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  • Vander Wonders

Cambodia

A 11-day adventure by Vander Wonders Read more
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  • Trip start
    January 25, 2017
    Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    First impressions

    January 25, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    As we walked off the plane, the airport building impressed me with its temple like look. As we walked in I noticed the neat dark wood counters and very clear signs both in English and Cambodian. The visa on arrival sign immediately caught my eye, hence we followed without hesitation. The form is pretty much a 2minute exercise and the organized system with lines and clear signs gave me the comfortable "american dream" feeling. There are clear yellow lines to wait your turn. The officers are firm yet friendly, 20minutes later we had our visas and cleared customs. I got the bags due to the "one at a time" policy in Asia. ( you don't clear customs as a family).

    There are CLEAR BOLD signs (AND PICTURES with a crossed out camera) everywhere at the visa and customs area of the airport to NOT TAKE PICTURES! Guess who is taking pictures??Yet he is not stressed to be arrested or taken into a small room, but more stressed about completing the form🙈and me getting lost. I can't comprehend this🙊!!

    Everyone is too busy on their phones so we walked out of the airport without a customs declaration form. Our driver had a lovely printed sign with our names. He ran off to fetch our new way of transportation, its soooo authentic!! Roedolf get 2 local sim cards for us, a standard vander travel-procedure on this trip. We need to be connected right. 4 G data boom !!! ( and so I can't get lost- Roedolfs main concern- it kills me to be so DEPENDENT gRRRRR)!

    I chatted to our driver and looked at the map as he loaded our luggage. Roedolf arrived back from the ATM ( oh and he hates cash but cash is king in Asia)- ( and everywhere else just not in his world) and off we went for our first tuk tuk drive from the airport.

    The streets are cleaner and less chaotic than Vietnam. There is actually a split for cars and tuk-tuks or bikes on the bigger roads. There is a warm welcoming feeling in the air, I am excited to explore this.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Our new home in Siem Reap

    January 25, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Airbnb is just legendary! We just checked into our new home for the next 3 days.

    For a fraction of the price of a hotel we get a one bedroom apartment with a lovely open plan living area and kitchen in the heart of Siem Reap. It has laundry facilities which means we can get our clothes from the 11 days in Vietnam washed today.

    Interestingly enough the place belongs to a German guy who has been working in Cambodia for 2 years now.

    The best part is we were able to checkin early and we can checkout very late as we are catching an overnight hotel bus to Phnom Phen on Saturday night.

    After our trip to the Angkor Wat national museum we stopped at a supermarket to stock up on foods we can cook here for the next few days. Thus 3 days without street food 😜. The supermarket on its own was a bit of an experience as most things are very different than what we are use to. A couple of cans of tuna, pasta, fruits, vegetables, bread, egg, coffee and milk and we are good to go. The meats are a far cry from a South African butchery so we are giving it a skip today.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Angkor National museum

    January 25, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Our afternoon outing was mission getting Angkor Wat informed. Visiting Angkor Wat is the number one reason why we are here. Well other than the fact that this outing confirmed to me I am not museum junkee and that I lose interest quickly, we did learn of a whole new world, the Khmer world, myths and finally the rich history of Angkor Wat.

    Have you heard of religions sharing shrines? Never? Well, it happened once in Cambodia. Angkor Wat was first a Hindu religion temple and then later it was turned into a Buddhist temple. It is located in Cambodia and was first built by Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura, the capital of the Khmer Empire. It is the world's largest religious monument and one of the most visited religious sites in the world.

    Angkor Wat is the best representation of classical style of Khmer architecture.

    The temple has been built to represent Mount Meru, the home of the Hindu Mythology lord of Brahma and the demi-god devtas.

    All other temples in the region are aligned to face to the east, this temple was aligned to the west. It faces sunset and the evening sun adds to its beauty in the evening. It could be because its devoted to the god of the west.

    It is not until the 16th century that the temple came to be known by its present name. Prior to this, it was known as Pisnulok, the official title of the Khmer king Suryavarman II that built it.

    In recognition of the important part it played in both the Hinduism and Buddhism, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1992.

    Although most tourists know of the Angkor Wat temple complex, the city comprises of Angkor Thom and the Bayon Temple which are equally intriguing.

    Unlike his predecessors who belonged to lineage of kings who practiced ‘Shaivism’ and thus their supreme God was Lord Shiva; Suryavarman II broke ranks with them and built this temple that is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

    The decorations on the walls of the temple have a uniquely Hindu story telling characteristics. They have fables and myths pictures that tell of the temple's origin in Hindu religion.

    The site receives more than 2 million visitors annually for a reason -It ebbs an aura of divinity that can only be found in Incan and Mayan holy shrines.

    Looking forward to see it tomorrow!

    www.uniglobekalamalkatravel.com

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Siem Reap run

    January 26, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Woke up at 7am from the streets super load music. We had some coffee, Roedolf helped me to figure out a route with lots of people to get to the Royal Independence gardens. I love to explore this way... here are some beautiful spots en route.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Run & explore

    January 26, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    The amount of statues and sights along the way was a nice surprise. The light was perfect this morning. I also ran in one crazy busy street, which was pretty interesting watching the stuff the locals sell. One observation Cambodians are definitely way more pedestrian friendly than the Vietnamese. A productive morning with sightseeing & 10.5km under the belt.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Old Market in Siem Reap

    January 26, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Here you can find the "wild Isabel" in her natural habitat of shopping.

    We went to the Old Market in search of light long pants for Isabel so she can enter the temple complex at Angkor Wat in something less warm than jeans.

    Needless to say she was not too unhappy about being there. After about 3 shops you have basically seen it all and tried everything on as they all sell the same stuff.

    As soon as you ask the price they will highball, lets say $8 for pants (by the way even their high ball figure is very cheap) then if you take more than 3 seconds to reply they say "but I can give you a discount, how about $6?"

    Then you start bargaining and say $2 which is obviously stealing the food off their table or at least thats what you think. They would respond with $5 and then you would walk away and they would scream after you, "ok sir how about $4....?" If you don't turnaround they would try $3 and even $2 in the hope you turn around.

    Other sales tricks are, as soon as you walk away they will say "I would give you an immediate sale discount". One lady actually said to me, "what are you willing to pay, I will take it if I still make profit".

    We ended up spending $9 for light blue long pants with an elephant pattern and a t-shirt with giraffes on it and we purchased 3 fridge magnets for $1. I think thats good going considering we started at $20 for the pants and the shirt plus we started at $1 per magnet.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Chasing perfection

    January 26, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Everyone raves about the mystical spiritual feeling you get when visiting Angkor Wat, as we literally almost ran from the backside of Angkor Wat,to catch the light and the sun at the perfect moment, I thought yeah right. In all honesty just being there for that magic hour of sunset, was an enriching experience. Our guide was incredible, he knew exactly where to go and he is obviously befriended with the guards as he would say "quick take a couple of pictures here, we aren't really allowed here"- right up Roedolf's alley off course.

    Perfection is not attainable but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence!! Today we nailed it, life is all about timing and our timing was perfect.

    Amazed by Angkor
    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Tomb Raiders

    January 26, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    This is where our tomb raider journey begins. Unlike Angelina Jolie in the Lara Croft Tomb Raider Movie, we had to first queue for tickets.

    Our guide/temple photography expert took us to buy tickets for tomorrow and told us that we can use those to also get in today to catch the sunset for free. Already glad we have this guy!

    We stopped at the back of the temple which is clearly not where almost 10,000 tourists a day enter.

    We first walked over what looks like reasonable size river, this was actually the mote that goes around the temple, this should already have indicated to us that what we are about to see would be magical. Then we entered through a hole in the exterior city wall which have fallen into ruins over time.

    Inside the wall was a lush jungle and you could hear birds and insects all around. As we turned onto a path leading to the temple we could see the main tower of the temple sticking out between the trees and I got goosebumps as it felt like we were in the scene of a movie just walking to the temple.

    We did not have time to go inside today but we were amazed by the sunset and the beautiful colors that nature brings to this beautiful 900 plus year old temple.

    I can not wait to see more tomorrow!

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Angkor Wat sunrise

    January 27, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Angkor Wat ("Capital temple") is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world, with the site measuring 162.6 hectares (1,626,000 m2; 402 acres). It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple of god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, gradually transforming into a Buddhist temple toward the end of the 12th century. It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yaśodharapura (present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Breaking from the Shaiva tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious center since its foundation. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.

    One of the main tourist attractions is, watching the sunrise over the temple. As I understand, there are no religious significance to it but just a cool thing to see as the sun basically rise behind the temple with the temple reflections seen in the pools of water at the front if the temple.

    Our guide Samueth picked us up at 5am in order for us to get to the temple, find a good sport for photos in time for sunrise at 6:30am.

    We arrived with plenty of time to spare, after the mile walk from the Tuk Tuk we found good spots on the edge of the reflection pool on the right side of the temple. For some reason 98% of the tourists go to the left pool as that has more water than the right one, but ironically has more water plants so the better reflection was where we were.

    Samueth's local knowledge and a specially camera angles where very helpful here. He used to be a photographer by trade but now does temple tours with photography tours as one of his options, for a couple of extra dollars. We chose this option which basically worked out only a few dollars more than just getting a Tuk Tuk to the temples and back to the hotel.

    The sunrise was a bit disappointing after the very beautiful sunset we saw yesterday. There were just not enough clouds to make for an array of colors but was still special to witness the sunrise.

    The temple itself is extremely impressive inside with beautiful carvings everywhere, all of which has a mean or tell a story. Probably the most striking carving was the "Churning of the Ocean of Milk" is one of the most well-known legends of the Hindu mythology and of the Cambodian culture. That story is depicted on a 49 meter long carving on the wall of the east gallery of Angkor Wat temple. Its basically a picture of angels and demons holding a tug of war with a snake. I am not so much convinced by the story but the artistry is amazing!

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Ta Prohm temple (Tomb Raider)

    January 27, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Ta Prohm built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara. Located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm is in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings and the fact Lara Craft Tomb Raider Movie was shot here, have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Trees @Ta Promh

    January 27, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    The ultimate Indiana Jones fantasy, Ta Prohm with its crumbling towers and walls locked in with the iconic root systems is undoubtedly the most fascinating ruin. The ancient jungle feel, make you believe you are the first explorer. We had so much fun taking pictures here, our guide was amazing and knew all the secret maze like corridors and right angles for brilliant shots.

    We were lucky and visited it just after 7am we had a wonderful experience as it wasn't packed with tourists yet. I wasn't convinced that Roedolf will get out of the tree...the pictures tell the tail.

    Time spent amongst trees is never wasted time- Katrina Mayer.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Pre Rup temple

    January 27, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Pre Rup is a Hindu temple at Angkor, built as the state temple of Khmer king Rajendravarman and dedicated in 961 or early 962 which makes this one of the oldest temples we visited today. It is a temple mountain of combined brick, laterite and sandstone construction. Its covered in holes used to provide grip for the cement, which is mostly gone, clearly the holes did not work or the cement was not great.

    The temple’s name is a comparatively modern one meaning "turn the body". This reflects the common belief among Cambodians that funerals were conducted at the temple, with the ashes of the body being ritually rotated in different directions as the service progressed.

    This temple was build to replace the East Mebon temple, as it was water-locked and visitors required a boat go worship and pray.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    East Mebon temple

    January 27, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    The East Mebon is a 10th Century temple and the oldest we visited today. Built during the reign of King Rajendravarman, it stands on what was an artificial island at the center of the now dry East Baray reservoir.

    The East Mebon was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and honors the parents of the king.

    Short after the completion of the temple, it was replaced by the Pre Rup temple as this East Mebon was not accessible to all people as it was water locked and only individuals who owned boats were able to worship at this temple.

    This temple is full of elephants statues while Pre Rup has loads of Lion statues.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Ta Som temple

    January 27, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Ta Som is a small buddha temple at Angkor, built at the end of the 12th century for King Jayavarman VII. It is located north east of Angkor Thom and just east of Neak Pean. The King dedicated the temple to his father Dharanindravarman II who was King of the Khmer Empire from 1150 to 1160. The temple consists of a single shrine located on one level and surrounded by enclosure laterite walls. Like the nearby Preah Khan and Ta Prohm the temple was left largely unrestored, with numerous trees and other vegetation growing among the ruins.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Buddist temple along the water

    January 27, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    I was pretty tired just before lunch, the scenic walkway over to the small temple really energized me. The sun played along and there were some gorgeous reflections on the lake. The temple itself are surrounded by four areas of symbolizing the 4 great elements earth, water fire and air.

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Preah Khan temple

    January 27, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Preah Khan ("Royal Sword") is a buddhist temple built in the 12th century for King Jayavarman VII to honor his father. It is located northeast of Angkor Thom and just west of the Jayatataka baray, with which it was associated. It was the centre of a substantial organisation, with almost 100,000 officials and servants. The temple is flat in design, with a basic plan of successive rectangular galleries around a Buddhist sanctuary complicated by Hindu satellite temples and numerous later additions. Like the nearby Ta Prohm, Preah Khan has been left largely unrestored, with numerous trees and other vegetation growing among the ruins.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Bayon temple in Angkor Thom

    January 27, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Our last temple for the day, we are pretty temples out now. So glad we made the decision to only do one day of temple hopping, a second day would have killed me.

    The Bayon is a well-known and richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom. Following Jayavarman's death, it was modified and augmented by later Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings in accordance with their own religious preferences.

    The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and smiling stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Cambodian Circus

    January 27, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We went to the Circus, not really sure what to expect.

    It turned out it was more a drama story told through different art forms from painting, acting, juggling, music and amazing acrobatics.

    The stuff that Vegas shows are made off.

    Incredibly the circus is not just the show but a school for very poor kids to train them in some sort of art from, the circus is then a way to provide a job and springboard for the graduates of the school. Amazing really!

    Made me feel like I should have bought the most expensive tickets, not only for a better view with no pole obstructing our view, but to support this great cause!

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Khmer Amok

    January 27, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We learned so much of the Khmer history at the temples today, its just fitting we try the Khmer Amok which is their local dish.

    Its basically chicken or fish cooked inside coconut juice with steamed rice. Sometimes even served in the coconut shell.

    We also had some fried spring rolls, which is my go to dish here (and I now know how to make it after our cooking lesson), noodles and shrimp is also a dish that you can't go wrong with. However my favorite dish today was the birds nest noodles with beef, its noodles fried into the form of a nest with beef and vegetables in the nest.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Temple Mini golf

    January 28, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We just can not stay away from mini golf. We started our relationship playing mini golf and here we are playing mini golf in the countryside of Cambodia at Angkor Wat Put mini golf. The course is set out over miniature temples.

    Isabel was the only one to hit two hole-in-ones which won her a free drink for each.

    O and this time she beat me by one shot without me letting her win.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Kambodja boerdery

    January 28, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Die ouens naby Siam Reap het meestal bestaansboerderye en baie goed word nog op die outydse maniet gedoen. Die platteland is baie mooi met allerhande skakerings van groen en so 'n vuil modderbruin. Dit is so tropies dat mens sommer in die middel van 'n stuk grond 'n klomp palmbome sal sien. Die mense is almal baie vriendelik en gewillig om af geneem te word. Ek is oral verstom oor die buitengewone ongemaklike posisies waarin mense sit, hierdie vrou wat die mandjie vleg se rug moet deur 'n helse tyd gaan en sys nie meer vandag se kind nie. Ek het haar gevra en sy reken dis seer maar oraait. Sy het 'n smart huis op pale so ek kannie dink sy dat sy nie 'n stoel kan aanskaf nie.

    {Issy}    Read more

    See translation
  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Market and more rice

    January 28, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We explored a small town market where the locals mostly do their grocery shopping, it is clearly cheaper than the Old Market in Siem Reap. I had to breath through my mouth to survive the fish and meat section (I am getting the hang of it now) !! Eeuuwwh!!
    There were a baking aka fried goodies section, our guide got a selection for us to try. I loved his enthusiasm and as this was not part of the itinerary I felt obligated to ditch my fussiness. When he explained it I felt a deep sense of nervousness, as it its totally out of my "scope" of whats a pastry or delicatessen. Well surprise surprise the key ingredient is rice...sticky rice, rice paste, rice flour or some other unimaginable form of rice in a processed form. It was actually very tasty... who would have known beans in sticky rice can be good? It was culinary experience of note and we both did not feel like anything to eat until dinner.

    Some of the stuff if I can try to explain
    -A form of sweet potato fries just way chunkier and not salty like the ones we are used to..
    -Banana in fried rice dough
    -Sticky rice topped with Sugar cane syrup was also pretty good
    -rice balls filled with a type of bean not sure if its deep fried or not

    I tend to ignore the fact that alot if the stuff is deep fried at least its safe🙈🤣I hope

    I MISS PROTEIN

    {Issy}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Countryside

    January 28, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    After our trip to the temples we were not sure if we just wanted a chill day or explore more. Yesterday when we asked Samueth if his available and he said no, we were not too disappointed as it mean a chill day today.

    Later last night he texted saying his customer cancelled and his available to take us to the countryside, we agree as the FOMO (fear of missing out) got the better of us.

    I am so glad we did, this was really such a diverse trip, with mini golf, farming, beautiful countryside, markets, crafts, noodle rice production and fishing.

    The photos does not do the markets justice, cause the smell combined with the sight of fish still moving in the tray would get the better of any western person.

    We spent some time watching the fishermen fish for catfish in a muddy pond. They basically wait for a catfish to touch the surface of the water and then they throw the net and immediately press the sides of the net into the mud. Then they crawl on their hands and knees to feel where the fish is captured by the net. When they find the fish they take it out and role the fish into their pants, take the net out and continue fishing.

    {Roedolf}    Read more

  • Vander WondersCambodiaTraveler

    Gas station Cambodia style

    January 28, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    You have to look really hard to find a gas station in Cambodia, from what we can see they are really only found in the cities.

    As soon as you go outside the cities all you get is these Johnny Walker or other glass bottles full of gas.

    Don't think they have 95 unleaded. 😂

    {Roedolf}    Read more

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