Monday, March 28, 2011

Cambodia - Day 4

Today will be the longest journey... the further from our place. Its about 40km from our guest house and somemore we just hired tuk tuk which max speed around 40km/h ;) Its take us about 1 hour to reach. Banteay Srei is we are heading too. This place is a unique because it build by red sandstone and because of that its also called "Women Temple".

Banteay Srei or Banteay Srey (Khmer: ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយស្រី) is a 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located in the area ofAngkor in Cambodia. It lies near the hill of Phnom Dei, 25 km (15 miles) north-east of the main group of temples that once belonged to the medieval capitals of Yasodharapura and Angkor Thom.

It is inside part of Angkor, the Pass is still valid to use here, no extra ticket needed. This place is more organize in term of facilities and signboard compare others temple.

Here are the entrance for you to enter the temple.

You can see the Temple in red color, as mention earlier because it build by red sandstone. The sandstone will change color when the sunlight change, to be more dark to light or wise versa.

It covering by a river~

Look old but yet so historical

You can see the color darker when less sunlight

and Redness when hot~

You can see the tree are very very huge and old :)

Pretty girl spotted~

We are enjoying the story and mist from the story board and spend about 2 hours including photo shooting. A great and tired walk, however the following food really make use recharged to the MAX. AMOK Fish... which the most popular Khmer food among others, Finally I taste the BEST AMOK Fish here. Remember, please do visit the Food Court in this place which located the last shop in the row (the most crowded).

Superb Curry Pork

Taste so good and really unforgettable ~

After the unforgettable lunch and recharged, we continue to our next destination, Landmine Museum which nearby (15mins).

This is the parking lot at Banteay Srei


A small museum near Banteay Srei that is strictly about landmines. Lots of history and information about Cambodian landmines.

A stark reminder of the devastating effects of the landmines. This is the reason you see lots of people in Cambodia without arms and legs, as they either stepped on a mine or they were trying to help diffuse them and were unlucky.

The museum is not much to see, but still worth a visit. They have a video playing in one room outside that is about how they disarm the landmines. I wish I had bought the video while I was there, oh well.

Very worth to visit. I hope in the future they have more funding to build a better museum as this is a historic thing that no one should forget as it is still ongoing today! QUOTE

The red dot is the land mine area... scary huh~!!

I do actually donate some for their future growth of the museum. We leaving after an hour in the museum. Next destination which long waiting... Shooting Range~!!! Was bring by Tuk tuk to Cambodia Army Camp for the shooting range. It near to Landmine museum around 15-20mins. Exciting but yet very scare due to 1st time shooting with AK47.

This are the shooting spot for Large Gun~ M16, AK47 & etc

30 bullets USD50... but WORTH...

damn scare but enjoy~

The shooting last 5 mins and photographing about 10mins. That my USD50 gone :) A great experience which we should try at least once in our life time. Mission Accomplished for this trip in Cambodia. At least for my own Mission, Angkor is too big for visiting in every detail. On the way back, Tuk tuk bring us to some famous Temple. Too many temple... really hard to remember them :)



There some wedding dinner was held... Great but surely expensive.

We took our Dinner in hotel and not forget our BBQ Supper :)

I wont continue write about Day 5 since we leaving to Airport early 5am. Just remember that AIRPORT TAX = USD25 Spare the money else u cant go back ;)

Here we come the summary of the Day:-

1) Breakfast- 5 usd for 2 person (Breed and Coffee0
2) Landmine Museum - FOC Entrance but Donate 10 usd
3) Shooting Range - 50USD
4) Dinner Khemer food - 12 usd for 2 person
5)
Pork RIBS + Prawn + Beer - 10 usd for all
6) Tuk tuk 15 usd

Total Damage = 102 usd

FINAL BILL of the TOUR~
153 + 76.5 + 69.5 + 102 + 50 = 451 usd for 2 person (excluded souvenir)

*USD1 = MY 3 +- ringgit

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Cambodia - Day 3

Stop walking... stop temple visiting for today... Hahaha... Yeah decided to take rest for one day just to relax and visit some museum :) Wake up late and having our late breakfast, hehehe. Looking at the map and book, we are agreed to visit War Museum and Angkor National Museum for Day 3.

5 USD :) Delicious~

Just after the breakfast, we book a Tuk tuk and heading to War Museum. It actually just 15min away from where we stay. I would recommend this place since the entrance fee are only USD3. You will surprise that the museum is actually running by those people who are victim of land mines. There are alot Killing Machine in here too :) I do some donation for those victim.

*This place alot mosquito... please bring mosquito repellent ya :)

Tank - T54 made by USSR 1954

1. 130mm M46-M47 - Can fire up to 27km
2. Anti Craft Gun
3. 122mm K38 - Can explode 20meter area
4. Missile Launcher
5. 155mm Howitzer - Can fire up to 30km
6. 122mm K38 - Can explode 20meter area
7. Rocket Launcher - can fire up to 50km

I am sure... you will know this~

Anti-Tank Mine, Personal Blast Mine (TM57, PPM2, M14 etc)

Dont mess with her ya :)

Entrance of the War Museum


Spend about 1 hour here with a friendly translator, and then we heading to Angkor National Museum. This place not allow any shooting inside. To summarize this place, it all about Angkor history, cultural, belief and everything about Angkor. It will be more meaning and informative if you can bring along with tour guide.

Personally I feel abit costly, USD12 per person. I am not a historical person so I feel abit bored when inside but can denied that I understand alot of their cultural after the visit. Worthwhile if you have extra time.

The beautiful architecture building

If you dont have tour guide, Please rent this for 3USD :)


We spend around 1hour in this building, our stomach is make noise. Deciding to visit Old Market at Siem Reap or there is another name Psar Chaa

Psar Chaa is a market in the city of Siem Reap in northern Cambodia.

Just after we reached, she already shout, see there... there is something interesting... I was, wahhhh you havent even leave tuk tuk, you already saw that -_-"

Frankly, it was tempting :)

This is the auntie who selling...

Some mix pork with sour sour. I rate it 3/5

Just after that... she request for this -_-"

Similar like Malaysia "菜包" but more tasty. Rate this 3/5

Quite similar in Malaysia but they have some weird fruit, sour daooo~

In middle of their wet market, alot people~
Those are desserts I believe, but we never try

Walking around 1 hours there, we deciding to take our dinner somewhere near our hotel. This was a bad decision I had... the foods suck -_-" but sad I forget the restaurant name, else I would post it here for reference. I rate their food 1/5 -_-" not human eat 1... Really sorry to say.

Salty until I dont know what the taste suppose to be

The worst AMOK fish I had in Siem Reap, Tasteless

Salty, salty salty...

Our luck was not that bad, at least our Supper was awesome. Grill Pork Ribs + Prawn + Roll and Angkor Beer. Due to the photo lost previously, I cant recall the restaurant name. However, dont worry just heading the pub street at Siem Reap, before you turn into pub street, you can see alot grill stall (there are around 5) but I am sure you can differentiate them :) Rate 4/5 for this~!!

Visiting 2 continuous night :) GREAT~!

Stay tune for Cambodia - Day 4 :)

Here we come the summary of the Day:-

1) Brunch - 5 usd for 2 person
2) War Museum - 6 usd for 2 person
3) Angkor National Museum - 27 usd for 2 person
4) Bao & BBQ Pork - 1.5 usd
5) Dinner Khemer food - 12 usd for 2 person
6) Pork RIBS + Prawn + Beer - 10 usd for all
7) Tuk tuk - 8 usd

Total Damage = 69.5 usd

*USD1 = MY 3 +- ringgit

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Cambodia - Day 2

After a tiring day 1 and abit blur about craving and mist around the Angkor Wat, we decided to hire a tour guide in Chinese. Its was brilliant decision which we really need a tour guide or translator for all the history in Angkor Wat.

Before chicken can make an early call, we already woke up and ready to go out for sunrise in Angkor Wat. Time: 5:00am - Go Go Go ~!

Everyone using Torch Light~

A very disappointing morning which we are unable to see sunrise due to raining/cloudy day. However we was abit satisfy with the breakfast... Toasted French Baguette with egg.

Price is 1USD

Angkor Wat on upgrade and renovation.



Our tour guide, ah Heng, told us long long time ago, they are using this tree as weapon for war. You can see the below picture that at the branch, they are very sharp... really can use for attack like knife. The fruit can be use to make sugar, which taste very sweet :)


She is my lovely Girlfriend :)

History of Echo Chamber :)


I have to warn you all that the stairs in Angkor Wat are very dangerous. Just be more careful when you are using them. Try to hold the steal or stone that they provided, that will be more safer.

The view upstairs is awesome.

we enjoying some portraits here :)

and couple photo too ~

After the Angkor Wat, our next destination will be Angkor Thom.

Angkor Thom (Khmer: អង្គរធំ; literally: "Great City"), located in present day Cambodia, was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by king Jayavarman VII. It covers an area of 9 km², within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north.

There are few entrance and we take the South Gate :)

This is Bayon Temple, it have 216 over crave faces at 54 towers all with different emotion

It was a great building and she like this place very much

216 + 2 faces = 218 LoL

This was the most cheerful smile among all faces, do we look a like?

Some emotional photo~

Touch nose :)

There are so much photo to take and again, it was hot day there. After few hours of visiting Bayon, we move on the most famous Temple, Ta Prohm which know as Tomb Rider. This is because Tomb Rider I is shoot here. Try to remember~

Ta Prohm (Khmer: ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម) is the modern name of a temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara (in Khmer: រាជវិហារ).

Look at the TREE... huge...

OMG, is GIANT~

It's art, inside died tree outside live tree...

Spotted a cute owl :) She/he scared~

Amitabha~

Really impress with what I seen and it was a wonderful place to visit. Try to visit at least once in your lifetime and you will never regret. We continue with some others temple

Around Ta Keo Temple with some funny fruits.

Grab some, throw it high and it drop beautifully, like pair of wing~


Suppose to continue with few more Temple but we just too tired. Give up and just rest at some restaurant and have a drink.

She can even take a short nap here =.="

After a short discussion and we decision to stop Temple visiting, we decide to change our plan to visit Tonle Sap Lake.

The Tonlé Sap (Khmer: ទន្លេសាប, "Large Fresh Water River", but more commonly translated as "Great Lake") is a combined lake and river system of major importance to Cambodia.

On the way... All our journey by Tuk Tuk

Passing by, they are very poor but they are happy~

Lotus farm~
We able to get this photo due to our Tuk Tuk tayar puncture, walk around 1.5km

Heavy rain
This how they live~!

Safer when they cage than swim outside, Cambodian like eat crocodile.

As mention earlier, heavy rain + tuk tuk = wet chicken hahaha. Enjoy the ride with the driver & tour guide. Really an unforgettable night (雨中Tuk Tuk, Hahaha). I was unable to take any photo due to the heavy rain.

Of course, a great dinner usually will heal and energize us. Here let me introduce you some Khmer food. Due to rain non stop, we settle down our dinner at our Golden Temple Villa, I rate them 3.5/5

Quite popular around here, some Chicken Roll

some Curry from Cambodia, delicious.

Pork cook with some sour sauce what a perfect match.

Stay tune for Cambodia - Day 3 :)

Here we come the summary of the Day:-

1) Tour Guide - 39 usd for Chinese
2) Lunch - Fried rice - 12 usd for 2 person
3) Tonle Sap Lake Boat Ticket - 20 usd for 2 person
4) Dinner Khemer food - 5.5 usd for 2 person


Total Damage = 76.5 usd

*USD1 = MY 3 +- ringgit