Asian News on Travel and Hotels

Not so many people get to experience the magic of Cambodia.  Those who are fortunate enough to visit this extraordinary country choose to stay far longer than planned.  When it is about time to leave, one is left with no choice but to simply browse through photos, watch videos in order to prolong the feeling of being in Cambodia and cherish the marvelous memories.  As for me, I make it a point to buy a lot of souvenirs in order for me to share a bit of each place with my loved ones back home.

Painting of an Apsara Dancer   Photo by: theshutterbugs

It was no different when I got to visit the Kingdom of Cambodia last year together with my partner.  But I would have to admit that I did a bit of research before hand to check which souvenirs were worth lugging back with me and possibly cause me to pay some overweight baggage fines at the airport.
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Posted in Cambodia, Things to do |

I would have to admit that I truly miss Cambodia.  My partner and I were in that marvelous country just a few months ago and it feels as if it had been ages.  Aside from the amazing Angkor Temples like Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat, there is another thing that we are truly missing about Cambodia.  We are extremely salivating over authentic Khmer food!

One of the things that we enjoy when we travel is the opportunity to try the local dishes.  More often than not, the popular food that one can find in a country has a lot to say about the people, culture, way of life, even history, of that place.  It is always exciting to try the different dishes and be in a rollercoaster ride of different tastes – something that will make your mouth explode from the different blend of exotic flavors.

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Posted in Cambodia, Food |

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – As I start the new year 2010, I cannot help but reminisce and look back at all the travel adventures that I had in 2009.

Of course, my year was filled with several trips to some of my country’s domestic destinations.  One of my favorites would have to be my trip to Coron, Palawan during the first half of the year.  After a few months, my partner and I embarked on our biggest adventure yet.  We pulled off our Three Countries in Ten Days escapade!

From the Philippines, we booked our US$100 tickets with one low cost carrier.  Our first stop was Bangkok.  But we were just transit passengers in Bangkok.  We waited for about seven hours at the Bangkok airport for our connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  Per our itinerary, we were only to stay in Kuala Lumpur for one night.

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Posted in Asia, Attractions, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand |

Every country has its quirks. Some are safer than others, either due to levels of traditional crime or because of political unrest.

Before traveling to any country you should take a bit of time to do a little bit of research regarding safety, crime, and health. With that in mind, here are some things you should keep in mind as you travel throughout Cambodia. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Cambodia |

After visiting the Royal Palace, I asked our tuk tuk driver if I can have a souvenir photo taken while riding his tuk tuk.  He chuckled but gamely allowed me to give it a try.

Then in a few minutes, Giva, our tuk tuk driver immediate drove us back to our hotel to help us collect our bags from the concierge.  In less than ten minutes, we found ourselves on the road again and on the way to the international airport of Phnom Penh.  We were in a bit of a hurry as we were left with only two hours before our estimated departure time from Phnom Penh.

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Posted in Cambodia, Thailand, Things to do |

In a previous article, I shared some of the different attractions that the vibrant capital city of Phnom Penh has to offer.  Visitors can visit the Central Market and the Russian Market to do a bit of shopping.  Those who would like to extend some help to the less fortunate children can head to any of the orphanages located within the city and bring donations like rice or noodles.  These children will surely charm their way to anyone’s heart.  But these are not the only places that are worth visiting while touring Phnom Penh.  One can go down memory lane and explore a varied list of historical sites.

The different historical sites are very accessible within the city.  The best mode of transportation would have to be the airy tuk tuk that can be found anywhere in Phnom Penh.  Anyone can get a tuk tuk near hotels like the Himawari Hotel Apartment Phnom Penh.
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Posted in Attractions, Cambodia |

A lot of visitors of Cambodia make it a point to visit both the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek and the Tuol Sleng Genocidal Museum. These places are the closest anyone will ever get in understanding the countries and in turn appreciate what it is today. In addition to these two interesting sites, there are still quite a number of rousing attractions to see in Phnom Penh.

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Posted in Attractions, Cambodia |

In a previous article, I relayed our experiences when we visited the Killing Fields. We shared photos of the mass graves, the monument that held thousands of skulls, the land markings detailing the different sections of the land, and the harrowing story behind the reign of Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge soldiers.

One land marking that was mentioned in that article was about the Truck Stop. The sign stated that:

“Here, was the place where a trucks transporting victims to be exterminated from Tuol Sleng Prison and other places in the country stopped. Trucks would arrive 2 or 3 times a month or every 3 weeks. Each truck held 20 to 30 frightened, blindfolded and silent prisoners.

When the trucks arrived, the victims were led directly to be executed at the ditches and pits or were sent to be detained in the darken and gloomy prison nearby.

After January 7, 1979, one truck remained but it was since been taken away.”

Yes, Tuol Sleng is another story altogether.

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Posted in Attractions, Cambodia |

THE KILLING FIELDS (CAMBODIA) – Sometime in the 1980s during one of the scheduled video presentations in school, I got to watch a disturbing movie that really left a mark in my heart. I’m referring to The Killing Fields, a 1984 British film, which was produced to share the drama about the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. The movie was about the lives of three journalists namely Dith Pran (Cambodian), Sydney Schanberg (American), and John Swain (British). This film tells the story of Dith Pran and his dramatic journey to escape the death camps which he referred to as the killing fields. The film received a lot of recognition and even won a total of three Academy Awards.

I had no idea that someday I will find myself at the Killing Fields.

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Posted in Attractions, Cambodia |

We woke up early the day we were scheduled to leave Siem Reap for Phnom Penh. My partner and I wanted to make the most of our trip so we decided to book another trip to Angkor Wat to see the sunrise one last time before we leave. Mr. Rith gamely waited for us so that we can shoot more photos.

While we were in Angkor Wat, our hotel arranged for our bus tickets with the bus company. Since we have been doing a lot of traveling by air, we wanted to try something different and travel to Siem Reap via road trip. You can contact the front desk of your hotel in Siem Reap like the Borei Angkor Resort & Spa, as most hotels would be more than glad to deal directly with the bus companies for the arrangements.

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Posted in Attractions, Cambodia |