backtrack the last week first point i made it to angkor wat after seeing the picture dan sent me years ago i actually made it to the temples and spent the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-302588.html It's a place not to be missedhey guys im back again. sorry tht i've gone missing for a day. Yesterdays task was just too physically demanding i got knocked out cold.i cannot expect to leave cambodia without seeing the Angkhor temples. many pple have this misconception tht there is only the angkhor wat to visit and i must admit tht i myself am guilty of having this impression. Angkhor wat is just http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-302258.html Skype while traveling next best thing to a tourist busWhile I have heard of Skype for some time now it is an internet based telephone service that is a lot cheaper to use you just have to have a headset to talk into I didn't give it a chance until the other night. All the computers in the internet cafe had the headsets so I logged in and called Randy my friend back home who is helping to wa http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-302054.html Hi Everyone.Our Saturday was mostly spent with me having a stomach ache and NOT being able to be too far from the toilet....we ate in at the hotel and enjoyed the pumkin soup and squid with ink noodles....We met an australian woman in the outside lobby and she has been teaching in china for 10 years...We spoke of Politics and the whole world hopes Obama will be our new president......Theres though http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-302037.html after our adventure to angkor wat vianna took us to one of the poorest villages in Siem Riep my god this was something you would c on the news or a disaster film. there were between 3 and 4 hunderd preople living in these shacks built on wooden stilts off the ground the reason for this is to prevent insects and other pests entering the shacks.. we were speechless... the smell alone was chronic. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-301724.html On your first visit to the temple complex you will need to buy an entry pass for which you need 2 passport photos. It is well worth buying a 2 or 3 day pass as to see the area properly you will need at least two solid days. Travelling around in the Angkor complex can be done by bicycle tuk tuk or taxi. I would highly recommend getting an experienced guide who can explain all the history and an ai http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-301721.html Today was a great day we signed up for a Cooks in tuk tuks Kymer Traditional cooking class....Kim our tuk tuk driver and chef...motored us to the farmers market...NOT for tourist or travelers....and that was apparent.. He toured us through the market ...fruits and so many ginger and bamboo to boil bamboo sliced just bamboo everything....oh and so many different looking sweet potatoe and eggplant. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-301519.html New Place but Same Old MeLast nite i felt tht i deserve a treat after starving myself with 1 meal a day. transport cost has really taken its toll on me. So i broke the bank and feasted on some heavenly dessert followed by a massage. The massage was cool though. they were all blind and a proportion of the proceeds will go to training up more of such pple. Its nice to know tht cambodians do creat http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-301434.html Lounging yesterday teaching Ta the chicken dance YMCA and cartwheels a lovely british man sat down at a nearby table. As usual a quick smile and hello was shared as we continued to ponder where we would go next. We needed a fresh start and as we began to discuss the pros and cons of each location this man who is very well traveled listened in and joined our conversation. By the end of our http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-301211.html Hey everyone...i havent wanted to blog till i could finally put up some pics....i almost thought it couldnt happen...but now we are have left our guest room which in fact we signed up for a guest HOUSE and drama got kinda Kymar regine on us so we bailed out and here we are at the Hotel del la pais .....everyone knows us and it s so cool here...so far on wednesday we Isabella n I went out to the Na http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-301094.html So according to this blog we just arrived in Luang Prabang Laos. But I must admit I've been slacking on the updates. In actuality that was about three weeks ago. Since then we've floated through Laos skipped across Cambodia and lounged on Koh Samet an island in SE Thailand. Allow me to catch you up to date...Luang PrabangA small town on the Mekong River with architectural evidence of a Fren http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-301017.html We could hardly even sleep last night waiting for the sun to rise literally with our cameras in hand waiting for the sun. The day begins so early here with people setting up shop around 530AM.We began the day across the street to buy some toys for the children at the orphanage and then set out. I realized I have no idea where an orphanage is at home. Anyways around the block we went to the Sunr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-300874.html I'm becoming Cambodian Okay let me slow down and start from the beginning.The bus did indeed pick us up in front our guesthouse at 7AM. We were on the bus for about 5 hours before we reached the border. We then had to wait for our visas get approval and then get on another bus. From this bus we took a three hour cab ride on roads that are not really roads they are well just earth. This is wh http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-300461.html I caught a minibus to the ThaiCambodia border rolling over smooth highway at good speed. On the Thai side a man from the minibus company helped us fill in forms and obtain our visa and helped himself to about USD 10 of everyone's money for this service.On the other side we switched to a bigger bus in Cambodia. There our minibus guy took us to a bank saying commission rates in Siem Reap for money http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-300054.html Ah Angkor. Angkor is one of if not the most impressive ruins on the earth. Build nearly a thousand years ago by an extinct civilization it is a massive city that was abandoned in the 1400's. The ruins were 'discovered' by a french archeologist in 1860. One of the temples in Angkor Angkor Wat is the largest religous building on earth. The massive spires built of rock are almost two hundred feet http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-299910.html We arrived in Thailand July 7th and before we even left the airport we decided to take a detour and head over to Cambodia for a few days. We caught the next available flight to Siem Reap and arrived around 730 pm. We had no idea exactly what we were going to do there the only thing on our itinerary was to see the Angkor Temples. Our cab driver took us to an okay hotel and we deicded to stay ther http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-299531.html Another late entry today we are 305n Turkey July 14 2008The country is extremely poor and they are st305ll try305ng to clean up the land m305nes from the Khmer Rouge. The good th305ng was there was a lot of foreign a305de and help bei305ng undertaken. So much of the country laid to waste and now just try305ng to embrace a new rebu305ld305ng stage helped by tour3 http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-299519.html While I'm on a roll...I'll keep adding...LoveConnie http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-299493.html Well Hello folks after a reasonably pleasant Thai Airways flight to and overnight stay in Bangkok I hotfooted it straight across the ThailandCambodia border to Siem Reap in order to see the legendary Angkor Wat. Something I have been meaning to do since I saw a model of the temple in Bangkok's Grand Palace some five years ago...Catching the 550 am train from Bangkok to Aranya Prathet was a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-299484.html Hello I must apologise bc i havent wanted to blog only to upload fotos but have no LUCK spend 7 hours yesterday ...and at it again today...it must be the speed....using flickr and photobucket...i will continue...trying....I dont feel the drama of the border anymore and I really want to share pics at this point We are leaving for the Capitol and will be returning in a week I will keep trying http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-299472.html He fell off his bike today and lost a toenail got right back up and continued on...they don't cry because when they cry at home their parents beat them. Alex tells me this as we're taking a break from carrying sand bags to line the perimeter of the new pond watching an adorable 4 year old bomb around with no shirt on a pink bike with streamers...60 of the kids are beaten at home and 30 exper http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-299191.html Leaving Bangkok early one morning by bus we thought arriving in Siem Reap Cambodia would be a straightforward journey. Wrong wrong wrong After busing to the ThaiCambodia border crossing the border took an hour or so at immigration. As soon as we crossed the border everything changed so dramatically. The landscape became flatter the children skinnier and the people far poorer. We had been warne http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-299179.html