Blogs from Angkor, North, Cambodia, Asia - page 10

The glut of remarkable temples close to Siem Reap is undoubtedly Cambodia’s biggest tourist attraction. Or is it the glut of nearby places at which one can enjoy a complimentary beer while fish nibble your feet? If the fad in this area 1000 years ago was building massive ornate temples, fusing Buddhist and Hindu icons and imagery, now it’s opening small copy-cat ventures called Dr Fish, on every street corner. And serving incredibly cheap (about 20p) glasses of beer. The temples aren’t going anywhere in a hurry, we thought, but the beer might. So we had a relaxing day seeing all Siem Reap has to offer, besides its historical monuments. Which, other than some interesting craft workshops, and the aforementioned fish and beer, is not a great deal. There is also the added amusement of being ... read more

Montag, 12. März 2012 (Fortsetzung) In Siem Reap angekommen passierten wir auf dem kleinen, aber brandneuen und straff organisierten Flugplatz ohne Probleme die Einreise nach Kambodscha und wurden in ein Taxi verfrachtet. Der Fahrer, ein sympathischer, gesprächiger Typ, gab sich sehr interessiert und fragte uns nach unserer Herkunft, unseren Reiseplänen und bot uns schliesslich (wie erwartet...) an, uns am Abend für den Sonnenuntergang zum Haupttempel Angkor Wat zu fahren. Wir nahmen dieses Angebot gerne an. Im Hotel angekommen bestaunten wir zuerst einmal die üppig bewachsene Hotelanlage und bezogen das tolle Zimmer. Die Anlage ist einem Mini-Dschungel ähnlich, die Zimmer sind in zweistöckigen Häusern im Kolonialstil mit je vier Zimmern angelegt. Wir bezogen ein Zimmer im ersten Stock mit Balkon und Blick auf den Swimming Pool. Dieser ist mit 200m Länge (kein Witz!) der län... read more

Hey Everyone! So Angkor Wat, where to even begin besides confirming that this UNESCO World Heritage Site certainly deserves the recognition! We decided to split our time at the site into two days, both with a guide. We’re really glad we had our guide, Tokla, to teach us and show us everything we could ever want to know about the temples. Our first day was spent going to the outer, less famous, and somewhat smaller temples. We decided to do it this way so as to avoid what I’ve dubbed ‘Grand Palace Syndrome’. We saw the Grand Palace Wat inBangkokwhen we first arrived and every other wat after just failed to compare. Our day started a t8am and it was already hot and it would only get hotter. We both melted all day. I don’t remember ... read more

Bonjout tout le monde!!!!!!!!! On vous a manqué?!!!!Si oui, eh bien manifestez-le car on ne l'a pas vraiment senti!!!Hihihihi! Au fait, pour être francs, nous étions malades pendants quelques jours. Nous avons dû prolonger notre séjour à Siem Reap avant de pouvoir reprendre la route en autobus et se rendre à Phnom Penh (environ 6 heures/300kms). Mais avant tout, récapitulons les derniers jours avant notre congé de maladie! Nous avons visité les fameux temples à Angkor dont plusieurs dataient de l'an 800. La visite des temples a duré 2 jours. Nous avions engagé un chaffeur de tuk-tuk (moto tirant une remorque avec des bancs) qui a presque rien coûté, 15$/jour. Voici la liste des temples: Bankong Preah Ko Lolei Angkor wat Phnom Bakheng Angkor Thom Bayon Baphuon ... read more

Apparently there really is such a thing as temple fatigue. The average length of stay in Siem Reap is only two and a half days - not really long enough to see everything properly. Temple Fatigue occurs when you become literally templed out - you've just seen too many temples. Temple. Fatigue. I had both on this day - but they were independent events. Manil was collecting us at 0430 so the alarm went off at 0400... and 0410... and 0420. I threw some clothes on and we headed straight out to Angkor Wat to see the sunrise. We were amongst the first 100 or so people there but by sunrise there must have been a few thousand. We had our pick of the spots and managed to take some quite incredible photos of the sun ... read more