Goboogo : Cambodia

Showing posts with label Cambodia. Show all posts

Friday, July 15, 2022

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is one of the best places on the planet. I have visited around 120 countries and seen a lot of beauty, but Angkor is just the right blend of magic and reality and vibes. It is the perfect temple complex, and I love it so much.

As recently as 1980, Cambodia had no monetary system. The reign of Pol Pot removed a generation and created a fractured society filled with people who have big hearts and smiles. Many live exceptionally simple lives in the countryside, and it is fascinating to travel and view life from this perspective.

12 years ago we visited the Siem Reap night market for the first time. It was a place where you could buy weird animals, get your ear’s cleaned, have fish gnaw at your feet, change Kyat to Riel, buy t shirts, and get a Khmer massage. It felt like the center of the evening universe before the crowds dispersed and hit pub street.

We were thankful to see the night market alive and well, though gone were some of the weirder offerings. In 2022, it has a more wholesome, less Mos Eisley Cantina, vibe. The kids bought necklaces and elephant dolls, and we rode home in the rain.

Kompong Phluk

We visited one of the lake communities on Tonle Sap and it really blew the kids away to see how people live interesting lives on the water.

A return to Cambodia

How long has it been old friend? Over 10 years? When Kristin and I first set foot in Cambodia we were in love. The temples, night markets, red dirt, adventurous countryside romps - it pulled us in. We visited twice in two years, and it is a delight to return 12 years later to see our old friend.

Most importantly, it has been incredible sharing it with our children. Exploring temple ruins with Harper and Ronan was an absolute delight and a perfect adventure.

3 days in Cambodia - Angkor Wat

Siem Reap is an ancient place. It is well-worn with character written like wise creases on an old face. At its apogee, the Khmer empire built some of the most extraordinary temples in the world, ruling a kingdom covering parts of current day Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Myanmar. This was the Rome of Southeast Asia. Angkor Wat, the crown jewel in the Cambodian crown, is laid out to mirror the universe - this ambition rivaled only by its beauty. When I stood before the pyramids of Giza, I was impressed. When I came upon Angkor Wat, I was in love.

Flying to Cambodia is easy, as routes fly nonstop from many Southeast Asian hubs. The cheapest flight into Siem Reap is on Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur for roughly $120 round-trip. Flights from Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh are closer to $300 round-trip. If you are just aching to part with your dough, Silk Air offers a flight from Singapore that hovers around a grand. You can also take a bus into Siem Reap from Bangkok or Phnom Penh. Cambodia issues a visa on arrival so there is no need to obtain one beforehand. The process is quick and easy.

Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia

Hard to believe it has been two years since we have been to Cambodia - enjoy this picture of a lake scene on Tonle Sap from Summer of 2010. Maybe next year we will head back to this interesting and beautiful land.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Last Day in Cambodia Pictures

We did way too much today, and I cannot even fathom writing about it all and packing for our early flight tomorrow. Enjoy these pictures. I think they are pretty good. We went to Bantay Srei, Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, and the Land Mine museum. Oh, and than we rode ATVs through the rice paddies at sunset. Exhausted. Hong Kong tomorrow.

We started the day at Bantay Srei, which is abut 45 minutes from the ancient city of Angkor. It is known as the Lady Temple, and has some very intricate carvings.

It was pretty empty

This temple is pretty small, but very cool

Every surface seems to be carved and finished with a fine touch

These women are present at most temples. They are called Aspara.

It is small, but very dramatic and well designed

All about the details here

Details

And more

still

Yay, butterflies

These are for my small faction of butterfly enthusiasts

Landmine museum was pretty amazing

Filled with mines, the guy that runs the place has defused something like 50000. There are currently 3 to 6 million active mines in Cambodia, and many people get disfigured and killed each year by these mines.