After several months of traveling in Southeast Asia we became quite spoiled and accustomed to having spa days. We began to wonder how we would cope once we returned home where the spa services are not so cheap. There are all types of massage facilities around Siem Reap, from higher end, full service spas to simple foot massage parlours. You will spot many of them while wandering around town, we happened upon the Frangipani Spa that's tucked down an alleyway. It's a bit on the high side for pricing, but we found it very charming and worth the extra expense. We both had a neck, head and … [Read more...]
An Evening Of Traditional Khmer Dancing And Food
We were told that a visit to Siem Reap would not be complete without seeing a sample of traditional Khmer dancing. The Aspara Theatre was recommended as one of the nicest venues to see this type of performance. It's a beautiful building with an interior of rich wood and many intricate relief carvings. Aspara and other traditional Khmer dances are an ancient art form. They have played an important role in Cambodian culture for over a thousand years. The traditional Khmer dances were nearly lost forever during the Khmer Rouge regime. Due to a renewed interest in Cambodian culture they have … [Read more...]
Angkor In Miniature
Miniature of Angkor is located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. If you don't have time to see all the Angkor temples on your list you can visit this lovely garden to see many of them on a miniature scale. Master craftsman Dy Proeung has hand carved several replicas out of sandstone. The yard and gardens are a tranquil place to spend some time and an escape from the heat on a warm day. … [Read more...]
Tic Tac Toe Khmer Style
As we wandered the town of Siem Reap we noticed tuk tuk drivers involved in some sort of activity on the street sides. They were using the small tiles of the sidewalk as a game board. It appeared to be a complex version of tic tac toe. … [Read more...]
A Look Into Life On Tonle Sap
We specifically chose the guest house Peace of Angkor for our stay in Siem Reap because the owner is an avid photographer. He schedules day trips that allow for fantastic photo opportunities. The trip we booked with him took us to an area on Tonle Sap that had seen very little in the way of tourism. The road to the small village we were going to had just been put through recently. Prior to the road opening the village could only be reached by boat. We walked down the new road that was lined with rickety wooden houses. Some people stared at us with curiosity, others could care less that we … [Read more...]
Other Ruins Of Angkor
We have listed the sites below that we visited. A brief description or things of interest have been noted, along with a few pictures. Check out the Siem Reap album in our photo gallery for many more pictures of the temples. There are many more sites further out from the frequently viewed circuit. Some of them are well worth a visit if you have the extra time. The ones listed below along with Angkor Wat took up 4 full days of our viewing time. We probably take a bit longer due to our obsession with photography, but that being said, none of the sites deserve to be rushed through. Ta … [Read more...]
The Wonders Of Angkor
The main reason we came to Siem Reap was to see the temples and ruins of Angkor. They are truly magnificent. Back in its peak the area of Angkor had a population of over a million people when the city of London was a mere 50,000! Getting Your Passes And Arranging Transportation To See The Temples You have to buy passes to see the ruins. Most of the main sites around the Angkor area are included in this pass. There are a few that have a separate entrance fee. The passes come in 1 day, 3 day and 7 days, and are $20, $40 and $60 respectively. They can be purchased at the main area gate to … [Read more...]
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Of Cambodia
The people are known as Khmer and speak the Khmer language. It is not a tonal language like Thai, so it is a bit easier to catch on to. We found instances of it being easier to hold a conversation in English with someone in Cambodia than in Thailand. A lot of Cambodian adults over a certain age speak fluent French. Cambodia was a French colony at one time, there are many fine examples of French colonial architecture here. This would all make sense as to why we saw a lot of French tourists visiting Cambodia. The currency is called Riel, about 3,300 Riel equals one Canadian dollar. The … [Read more...]
To Siem Reap By Expensive Air Or The Scam Bus?
We flew back to Bangkok from Chiang Mai, another short 50 minute flight. We arranged a flight directly from there to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Having heard so much about the ruins we were very excited see them. We were also very nervous, after all this was Cambodia. Or Rambo land as my brother referred to it! It's a quick flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap, it took us only 40 minutes. We were actually served a meal on this short flight. We had just started into the food when the pilot announced we would soon be descending for Siem Reap airport. We barely got to touch it before it got collected. … [Read more...]