le Dreamingguy.cOm

Here comes the Part 2 of my Cambodia Trip.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Cultural Village & Night Market

Day 2: Angkor Wat (小吴哥), Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom (大吴哥), Bayon, Baphuon, Prasat Suor Prat, Massage

Day 3: Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei, Beng Mealea, Tonle Sap (洞里萨湖) for Sunset

Day 4: Banteay Kdei, Banteay Samre, Preah Kahn, Ta Som, Sunset at Phnom Bakheng (巴肯山), Dinner & Massage at Night Market

Day 5: Back to Malaysia

Our professional photographer

Ta Prohm

Early in the morning, 6.54am

Finally it came out, 7.32am

Reach the top of Angkor Wat, 7.44am

Waiting to go for Sunset at Tonle Sap

Flame from my mouth

Sunset at Phnom Bakheng

For more photos, please refer to the Gallery.

I visited to Siem Reap again on 22 to 26 April 2010.  It was a 5 Days 4 Nights trip and well organise & lead by a Driver cum Tour-Guide name Ah Ming. He is so friendly and can speak Mandarin very well. We have no problem in communicating in the whole trip and he become our translator too when dealing with the local people.

Just a bit disappointed that the Angkor Wat is under renovation which you can see it has been cover by the green layer. But it didn’t stop us from shooting photos. When comparing to my previous visit, you can find out that the water in the pond and grass along the walkway no longer greenish but dried. It lost the feeling of greenish and just imagine the weather is extremely hot.

Compare this…

Arrived to Siem Reap Airport

New Riverside Hotel

This is the hotel that we going to stay for the following days. Condition of the hotel quite new and with a small swimming pool. The hotel provide Free WiFi online and PCs are Free to Use at the lobby too which is quite convenience for those who can’t live without internet. We’ve been offer for only USD$15 for the Double/Twin Room & USD$20 for Triple Room per night and the breakfast is included. It has been much more cheaper than the published rate at the official website (www.riversideroom.com). Thanks to Ah Ming arrangement!

Twin Room

After having Mihun Soup as breakfast, our trip’s driver cum tour-guide leaded us to visit the local Old Market.

Ah Ming (leader) guiding us ahead and walk through the stalls.

Stalls which selling Gold Jewellery, imagine what will happen if these stalls are in here

2nd destination…Cultural Village

I would only recommend to visit the cultural village if you have plenty of free time. The cultural shows didn’t attract me a lot and maybe being affected by the environment. Majority of the shows took place at open air places which the weather is so hot in the afternoon. So you will not have the mood to enjoy it and I will prefer to walkaround to enjoy the view of Siem Reap City.

Show Time

For the Cultural Shows, I didn’t took much photos because I’ve nearly fall asleep during the show. For god sake, finally it ended at 5pm+ and we straight away headed to have our dinner. We tried for the Chinese Beijing Food for the first night. The Fried Dumpling (锅贴) is recommended to try at this restaurant. It costs average USD$3+ per person for the dinner.

After the dinner, we choose to explore on the Night Market at the Old Market. We’ve found a lots of local food stalls in there. That’s the place for us to try out the local food in the coming few days and also the only place for us to walkaround during the night time. Anchor Beer exceptional cheap compare to other brands. It only cost you USD$0.50 for the Draught beer. Must got for it when you are in Siem Reap next time!

Food Stalls at Night Market

It’s the same as our Roti Canai, but taste nicer

Draught beer only USD$0.50 – Rest & Relax after a tired walk

Thats all for our first day in Siem Reap and everyone is excited for the 2nd day towards the Angkor Wat.

Stay tunes for the next updates…

2 more day to go, which starting on 22 March, I will travel to Siem Reap again to explore on the historical city. I’m sure this will be a wonderful trip again! Will update more information and photos once I am back!

Here are some previous trip photos and information. [Link]

After travelling to Siem Reap, I feel like I can score some marks for my history subject. I’m so poor in history and due to this reason, i have no idea why Siem Reap so famous until I find out that the main attraction of the Angkor Wat!  It is gorgeous and magnificent! I can’t believe that how they built the temples in the ancient time. It is not only a piece of art, it is also a sympol of a Kingdom. The architectural structure of these temples are so unique.  All of the Temples are over a few centuries and it is still ostentatious. Just imagine that every stones that you steps on it are so historical and precious!

In March I will travel to this historical place again. This time, it is a 5 Days 4 Nights in Siem Reap and I’m sure we will have more time to explore this places again.

I am so lucky to have a photo with Hong Kong famous artist – Nicholas Tse during the trip in Angkor Wat. He is really a kind person who never refuse any person who approached him for photographs.

Photos Slideshow

[picasa width="400" height="400" autoplay="0" showcaption="1"]http://picasaweb.google.com/dreamingguy1/SeamReapCambodia[/picasa]

History

Siem Reap City is the capital of Siem Reap Province, Cambodia.

Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market. In town, there are Apsara dance performances, craft shops, silk farms, rice-paddy countryside, fishing villages and a bird sanctuary near the Tonle Sap Lake. It is the gateway city for nearby Angkor Wat.

Siem Reap today, being a popular tourist destination, has a large number of hotels and restaurants. Most smaller establishments are concentrated around the Old Market area, while more expensive hotels are located between Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport and the town along National Road 6. There are a variety of mid-range hotels and restaurants along Sivatha, and budget to mid-range hotels in the Phsar Leu area.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat (Angkor temple) is the central feature of the Angkor UNESCO World Heritage Site containing the magnificent remains of the Khmer civilization. Angkor Wat’s rising series of five towers culminates in an impressive central tower that symbolizes mythical Mount Meru. Thousands of feet of wall space are covered with intricate carving depicting scenes from Hindu mythology.

Angkor Thom

This magnificent inner royal city was built by the end of the 12th century and is renowned for its temple grounds and towering southern gate.

(Source)