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 »
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.
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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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.
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.
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.
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.
PRE RUP, SIEM REAP (CAMBODIA) – It is true when people say one’s power cannot be measured by size alone. In the case of Banteay Srei, its small proportion compared to the majestic Angkor Thom or Angkor Wat did not even matter. Banteay Srei was equally fascinating because of its reddish sandstone images and very ornate carvings. Banteay Srei left us giddy.
It started to drizzle while we were exploring Banteay Srei. So we decided to wrap up and leave for another temple called Pre Rup. Actually, we passed by Pre Rup on our way to Banteay Srei but we decided to visit on our way back.
BANTEAY SREI, SIEM REAP (CAMBODIA) – We were still floating in cloud 9 from our visit to Angkor Wat when we realized that we spent several hours exploring the majestic temple.
We checked the brochures and travel book that we just bought from a persistent young boy. We were trying to figure out where to head next. Mr. Sambo, our English speaking guide, suggested that we visit another temple which is located far from the city center. He was referring to Banteay Srei. Given that Banteay Srei is located about an hour away from Angkor Wat, we were asked to pay an additional US$ 10.00 for the tuk-tuk’s gasoline consumption. My partner and I were game for anything so we decided to go for it. If you plan to visit any of the far temples, make sure that you settle the fee first and expect to pay additional because of the distance.
ANGKOR WAT, SIEM REAP (CAMBODIA) - We simply cannot believe that we have only been in Siem Reap a day having been able to visit two unforgettable temples, Angkor Thom and Ta Phrom. If it were not for the rain, we would have hiked or rode an elephant uphill to catch the famous sunset at Phnom Bakheng. Since the sunset was covered by gray colored clouds, we decided to skip that and just head back to our hotel for an early dinner. We needed all the rest that we can get most especially since our second day would have to start extra early for our sunrise tour of Angkor Wat. This is why it is also important to book a room in any of the nice hotels in Siem Reap like the Angkor Miracle Resort and Spa Siem Reap Hotel.
We woke up at 4:00 am so that we can be at Angkor Wat by 5:00 pm in time for the sunrise. We rode the tuk-tuk of Mr. Rith and we were accompanied again by Mr. Sambo. It was a very chilly and calm morning. The skies have already started to lighten in color.
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