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1 Rural Village, 1 Khmer Wedding & a Bucket of Rice Wine
Motorcycle tours in Cambodia are a lot of fun. I've seen my fair share of incredible places from the back of a motorcycle. One of my favourites is a rural village called DaSian, 100km to the east of Siem Reap. To get there by dirt bike we head deep into single track jungle trails until we come out at the deserted Preah Kahn Temple.
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4 Minutes at Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat, Near Siem Reap, Cambodia, is considered by many to be a wonder of the world. This temple was built in the 12th century by King Suryavarman II, first as a Hindu temple, which has since been converted to Buddhist.
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The Banyans of Ta Prohm: A Memoir
A short story about the Banyans of Ta Prohm and ancient ruins of Ta Prohm in Angkok Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Taken from my travel memoirs in 2007.
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And On The First Day….
There are several ways to see Angkor Wat. Some people start small and work their way up to the colossal grand-daddy of them all, the megalithic structures of enigmatic Angkor Wat. Others start big and work their way down through the smaller and no less beautiful and mysterious smaller temples in the giant park. We opted to visit the ancient sandstone structures of Angkor Wat early on the morning of our first day. We hit a major temple site at daybreak and sunset and tried to cover the smaller temples and grounds throughout the rest of the day. Here’s how we did it. ON THE FIRST DAY 1. Angkor Wat…
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Reflections of Angkor
With my three day pass to Angkor Wat. It’s almost impossible to post pictures of Angkor Wat. There are millions of images of Angkor available on the web and none of them really do it any justice. Angkor is indescribable…but I’m going to give it a try. The best part of the day to visit is definitely early morning. By 9am, we were roasting in the heat, so we got up at 5am each morning and took a tuk-tuk to Angkor Wat to catch the sunrise and to get scrambling over ruins before the crowds arrived. We were never able to get a great sunrise picture. The sun never…
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Cambodia Photo Journal: Remote Community Near Siem Reap
“Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.” – Alan Kneightley Hand-carved boats sitting in storage. Believe it or not, our first day in Siem Reap was not spent at the ruins of Angkor Wat. Whenever John and I embark on a new journey, we each make a list of things we want to do and places we want to go to in a certain area. This system works really well for us because we both have such different tastes in terms of what we want to see. I tend to be the culture…
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The Hidden Faces of Cambodia
Mysteries abound in this strange land as do hidden faces. The stillness of the air at Ta Prohm and the buzzing of the cicadas in the early pre-dawn light left me with a feeling of unease. We were not alone. Miniature sandstone faces at Ta Prohm. Giant tree roots disturb an ancient stone carving at Prasat Ta Som. Carvings at Banteay Kdei. A hidden face on Ton le Sap.
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A Prelude To Angkor Wat in Miniature
One of the local attractions in Siem Reap is the Angkor Wat Miniature Garden. Scupltor Dy Preung has created miniature replicas of Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei, Bayon and several other Angkorian temples and sculptures out of cement. In addition to these magnificent creations, there are also other figures in stonework. Angkor Wat. For $1 American, you can go and enjoy the quiet solitude of his garden sanctuary. We were lucky enough to have the garden to ourselves and the artist was ‘in’. He came out to show us his work and brought out a trophy that was given to him by the former King of Cambodia. There’s also a deck…
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Cambodia Photo Journal: Riding Elephants at Phnom Bakheng
Phnom Bakheng was built on a natural rise of 230 feet sometime during the 9th century. Also known as “Strong Hill,” is accessible by a steep stairway and by the Elephant path, which starts off on the left of the stairway. The stairway has been reduced to rubble, hence most visitors opt to visit the temple on the hill by elephant. Elephant path snakes and meanders up the hill. The fifteen minute journey to the temple by elephant costs 45 riel. Find out more about Cambodia’s Asian Elephants Elephants and their ‘mahouts’ waiting patiently for their next passenger. The primary deity of Phnom Bakheng is Shiva. The entire temple was…
