[vigneshnr]

Originally Posted by neoranjit

Apparently there are places near the killing fields that have mines still unearthed. Try and read a book called johnny gone down. Talks about the killing fields briefly.
Vignesh, very well written.

Hi Neoranjit, will try to fetch a copy .

Cambodia has been suffering from both internal (communist khmer rouge) and external (vietnam, US) attacks over long long periods.

These killing fields were instituted by the internal forces for mass killings with hard tool weapons.
And the landmines are the gifts from external military forces. There are millions of such landmines planted in this country. We actually happen ed to visit a landmine museum - I'll try to putforth details of that too once I reach there.
This country & its people have gone through a lot.

[neoranjit]

Nice to see even tuk tuk drivers wearing helmets

[C300]

Nice images Vignesh. The city looks similar to any of our Indian cities. Especially the second snap.

[vigneshnr]

Day 3

This is the day I was looking forward to. The day we had planned to reach Siem Reap - the anchor city to visit all the temples & ruins.

The bus was at 7am. I had the booked seats on the day I reached Phnom penh. The ticket was for USD 10 per person.
May be I could have got a better deal - there are umpteen number of bus services plying between Phnom Penh & Siem reap. Nothing to regret as the bus service was pretty good. Tickets range from $6 to $10 depending upon the service you pick. Local cambodians normally do not take these coaches. If you like to travel with local cambodians then the fares are cheaper in those buses.

We were staying in a guest house near the river front area by name "BJ's house" - We had picked it from trip advisor recommendations. This guest house has just 7 rooms. Pretty comfortable for 2 nights. The tariff was USD 27 per night ncluding break fast + taxes. The house is managed by 3 persons. Service was always with smile. I would highly recommend this place.
You can find accommodation starting $6-7 in this city - many of them are not bad at all. Most of the back packers coming from places across do stay there. We were kind of holidaying rather than backpacking so upgraded ourselves

Something which is interesting here is the bus agencies arrange for pick up from your hotel. When you book your tickets they collect your stay details and promptly send a tuk tuk to get you + luggage. Believe me this saves lots of hassles in a new place.
Our departure was at 7:30 am. And tuk tuk was to come by 7 am. The guest house staff had prepared breakfast even during that early hour. And the lady herself rang the bus agency to ensure the tuk tuk is sent. All these were done by them without much asking from me.What else would you expect ? Such hospitality is rare.

Once we boarded the bus, I was relieved to find the seats were wide & comfortable. This is important as the journey will take 5 - 6 hours.
The journey started by 7:45.



Break fast sellers. Beware some people sell pork sandwich - read the fine print before you eat.



The highway was just a two lane road. And few places were damaged due to recent rains. Overall the route was ok. This being the major route connecting the national capital and the major tourist destination the road could have been better.



Intercity transport. Much similar to our country.




Mid way stop over for snacking - Kampong Thom town.



Coke on a bicycle.



Beautiful Country Side





This is the rainy season - the clouds say it all.



We reached Siem reap by 1:30 pm. The hotel was just $1 tuk tuk ride. We stayed in a boutique hotel - Frangipani; again picked from review sites like lonely planet / trip advisor. Hotel is situated in a quiet palace away from the market area. Its hardly a 10 min walk to the happening place of the city. Amenities : Free wifi (every hotel provides), swimming pool, free bicycles to ride around, tourist information, bookings. Very interestingly, they provide free laundry for a pair of shirt & trousers every day per person . So if you want to pack light - this is the place to go.
We picked up a room for $33 per night - includes breakfast + taxes and all. And this is almost a brand new property opened few months back.

Cambodians by nature are polite, friendly & soft spoken. So hospitality comes naturally to them. The staff over here too very caring about our requirements and were always willing help on every small things we asked for.

Upcoming is the most awaited temple tour days
I'm excited again.

[vigneshnr]

Originally Posted by neoranjit

Nice to see even tuk tuk drivers wearing helmets

Yes, they do. And they are very particular about this. Even when they ride on highways, they keep themselves safe with helmets. Me too look forward for such habit here in our country

Originally Posted by C300

Nice images Vignesh. The city looks similar to any of our Indian cities. Especially the second snap.

Thanks C300. If you just replace the signboards with Indian languages they'll almost match

[vigneshnr]

Day 3

I would like to say bit about our experience while checking in to the hotel. This is the first hotel where we seated in a couch to check in rather than stand in the front desk to fill those forms & registers. This is a very novel approach and we really liked it - That too after a long bus journey.
We were received with fresh - really fresh orange juice . And the staff provided few useful details & lead us to the room.

After relaxing for a while we headed out for our lunch by around 3pm.
Now comes up the planning part of our temple tours.

We browsed through various travel agents - even the hotel had some 'do it yourself' itineraries to follow. Late in the evening we found a tourist information office near the market area - this was run by the ministry so we thought this should be more reliable + rates reasonable.

The guy over there was too good to understand our requirements and helped in charting out a plan. Anyway, we had done our homework on the places to see and things to do already. But nothing matches the local knowlegde - right.

So here is the plan map for our next three days .



Plan

Day 4: Grand circuit + Banteay Srei
Day 5: Small circuit + Angkor thom
Day 6 : Floating Villages + Roluos group

We took guide for only the Day 5. Rest we thought we would explore on our own.

Total Cost: USD 110
Includes Tuk tuk for all three days + Guide for One day + Boat cost to visit floating villages. And lots of chilled water + fresh towels during the tour days.

[bandlimitedlife]

Excellent Pics Vignesh. What time in the year did you do this trip ? What is the suggested time of the year ? Thanks!

[Ragul]

I heard vegetarian food can be a problem in Cambodia. Is it true?

--Ragul

[vigneshnr]

Originally Posted by bandlimitedlife

Excellent Pics Vignesh. What time in the year did you do this trip ? What is the suggested time of the year ? Thanks!

Hi Bandltdlife, I was there last week & returned last Sunday. And so this log is as fresh as it can be.
Cambodia is a destination for all through the year. But there is a peak & off season.
Peak season: Oct to Mar - Dry
Off Peak Season : Apr to Sep - Wet

Peak : Many tourists visit during the non rainy / winter / dry period to explore the land.
Pros:
1. No slush sticking to your shoes
2. Clear view of Sun set / rise in the temples
3. No need to carry rain protection gear

Cons:

1. Its dry
2. Dust flies
3. The temple areas are more brown

Off Peak :Majority of the rains happen during end June till Aug or so.

Pros:
1. Less tourists across
2. Hotel + Tuk tuk + guide + shopping prices are negotiable
3. Temples areas are covered by greenery
4. No dust

Cons:
1. Sun rise / set will be tircky
2. You may feel lonely in few temples

As I have travelled during wet August, I can say it's not a bad weather at all. The rain pour is usually sharp & for just 20 - 25 mins, then the clouds clear away.

[vigneshnr]

Originally Posted by Ragul

I heard vegetarian food can be a problem in Cambodia. Is it true?

--Ragul

Not exactly.

Hi Ragul, I had the same doubts while I planned my trip because myself and Priya are vegetarians(egg eating).

Getting veg food is not a problem but certainly there are some limitations.
Good thing is people there understand the meaning of 'vegetarian' and serve you right. Nothing much to worry about.
As an added measure you can mention 'No meat' 'No fish' 'No egg' while you are placing your orders.

Restaurants have very limited options available for vegetarians. Few restaurants do have seperate "veg" menu. The menu cards are generally displayed in front of each restaurant which we browsed through before making our choice of place.

And there is always an Indian restaurant near you.

Few dish we enjoyed there
- Khmer cuisine > veg curry (they serve this in a coconut shell)
- Asian fried rice
- Veg soup is a speciality here. They come in big bowl which can satiate 2 - 3 people.

Let me know if you love to know more, Ragul.

[vigneshnr]

Day 4

This is the first day of our temple tours. We had to start by 7:30. And the tuk tuk driver Mr Bon 'Am had arrived dot on time. We were anyway late.. holiday right.

We set off by 8:05




We wanted to start the day from the far off temple - Banteay Srei then come to the nearer temples.
Banteay Srei is not the largest of the lot - But this is one of the most beautiful temple. The pictures will prove them better.





The walk through into the temple





One of the entrances to the temple





Ornate bas relief





Windows Angkor version 5.0 - Almost all the windows are of similar style.





Dancing Shiva





Very intricately decorated gate arches







Temples for vishnu

[C300]

Beautiful. I have no words. What fascinates me is that the structure is made of multiple stones, each delicately carved with precision and then put together. Tremendous skill and hard work.

[vigneshnr]

Originally Posted by C300

Beautiful. I have no words. What fascinates me is that the structure is made of multiple stones, each delicately carved with precision and then put together. Tremendous skill and hard work.

Spot on, C300 ! The beauty of the carvings standout coz of the stone color. Actually this is one of the rare few temples built with limestones.
I suppose there is only one stone used and colored by weather.
In terms of construction, what I've been made to understand is - the foundation is made with hard stone and the temple structures are built with soft stones to enable carvings.

And they are beautiful.

[MaserQ]

Great choice of destination. Not too many opt for Cambodia. Well done, the write-up was interesting as well as informative. The scale of atrocities committed by the evil khmer rouge on their own people is truly astonishing.

What is the procedure for e-visa and how does it work? Is the Cambodian visa on-arrival process similar to the Thai VOA? Thanks in advance.

[vigneshnr]

Originally Posted by MaserQ

Great choice of destination. Not too many opt for Cambodia. Well done, the write-up was interesting as well as informative. The scale of atrocities committed by the evil khmer rouge on their own people is truly astonishing.

What is the procedure for e-visa and how does it work? Is the Cambodian visa on-arrival process similar to the Thai VOA? Thanks in advance.

Hi MaserQ, thanks for your comments. I'm really happy that quite a few have taken interest in our travelogue. (Though I've not got any ratings : ( )

You are right - not many indians know of the Beauty of Cambodia - that's why my thread's title is so.. ha ha ! But this nation is flooded with tourists from Europe, Australia & rest.

And btw, I've already shared the link for e-visa in my earlier post in this thread (as I'm typing this from my mobile I'm saving myslef from copy pastes). Even VOA details are in the post. Its pretty simple. If you need to know more, I would be happy to help.

Hope you would follow my thread forward.