16 - 22 December 2014
We are finally about to experiance the highlight of everyone's trip to Cambodia, Ankor Historical Park, home to multiple temple ruins built between 900 and 1200 AD. Some of the pictures may look familiar to Indiana Jones and Laura Croft fans.
We had a choice of a 3-day or 7-day pass to purchase. After seeing our way nice hotel room we decided to go with the 7-day pass to give us the option to take a day off while visiting the park and also gives us the option to take our time and maybe stay here for 4-6 days versus the planned 3 days.
Here is our passes...very official looking with picture and everything. The punches at the bottom indicate that we visited the park 4 times.
We had a choice of a 3-day or 7-day pass to purchase. After seeing our way nice hotel room we decided to go with the 7-day pass to give us the option to take a day off while visiting the park and also gives us the option to take our time and maybe stay here for 4-6 days versus the planned 3 days.
Here is our passes...very official looking with picture and everything. The punches at the bottom indicate that we visited the park 4 times.
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Here is what we accomplished in 6 days:
DAY 1 (17 Dec 14)
Preah Khan
Neak Pean
Ta Som
East Mebon
Banteay Samre
Pre Rup
Srah Srang
Bantey Kdei
DAY 2 (18 Dec 14)
Ta Prohm (7:30 AM)
Ta Keo
Thommanon
Phimeanakas & The Royal Palace
Chau Say Tevodo
Terrace of the Leper King
Terrace of the Elephants
Preah Palilay
East Gate
Prasat Bei
Baksei Chamkrong
Phnom Bakheng
DAY 3 (19 Dec 14)
Relax
DAY 4 (20 Dec 14)
Bayon (7:30 AM)
Banteay Srei
Kbal Spean
Prasat Kravan
Angkor Wat
DAY 5 (21 Dec 14)
Angkor Wat (7:15 AM)
Lolei
Preah Ko
Bakong
DAY 6 (22 Dec 14)
Relax
WOW...that was a lot of ruins we covered (29) with a total of 1,092 pictures taken!! All of these temples were so interesting with an incredible amount of detail in the carvings. Even the smaller, minor temples were incredible to visit and explore.
Now the hard part...what pictures to post of the 1,092. I have been stuck at this point of the blog for 2 days and can't figure out how to sort through all these pictures and post the best ones for you to see. I finally decided to post a few highlights of each day and then the lucky...or unlucky ones depending on how you look at it...will have to suffer through the rest when I show them all the pictures of the trip when we return to the states.
DAY 1:
There are 2 traditional itineraries (Grand Circuit & Small Circuit) to ensure you visit all the temples. The first day we are doing the Small Circuit, but to beat the crowds we chose to travel counterclockwise versus the tradional clockwise direction. We also skipped Bayon and Angkor Wat, tourist favorites, to visit later in the week.
DAY 1 (17 Dec 14)
Preah Khan
Neak Pean
Ta Som
East Mebon
Banteay Samre
Pre Rup
Srah Srang
Bantey Kdei
DAY 2 (18 Dec 14)
Ta Prohm (7:30 AM)
Ta Keo
Thommanon
Phimeanakas & The Royal Palace
Chau Say Tevodo
Terrace of the Leper King
Terrace of the Elephants
Preah Palilay
East Gate
Prasat Bei
Baksei Chamkrong
Phnom Bakheng
DAY 3 (19 Dec 14)
Relax
DAY 4 (20 Dec 14)
Bayon (7:30 AM)
Banteay Srei
Kbal Spean
Prasat Kravan
Angkor Wat
DAY 5 (21 Dec 14)
Angkor Wat (7:15 AM)
Lolei
Preah Ko
Bakong
DAY 6 (22 Dec 14)
Relax
WOW...that was a lot of ruins we covered (29) with a total of 1,092 pictures taken!! All of these temples were so interesting with an incredible amount of detail in the carvings. Even the smaller, minor temples were incredible to visit and explore.
Now the hard part...what pictures to post of the 1,092. I have been stuck at this point of the blog for 2 days and can't figure out how to sort through all these pictures and post the best ones for you to see. I finally decided to post a few highlights of each day and then the lucky...or unlucky ones depending on how you look at it...will have to suffer through the rest when I show them all the pictures of the trip when we return to the states.
DAY 1:
There are 2 traditional itineraries (Grand Circuit & Small Circuit) to ensure you visit all the temples. The first day we are doing the Small Circuit, but to beat the crowds we chose to travel counterclockwise versus the tradional clockwise direction. We also skipped Bayon and Angkor Wat, tourist favorites, to visit later in the week.
While walking around on Day 1 we came across women "mowing" the lawn Cambodian style:
DAY 2:
After doing most of the Small Circuit yesterday, today we will do the Grand Circuit in clockwise order versus the traditional counterclockwise direction. This allowed us to visit Ta Prohm (another tourist favorite) before 7:30 AM before the crowds began to show.
TA PROHM:
Ta Prohm is one of the favorite temples to visit with cool trees growing out of the ruins. It might look familiar to those that saw the movie Tomb Raider that was filmed here. One of the more interesting bas-relief is that of what looks like a stegosaurs...check out the last picture of this photo gallery!
After doing most of the Small Circuit yesterday, today we will do the Grand Circuit in clockwise order versus the traditional counterclockwise direction. This allowed us to visit Ta Prohm (another tourist favorite) before 7:30 AM before the crowds began to show.
TA PROHM:
Ta Prohm is one of the favorite temples to visit with cool trees growing out of the ruins. It might look familiar to those that saw the movie Tomb Raider that was filmed here. One of the more interesting bas-relief is that of what looks like a stegosaurs...check out the last picture of this photo gallery!
DAY 2 (Rest of temples):
DAY 4:
After a much needed day off, our plan today is to visit Bayon early in the morning before the crowds and then travel to the farther temples located 22 miles northeast of Siem Reap.
BAYON:
Bayon was one of our favorite temples to visit with its over 200 faces and incredible bas-reliefs. We got there before 7:30 AM before the crowds started showing up (see last picture of photo gallery). As the sun rose, different faces started to glow making it an incredible place to take pictures.
After a much needed day off, our plan today is to visit Bayon early in the morning before the crowds and then travel to the farther temples located 22 miles northeast of Siem Reap.
BAYON:
Bayon was one of our favorite temples to visit with its over 200 faces and incredible bas-reliefs. We got there before 7:30 AM before the crowds started showing up (see last picture of photo gallery). As the sun rose, different faces started to glow making it an incredible place to take pictures.
DAY 4 (Rest of temples):
Before traveling 22 miles we wondered if it was going to be worth it, but it was. The elaboratley decorated red sandstone walls of the miniature sized Banteay Srei was so different than any other temple we visited, it was worth the trip. Following Banteay Srei we visited Kbal Spean that started with a 1 mile hike up a mountain. When we got to the top we didn't see any temple and was wondering what was going on. Then, a local man started talking to us and showed us what we didn't see. There is no temple here, there are stone carvings in sandstone carved into the Stung Kbal Spean River bed and banks.
At the end of the planned tour we still had some time left so we decided to visit Angkor Wat for the second time and just focus on the amazing bas-reliefs that cover 600 feet of walls standing 6 feet tall. These bas-reliefs tells Hindu stories and shows historical events.
Before traveling 22 miles we wondered if it was going to be worth it, but it was. The elaboratley decorated red sandstone walls of the miniature sized Banteay Srei was so different than any other temple we visited, it was worth the trip. Following Banteay Srei we visited Kbal Spean that started with a 1 mile hike up a mountain. When we got to the top we didn't see any temple and was wondering what was going on. Then, a local man started talking to us and showed us what we didn't see. There is no temple here, there are stone carvings in sandstone carved into the Stung Kbal Spean River bed and banks.
At the end of the planned tour we still had some time left so we decided to visit Angkor Wat for the second time and just focus on the amazing bas-reliefs that cover 600 feet of walls standing 6 feet tall. These bas-reliefs tells Hindu stories and shows historical events.
DAY 5:
Today we are visiting Angkor Wat (for the third time) followed by a 8 mile trip east of Siem Reap to visit the temples of the Roluous Group.
ANGKOR WAT:
We arrived at Angkor Wat around 7:15 to try to beat the crowds. This is our third visit to Angkor Wat...the first we experienced the sunset and the second we viewed the amazing bas-reliefs. Now, we will finally enter the walls and explore the rest of the temple.
Today we are visiting Angkor Wat (for the third time) followed by a 8 mile trip east of Siem Reap to visit the temples of the Roluous Group.
ANGKOR WAT:
We arrived at Angkor Wat around 7:15 to try to beat the crowds. This is our third visit to Angkor Wat...the first we experienced the sunset and the second we viewed the amazing bas-reliefs. Now, we will finally enter the walls and explore the rest of the temple.
DAY 5 (Roluous Group):
After 5 days and 29 temples visited, we were finally done and it was time to say good-bye to our tuk-tuk driver:
The plan for the next day was to relax in our hotel room...which by the way was one of the reasons we decided to stay in Seim Reap as long as we did:
Rumahmu Boutique Hotel
 Huge room.  Great pool. |  Nice shower. |
Of course, there was a bit of a catch. When the wind blew from one direction there was a bit of a smell coming from the crocodile farm just next door. Keep in mind...this is within the Siem Reap city limits!
 Under that green and black tarp is concrete pools filled with crocodiles. |  Close-up of crocodiles. |
Anyway...that night the plan was to hit the night market which we haven't been able to do because we had some very early mornings to get to the temples before the crowds. However, by 5:00 PM I wasn't feeling vey well so we stayed in and decided to just go out the next day and explore the city some. After a no so good night I woke up to still not feeling well and I wound up sleeping the entire day and not being able to eat anything. What, you may ask, caused my illness? Well, that makes an excellent story.
While reading the travel guide for Cambodia I saw a mention of a palm beer that can be found in Cambodia. Up to this point of travel I was yet to find it, so I told our tuk-tuk driver to find some for me and I will give him a nice tip. When I first asked him there was another tuk-tuk driver there that said that I should be careful drinking the palm beer because it can give me a stomach ache...warning number 1. While driving back from the far temples we came across vendors selling palm candy. We asked them if they sold palm beer and the man said that he doesn't, but be careful because I can get a stomach ache...warning number 2. Our driver said not to worry...he will find it. After leaving the historical park on the fourth day our driver turned off the main road and headed down a very "local" road where he pulled up to a man standing next to his motorbike near a ditch. The motorbike had 6 plastic buckets hanging from it. Here he said...this is palm beer....warning number 3. Our driver pointing to me and told the man that I wanted to try some...the man giggled...warning number 4. He took the cup and tasted from each bucket and picked the best tasting for me. He then filled the same said cup with palm beer and handed it to me. This seems like the same cup everyone drinks from...warning number 5.
Now...5 warnings should be enough for the average person, but the average person is not a beer connoisseur like me, so I took the cup and drank half of it. It was warm, but it actually tasted pretty good with a bit of carbonation. I handed the cup to Tim and he wouldn't even smell it...he was not game after warning number 1...smart man! I started wondering if I just made a mistake by drinking it, so I handed the half cup to our driver who finished it off.
Unfortunately, our camera battery died that day so we couldn't get a picture, but a few days later I saw another palm beer seller and took a picture:
While reading the travel guide for Cambodia I saw a mention of a palm beer that can be found in Cambodia. Up to this point of travel I was yet to find it, so I told our tuk-tuk driver to find some for me and I will give him a nice tip. When I first asked him there was another tuk-tuk driver there that said that I should be careful drinking the palm beer because it can give me a stomach ache...warning number 1. While driving back from the far temples we came across vendors selling palm candy. We asked them if they sold palm beer and the man said that he doesn't, but be careful because I can get a stomach ache...warning number 2. Our driver said not to worry...he will find it. After leaving the historical park on the fourth day our driver turned off the main road and headed down a very "local" road where he pulled up to a man standing next to his motorbike near a ditch. The motorbike had 6 plastic buckets hanging from it. Here he said...this is palm beer....warning number 3. Our driver pointing to me and told the man that I wanted to try some...the man giggled...warning number 4. He took the cup and tasted from each bucket and picked the best tasting for me. He then filled the same said cup with palm beer and handed it to me. This seems like the same cup everyone drinks from...warning number 5.
Now...5 warnings should be enough for the average person, but the average person is not a beer connoisseur like me, so I took the cup and drank half of it. It was warm, but it actually tasted pretty good with a bit of carbonation. I handed the cup to Tim and he wouldn't even smell it...he was not game after warning number 1...smart man! I started wondering if I just made a mistake by drinking it, so I handed the half cup to our driver who finished it off.
Unfortunately, our camera battery died that day so we couldn't get a picture, but a few days later I saw another palm beer seller and took a picture:
Palm Beer being sold from a motorbike...not for the faint at heart.
The next day I woke up and felt great. Cool...I survived and didn't get sick from the palm beer! However, by that night I started not feeling very well...which takes us back to me lying in bed with no appetite, a bit of diarrhea, an obvious fever, and sleeping almost 36 hours straight.
Luckily the next morning I was feeling well enough to eat breakfast and get on the bus to the capital city of Phnom Penh.
Luckily the next morning I was feeling well enough to eat breakfast and get on the bus to the capital city of Phnom Penh.
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