Blogs from Siem Reap, North, Cambodia, Asia - page 12

So, in my previous post I detailed how we took a trip to Thailand and managed to squish in a little trip to Cambodia and Malaysia along the way (to see a couple of the main highlights) and wanted to see as much as possible in a short amount of time. Ever since I have known what the temples of Angkor were, I have wanted to go, no matter what it took. I had to go there and seeing as we were in that part of the world it would be a shame not to. A short early morning flight from Bangkok and we were in Siem Reap. There was a bit of faffing with the Visa, and we needed to bring a passport photo with us and it takes a little bit of queuing, but ... read more

Geo: 13.4691, 104.041OMG. One of those touristy days that is just the best. I am a confessed Angkor Wat groupie. How can I help you to understand that despite the horses, the elephants, the monkeys, the dogs, the birds, the buses, the tuk tuks, the cars, the vendors, the police, the children and the 10 000 other sunrise tourists, this was a moment of personal peace and solitude. This was a moment that inspired awe and that refreshed the soul. This just was!You found a spot. You planted your feet. And then you watched. The clouds provided the perfect backdrop for the sun to splash its oranges, reds, pinks and golds and for the silhouette of Angkor Wat to pop out of the horizon. I actually can't believe how "personally" quiet it was given the hordes ... read more

Our flight from KL reached Siem Reap on a pleasant spring day in April and there were tell-tale signs that this was going to be an exotic destination. The old world charm of the airport was hard to miss. There were no aerobridges and as we walked on the tarmac towards the terminal building it was easy to smile at Thai’s Smile airways parked alongside! The drive to the hotel brought more smiles, the trees alongside reminding me of those I left behind…trees with beautiful yellow blossoms of Casia Fistula and purple blossoms, reminiscent of those in my neighborhood. Along the route there were mango trees, temple trees and bougainvillea plants some of them growing wild and unattended. The sights and sounds of the city were beginning to look familiar and as I was about to ... read more

Angkor Wat is probably the grand finale of Cambodia and of this whole trip, so getting up for the sunrise seemed in order, but a 4 a.m. start seemed a bit early when the sunrise is at 6:40 and we are only 15 minutes from the site! Of course no one had explained the hour long wait to get the tickets. Not sure why there was an hour long wait, I just think they like to complicate things round here, and it true to say that if they wanted to arrange a party in a brewery they would struggle. Anyway, on schedule, up came the sun, and it was round and orange as usual. The hundreds of people all oohed and ahwed, lots a awesome were heard, but why does the really tall guy (wearing a ... read more

I am so frustrated! I typed 80% of this post and it just disappeared off my tablet. I will try again, but it is never quite right the second time around. I’ve traveled on multiple Habitat for Humanity (HFH) Global Village (GV) trips. I’ve been both a participant and a Team Leader (TL). The experience of being a team leader is significantly different than that of a participant. GV participants can focus on the building tasks, the personal connections and the cultural immersion. As a TL, my primary concerns are the health & safety of my team and ensuring each participant has a rich GV experience. Fortunately, our team shared the responsibility of job site safety. As TL I needed to make sure everyone who was not feeling their best got what they needed to recuperate. ... read more