Blogs from Angkor, North, Cambodia, Asia - page 17

Cambodia - May 21st - 25th, 2010 When leaving Saigon, we boarded an air conditioned bus for the 8 hour journey to Phnom Penh , the capitol of Cambodia. All was good for the first 3 hours as the bus was nearly empty and we could sprawl out. Shortly after crossing the border, the AC stopped working. Since it was an AC bus, the windows did not open, so for the last 5 hours of the trip we were trapped in what basically amounted to a sauna. We arrived in Phnom Penh on time, completely soaked with our own sweat, and I assume a few pounds lighter then when we started. We instantly liked it here as well... it was cheap, clean and the people were friendly. We found a great guesthouse (with a working AC) ... read more

Our last day in Siem Reap is spent round the Angkor temples, we wake up to another scorcher of a day and even though it is before 9 am it is boiling hot. First stop is to get a ticket for the day, this has to have a photo of you and they take a picture which makes me look like a squashed frog, which Shenton finds very funny, somehow he ends up looking ok in his. The first temple we visit is Angkor Wat (which literally means the temple city) which is very true as this is where over 1 million people lived during the 12th to the 14th century. As we arrive the roads are well maintained and the grounds are very lush a complete contrast to the city just 10 minutes away. We ... read more

Angkor Wat and the surrounding ancient city ruins were built from 800-1300 years ago and today are a source of insight into Asia’s past. It is also the largest religious structure in the world. And in case you still don’t know what they are, they are featured in the first Tomb Raider movie. When it was first ‘rediscovered’ in the 1980s, the temples had been swallowed by the jungle with many massive trees growing straight out of the walls. Today much of the temples have been restored, although they left some of the trees in place and you can see how the roots are both crushing and yet supporting the crumbling walls. Dana and I took 3 days to explore all the complexes enclosed in the 50km square area. We hired a Cambodian former monk to ... read more

And so, finally I can realise the long running ambition to see Angkor Wat... When I was planning my round-the-world excursion this one was always high on the list (perhaps top three) and I have always been fascinated by collapse of the sophisticated ancient civilisations such as the Khmer Empire... Like the Tāj, high expectations and a child like excitement that can only really be generated by a hand full of places engulf me upon arrival... As well as the heat! The blazing temperatures dictate that we have no real choice but to hire a Tuk tuk as cycling in these temperatures was simply out of the question... We decided to go for the $40 three day pass and in retrospect I can certainly say that (unless on a very tight schedule) to spend only one ... read more

Man every time I come through url=http://www.cheapcharlieshotels.com/htm/Cheapest%20Flights%20Bangkok%20to%20Siem%20Reap%20Cambodia%20Angkor%20Wat.htmSiem Reap Angkor Wat I am amazed at the numbers of tourist that are commin here now. The first time that i came to Angor was in 1999 and we went to Angkor wat for sunrise and then cimped to the top of the tempole and we were the only ones there for over one hour which as you can imiagine if you have been here is a pretty awsome thing. We went out to Batay Sri and then to the lingles that are in the river and there is a waterfall on the way and we shucked off our cloths and jumped in today if you did that you would have a hundred tourists taking your photos In Cambodia going to Sihanoukville or Siagon I would allways recomend Mekong ... read more