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My Trip to Siem Reap Cambodia in 2008 Many people fled to Cambodia like swarms of bees since the late 2000s. The reason was very obvious where all wanted to have been to the UNESCO Historical Heritage Site Angkor Wat for once in their lifetime. Probably Angelina Jolie did a very good promotion of the place with her smash hit movie "Tomb Raider".  1. In September 2008, my friends Ethan Lee, Steven Chee, Cheong Lee Shan, Tai Kwai Fung and I hopped on the bandwagon and planned a 4D3N trip to Siem Reap. We took Malaysia Airlines because we managed to grab zero-fare tickets and ended up not a lot dearer than AirAsia, so we flew more comfortably and with food all the way from KLIA to Siem Reap. Forget services by the stewards, all Malaysians are treated the same.  2. We arrived at Siem Reap International Airport. This is just a very small airport and I thought it looks more like a resort to me especially with this photo.  3. Of course we went on budget trip and cannot afford to stay in posh resorts or hotels. This is the guesthouse Villa Siem Reap we stayed for the three nights, situated along a road in town which houses a stretch of other guesthouses. Our friend Ethan Lee chose this and all others happily agreed, as we all were lazy to decide. Muahahaha!  4. After a rest in our rooms, we headed out to explore Siem Reap. There were many tuk-tuk gathered in this area packed with backpackers and holiday makers. We bargained and engaged one to drive us around and this was our first stop at the Central Market. Yes, I like going to local markets when i travel because we get to see real local culture in there. Look, I smiled so gracefully. Wakakaka!  5. Of course there were many things to see in that market. I am not going to post all of them here but this particular one. I hope you didn't get a shock seeing these gory chicken feet. Oh, the poor chickens must have struggled so much that they got stroke and their feet straightened to death. Amitabha.  6. We continued to Angkor Wat to purchase our visitor pass that day. Since Angkor Wat was already closed for the day, we purchased the pass valid for the next day and it includes the entrance to a smaller temple opposite. This similar architecture gives a little preview of the bigger Angkor Wat itself.  7. We had to walked up a hill to reach the temple which is famous for the sunset view at the top of the hill. We were already tracking up the hill with many other visitors, and Holy J when we arrived at the top, this was what we saw! Hundreds of tourists sitting down there waiting to see the sunset like they are sitting in the stadium to watch World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.  8. This was the sunset we saw on top of the hill at the temple. Nothing impressive and I reckon we can see this everywhere. KNNCCB but we did stay up there for a while to take some photos and before the sky got dark, all have to leave the temple and descend the hill.  9. It is said that one must not miss the beautiful sunrise at Angkor Wat. We woke up at 4am the next day and leave for Angkor Wat at 5am although all of us were still very sleepy. KNNCCB again, it was cloudy and slight drizzling that morning, all we could see was the dark silhouette of Angkor Wat in the dark morning! We have to wait in total darkness for an hour before the sky gets brighter to take a photo and then went to eateries opposite for an expensive yet lousy breakfast while waiting for Angkor Wat to open for visits. If we knew the weather was not good, we would rather continue to sleep in till late morning, enjoy breakfast before heading to Angkor Wat.  10. Finally time to get into Angkor Wat. I was so angry that I tried to destroy it! Haha! Of course I am kidding, I certainly am not able to destroy this sacred temple which is almost a thousand years old that survived through so many winds and rains. I just did silly poses for photography purpose.  11. Inside Angkor Wat. Many giant stones skillfully carved to form the structures and left scientists and architects with a mystery on how the ancient people completed such an impossible marvel without technologically advanced facilities.  12. Besides Angkor Wat, our visitor passes also allowed us to visit our temples. These huge stones structures carved into statues are placed along the South Gate leading to the Bayon Temple. If you look closely, each of these stones are different. The fourth one looks like one of my schoolmates but I have forgetten his name.  13. We went to another temple, probably more widely known as the place where Angelina Jolie's "Tomb Raider" was shot. This is the Ta Prohm Temple which I personally find more fascinating. Look at the roots of the trees extending like spilled kampua noodles off the plate. This is just one of the many within the temple. Looked artistic and at the same time a little eerie if you thought of something else.  14. All you can admire with the trip to the Angkor Wat and other temples are these amazing stone structures so skillfully carved and formed into massive architectures. You can opt to buy a 3-day pass but I personally think 1-day is sufficient unless you are going to do archeological research in there. My Anay Twilight Man may need 3 days since he likes to admire ancient stuffs.  15. On the third day we went to Tonle Sap, the biggest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. We were put into a boat to see the lives of fishermen families who live on the lake and earn their livings from the lake.  16. The lake is not a calm one but rather choppy and yet it is so common to see lakers standing on small boats, or even just a metal basin, that looked like almost overturning, so firmly and without the fear of falling. Young kids were brought along on the boats to hawk and haggle their own produces to tourists. But please don't come near me with your pet snake! I swear I will pee in my pants! Wakakaka  17. Later that night, since we were frightened by the girl's pet snake, we went to eat snake in a restaurant in town. Just kidding, we didn't do that purposely but it was on the menu when we sat down. Being adventurous, we ordered a plate of python meat for BBQ. I hesitated a while before popping in my first piece of snake meat, taste like chicken but rather chewy. I pretended to be engaged with other types of meat so that my two friends Ethan Lee and Steven Chee finished the rest of the snake. Haha!  18. It was our last night there, the ladies went shopping at a night market nearby while the guys went for a drink at a posh bar in town. It was truly a huge contrast between these posh places meant for tourists and those really run-down places where the local spend their time.  19. Selfie wasn't popular 6 years back, we just camwhored which was the in-thing then. It was a very comfortable bar with huge sofa you can lie any way you may, like Empress Cixi or Cleopatra. The best thing was we had the whole bar by ourselves. Damn, I looked so young then that I radiated red lights like bulbs in a dim brothel! Wakakaka.  20. The next morning we still have half a day before we needed to get to the airport. Ethan Lee, Cheong Lee Shan and Tai Kwai Fung went to a local school nearby to distribute stationery to the poor students. Steven Chee and I woke up late and missed that, so we enjoyed breakfast in the garden of the guesthouse. It was nice I felt so glam like Zac Efron and Channing Tatum meet up for breakfast. This is a recap of my trip to Siem Reap in 2008. Since it's 6 years ago, I can't remember every detail. Click here if you would like to find out more about the trip. |
this post is a tribute dedicated to Twilight Man @ TWILIGHT ZONE (the post title 陰陽魔界 is Twilight Zone translated into Chinese).. TM may not update his blog regularly but all his posts are certainly quality ones that attract lots of readers and secret admirers.. i enjoy reading his posts that blend information and humour into his writing along beautiful pictures, and ah, huge fonts for easy reading too, haha.. outside blogging, TM is a very kind person in real who loves to help, he is also a very knowledgeable person that can give constructive opinions and advices.. dearest Anay, thank you for being there and how do you like this post mimicking your style of blogging?? muahaha.. :p |
Showing posts with label 暹粒 Siem Reap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 暹粒 Siem Reap. Show all posts
2014.06.05 | 陰陽魔界
23.09.2008 | 吳哥悠遊(4)
去到最後一日, 下晝機返吉隆坡, 其實得番嗰半日時間確實係冇乜可以做.. 於是就喺旅店個花園餐廳度, 叫咗份餐牌上最貴嘅早餐(再搭多杯鮮搾青檸水), 享受早上和暖嘅陽光, 望住花園啲花草樹木, 心情都開朗啲.. 食完之後好得閑, 就去附近個中央市場(Center Market)揀手信..
退房之後就直接去機場喇, 今日中午時份天氣炎熱, 所以篤篤車上一路沙塵滾滾, 好唔容易先捱到去機場.. 機場唔大, 不過應該係新建嘅, 所以睇落好乾淨好企理.. 當大家開開心心入閘時候, 職員叫我哋去畀機場稅, 大喇喇US$25, 真係食水好深囉, 駛唔駛咁貴啊?? 心口狠狠地畀插上一刀, 好痛, 柬埔寨畀我嘅第三個壞印象!!
喺候機大廳苦悶等待一個幾小時, 真係悶到抽筋, 因為細細機場一眼望晒冇咩店可以逛, 無無聊聊唯有玩自拍.. 幸好提早半個小時登機, 所以班機MH763順利地提早半個小時抵達吉隆坡.. 返到自己嘅屋子, 張床好舒服啊~~
~~暹粒四日遊之第四日, 完了就是完..
it's the last day of the trip, taking afternoon flight back to KL, nothing much can be done for the short half day time.. had breakfast in the hotel's garden restaurant and ordered the most expensive breakfast set (with a glass of icy cold freshly squeezed lime juice), enjoyed the warm morning sun and had a great view of the plants in the garden.. after the nice and relaxed breakfast, went to the Center Market nearby to pick up some souvenirs home, and at the same time to kill the idle time before heading home..
after checked-out we headed straight to the airport, this afternoon was hot and the tuk-tuk trip to airport was extremely dusty, not easy to suffered through and finally arrived at the airport.. the airport is small, supposed to be a new one, because it looked so clean and tidy.. when we were happily entering the waiting lounge, we were asked to pay for airport tax, and no joking it's US$25 per person, damn expensive for such a small airport.. the third bad impression i had on Cambodia!!
waiting boringly in the lounge before we can board the plane for more than an hour, nothing much to shop about in this airport really, so just gotta be a "cam-whore" to kill time.. luckily we were boarding 30min earlier, and hence flight MH763 touching down KL 30min earlier too.. back to own sweet home, my bed is the best bed on earth i have ever slept on, haha..
~~end of day 4 of 4 in Siem Reap, FULLSTOP..
退房之後就直接去機場喇, 今日中午時份天氣炎熱, 所以篤篤車上一路沙塵滾滾, 好唔容易先捱到去機場.. 機場唔大, 不過應該係新建嘅, 所以睇落好乾淨好企理.. 當大家開開心心入閘時候, 職員叫我哋去畀機場稅, 大喇喇US$25, 真係食水好深囉, 駛唔駛咁貴啊?? 心口狠狠地畀插上一刀, 好痛, 柬埔寨畀我嘅第三個壞印象!!
喺候機大廳苦悶等待一個幾小時, 真係悶到抽筋, 因為細細機場一眼望晒冇咩店可以逛, 無無聊聊唯有玩自拍.. 幸好提早半個小時登機, 所以班機MH763順利地提早半個小時抵達吉隆坡.. 返到自己嘅屋子, 張床好舒服啊~~
~~暹粒四日遊之第四日, 完了就是完..
it's the last day of the trip, taking afternoon flight back to KL, nothing much can be done for the short half day time.. had breakfast in the hotel's garden restaurant and ordered the most expensive breakfast set (with a glass of icy cold freshly squeezed lime juice), enjoyed the warm morning sun and had a great view of the plants in the garden.. after the nice and relaxed breakfast, went to the Center Market nearby to pick up some souvenirs home, and at the same time to kill the idle time before heading home..after checked-out we headed straight to the airport, this afternoon was hot and the tuk-tuk trip to airport was extremely dusty, not easy to suffered through and finally arrived at the airport.. the airport is small, supposed to be a new one, because it looked so clean and tidy.. when we were happily entering the waiting lounge, we were asked to pay for airport tax, and no joking it's US$25 per person, damn expensive for such a small airport.. the third bad impression i had on Cambodia!!
waiting boringly in the lounge before we can board the plane for more than an hour, nothing much to shop about in this airport really, so just gotta be a "cam-whore" to kill time.. luckily we were boarding 30min earlier, and hence flight MH763 touching down KL 30min earlier too.. back to own sweet home, my bed is the best bed on earth i have ever slept on, haha..
~~end of day 4 of 4 in Siem Reap, FULLSTOP..
22.09.2008 | 吳哥悠遊(3)
暹粒呢個地方係因為吳哥窟而聞名, 所以噚日搞掂咗吳哥窟之後, 基本上就當係任務完成.. 今日去另外一個所謂嘅旅遊點, 柬國最大內陸湖兼主要糧食來源, 洞裡薩湖(Tonle Sap).. 其實最主要係睇睇水上人家, 之不過去到湖村入口, 有關當局(我其實懷疑係真定假)竟然向我哋每人徵收US$20費用, 嘩, 唔好去搶?? 不過肉俎砧板上, 唯有乖乖就範, 柬埔寨畀我嘅第一個懷印象.. 結果成兩小時嘅trip就係坐喺個漁船度, 遙望水上人家, 都冇畀機會我哋作更進一步接觸, 呃錢!! 跟住又苦苦哀求我哋行善捐贈當地小朋友, 不過一支鉛筆叫價US$0.50, 一本薄切切簿仔叫價US$1, 你要人做善事都唔駛劏人一頸血係嘛?? 我哋梗係唔憤氣, 直頭say no啦, 柬埔寨畀我嘅第二個懷印象..
呃錢洞裡薩湖遊之後, 下晝冇細藝可做, 所以返旅店瞓晏覺, 呵呵.. 傍晚時分就開始去享受人生, 先去做massage, 好平啊, 不過我個師傅手勢唔好, 未能盡興.. 之後就梗係去食晚餐啦, 今晚突然好想去食啲特別啲嘅嘢, 結果見到舊街市有烤肉(包括蟒蛇肉同鱷魚肉), 所以鼓起勇氣, 人生短短數十載, 就去食喇.. 蟒蛇肉好似嚼煮到過老嘅魷魚, 鱷魚就似雞肉, 開始第一啖有啲驚, 不過食食落口唔去諗佢就冇事啦.. 不過始終都係覺得豬肉係最好食囉, 哈哈..
之後就去當地嘅吧街(Pub Street), 呢個地方梗係鬼佬聚集嘅地方啦, 周圍鬼聲鬼氣, 不過都係普通酒吧, 氣氛都係麻麻.. 最後喺旅店附近搵到間好正嘅酒店Hotel De La Paix, 裡頭有個餐廳同買酒吧, 餐廳要打烊所以就去酒吧, 間酒吧有個型爆命叫做Teardrop, 成個裝璜令人感覺好舒服, 中間一排四張類似舒發床嘅物體任由顧客左躺右瞓, 一坐上去我即刻變成冇腰骨, 好自在囉.. 嘢飲OK而且氣氛唔錯, 埋單每人US$5, 我覺得唔貴喎.. 橫掂最後一晚, 我唔介意稍微奢侈啲嘅..
~~暹粒四日遊之第三日..
Siem Reap is known to the world because of Angkor Wat, hence after the visit to Angkor Wat yesterday it was like mission accomplished for this trip.. went to another so-called attraction today, the biggest lake and the food source for the Cambodian, the lake Tonle Sap.. was expecting to see the floating village and people, but when we arrived at the checkpoint, the authority (i somehow suspect if they are official) asked US$20 from each of us, that was utterly ridiculous but anyhow we just gotta pay since we were there, the first bad impression i had on Cambodia.. the boat trip ended up with a 2-hour onboard experience watching the floating village from far, we were not given any chance to get closer encounters, con!! also the so-called tour guide pleaded us to make donations for the children, but a pencil for US$0.50 and a think booklet for US$1, should they want tourist to do charity, they should not have tag such unreasonable price, right?? of course we were not dumb, we would rather say no, the second bad experience i had on Cambodia..
after the half-a-day Tonle Sap con trip, there was nothing much to do, and hence we were back to the hotel for afternoon nap, haha.. became active again in the evening to pamper ourselves on this final night in Cambodia (we know we certainly not going to come back again), went for full body massage, an hour for only US$6 kind of cheap, but my masseur was not very good and so i did not really enjoy to the maximum.. dinner after that, and we suddenly feel like trying something special and exotic, and there we saw some BBQ shops selling python and crocodile meat.. life is just too short and there we went and gave it a try, python taste like overcooked squid, crocodile taste just like chicken, was a bit eerie the first bite, but later on was getting better when i did not think about what i was eating.. anyway, i still find that pork is the most delicious meat.. haha!!
wrapped up the night with pubbing, went to the Pub Street where foreigners gather.. not really the ambience we were looking for, and so we went back to a luxury hotel nearby ours, the Hotel De La Paix.. there's a restaurant and a pub in that hotel, the restaurant is closing and hence we headed straight to the pub.. the pub has a cool name called "Teardrop", the ambience is so cosy and relax, there were four sofa bed kind of seats in the middle row, customers can just sit or lie or sleep on them.. we got one and popped-on, and immediately i got boneless, it was feeling so free.. the drinks were OK and the atmosphere is relaxing, paying US$5 per person, i think that's just not expensive at all.. afterall i really don't mind spending a bit more to enjoy the last night being there..
~~end of day 3 of 4 in Siem Reap..
呃錢洞裡薩湖遊之後, 下晝冇細藝可做, 所以返旅店瞓晏覺, 呵呵.. 傍晚時分就開始去享受人生, 先去做massage, 好平啊, 不過我個師傅手勢唔好, 未能盡興.. 之後就梗係去食晚餐啦, 今晚突然好想去食啲特別啲嘅嘢, 結果見到舊街市有烤肉(包括蟒蛇肉同鱷魚肉), 所以鼓起勇氣, 人生短短數十載, 就去食喇.. 蟒蛇肉好似嚼煮到過老嘅魷魚, 鱷魚就似雞肉, 開始第一啖有啲驚, 不過食食落口唔去諗佢就冇事啦.. 不過始終都係覺得豬肉係最好食囉, 哈哈..
之後就去當地嘅吧街(Pub Street), 呢個地方梗係鬼佬聚集嘅地方啦, 周圍鬼聲鬼氣, 不過都係普通酒吧, 氣氛都係麻麻.. 最後喺旅店附近搵到間好正嘅酒店Hotel De La Paix, 裡頭有個餐廳同買酒吧, 餐廳要打烊所以就去酒吧, 間酒吧有個型爆命叫做Teardrop, 成個裝璜令人感覺好舒服, 中間一排四張類似舒發床嘅物體任由顧客左躺右瞓, 一坐上去我即刻變成冇腰骨, 好自在囉.. 嘢飲OK而且氣氛唔錯, 埋單每人US$5, 我覺得唔貴喎.. 橫掂最後一晚, 我唔介意稍微奢侈啲嘅..
~~暹粒四日遊之第三日..
Siem Reap is known to the world because of Angkor Wat, hence after the visit to Angkor Wat yesterday it was like mission accomplished for this trip.. went to another so-called attraction today, the biggest lake and the food source for the Cambodian, the lake Tonle Sap.. was expecting to see the floating village and people, but when we arrived at the checkpoint, the authority (i somehow suspect if they are official) asked US$20 from each of us, that was utterly ridiculous but anyhow we just gotta pay since we were there, the first bad impression i had on Cambodia.. the boat trip ended up with a 2-hour onboard experience watching the floating village from far, we were not given any chance to get closer encounters, con!! also the so-called tour guide pleaded us to make donations for the children, but a pencil for US$0.50 and a think booklet for US$1, should they want tourist to do charity, they should not have tag such unreasonable price, right?? of course we were not dumb, we would rather say no, the second bad experience i had on Cambodia..after the half-a-day Tonle Sap con trip, there was nothing much to do, and hence we were back to the hotel for afternoon nap, haha.. became active again in the evening to pamper ourselves on this final night in Cambodia (we know we certainly not going to come back again), went for full body massage, an hour for only US$6 kind of cheap, but my masseur was not very good and so i did not really enjoy to the maximum.. dinner after that, and we suddenly feel like trying something special and exotic, and there we saw some BBQ shops selling python and crocodile meat.. life is just too short and there we went and gave it a try, python taste like overcooked squid, crocodile taste just like chicken, was a bit eerie the first bite, but later on was getting better when i did not think about what i was eating.. anyway, i still find that pork is the most delicious meat.. haha!!
wrapped up the night with pubbing, went to the Pub Street where foreigners gather.. not really the ambience we were looking for, and so we went back to a luxury hotel nearby ours, the Hotel De La Paix.. there's a restaurant and a pub in that hotel, the restaurant is closing and hence we headed straight to the pub.. the pub has a cool name called "Teardrop", the ambience is so cosy and relax, there were four sofa bed kind of seats in the middle row, customers can just sit or lie or sleep on them.. we got one and popped-on, and immediately i got boneless, it was feeling so free.. the drinks were OK and the atmosphere is relaxing, paying US$5 per person, i think that's just not expensive at all.. afterall i really don't mind spending a bit more to enjoy the last night being there..
~~end of day 3 of 4 in Siem Reap..
21.09.2008 | 吳哥悠遊(2)
今日清晨4點就起身(係晨咁早嗰隻), 因為要去吳哥窟(Angkor Wat)睇日出.. 到步之後就抹黑行入寺廟範圍, 由西門到寺廟前需要經過城河, 因為昨晚落雨關係所以凹凸石橋上都係水灘, 加上天色昏暗, 所以真係步步為營.. 10分鐘後終於抵達觀看日出嘅最佳位置, 遊客亦都逐漸聚集, 不過非常之可惜, 是日陰天所以睇唔到日出, 個天就係咁霎時間亮起咗, 早知真係唔駛挨眼瞓咁早嚟扑空啦.. 不過陰天都未曾唔係好事, 至少可以逃過烈日暴晒呢一劫..
今日嘅行程主要係遊覽吳哥窟, 大吳哥城(Angkor Thom)同埋塔彭寺(Ta Phrom).. 吳哥窟相信大家都耳熟能詳, 呢個聯合國世界遺產係柬國嘅標誌同驕傲, 亦都係泰國嘅遺憾.. 呢個眾寺之母, 建築構造相當完善宏偉, 由大石建成嘅寺廟巧奪天工, 係令人驚訝當時啲人係點樣建築呢嘅古蹟囉..
大吳哥城嘅面積比吳哥窟大好多, 應該有四倍啦, 城內有幾個大大小小寺廟, 個概念就有點似北京故宮咁樣.. 相比吳哥窟, 大吳哥城內嘅寺廟風格就相對地原始, 其中最出名嘅巴戎寺(Bayon Temple)我覺得佢好靚過吳哥窟囉, 寺內每個塔頂四面都雕有佛面, 而且個個都栩栩如生, 非常之震撼人心..
塔彭寺係另外一個較有個性嘅寺廟, 應該係建於樹林中嘅.. 有個性唔係話佢嘅建築, 因為相當普通而且有三成已為廢墟, 有個性嘅係裡邊啲盤根纏寺嘅百年老樹, 見到樹根左穿右穿, 確實係耐人尋味.. 順便一提, 電影古墓奇兵(Lara Croft: Tomb Raider)就係喺呢度取景架喇..
有人話可以用三日時間逐間寺廟去考查, 不過我哋五人幫唔駛一日就全部主要經典搞掂晒, 其實都係走馬看花, 最主要都係擺靚款影靚相囉, 哈哈!! 結果下晝就結束是日路程, 返去舊街市食晏, 今次係去咗間好親民嘅地道茶餐廳解決, 環境點樣你可以想象, 不過味道唔錯價錢又公道, 得啦..
~~暹粒四日遊之第二日..
woke up at 4am this morning (that's excruxiatingly early) purposely to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat.. gotta walk in total darkness from the west gate across the molt into the temple area, and because of the rain last night, the uneven rock bridge was patched with water, we just gotta be very careful with each step we took so as not to wet our feet.. after 10min of walking+hopping, we finally reached the best spot to view the sunrise, and tourists were getting more and more waiting to see the sunrise too.. however, luck was not on our side because of the cloudy weather we could not see the sunrise at all.. the sky just got bright in seconds while we were still hoping to see the sunrise.. anyway, it's not any bad for a cloudy day, as we just don't have to get burnt under the sun for the day..
the main itinerary for the day was to visit Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Phrom.. i think i don't have to introduce more about Angkor Wat as this world heritage of UNESCO is so well known for being the pride of the Cambodians (something sourish for the Thai though).. the mother of all temples, architecturely complete and grand, was built up solely with stones (and i don't see any nails and brackets or what-so-ever), it is really amazing how the ancient people can build up such a wonder..
the Angkor Thom is a lot bigger in area than Angkor Wat, about four times the size i think, and there are quite some temples within the compound, it can be seen as a self-contained city enclosing temples within just like the concept of the Forbidden City in Beijing.. compared to Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom is more natural and raw in terms of the built-up, and the more famous Bayon Temple is more attractive to me in person.. each facade of the stapula built was carved with a Buddha's face, they look real and very impressive indeed..
the Ta Phrom is relatively more personality, not in terms of the construction and design because it is nothing much different from the Angkors and somemore 30% of it has turned ruins, the personality lies on the old trees with roots entangling the temples.. it's rather spectacular to see the roots overlaying on and wrapping all over the temples, no wonder the movie "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" chose to shot in this temple..
heard that one needs three good days to closely see every temples they have in the Angkor area, but the gang of 5 just did it in less than a day.. well, i gotta admit we were just not into details, as long as we've been there seen it and taken photos of it, we were satisfied.. and there we ended our itinerary for the day just before late afternoon, back to the Old Market for lunch.. this time we had it in a down-to-earth local restaurant, you can imagine how's the environment, but well the food came out quite good and the price, more importantly, is reasonable..
~~end of day 2 of 4 in Siem Reap..
今日嘅行程主要係遊覽吳哥窟, 大吳哥城(Angkor Thom)同埋塔彭寺(Ta Phrom).. 吳哥窟相信大家都耳熟能詳, 呢個聯合國世界遺產係柬國嘅標誌同驕傲, 亦都係泰國嘅遺憾.. 呢個眾寺之母, 建築構造相當完善宏偉, 由大石建成嘅寺廟巧奪天工, 係令人驚訝當時啲人係點樣建築呢嘅古蹟囉..
大吳哥城嘅面積比吳哥窟大好多, 應該有四倍啦, 城內有幾個大大小小寺廟, 個概念就有點似北京故宮咁樣.. 相比吳哥窟, 大吳哥城內嘅寺廟風格就相對地原始, 其中最出名嘅巴戎寺(Bayon Temple)我覺得佢好靚過吳哥窟囉, 寺內每個塔頂四面都雕有佛面, 而且個個都栩栩如生, 非常之震撼人心..
塔彭寺係另外一個較有個性嘅寺廟, 應該係建於樹林中嘅.. 有個性唔係話佢嘅建築, 因為相當普通而且有三成已為廢墟, 有個性嘅係裡邊啲盤根纏寺嘅百年老樹, 見到樹根左穿右穿, 確實係耐人尋味.. 順便一提, 電影古墓奇兵(Lara Croft: Tomb Raider)就係喺呢度取景架喇..
有人話可以用三日時間逐間寺廟去考查, 不過我哋五人幫唔駛一日就全部主要經典搞掂晒, 其實都係走馬看花, 最主要都係擺靚款影靚相囉, 哈哈!! 結果下晝就結束是日路程, 返去舊街市食晏, 今次係去咗間好親民嘅地道茶餐廳解決, 環境點樣你可以想象, 不過味道唔錯價錢又公道, 得啦..
~~暹粒四日遊之第二日..
woke up at 4am this morning (that's excruxiatingly early) purposely to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat.. gotta walk in total darkness from the west gate across the molt into the temple area, and because of the rain last night, the uneven rock bridge was patched with water, we just gotta be very careful with each step we took so as not to wet our feet.. after 10min of walking+hopping, we finally reached the best spot to view the sunrise, and tourists were getting more and more waiting to see the sunrise too.. however, luck was not on our side because of the cloudy weather we could not see the sunrise at all.. the sky just got bright in seconds while we were still hoping to see the sunrise.. anyway, it's not any bad for a cloudy day, as we just don't have to get burnt under the sun for the day..the main itinerary for the day was to visit Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Phrom.. i think i don't have to introduce more about Angkor Wat as this world heritage of UNESCO is so well known for being the pride of the Cambodians (something sourish for the Thai though).. the mother of all temples, architecturely complete and grand, was built up solely with stones (and i don't see any nails and brackets or what-so-ever), it is really amazing how the ancient people can build up such a wonder..
the Angkor Thom is a lot bigger in area than Angkor Wat, about four times the size i think, and there are quite some temples within the compound, it can be seen as a self-contained city enclosing temples within just like the concept of the Forbidden City in Beijing.. compared to Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom is more natural and raw in terms of the built-up, and the more famous Bayon Temple is more attractive to me in person.. each facade of the stapula built was carved with a Buddha's face, they look real and very impressive indeed..
the Ta Phrom is relatively more personality, not in terms of the construction and design because it is nothing much different from the Angkors and somemore 30% of it has turned ruins, the personality lies on the old trees with roots entangling the temples.. it's rather spectacular to see the roots overlaying on and wrapping all over the temples, no wonder the movie "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" chose to shot in this temple..
heard that one needs three good days to closely see every temples they have in the Angkor area, but the gang of 5 just did it in less than a day.. well, i gotta admit we were just not into details, as long as we've been there seen it and taken photos of it, we were satisfied.. and there we ended our itinerary for the day just before late afternoon, back to the Old Market for lunch.. this time we had it in a down-to-earth local restaurant, you can imagine how's the environment, but well the food came out quite good and the price, more importantly, is reasonable..
~~end of day 2 of 4 in Siem Reap..
20.09.2008 | 吳哥悠遊(1)
班機MH762於早上11時10分飛往柬埔寨, 喺金邊短暫停留之後, 中午時分抵達目的地暹粒(Siem Reap).. 到步之後即刻入住旅店The Villa Siem Reap, 稍作小休之後, 就向旅店職員了解當地環境好去處, 於是我哋一行五人就此展開呢個為期四日嘅吳哥之旅喇..
由旅店步行10分鐘左右就可以抵達市中心, 不過人生路不熟, 行到半路竟然覺得好lost, 於是就同街邊一位篤篤車司機(其實係其中一位向我哋招攬嘅司機)講掂數, 以US$8包佢一個下晝, 接送去舊街市(Old Market)同埋去吳哥窟(Angkor Wat)附近嘅巴肯山(Bakheng Hill)睇日落..
市中心地帶以舊街市為中心, 裡頭各式各樣貨品服務應有盡有, 當地人嘅衣食文化盡入眼帘, 較令我哋呢五個大鄉里嘆為觀止嘅係疑是蛇肉嘅條狀物體(結果查證其實係魚嚟啫), 同埋一列嘅街市美髮攤位同車衣攤位, 的確係好平民好懷舊, 不過有染髮有離子燙, 都幾摩登架.. :)
喺舊街市溜踏片刻至傍晚時分, 會合司機李奇(Rithy)出發前往巴肯山睇日落.. 上巴肯山需要入門票, 包括在吳哥窟嘅入門票裡頭, 每日下午五時之後賣票, 門票係第二日生效不過可以免費睇日落, 大嗱嗱US$20通行證算係咁啦.. 由山腳步行上山大概30分鐘, 身水身汗抵達山頂一個寺廟, 原來已經擠滿等待日落嘅遊客, 真係人潮洶湧囉.. 不過當時多雲, 見唔晒成個咸蛋黃, 有點遺憾..
入夜後再返回市中心晚膳, 柬埔寨菜其實都冇咩特別, 可能受泰越文化影響, 所以夾喺中間唔特出.. 食完之後就行路去附近嘅夜市(Night Market), 呢個夜市係專售賣手工藝品嘅, 要買咩手信, 呢個地方係最適合不過喇, 但係當然要先考量自己嘅殺價能力啦.. 其實我覺得柬埔寨人真係獅子擘大口, 見你係遊客就可以喪失理智咁開天價, 當我哋遊客係傻架??
~~暹粒四日遊之第一日..
flight MH762 took off at 11:10am towards Cambodia, stopped over at Phnom Penh for an hour, and finally we were there in Siem Reap in the afternoon.. upon arrival, we we transferred to our hotel The Villa Siem Reap, after check-in and a little rest, we seeked advices from the hotel staffs about the where-about around the area, soon after that, the group of 5 set of our 4D3N Siem Reap trip from there..
it's a 10min walk from hotel to the city centre, however being new to this town, we got lost half way en route, hence we just gotta hire a tuk-tuk driver to send us to places we wished to go for the second half of the day.. we got a deal with Rithy (one of the tuk-tuk touts) with US$8 for bringing us to the Old Market as well as seeing sunset at Bakheng Hill nearby Angkor Wat..
the city center area is developed with the Old Market as heart, one can just find any goods and services he named in the market.. what made 5 of us astonished were the snake look-alike objects hanging high at the meat stalls (only to found out they were just fish in the end), the market-style beauty salon and seamstress stalls.. they are really down-to-earth and retro, but one can get hair dying and rebonding there, which somehow make the stalls kind of up to the trendy fashion beat.. :)
after spending some time in the market, we were off to Bakheng Hill with Rithy the driver.. entrance pass is required for the spot and it is included in the entrance pass for Angkor Wat.. purchasing the pass after 5pm entitles you to have the ticket effective the next day but still earn a free entry for the sunset viewing at Bakheng Hill, US$20 for a 1-day pass, well they should have this flexibility to please the patrons, agree? walking up brings you to a monestry ruin on the top of the hill and takes you a good 30 (sweaty) minutes, we arrived there and found out that the place was already flooded with tourists waiting for the sunset.. too bad it was cloudy that evening, could not see the perfect sunset though, a waste..
after sunset we went back to the city center area for dinner, frankly Cambodian food is not unique enough as her counterpart Thailand and Vietnam, perhaps assimilating both her neighbours that make the Cambodian food nothing about signature.. after dinner, we headed to the Night Market nearby, a place built up specially for selling handicrafts to tourists, the best place to get some souvenirs back if you need some, however be good in bargaining is the ultimate weapon.. i sometimes think the cambodians are a little too much, they will just set the price so heavenly as long as they know you are a tourist, but just don't forget we tourists are no dumb either..
~~ end of day 1 of 4 in Siem Reap..
由旅店步行10分鐘左右就可以抵達市中心, 不過人生路不熟, 行到半路竟然覺得好lost, 於是就同街邊一位篤篤車司機(其實係其中一位向我哋招攬嘅司機)講掂數, 以US$8包佢一個下晝, 接送去舊街市(Old Market)同埋去吳哥窟(Angkor Wat)附近嘅巴肯山(Bakheng Hill)睇日落..
市中心地帶以舊街市為中心, 裡頭各式各樣貨品服務應有盡有, 當地人嘅衣食文化盡入眼帘, 較令我哋呢五個大鄉里嘆為觀止嘅係疑是蛇肉嘅條狀物體(結果查證其實係魚嚟啫), 同埋一列嘅街市美髮攤位同車衣攤位, 的確係好平民好懷舊, 不過有染髮有離子燙, 都幾摩登架.. :)
喺舊街市溜踏片刻至傍晚時分, 會合司機李奇(Rithy)出發前往巴肯山睇日落.. 上巴肯山需要入門票, 包括在吳哥窟嘅入門票裡頭, 每日下午五時之後賣票, 門票係第二日生效不過可以免費睇日落, 大嗱嗱US$20通行證算係咁啦.. 由山腳步行上山大概30分鐘, 身水身汗抵達山頂一個寺廟, 原來已經擠滿等待日落嘅遊客, 真係人潮洶湧囉.. 不過當時多雲, 見唔晒成個咸蛋黃, 有點遺憾..
入夜後再返回市中心晚膳, 柬埔寨菜其實都冇咩特別, 可能受泰越文化影響, 所以夾喺中間唔特出.. 食完之後就行路去附近嘅夜市(Night Market), 呢個夜市係專售賣手工藝品嘅, 要買咩手信, 呢個地方係最適合不過喇, 但係當然要先考量自己嘅殺價能力啦.. 其實我覺得柬埔寨人真係獅子擘大口, 見你係遊客就可以喪失理智咁開天價, 當我哋遊客係傻架??
~~暹粒四日遊之第一日..
flight MH762 took off at 11:10am towards Cambodia, stopped over at Phnom Penh for an hour, and finally we were there in Siem Reap in the afternoon.. upon arrival, we we transferred to our hotel The Villa Siem Reap, after check-in and a little rest, we seeked advices from the hotel staffs about the where-about around the area, soon after that, the group of 5 set of our 4D3N Siem Reap trip from there..it's a 10min walk from hotel to the city centre, however being new to this town, we got lost half way en route, hence we just gotta hire a tuk-tuk driver to send us to places we wished to go for the second half of the day.. we got a deal with Rithy (one of the tuk-tuk touts) with US$8 for bringing us to the Old Market as well as seeing sunset at Bakheng Hill nearby Angkor Wat..
the city center area is developed with the Old Market as heart, one can just find any goods and services he named in the market.. what made 5 of us astonished were the snake look-alike objects hanging high at the meat stalls (only to found out they were just fish in the end), the market-style beauty salon and seamstress stalls.. they are really down-to-earth and retro, but one can get hair dying and rebonding there, which somehow make the stalls kind of up to the trendy fashion beat.. :)
after spending some time in the market, we were off to Bakheng Hill with Rithy the driver.. entrance pass is required for the spot and it is included in the entrance pass for Angkor Wat.. purchasing the pass after 5pm entitles you to have the ticket effective the next day but still earn a free entry for the sunset viewing at Bakheng Hill, US$20 for a 1-day pass, well they should have this flexibility to please the patrons, agree? walking up brings you to a monestry ruin on the top of the hill and takes you a good 30 (sweaty) minutes, we arrived there and found out that the place was already flooded with tourists waiting for the sunset.. too bad it was cloudy that evening, could not see the perfect sunset though, a waste..
after sunset we went back to the city center area for dinner, frankly Cambodian food is not unique enough as her counterpart Thailand and Vietnam, perhaps assimilating both her neighbours that make the Cambodian food nothing about signature.. after dinner, we headed to the Night Market nearby, a place built up specially for selling handicrafts to tourists, the best place to get some souvenirs back if you need some, however be good in bargaining is the ultimate weapon.. i sometimes think the cambodians are a little too much, they will just set the price so heavenly as long as they know you are a tourist, but just don't forget we tourists are no dumb either..
~~ end of day 1 of 4 in Siem Reap..
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