http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Cambodia , North , Siem Reap en-us Sun, 19 May 2013 23:11:39 +0000 Sun, 19 May 2013 23:11:39 +0000 Our last day in Cambodia was pretty bittersweet. We LOVED Cambodia but were excited to move on to Phuket and get some beach time in. Had to fit in as much as possible before we left The Big Buddha in Phnom Kulen National Park is where a lot of locals come to pray and worship. Prayers are being spoken into the huge sound system reaching around the complex and a stick of incense is burning in most http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-785888.html Hello folksthanks again for the comments he hopelijk zijn de replies van Anouk goe doorgekomen Na Hue zijn we met de bus doorgereden naar Hoi An. Dat stadje ligt zon 200km zuidelijker en dat was 4u rijden ofwel kon de bus niet harder of er was iets anders maar hij tufte rustig verder door de bergen langs de zee en zo zijn we er toch geraakt.Hoi An is eigenlijk een hotspot voor toeriste http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/Knar/blog-785886.html Catching up on two days now I39m terrible I have gone into vacation mode and don39t really want to do anything but recuperate from the extreme heat and humidity. We39ve been getting in some good pool time because it39s the only time you can be outside and not nearly die from heat exhaustion. Sweat literally pours off of me in a constant stream I have never experienced anything like http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-785628.html We soon got used to being on our own again spending another couple of days at the City River Hotel before moving on to Navutu Dreams a small hotel out in the countryside. There is not a lot to do in Siem Reap itself but we did have a brilliant visit to the Angkor National Museum where they had an amazing array of artifacts all well set out in adjoining rooms that seemed to flow perfectly into t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-785230.html http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/Knar/blog-784340.html Lets get the apologies out of the way apologies for the horrendous font it was either facebooks font or my iPhone notes apps... and that one is bloody ridiculous and sorry for the huge gap since my last blog. I am alive and I39ve been having a cracking time. It39s been so long since my last blog that I39m going to have to split it in to Asia and Australia. This one is all about the rest http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/Knar/blog-784196.html We can39t quite believe it39s only been 3 weeks since our last blog it feels like so much longer because we39ve been to so many places and done so much as the title suggests....SO...The much anticipated soft sleeper train from Nah Trang to Saigon was a huge improvement from the hard sleeper mainly due to the fact you could actually sit up on the beds there was working air conditionin http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-784189.html We arrived in Siem Reap and were met at the airport by our local guide Wong Kimsien Kim who would be with us for the last few days of our Indochina Tour which ends in a few days. Our new guide Kim also had a sad story to tell of his familys experience during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. As in Phomn Penn the people living in Siem Reap was ousted from their homes and sent into the countrysi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-783896.html Cambodia S Tours and TravelCambodia S Tours Travel are specialize inbound tour Arrangements throughout Cambodia. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/Knar/blog-783149.html A sigh of relief and excitement enveloped me as the plane touched down in Ho Chi Minh. I didnt have a concrete plan other than getting to Siem Reap. But I knew I was going to have the grandest time.I was with my friends and we were in search of a memorable adventure. We dropped the mainstream route of taking a plane to experience Cambodia so off to the bus stop we went and bought our 13hou http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-782844.html We are now BACK in the Land of Smiles Which we39ve dearly missed. Until now we39ve had a very interesting and educational week or so. It all started while we were still in Phu Quoc Vietnam by visiting the Coconut Prison. This was a prison built by the American puppet regime during the Vietnam war. Most of the original structures have been torn down and replaced with replicas filled with r http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-781553.html A spectacular new trek exploring impressive temple ruins off the beaten track of the main Angkor Temple complex. Visit the earliest permanent temples built by the Khmers. Stumble upon relics and remains of Cambodia39s recent past.THE CLASSIC ANGKOR WATlttable classtrcaptioncontainer stylepadding 4px marginbottom 0.5em color 333333 fontfamily arial fontsize 14px lin http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-781359.html Blog 12 20th MarchHCMC Phnom Penh Siam ReapSo.. After our crazy easy riders week in the countryside we were flung back into travelaar mode with a bang. Our night bus rolled into the urban monster that is Ho Chi Minh City at 4.30am. As we scrabbled around in the dark for our hotel we were caught up in the cross fire of one day ending and another beginning. On one street we found all the bar http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-779653.html Poor planning and preparation produces piss poor performance That is what I had drilled into me as young soldier many many years ago and I always forget the lessons I learnt them .To get from Boracay via Manila to Cambodia is or should be easy given that Manila and Angeles and Siem Reap my destination have good airports but ... you must always plan ahead in order to get a flight or better http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-779152.html Its Rich and I39s second day exploring the temples of Siem Reap and today its the big one Angkor Wat itself. Its a well thought through strategic decision part of Sunrise Strategy II. We didn39t want to see it on the first day and peak too soon but we39re also slightly superstitious about saving it til the last day in case for some reason we are let down or the weathe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-778826.html Its time for Awesome Angkor Wat. I39m beyond excited. We39ve parted ways with the Aussie girls I met scrubbing down elephants and i39ve stayed on travelling to Siem Reap with Rich the laconic blonde ad man from London.Rich and I have time to spare and really don39t like the idea of cramming in all of the sites into one hot touristy day 1 day pass 20 so we are opting for the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-778825.html I have a list of places I would like to visit before I grow old. One of the place listed in it was Siem Reap Cambodia I wanted to see the famous Angkor Wat. So as early as January I have been bugging my friend to visit this place. I told her March is the best time to visit since it39s summer. So as early as January we39re able to booked for our air ticket followed by our accommodation. Whi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-778532.html Day 182 Fri 8thMarch Unfortunately although named Angkor Wat there are no pictures of it itself just the surrounding temples. Camera is still on holiday there. They will be up when i get it back I started my first day in Siem Reap deciding what to do. Id been given a very handy brochure when I checked into my hostel so planned my temple route. I headed out around lunch time. I wasnt ori http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/Knar/blog-777860.html Who needs to pack an alarm clock when you can lovingly get woken up by the cockledoodle doo of a rooster at a little before 5 am Yes this resort comes with its very own rooster and I would later find out that the streets around my hotel are actually overrun by them. There are also a variety of cacawlike sounds early in the morning but the source has yet to be identified. And I did fall http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-777692.html I have just settled into my room in Siem Reap after a long journey to get here. It is around 1130 pm and I am quite tired from the last day and a half of travelling just to get here. The good news is that I should be able to get a relatively good night sleep relatively early start and I anticipate not feeling the effects of the time change too much similarly to Bangkok last year. Considering th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-777691.html