Siem Reap trip report 10/10/08-10/17/08
Oct 19th, 2008 | 07:07 PM
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Joined: Jun 2008
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Siem Reap trip report 10/10/08-10/17/08
10/12/08 -- Temple raiders
After breakfast we met Ponheary and our driver. We went to their house and got ready to see the temples. We drove for about 20 minutes and got to see a bit of the top of Angkor Wat thru the jungle. Our jaws dropped, Pictures do not do justice to the sight. However, we are not going to Angkor Wat today, we are going to Bayon. Bayon is beautiful. It has 37 towers each with four faces. All the faces are different. But all have gentle, full-lipped smiles. Some of the smiles were sweeter looking than others. We climbed all over the temple, then we went to the Terrace of the Leper King and the Terrace of the Elephants. They are amazing. We went home to shower, have lunch, and rest during the hot part of the day.
At 3:30 it was time to go see Ta Phrom!!! We drove to the entrance then had to walk down a dusty dirt road bordered by jungle. The road was scented by jasmine that grows in the jungle. It smelled heavenly. The further we walked down the path, the further the world seemed to be. The jungle seems so quiet after the cacaphony of sounds you hear in the city. The sounds of cars, trucks, tv, and radio give way to the softly muted chatter of monkeys, the gentle call of the birds and the soft rustling of the leaves. It was a long walk to get to Ta Phrom, but it was worth it! The temple was left with the jungle still encroaching on it. Banyon Trees and Strangler Figs grow through the stones, tearing the temple apart. It was fantastic. There is a small image on one wall that was especially intriguing. It is an image of a stegasaurus. It was carved in the 12th century! We stayed at the temple for quite a while. We didn't get back to our guesthouse till 8:00pm. What a day!
10/13/08 -- Angkor What?
We got up early and went to church. It was cool. We had to take off our shoes. We sat on mats on the floor. There were only 7 other people at the service. After the service, Father Preet invited us to have breakfast with them. We ate baguettes with jam and bananas.
Now it is time for Angkor Wat!!! Angkor Wat is massive. As we walked along the bridge, we saw a monkey. Stone video taped it walking along. He got in front of it as it came across the bridge. Oh No, monkey didn't like that...ANGRY MONKEY!!! Run Stone, Run!!! Luckily, Ponheary used her umbrella to block the angry monkey attack. It was hilarious. And we got it on tape!!
As we walked along the causeway and the gates to Angkor Wat, we couldn't help but be impressed. The grand scale, the carvings, the sheer beauty takes your breath away. As we stood there, jaws dropped in awe, Ponheary told us about the history of the temple and the King who built it.
We climbed up into Angkor Wat. There is a lot of preservation work being done, so some areas were roped off, but we saw most of the carvings. The restoration work is being funded by Germany, France, Japan, India, and I am proud to say also by the United States. It is a beautiful world treasure.
Back home to rest, then on to Preah Kahn.
Preah Kahn is fantastic! It is Nan's favorite temple, so far. It is like Ta Phrom partly because they were both built by the same king, but more so because it is also within the jungles grasp. But it is so beautiful. The colors of the stones, the carvings, and the architecture all play well together.
It was another amazing day...
10/14/08 -- Andrew Zimmer meets the Waterfall
We left early for Kulen Mountain. On the way we stopped at Bantrey Srey temple. The sandstone is a beautiful pink color with shades of yellow, rose, and green in it. The carvings are very deep and beautiful It is a small temple built in the 10th century.
We walked along the row of market stalls and bought some musical instruments. Ponheary asked the musicians playing if they would show us how to play ours. They were wonderful, and the music they played sounded sweet yet mysterious. The musician playing the lead melody used a leaf to play!
After a long drive up Kulen Mountain, passing thru jungle, small villages, and huge sandstone cliffs, we reached the top. In the small temple is the larges reclining Buddha in Cambodia. After viewing the Buddha, we drove down to The River of 1000 Lingas. A linga is a phallic symbol that is supposed to make the water sacred and magical. We walked along the river to see the waterfalls. As we reached them, near the side of the river were several small huts without walls. The floors were about 2 and 1/2 feet above the ground. Bamboo poles on the corners held up the palm roof. We were at an open air restaurant!!! As we sat in the hut, an old woman with a shaved head and no teeth asked if we wanted coconut. We did, and she used a machete to make a hole to drink out of. Then a lovely young girl came by with a menu. Ponheary ordered Coconut grilled chicken with a lemon pepper dip, and river fish (it came with the heads still on) with a sour papaya dip and rice. Then a middle aged woman came by and we had to order the plates and serving ware!!! Too funny. While we waited for the food to be cooked, we played in the small waterfall. It was about 15 feet high. We sat on rocks and let the water pound on our backs. The water was cool, it comes from an underground spring.
Then back to the hut to eat. The food was delicious. Stone inhaled. He was still eating long after all the adults were done. When he was finally satiated, Ponheary called a little boy over and gave him the leftovers. We saw him on the bridge a bit later, sharing his booty with other children.
It was a bit of a climb to the large waterfall, but it was so worth it! The falls were about 50 feet high and thundered down into a deep pool. We swam and splashed for quite a while. Stone climbed a huge stone in the pool and jumped into the water several times. We swam as close to the falls as we could, but the water was too powerful to get under. What a fantastic time we had!
On the way home we stopped by Aki Ra's land mine museum. It was sobering. So many people injured and killed by mines.
Overall, this was still a great day.
10/15/08 -- Was that thunder?
Details:
Got up at 5:00am to leave for Koh Ker school. There were 11 of us in the van along with enough vegetables, meat, rice and noodles to feed 200 kids and their teachers. It was a 3 hour drive over dirt roads that sometimes were little more than rutted paths. We bounced along happily until there was a problem with the van. We all piled out while Ruti, our driver, pulled out some tools and crawled under the van.
Stone and Nan walked along the rice field. There was a pig routing around. Several of the village people came out to see what was going on. Thankfully Ruti was able to fix the van. We all clambered back in and got on our way.
Along the sides of the road to Koh Ker, there were many signs warning of land mines. Koh Ker is still ringed with mines.
The children were in class when we arrived. Everyone got busy unloading the van.
There were 2 earth ovens They looked like beehives made of mud. A fire was lit inside and huge pots of rice cooked on top. While the rice cooked, Stone helped Ponheary chop cabbage. Others were chopping onions, carrots, pineapples, garlic, green tomatoes and beef. It was all stir-fried in a HUGE wok. We carried buckets full of the rice and aromatic veggies and beef to each classroom. Each child had a bowl and spoon. Stone filled their bowls with the rice and Ponheary served the veggies over.
The children were so well behaved. Even the babies who had to come to school with their brothers and sisters sat quietly, waiting their turns. We did this in all four classrooms. We could see why Ponheary needs to put in a new classroom. There are over 40 children in each room! The rooms are very small, and several grades are being taught together.
When it was our turn to eat, we were starving! The smell was so delicious. After eating we helped to clean the pots then said our goodbyes and were off to see Koh Ker temple. It is so cool, it looks like a terraced pyramid, each terrace full of vegetation.
Next we went to Beng Melea. This is another beautiful temple, but it is very tumbled down. There is a wooden walkway thru the temple, left from the filming of Tomb Raider.
10/16/08 -- What a (Tonle) Sap and Good bye Cambodia
Details:
We are going for a boat ride on the Tonle Sap. The Tonle Sap is the largest lake in SE Asia. The ride to the lake was not long, but we did pass thru the poorer part of town. Bamboo and palm leaf huts lined the roads. But the people seemed very happy, they smiled and waved as we drove by.
We took an old wooden boat out to see the floating villages of Kampong Phluk and Chong Kneas. It was very interesting to see the way people conduct life on the water. We saw a floating school, a floating Catholic church, and markets and homes.
Some of the floating houses even have television powered by car batteries.
We saw crocodiles at the fish farm. It was very stinky!
After our morning on the lake we went to the central market. It was fun to bargain, but we didn't try to get the prices down too low, we know the few dollars it costs is more important to these people than to us. The market has lots of alleyways and stalls. There were many fruits that we haven't seen before. We bought fruit and lots of trinkets.
Back to our room to rest, we are leaving this wonderful country tonight at 11:55pm. It is hard to think of leaving a country that is so amazing, but we must. Good bye, Cambodia
After breakfast we met Ponheary and our driver. We went to their house and got ready to see the temples. We drove for about 20 minutes and got to see a bit of the top of Angkor Wat thru the jungle. Our jaws dropped, Pictures do not do justice to the sight. However, we are not going to Angkor Wat today, we are going to Bayon. Bayon is beautiful. It has 37 towers each with four faces. All the faces are different. But all have gentle, full-lipped smiles. Some of the smiles were sweeter looking than others. We climbed all over the temple, then we went to the Terrace of the Leper King and the Terrace of the Elephants. They are amazing. We went home to shower, have lunch, and rest during the hot part of the day.
At 3:30 it was time to go see Ta Phrom!!! We drove to the entrance then had to walk down a dusty dirt road bordered by jungle. The road was scented by jasmine that grows in the jungle. It smelled heavenly. The further we walked down the path, the further the world seemed to be. The jungle seems so quiet after the cacaphony of sounds you hear in the city. The sounds of cars, trucks, tv, and radio give way to the softly muted chatter of monkeys, the gentle call of the birds and the soft rustling of the leaves. It was a long walk to get to Ta Phrom, but it was worth it! The temple was left with the jungle still encroaching on it. Banyon Trees and Strangler Figs grow through the stones, tearing the temple apart. It was fantastic. There is a small image on one wall that was especially intriguing. It is an image of a stegasaurus. It was carved in the 12th century! We stayed at the temple for quite a while. We didn't get back to our guesthouse till 8:00pm. What a day!
10/13/08 -- Angkor What?
We got up early and went to church. It was cool. We had to take off our shoes. We sat on mats on the floor. There were only 7 other people at the service. After the service, Father Preet invited us to have breakfast with them. We ate baguettes with jam and bananas.
Now it is time for Angkor Wat!!! Angkor Wat is massive. As we walked along the bridge, we saw a monkey. Stone video taped it walking along. He got in front of it as it came across the bridge. Oh No, monkey didn't like that...ANGRY MONKEY!!! Run Stone, Run!!! Luckily, Ponheary used her umbrella to block the angry monkey attack. It was hilarious. And we got it on tape!!
As we walked along the causeway and the gates to Angkor Wat, we couldn't help but be impressed. The grand scale, the carvings, the sheer beauty takes your breath away. As we stood there, jaws dropped in awe, Ponheary told us about the history of the temple and the King who built it.
We climbed up into Angkor Wat. There is a lot of preservation work being done, so some areas were roped off, but we saw most of the carvings. The restoration work is being funded by Germany, France, Japan, India, and I am proud to say also by the United States. It is a beautiful world treasure.
Back home to rest, then on to Preah Kahn.
Preah Kahn is fantastic! It is Nan's favorite temple, so far. It is like Ta Phrom partly because they were both built by the same king, but more so because it is also within the jungles grasp. But it is so beautiful. The colors of the stones, the carvings, and the architecture all play well together.
It was another amazing day...
10/14/08 -- Andrew Zimmer meets the Waterfall
We left early for Kulen Mountain. On the way we stopped at Bantrey Srey temple. The sandstone is a beautiful pink color with shades of yellow, rose, and green in it. The carvings are very deep and beautiful It is a small temple built in the 10th century.
We walked along the row of market stalls and bought some musical instruments. Ponheary asked the musicians playing if they would show us how to play ours. They were wonderful, and the music they played sounded sweet yet mysterious. The musician playing the lead melody used a leaf to play!
After a long drive up Kulen Mountain, passing thru jungle, small villages, and huge sandstone cliffs, we reached the top. In the small temple is the larges reclining Buddha in Cambodia. After viewing the Buddha, we drove down to The River of 1000 Lingas. A linga is a phallic symbol that is supposed to make the water sacred and magical. We walked along the river to see the waterfalls. As we reached them, near the side of the river were several small huts without walls. The floors were about 2 and 1/2 feet above the ground. Bamboo poles on the corners held up the palm roof. We were at an open air restaurant!!! As we sat in the hut, an old woman with a shaved head and no teeth asked if we wanted coconut. We did, and she used a machete to make a hole to drink out of. Then a lovely young girl came by with a menu. Ponheary ordered Coconut grilled chicken with a lemon pepper dip, and river fish (it came with the heads still on) with a sour papaya dip and rice. Then a middle aged woman came by and we had to order the plates and serving ware!!! Too funny. While we waited for the food to be cooked, we played in the small waterfall. It was about 15 feet high. We sat on rocks and let the water pound on our backs. The water was cool, it comes from an underground spring.
Then back to the hut to eat. The food was delicious. Stone inhaled. He was still eating long after all the adults were done. When he was finally satiated, Ponheary called a little boy over and gave him the leftovers. We saw him on the bridge a bit later, sharing his booty with other children.
It was a bit of a climb to the large waterfall, but it was so worth it! The falls were about 50 feet high and thundered down into a deep pool. We swam and splashed for quite a while. Stone climbed a huge stone in the pool and jumped into the water several times. We swam as close to the falls as we could, but the water was too powerful to get under. What a fantastic time we had!
On the way home we stopped by Aki Ra's land mine museum. It was sobering. So many people injured and killed by mines.
Overall, this was still a great day.
10/15/08 -- Was that thunder?
Details:
Got up at 5:00am to leave for Koh Ker school. There were 11 of us in the van along with enough vegetables, meat, rice and noodles to feed 200 kids and their teachers. It was a 3 hour drive over dirt roads that sometimes were little more than rutted paths. We bounced along happily until there was a problem with the van. We all piled out while Ruti, our driver, pulled out some tools and crawled under the van.
Stone and Nan walked along the rice field. There was a pig routing around. Several of the village people came out to see what was going on. Thankfully Ruti was able to fix the van. We all clambered back in and got on our way.
Along the sides of the road to Koh Ker, there were many signs warning of land mines. Koh Ker is still ringed with mines.
The children were in class when we arrived. Everyone got busy unloading the van.
There were 2 earth ovens They looked like beehives made of mud. A fire was lit inside and huge pots of rice cooked on top. While the rice cooked, Stone helped Ponheary chop cabbage. Others were chopping onions, carrots, pineapples, garlic, green tomatoes and beef. It was all stir-fried in a HUGE wok. We carried buckets full of the rice and aromatic veggies and beef to each classroom. Each child had a bowl and spoon. Stone filled their bowls with the rice and Ponheary served the veggies over.
The children were so well behaved. Even the babies who had to come to school with their brothers and sisters sat quietly, waiting their turns. We did this in all four classrooms. We could see why Ponheary needs to put in a new classroom. There are over 40 children in each room! The rooms are very small, and several grades are being taught together.
When it was our turn to eat, we were starving! The smell was so delicious. After eating we helped to clean the pots then said our goodbyes and were off to see Koh Ker temple. It is so cool, it looks like a terraced pyramid, each terrace full of vegetation.
Next we went to Beng Melea. This is another beautiful temple, but it is very tumbled down. There is a wooden walkway thru the temple, left from the filming of Tomb Raider.
10/16/08 -- What a (Tonle) Sap and Good bye Cambodia
Details:
We are going for a boat ride on the Tonle Sap. The Tonle Sap is the largest lake in SE Asia. The ride to the lake was not long, but we did pass thru the poorer part of town. Bamboo and palm leaf huts lined the roads. But the people seemed very happy, they smiled and waved as we drove by.
We took an old wooden boat out to see the floating villages of Kampong Phluk and Chong Kneas. It was very interesting to see the way people conduct life on the water. We saw a floating school, a floating Catholic church, and markets and homes.
Some of the floating houses even have television powered by car batteries.
We saw crocodiles at the fish farm. It was very stinky!
After our morning on the lake we went to the central market. It was fun to bargain, but we didn't try to get the prices down too low, we know the few dollars it costs is more important to these people than to us. The market has lots of alleyways and stalls. There were many fruits that we haven't seen before. We bought fruit and lots of trinkets.
Back to our room to rest, we are leaving this wonderful country tonight at 11:55pm. It is hard to think of leaving a country that is so amazing, but we must. Good bye, Cambodia
Nov 5th, 2008 | 04:24 PM
#3
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,418
Likes: 0
How did I miss this!
Nice of you to post your details about your trip and especially about going to Koh Ker. That trip is not for the faint of heart, that's for sure!
But the kids up at that school really appreciate visitors, especially visitors bringing food!
Lori
Nice of you to post your details about your trip and especially about going to Koh Ker. That trip is not for the faint of heart, that's for sure!
But the kids up at that school really appreciate visitors, especially visitors bringing food!
Lori
Nov 6th, 2008 | 08:24 AM
#6
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
Nice report!
I'd like to hear more about the Tonle Sap boat tour... what outfit did you use? I hear about Tara Boats quite often, but that seems super touristy to me. Maybe I'm wrong. How long did it take you to get to both villages (Kampong Phluk and Chong Kneas)and back?
I'd like to hear more about the Tonle Sap boat tour... what outfit did you use? I hear about Tara Boats quite often, but that seems super touristy to me. Maybe I'm wrong. How long did it take you to get to both villages (Kampong Phluk and Chong Kneas)and back?
