28th Feb - 2nd Mar 2012
Some holiday photos and experiences don't warrant a full post to themselves, but it'd be a shame to not include them, somewhere. So, before we leave Siem Reap...
Flying in.
Flying in.
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| Where the river meets Tonle Sap lake |
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| Looking a bit dry or perhaps the havest's over, as we near Siem Reap |
Angkor National Museum, which opened its doors in 2007, is quite majestic and is home to eight galleries chock full of ancient sculptures and relics, one which contains 1000 images of Buddha. Worthy of a visit, but more expensive than the Phnom Penh Museum, with an entry fee of US$10 for foreigners?
The streets. The morning we set out for Angkor Wat, this guy (below left) was up in the thick of a maze of branches and electricity wires that ran straight through the guts of it all, felling a tree, limb by limb. When we returned that afternoon, the trees had been levelled and the full extent of the wires could be appreciated.
Opposite our hotel's (review on next post) outdoor breakfast area/cafe, was a construction site and this women was diligently cleaning????????? the road with a blower! The wait staff, who wiped down the outdoor settings a few times a day under normal conditions, were quite aghast and ushered us inside...but at no time did they ask her to stop rearranging the dirt.
Sealing the road the old fashioned way.
Round about statue.
Funeral procession from our hotel window.
Common Grounds. A swish-ish coffee shop and cafe run by People for Care & Learning,
which puts the profits to good use. I was lucky enough to create and
donate a blackboard sign, taking it in lieu of non existent check-in luggage. Good food,
great coffee and nice people.
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Stray looking rather smitten ;)
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Money. Tuk tuk driver's monthly salary from the hotel US$60. His rent US$35, his electricity $15, his hair cut US$1. Our meals + drinks US$4-$7.
Should've but didn't? Eat a Happy Pizza and track down Vegetable Ivory.
Cheers!
Snap's other blog Chiang Mai Thai
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5 comments:
Great stuff Snap! I always wonder what to do with all the photos from a trip. Talen keeps saying to add a slideshow but... I haven't gotten that far (and the code messes with my rotating banners).
Question: Did you smell the burning when you arrived? We landed in the evening and it was quite strong. On and off throughout my short trip I could smell burning but it wasn't even close to Chiang Mai.
@Catherine No Cat, we didn't smell or see the smoke (apart from the ocassional burning off of small rubbish piles), except from the plane.
The reports from CM about the smoke was alarming. I'm glad we were never there to endure/witness it. It's a real shame for the residents and tourism.
Slide shows...that reminds me...I haven't updated ours for yonks. I'm not even sure if it's still a page anymore.
After being in Chiang mai recently, I might have been sensitive to the burning in Siem Reap. It really was awful (more so after I left - those poor people!)
Awhile back I put some effort into a slideshow but getting the kinks out was too time-consuming so I put it off until later. I do that a lot at my site. And one day I'll go back through the posts and play catchup to all of the promises I've made ;-)
Snap - The dry parched land viewed on your approach to Siem Reap were perhaps a sign of things to come. I can't say as I'd fancy dust on the crust of my toast.
You and Catherine's posts have gone a long way to convince me that Siem Reap is well worth a visit one day...but...do 'One Day's' ever come.
The temples, motor cycles, funeral procession, markets and funny hats remind me very much of Thailand. That make my 'One Day' a little more tempting.
Are you still in Cambodia now?
@Martyn If I remember corectly, you once said on Beyond The Mango Juice, that you didn't want to visit Singapore?? because it was too *sterile*...I'm the same way. And, as you know I'm partial to Thailand, but I reckon you'd really love Cambodia.
No, we're not there now. We returned from Cambodia/Malaysia a week and a half ago.
Since I don't take my laptop, nor am willing to plug my camera into a hotel computer (viruses)...and because I'm not very smart at using my smart phone, all posts have to wait until I'm perched on my sofa with a good glass of red, back home :)
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