Blogs from North, Cambodia, Asia - page 354

Today we found my favorite temple: Banteay Srey. It's an hour away by tuk tuk, and I wouldn't want to try that bumpy road perched on the back of a moto after the Bokor experience. Since I suppose most of my readers don't have the Cambodian Lonely Planet handy, and the book can put it much better than I, I'm including a quote here: "Banteay Srei is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. Considered by many to be the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art, the temple is cut from stone of a pinkish hue and includes some of the finest stone carving seen anywhere on the planet... Banteay Srei means "Citidel of the Women" and it is said that it must have been built by a woman, as the elaborate carvings are too fine ... read more

I've gotten pretty good at counting in Khmai: muy, bee, buy... so Bee Day would mean my second day at Siem Reap. The temples we visited this morning were not as massive as Angkor, but just as majestic and full of mystery. One question I still can't find an answer to is if they stones were carved in place or, if they were carved somewhere else and assembles later at the temple site. The day's itinerary included Bayon, Preah Khan, Ta Som, Neak Pean and then the Roluos Group, which are temples another 20km away. We made it to Bayon by 5:30 and had the place to ourselves, even the guards nuns and vendors weren't there yet. Nuns give out insence for a "donation" so you can offer insence to the altars they set up around ... read more

Sua s'dai! That's hello in Khmer! (I learned that from a 22 year old Buddhist Monk at Angkor Wat today). Siem Reap is simply amazing... I can't even begin to express what it's like to be here. The 11th century temples of Angkor and the complex history of the Khmer Empire is one thing, but the feeling I get from the people here is undescribable. I'm not sure if that comes from being a small town in the province of Siem Reap, or if its simply the Cambodian way. I have an inkling its a little of both. Yesterday, I hired a local man named Vigol to take me to Angkor on the back of his motorbike. (Now, Nanny, don't worry, the thing couldn't push 20 km/h if it wanted to), Angkor is made up of ... read more

Good Morning, I am in Siem Reap, Cambodia. For those who don't know, this is home to the incredible temples of Angkor. I'm told they're the largest and most impressive religious structures in the world. I'm on my way to see them today. (I've hired a driver to take me!) So I hop on a little regional jet yesterday in Bangkok and took the 55 minute flight to Siem Reap. My other option was to take a 12 hour (non-air conditioned) bus for about 10 dollars, but I really didn't think that was such a bright idea after stepping off a 14 hour overnight train from the south of Thailand. So, I treated myself. And boy, am I glad I did. I also heard some pretty dodgy stories about that bus ride. I need not worry ... read more

After a relaxing stop off in the four thousands islands in the far south of Laos, I was headed for Cambodia. After some issues at the border over my dual-nationality, I was in and after bartering myself a spot on a speedboat (wooden boat with huge engine and propeller strapped on back - not luxury sports toy!) I arrived in the first major town Stung Treng. Here the journeys started to get really interesting as Cambodia has some of the worst roads anywhere in the world and we were about to follow one that hadn't seen attention in a long time. Lonely Planet had this fitting description: "the last of the major highways which hasn't been upgraded. 141km of pain and torture". Which it was! The road, or series of interconnected craters which I think would be ... read more