Adventures in life, travel and teaching

Soksabike – Cambodian Livelihoods Tour

Posted on April 25, 2015 by racheldennisotr

I met Mony from Soksabike early one morning to head out on a ‘Cambodian Livelihoods Tour’ which promised a day of exploration of the Cambodian countryside and to experience how local families live and how they make a living.

Before we got on our bikes Mony gave me a lesson on the Khmer language as well as instruction on how to greet the families we would be meeting. Hands together in a prayer position and if the person I was greeting was an elder the hands were to be placed higher up on the face vs. a child where they should be placed lower, towards the chest. Mony provided me with a list of various greetings, questions and responses in Khmer and I awkwardly repeated each sentence, forgetting each one pretty much immediately! Not a great start to the day, however by the end of it I was comfortably greeting people that we met with the formal ‘chum reap sour’, saying goodbye with ‘chum reap leah’ and lots of thank yous – ‘orkun’ in between.

Mony leads the way on the Soksabike Cambodian Livelihoods tour.

Bike selfie…not that easy to do!

Our first stop was a family who made rice paper, they type that’s used in rice paper rolls. They make between 2,000 and 4,000 per day, depending on how hot it is as this dictates how quickly the rice paper dries. It looked like backbreaking work, especially for the Aunty who had the job of preparing the mixture and cooking it on the hot stone.

Making rice paper on the hot stone.

Laying out the rice paper to dry. The family produces between 2k and 4k sheets per day.

Rice paper laid out to dry in the sun.

For each family Mony also told me a little about their history and how they were impacted by the Khmer Rouge Regime. Most of the families lost everything that they had and were forced to leave their homes and livelihoods to work in the countryside as farmers. These were incredibly moving stories and really put the atrocities of the past into a current context.

Our next stop was a family who produced dried and sweet fried bananas as well as various other produce. We spent time chatting to the mother of the family about her children as she cut slices of fresh banana and laid them out on bamboo boards to dry in the sun.

The mother of the family slices up fresh bananas and lays them on a bamboo board to be dried.

The fresh banana is laid out to dry in the sun.

A selection of the produce produced by the family including delicious sugary sweet fried bananas.

Enjoying the fried bananas!

Delicious boiled eggs with a potent garlic and chili dipping sauce.

Onwards, to rice wine! Mony told me that the rice wine made by this one family was the best in the district because they produced the best yeast. Now I may have missed some of the process but I think in short the rice is soaked, drained, cooked and then laid out to dry. The yeast is then added and it’s cooked again and the vapour that comes from the cooking process is captured and cooled so that it condenses…and that’s the rice wine, or something similar! I was expecting not to like it but it was smoother than I expected and gently warmed my insides.

Rice wine in the making.

On the way to our next stop, a fish paste producer, we stopped at a local school which caused a fair bit of excitement!

Smiles and laughter at the local school.

Fish paste is an integral element to pretty much all Khmer food, it’s very potent, rich and rather smelly!

Barrels of all kinds of different fish that are compressed and left to ferment for months at a time to create fish paste.

Laying out fish to dry.

We stopped for a fabulous lunch hosted by a local family, which was followed by a snooze in a hammock to escape the heat of the day.

A fabulous lunch hosted by a local family.

After lunch we cycled to Wat Phiphétaram where Mony told me a number of stories about the life and enlightenment of Buddha as we walked around the statues and through the temples.

Wat Phiphétaram.

Pediment detail at Wat Phiphétaram.

Reclining Buddy at Wat Phihétaram.

After the temple we visited a mother and her daughter who produced sticky rice. I looked on in astonishment as the daughter, probably no more than 4 or 5 quite effectively welded a large cleaver to cut up strips of bamboo!

The rice is mixed with coconut milk and beans and then roasted in bamboo.

Pretty handy knife skills for a 5 year old!

Mony, my excellent tour guide, sharing some sticky rice.

Our final stop was a sobering visit to Wat Somrong Knong and the Well of Shadows, a monument to the Khmer Rouge genocide. Wat Somrong Knong was turned into a prison during the regime and the surrounding areas were used as killing fields where over 10k people died. The monument contains a glass case with the skulls and bones of the victims found in the killing fields and is surrounded by a bas-relief that graphically depicts the atrocities that took place there.

Bas-reliefs depicting images from the Khmer Rouge genocide at the Well of Shadows.

Inscription at the Well of Shadows monument to the genocide.

Bas-reliefs depicting images from the Khmer Rouge genocide at the Well of Shadows.

….and finally a picture from the day that makes me smile.

Written from the YWCA, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The dining room at the YWCA in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Posted in Cambodia | Tagged Asia, Cambodia, Cycling, Fish Paste, Rice Paper, Rice Wine, Soksabike, The Well of Shadows, Wat Somrong Knong | 1 Comment

Battambang – Relaxing by the River

Posted on April 25, 2015 by racheldennisotr

We arrived at the riverside town of Battambang at about 6:30pm and I was picked up by a remorke from the hostel that I’d booked, the curiously named ‘Here Be Dragons’. Battambang is located in the NW of Cambodia and lies along the Sangkae River. It was colonized by the French in 1907 and there are plenty of examples of French Colonial architecture dotted around the town. It’s an easy town to navigate as it’s based on a grid system with the larger parallel streets numbered 1, 2, 3 and so on and the smaller lanes running in between happily numbered 1.5, 2.5, 3.5.

Early morning mist on the riverside town of Battambang, NW Cambodia.

Street view in Battambang.

Battambang Shops.

Early morning on the east bank of Battambang.

I spent a fair bit of my time in Battambang doing some travel and life admin; researching places to go, booking hostels and buses, laundry, responding to email and trying to catch up on my blog – which seems to be a reoccurring challenge! I spent a great day with Soksabike on a ‘Cambodian Lifestyles Tour’ where we visited local family businesses throughout the surrounding countryside. See post: Cambodia Livelihoods Tour with Soksabike

http://www.soksabike.com/

A great day out on the informative Cambodian Livlihoods tour with Soksabike.

I also caught up with Stephen my dorm mate from Siem Reap and one evening we went to the Phare circus. Battambang is the home of Phare and their associated NGO school the Phare Ponleu Selpak where all Phare circus performers learn their skills. For more on Phare visit prior post ‘Phare – the Unique Cambodian Circus’.

The incredible Phare Cambodian Circus in Battambang.

It was a very relaxing and productive few days. I spent a good few hours walking around the town, taking photos, stopping for various snacks and just sitting by the river watching the world go by.

Bridge over the river to the Governors Residence.

Dried and smoked fish at the central market – Phsar Nath, Battambang.

Market produce at Phsar Nath.

The old railway station building in Battambang.

Disused railway repair sheds in Battambang.

I met some really interesting people too and one evening enjoyed a great fish amok curry with new friends. Our night ended with a most excellent, but rather strong G&T at a new bar and shop run by a couple of Aussie ex-pats called Bric-a-Brac.

http://bric-a-brac.asia/blog/

The next morning Stephen and I took a mini-van down to Phnom Penh, where I was stopping for a night before heading down to Kep. Stephen was continuing his journey through to Vietnam so we wished each other happy travels with drinks at the historic Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC).

Stephen looks on as one of the tyres on our minivan was changed.

Taking a break as we wait for the tyre to be changed.

View from the FCC in Phnom Penh.

Written from the YWCA in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Classic colonial style at the YWCA in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Posted in Cambodia | Tagged Battambang, Cambodia, Soksabike | Leave a comment

Dorm Living – Sleep Essentials

Posted on April 25, 2015 by racheldennisotr

As a solo traveller staying in a dorm room is one of the easiest ways to meet people, it also however comes with some challenges, lack of space and sharing a bathroom with strangers being the main ones! I’m not the neatest of travellers and like a lot of space so I’ve had to become adept at reducing my ‘dorm footprint’ through planning what I’ll need over the next few days and making sure it’s easily accessible. My multiple dry bags are very helpful at keeping me organized as is my backpack that, unlike some packs where you access the main compartment from the top, my pack zips all the way around so you can easily see everything that’s in it.

When it comes to sharing a bathroom with strangers, well you just get used to it as there is often no other option. The shower normally isn’t separate from the main space and generally doesn’t have any kind of shower curtain so most of the time the floor and loo seat are wet. You become used to the bottom of your trousers getting soggy every time you visit!

At the beaches and on the islands where often there isn’t running water the ‘shower’ is a big barrel of water and a scoop that you use to wet and rinse yourself with. It’s best not to look too closely at the cleanliness of the water in the barrel and just get on with it. The sea also provides a nice alternative if the water in the barrel looks too grotty.

The shower…just don’t look at the water in the barrel too closely!

The sewage system in Cambodia isn’t able to cope with anything other than ‘natural waste’ so no loo paper down the toilet! This situation has resulted in the invention of the ‘bum gun’ a hose with a spray gun on the end which you use to clean yourself with first before you dry with the loo paper which then goes in the bin.

The ‘Bum Gun’ plus bucket and scoop to flush the loo.

My favourite dorms are the ones where the bathroom and loo aren’t joined to the actual room as this give you a bit more privacy, which is kind of nice when most of the people traveling normally experience some kind of stomach upset every few days!

Some hostels give you the option of a single sex dorm but many don’t and for a few nights in Siem Reap I was the only girl in the dorm. Initially it feels a bit weird, but once again you get used to it and the various noises and smells that emanate from your dorm mates at night!

Close quarter living in the 16 person dorm at ‘Mitch’s Place’ in Kampot.

Prices for a dorm range from US$3 to US$10 per night depending on the season or location. Smaller dorms normally have 4 to 6 bunk beds in them and the larger dorms can be up to and over 18 beds. The best equipped dorms have some kind of personal ‘safe’, a private reading light and your own electrical socket next to your bed to conveniently charge the various digital devices that most travellers are addicted to.

Top bunk at the One Stop hostel in Phnom Penh.

Personal light, safe and sockets by my bunk at One Stop in Phnom Penh.

Finally on to tips for a good night’s sleep.

The first thing to check is the bed for bed-bugs. The easiest way to check this is to look at the edges of the mattress, under the sheet, for these little critters. I normally sleep in a lightweight silk sleeping bag which is cool and provides additional protection from bugs. A lightweight sleeping bag also ensures that you don’t inadvertently reveal too much flesh to ones dorm mates! Some people aren’t bothered about this and will happily sleep in skimpy underwear on top of the covers to get reprieve from the heat. Once again, you just get used to it!

Ear-plugs and an eye mask are also key necessities to block out the noise and lights as people come and go at various times of the night and morning. Finally, if sleeping on the bottom bunk I find that tucking a sarong under the mattress of the top bunk so that it hangs down also provides a bit of additional privacy.

Dorm at Mushroom Point, Otres 1.

Written from the YWCA, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Classic colonial style at the YWCA in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Posted in Cambodia | Tagged Asia, Backpacking, Cambodia, Dorm Living, Sleep | Leave a comment

By Boat to Battambang.

Posted on April 15, 2015 by racheldennisotr

So my time at the great ancient city of Angkor was up and it was time to move on. I had decided to take the boat from Siem Reap to Battambang (pronounced Battambong) a riverside town in the NW of Cambodia.

The boat journey cost $25, pretty expensive compared to the bus, and would take between 6 and 9 hours. Our journey would take us along the Siem Reap River, across Tonle Sap Lake and down the Sangkae River to Battambang. As it was still the dry season and the river low we were warned that the journey could take a long time and the boat could potentially run aground. In the end it took us 9 hours to reach our destination and I loved every minute!

View from inside the boat on the way to Battambang.

There were seven other tourists on the boat and a few locals who would get on and off at various stops along the way. The boat was basic, wooden benches down either side, side shades that you could drop down for protection from the sun and thankfully a toilet which was innovatively kept constantly flushed by an input pipe from the river. I spent most of the time sitting on the roof and taking in the panorama around me. We travelled through floating villages and got a privileged insight into the daily comings and goings of Cambodia life on the river.

Daily Cambodian life at a river village on the Sangkae River.

Smiles and waves as we pass through a floating village.

Daily Cambodian life at a river village on the Sangkae River.

Floating church on Tonle Sap Lake

Happy on my rooftop perch.

There was an abundance of beautiful birdlife and even though it was the dry season rich lush vegetation. We stopped at about 11:30am for some boat repairs which provided us with the chance to buy some local snacks and get to know our fellow passengers. We did get stuck a number of times and at one stage it took us about an hour to journey 100 meters. The boatmen, plus a willing tourist, had to push and drag the boat along at one stage with the engine straining to drive us through the shallow water.

Beautiful birdlife on the Sangkae River .

Stuck! The boatman get out and have to push us along.

The engines strain to drive us through the shallow water.

Negotiating the shallows with help from the boatman.

Stuck again! Negotiating the shallow river waters on the way to Battambang.

River vegetation on the Sangkae River.

As we approached Battambang the river became wider and deeper, it was about 6pm now and all the local kids were swimming, washing and playing in the river. They waved frantically at us, blew us kisses and jumped around in our wake. It was a wonderful experience, a highlight and privilege of the trip so far.

Fun in the river on the way to Battambang.

View from the top of the boat as we approach Battambang.

Blogger note: I learnt following my journey that there is some controversy about the ‘fast boat’ from Siem Reap to Battambang. Apparently the wake of the boat has caused damage to fisherman’s nets and has capsized a few of the smaller boats on the river. It was a shame to learn this negative side to such a special experience.

Written from: My beachside bungalow ‘Shanti Shanti’ in Otres 2, Cambodia with a lovely cup of coffee!

Blogging beachside in Otres 2, Cambodia.

Posted in Cambodia | Tagged Asia, Battambang, Boat, Cambodia, Floating Villages, Sangkae River, Siem Reap River, Tonle Sap Lake | Leave a comment

Angkor – The Remote Temples

Posted on April 14, 2015 by racheldennisotr

Day three and not yet ‘templed out’! I decided that I wanted to spend my last day visiting the more remote temples and the easiest and cheapest way to do this was on the back of a motorbike. I’d found a guide the day before when visiting Pre Rup, a young Cambodian lad called Kim. Kim picked me up at 7:30am, I jumped on the back of his bike and we headed out to Banteay Samre and then on to Banteay Srei, considered to be the jewel in the crown of Angorian art.

Early morning at Banteay Samre.

Banteay Samre.

Weathered stone carving at Banteay Samre.

Banteay Srei is a Hindu temple and dedicated to Shiva, one of the main deities of Hinduism. Banteay Srei means ‘Citadel of the Women’ and it is said that this temple must have been built by a woman as the magnificent stone carvings are too fine to have been constructed by a man. Built from a stone with a pinkish hue the delicate carvings seemed to glow in the morning sunlight.

Banteay Srei, The Citadel of the Women at Angkor.

Detail from a stone pediment at Banteay Srei.

Beautiful carved colonette at Banteay Srei.

Onwards to Beng Mealea, about 35km from Banteay Srei. We stopped off for a drink of water on route and Kim and I got chatting about his life and family. He is the youngest of two sons, his brother works in IT in India and sends money home for the family each month. His father is an English teacher at a local school in Siem Reap and soon to be retired and his mother stays at home. His father earns $100 per month and so the money that Kim’s brother sends is vital in helping support the whole family. Having completed a university degree in IT, Kim wants to do his masters but he needs to save $10k to cover the costs. He works 6 days a week at the temples checking the tickets of the visitors that come to visit the temples. He told me it’s a long day, especially when working at Angkor Wat as they have to start at 4am (for the tourists who come to see the sunset) and work through until 5pm. It’s hard work due to the heat and the fact that they have to be on their feet all day. At the end of each day Kim heads to school to study and practise his English. Kim gets one day off and likes to spend it with his friends drinking a few beers in the beer gardens near Siem Reap.

Selfies! Kim and I.

Beng Mealea is considered to be one of the most mysterious temples of the Angkor kingdom and the ultimate ‘Indian Jones’ experience. Like Ta Prohm, the jungle has taken over this impressive site and trees and vines intertwine with the temples and ruins. Unfortunately the timing of our arrival coincided with two large tour groups and I spent the first 20 minutes trying to fight my way through other visitors along the wooden walkway that leads you through the initial part of the temple. It was quite an experience and probably not the best introduction to this special place. I managed however to work my way through the tour groups and found solace exploring the quieter parts of the temple.

Badly timed visit to Beng Mealea, right in the middle of a tour group.

Jungle and temple intertwined at Beng Mealea.

Beng Mealea.

Lots of good photo opportunities at Beng Mealea!

Beautiful tree roots spanning the temple walls at Beng Mealea.

The walkway through the centre of the temple buildings, without the tour group this time!

After a quick lunch break with Kim he suggested that we visited the Roluos Group of temples, which are amongst the earliest temples built by the Khmers and mark the beginning of the age of Khmer classical art. The largest and most interesting of these temples was Bakong, a representation of Mount Meru that still has an active Buddhist temple on its grounds. This was the highlight of the day, it’s a beautiful tiered temple with an impressive approach via a bridge that crosses the temple moat. After an hour so exploring we got back on the bike and headed back to Siem Reap.

Bakong temple, the largest and most interesting of the Roluos Group of temples at Angkor

Stone carving at Bakong.

The tower at the top of the five layers of Bakong temple.

The view from the top of Bakong, looking out to the bridge over the moat.

It was a full on day and a great way to end my three days exploring the ancient city of Angkor. It was also great to meet Kim and spend time with him, getting to know more about Cambodian daily life. I gave him a bit of extra cash for his ‘college and beer fund’!

Bike selfie….quite difficult to shoot when riding along bumpy dirt roads!

We got a puncture on the way home which was quickly and efficiently fixed by this guy….

That night I headed out to explore Siem Reap’s nightlife with a couple of my dorm mates a Scottish guys from Linlithgow called Stephen and a well-travelled American guy called Nick. We explored Pub Street, grabbed a Khmer curry and ended up the night bar hopping to a few different places exchanging travel stories and tips.

Pub Street – no prizes for guessing what it’s famous for!

Cambodian beer overlooking Pub Street.

Late night bar hopping on pub street.

Written from: My beach bungalow ‘Shanti Shanti’ on Otres 2 beach in Cambodia.

View from my beach bungalow on Otres 2 beach….that’s the sea right there!

Blogger selfie!

Posted in Cambodia | Tagged Angkor, Asia, Bakong, Banteay Samre, Banteay Srei, Cambodia, Khmer, Motorbike, Pub Street, Rolous, Siem Reap | Leave a comment

Angkor – The Grand Circuit

Posted on April 14, 2015 by racheldennisotr

I’d picked up a mountain bike the day before so that I could set off early for the Grand Circuit. I covered a fair amount of kilometers over the course of the day and visited ten temples in total. The highlight of the day was an early morning visit to the Buddhist temple of Banteay Kdei. I was the only person at the temple and spent a wonderful hour exploring the galleries and ruins of this late 12^th century temple.

Quick stop for a coconut and to plan my route around the Grand Circuit.

Early morning at Banteay Kdei before the rush of morning visitors.

Corridors at Banteay Kdei.

Inside Banteay Kdei.

I continued on the circuit stopping next at the mighty Pre Rup a mountain of a temple popular for watching Angkor sunsets. Next was Ta Som where nature has provided a pretty special photo opportunity and apparently one of the most photographed sites on the Grand Circuit.

The most photographed tree in Angkor at Ta Som.

Bike selfie on the Grand Circuit.

I also took a couple of side tracks down to two of the lesser visited temples. Although these temples aren’t really mentioned in any of the guidebooks or have any major significance within the Angkorian Empire it was a really tranquil and special experience to explore the ruins without any other people about.

Quiet times at one of the smaller remote temples on the Grand Circuit.

After stopping for a quick visit to Preah Neak Pean I rode onto Preah Khan a behemoth of a site built, once again, by Jayavarman VII. It was just after midday now and even having kept up my fluid intake – 6 liters of water at this point! – I was feeling a little weary and it didn’t help matters that I managed to get lost within the temple site and ended up exiting at a different entrance to the one that I arrived at. At first I thought that someone had pinched my bike and was confused at where all the food stalls had sprung up from before the penny dropped! I managed however to find the correct exit and hopped on my bike again and headed back towards Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat.

One of the entrances to Preah Khan.

Lichen covered asparas at Preah Khan.

Preah Khan.

I decided that I wanted to stop off at Angkor Wat again and I have to say that my opinion was different and more positive this time round. Whether this was due to the fact that I’d seen many of the other temples and sites within the city that provided me with a different perspective and comparison but for whatever reason it felt different viewing this majestic building the second time round.

Last stop – Angkor Wat again.

Posted in Cambodia | Tagged Angkor, Banteay Kdei, MTB, Pre Rup, Preah Khan, Ta Prohm, Ta Som, The Grand Circuit | 1 Comment

Phare – The Unique Cambodia Circus

Posted on April 8, 2015 by racheldennisotr

That evening I headed off to the famous Phare Cambodia circus. Phare was established in 2013 and at its core has three missions: Provide employment to Cambodian youth from difficult social and economic backgrounds, financially sustain the Phare Ponleu Selpak NGO school and thus contributing to the reemergence of Cambodia modern art. Each nightly performance combines theatre, music, dance, art, circus skills and acrobatics in a beautifully moving and unique experience, each infused with Cambodia culture and history. The performance I saw ‘Sokha’ was the story of the life of a girl who was haunted by the visions of the atrocities and destruction inflicted by the Khmer Rouge.

“Cringing in darkness, consumed by her fears, Sokha discovers her strength and resilience, and gathers all her determination to fight despair. Thanks to her trust in human nature, her choice as an adult will be to believe in social reconstruction by youth using art as a healing and solidarity factor between generations.” http://www.pharecambodiancircus.org/circus/

I’ve never experienced such a range of emotions in a 75 minute performance as I did that night. Nearly in tears in one moment, then laughing and cheering in the next.

Phare is touring in Europe later this year and I encourage anyone reading this (if you’re out there!) to take the time to experience this fabulous production.

http://www.pharecambodiancircus.org/circus/category/blog/

NOTE: Apologies for the quality of the photos…no flash allowed (fair enough!).

The arriving audience at Phare Cambodian Circus – Siem Reap.

Phare Cambodian Circus.

Posted in Cambodia | Tagged Cambodia, Circus, Phare, Siem Reap | Leave a comment

Angkor – The Small Circuit Tour

Posted on April 8, 2015 by racheldennisotr

My guide, the lovely Mr. Sophea, picked me up at 7:30am and our first stop, after the ticket booth to purchase my 3 day Angkor pass, Angkor Wat, the national symbol of Cambodia. Angkor is the world’s largest religious building and is referred to as ‘Heaven on Earth’. It was built by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and then mausoleum. Angkor took 35 years to complete with a workforce of 300,000 men and 10,000 elephants. The sheer size of the building, its surrounds, and the volume and intricacy of the carvings is massively impressive, but I wouldn’t call it a beautiful. I was honored to have seen Angkor Wat but left feeling like I should have been more inspired, more in awe.

Early morning reflections at Angkor Wat.

One of the many galleries at Angkor Wat.

Steps up towards one of the towers at Angkor Wat. The steps are shallow and very steep resulting in a slow ascent, with a bowed head, to show reverence.

One of the many Apsaras, divine nymphs or celestial dancing girls at Angkor Wat.

Buddha statues at Angkor Wat.

One of the bas reliefs at Angkor Wat – depicting stories from mythology or history.

One of the towers at Angkor Wat – shaped to represent lotus flower buds.

Next stop was Ta Prohm, otherwise known as ‘The Tomb Raider Temple’. Ta Prohm was built in the late 12^th century by King Jayavarman VII as a Buddhist monastery and university. The site is renowned for the fact that nature has taken over, trees, tree roots and other vegetation intertwine with the temple buildings. There was a great deal of restoration happening at the time and many areas of the temple were inaccessible due to the work. The conservation teams have the tricky task of balancing the onslaught of nature, which is a key draw card for the tourists, without compromising the health of the temple buildings. We wandered between the buildings, through the narrow corridors and clambered over rocks and ruins. Even with hoards of tourists, of which I was obviously one, you can’t help but love this atmospheric and beautiful place.

Trees and temple entwined at Ta Prohm – The Tomb Raider Temple.

Tree roots at Ta Prohm.

Ta Prohm – the Tomb Raider Temple.

An carving of the Buddha that was modified from a carving of an apsara. Many of the temples at Angkor changed from Buddhist to Hindi temples or vice versa depending on the ruling King.

Onwards, in the heat, to Bayon. What a unique and magnificent structure! 216 carved faces stare out at you from this Buddhist shrine. According to some scholars the faces are of the Buddha but others think that they could be of King Jayavarman VII himself, looking out over his people, reminding them of his might and power. Despite the intense heat we spent a lot of time here exploring the different faces and facets of this beautiful and unique shrine and taking lots, and lots of photos!

From a distance Bayon doesn’t look much, it’s when you get closer that it really comes to life.

The many faces of Bayon.

Beautiful stone carved asparas at Bayon.

Stone faces at the mesmerising temple of Bayon.

After a much needed lunch break in some welcome shade we moved on to Angkor Thom, the last great capital of the Jaavarman VII’s Khmer empire. Established in the late 12^th century Angkor Thom consists of a number of different temples and structures over an area of 9 square kilometers and includes the Bayon shrine. We explored the different temples and buildings and ended our tour walking along the Terrace of Elephants, a 350 meter long structure used as a giant viewing platform for the King’s public ceremonies and audiences.

The view across Angkor Thom from the top of Baphuon Temple.

Baphuon Temple within Angkor Thom.

The female bathing pond at Angkor Thom.

The Terrace of the Leper King in Angkor Thom.

Bas relief at Angkor Thom.

The Elephant Terrace.

And so ended my first day at the ancient city of Angkor. I was pleased with my decision to hire an official guide as the information that Sophera gave me was a great foundation for understanding the history of this epic ancient city.

Posted in Cambodia | Tagged Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat, Bayon, Cambodia, Ta Prohm, Temples | 2 Comments

Overwhelmed by Angkor!

Posted on April 5, 2015 by racheldennisotr

I left Sydney early on Monday morning for my flight to KL where I was to night stop before getting my Air Asia flight to Siem Reap on Tuesday morning. I decided to stay in a transit hostel close to the airport as I had a very early start the next day. Like many transit hotels the Sri Packers airport hostel was in a bit of an out of the way location, a no-mans land on what looked like a business estate near the F1 racetrack. The in-room information pack described the hostel as having a ‘strategic location’ due to its locality next to the racetrack and the airport – but that was pretty much all it had going for it! Not the best decision I’ve made but it was clean, cheap and close to the airport, so convenient for my 0650 flight to Siem Reap.

I landed at Siem Reap at 07:30 and was picked up at the airport by a remork from the hostel I was staying at – Hosteling International, Siem Reap. A remork is a bit like a Thai tuk tuk, a motobike with a partially covered passenger carriage attached to the back of the bike. After checking in at the hostel I went for a wander around town. The hostel was in a great location, just over the river from the central area of town, the main market Psar Chaa and Pub Street – no prizes for guess what that street was renowned for! I found a place to stop for a coffee and began to consult the LP and the various emails that I had received from friends about what to do in Angkor and Siem Reap.

Remorke ride selfie to my hostel in Siem Reap.

Remorke ride to my hostel in Siem Reap.

View up the river in Siem Reap.

Talk about being overwhelmed! So many temples, so many possible itineraries, so many different transport options! Should I get an official guide and a car, or an unofficial guide and a remorke, what about on the back of a motorbike, or should I just hire a mountain bike and go it alone? Should I start with Angkor Wat and then work to the more remote temples or the other way round? Should I see sunrise at Angkor and sunset at Pre Rup and risk the crowds or try somewhere else. The jet-lag certainly wasn’t helping my itinerary planning and I kept going round and round in circles about what I should do, in what order and how! I was incapable of making a decision. So I had another coffee. Maybe that would help?!

I decided I had temple FOMO – the fear of missing out of the ‘best’ Angkor experience.

Finally a plan started to come together. I booked a guide for the first day to do what is known as the ‘Small Circuit’ incorporating the temples of Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom and Bayon. On day two I’d hire a mountain bike and explore the temples on the ‘Grand Circuit’, including Preah Khan, Preah Neak Poan, Pre Rup and Ta Som. On day three, I’d wing it and make a decision closer to the time.

Happier with sort of a plan in place I headed off for a wander via the markets and to orientate myself with the town. That afternoon I visited the National Museum which provided a good introduction to the history of Angkor as well as how to interpret the many architectural elements and religious symbols at the temples. For anyone visiting Angkor I would highly recommend a visit here on the first day as it definitely helped me to get more out of my Angkor experience. http://angkornationalmuseum.com/

That evening I decided that I’d try out the yoga class that was held at the ‘Peace Café’. Like a number of cafes and restaurants in Cambodia, the Peace Café advertises itself as a social enterprise with profits supporting local NGOs, in this case the organisation ‘Living Values’ http://www.livingvalues.net/. I tried out the evening yoga class, had dinner at the café afterwards and then made my way back to the hostel and collapsed exhausted on my bunk…also to note I scored the bottom bunk this time, so no inelegant and compromising mounts and dismounts to and from the top bunk!

My hostel – Hosteling International – Siem Reap.

The view up the street from my hostel in Siem Reap.

Posted in Cambodia | Tagged Angkor, Cambodia, Hosteling International, Siem Reap | Leave a comment

Sydney Social and Changes in Direction

Posted on March 31, 2015 by racheldennisotr

So that was it, our month in New Zealand was complete. Happy memories made and adventures had. Before we left for New Zealand Dad kept saying that it for them it was a ‘Once in a lifetime trip’…however I have the feeling that they will be back! Now it was back to Sydney. I was staying for three weeks and Mum and Dad only had one more week before flying home to the UK. We spent their last week catching up with friends, visiting our favorite restaurants and soaking up the sunshine on Manly beach. It was a fun week and although I was sad to see them go I was looking forward to spending time catching up with friends and enjoying the last rays of Sydney’s summer weather.

It was an exceptionally social three weeks that flew by in a blur of lunches, dinners, drinks, beach time, ocean and pool swims, ferry journeys and yoga. I also got to spend more time with my gorgeous godson, taking him to the movies, rock climbing and playing golf. It was a very happy time spent in a beautiful city and I am blessed with some very dear, generous and hospitable friends.

Manly Beach, Sydney.

The view from North Head, Sydney.

Sydney Harbour from North Head.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge from the Manly Ferry.

Sydney Opera House from the Manly Ferry

My original itinerary had me leaving Sydney for Perth in Western Australia where I had planned to see friends and do a road trip either north to Ningaloo Reef or south to the Margaret River for three weeks. Over the last couple of weeks however I’d had a niggling feeling that maybe I should change my plans, reduce my time in Australia and travel somewhere else.

Back in 2004 I’d spent two and a half months in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand but I didn’t make it to Cambodia due to time constraints. At the time, I rationalized this by saying that I could visit another time. So what better time than now? I checked Air Asia flights from KL, the hub city for my travels, and found an outbound flight for £20 to Siem Reap and a return from Phnon Penh for £30. I checked visa status which could be purchased on arrival, spoke to my ‘travel people’ about the cost of changing flights (relatively negligible), researched an initial itinerary and daily living expenses and that was it, decision made.

So that’s where I’m writing this blog post from now, sitting in the garden of my hostel in the riverside town of Battambang in north-west Cambodia after three days in Seim Reap visiting the beautiful temples of Angkor. For more on that stay tuned.

The view from my hostel the curiously named ‘Here Be Dragons’ in Battambang.

Street 2.5 in Battambang, NW Cambodia

Posted in Australia | Tagged Australia, Cambodia, Sydney | 1 Comment