I’m going on a week holiday to a place where Indian Ocean meets Pacific Ocean halfway.

G’day mate!

Meanwhile you can check out My Travelogues, summary of my travels & backpacking adventures.

See ya.

This is what we had for breakfast (included in room rate). The breakfast consist of 2 toasted bread, 2 hams, 2 eggs, butter and jam, orange and/or tea/coffee and a plate of fruits.

It was simple and delicious! I don’t find eating the same breakfast for 4 continuous morning as boring if the food is delish. Hahaha

Let me introduce you to Hotel 89 a little bit.

Hotel 89 is ranked as bed and breakfast/inn (I called it hotel as I’ve no idea what else to call it hahaha). I found Hotel 89 at Tripadvisor, ranking #5 out of 106 in B&Bs/Inns category. I choose this place based on the reviews and ratings given by fellow travellers. Have a look at Hotel 89 photos in Tripadvisor website. Those are the friendly staffs that I mentioned before. And the tuk-tuk driver with 2 ladies in between… that’s my tuk-tuk driver. Haha

This is the road leading to Hotel 89. I was a little bit put off at first when I saw the dusty road. Don’t be. Hotel 89 turned out to be the jewel in a crown.

The room is cosy and clean. My only complain is mosquito.

Opposite this double bed is a tv, small fridge (below tv) and a desk. The shocking thing about this cable tv is that it has more channels than my Astro at home! LOL

The ahem… toilet is clean too.
Slippers are provided as well.

The grand door leading into the lobby + dining area. FYI, there’s only ceiling fans here (except the manager/pc room). Don’t worry all rooms are equipped with air-conditioners. There’s no lift here, only stairs. Thankfully our room was at the first floor. Hehe

Left: This is the dining area where breakfast is served every morning.

Right: 3 PCs with wifi internet. Free to use. They also provide printing and CD burning services. Also in this room is the manager office. You can’t see it but it’s on the right side.

In summary Hotel 89 is a wonderful place to stay. At US$20 per night for a double room, this place is valued for money. They even go into small details like serving drinks & cold towels every time you return to the hotel (which is a blessing!), daily bottled water in rooms and we even have Cambodian bed-time story to read every night!

Other worth mentioning is the availability of tuk-tuk and car just outside the hotel anytime of the day.

What shines most for Hotel 89 is the invaluable and friendly staff and top notch services. If you ever go to Siem Reap, try Hotel 89. Highly recommended by me!

A short quote to sum up Hotel 89:

Every time I come back to Hotel 89, I feel like coming back to my home.

Around 10am we head out to Pub Street again.

Pub Street is basically deserted from morning-noon. Come evening the crowds will start to build up.

A couple of fruit stalls by the souvenir shop. The oil paintings on the left… they’re pretty ya?

We head to Old Market again.

Spices and teas @ Old Market. Since I got addicted to lemongrass, I bought a packet of lemongrass tea and ginger tea.

Rice stalls @ Old Market. I saw one particular rice called Ginger Rice. I wonder how it taste like.

Waxed sausages @ Old Market. This is somewhat shocking to me. I thought ‘lap cheong’ is for Chinese only.

Amok Restaurant. Like the architecture and color.

@ Pub Street Alley. Love the buildings.

Wanderlust @ Pub Street Alley. This is a fashion boutique. Unfortunately pricey!
Wonder whether this Posting Box is in use or for decoration purpose.

BBQ banana… didn’t try. Didn’t dare to try. Haha

Can you see the 2 postcards with pictures? That’s mine.
I sent 2 letters and 2 postcards home. Cost me US$5.40!!! *pengsan*
Stamps for 1 letter is 3100 riels (about US$0.77)
Stamps for 1 postcard is 300 riels (about US$0.75)
The extra $$ is for their service.

I couldn’t find Siem Reap post office (passed by it twice but nowhere to be found). Thankfully we have posting box here at Pub Street Alley (shop name is Paris Sete) and another one I saw at Angkor Market (supermarket).

@ Pub Street Alley.

Guess what? We had our lunch at Blue Pumpkin again. We ordered fried spring rolls (fresh spring rolls is better) and toasted aubergine, tomatoes and olives sandwich with of course Lolita drinks again.

After lunch, we head back to the hotel to pack our suitcase. In my case, my Deuter backpack.

We only went back out for our last dinner in Siem Reap.

We saw an English monk having his lunch here so we decided to try this restaurant at night. Hahaha

I like the black & white table setting.

Oyster Mushrooms with basil and bean sprout @ US$5.00. Please excuse the blurry pict. Hehe
A delicious combination! Yummy O. Do try it.

Spring Roll @ US$3.50.
It’s nice but I prefer the one from Blue Pumpkin.

As always rice is complimentary.
Total: US$11.75 (inclusive of lime juice and coconut juice)

The next day, Day 5 we woke up around 3.30am, had a very early breakfast at the lobby then off we went to the airport. Thank God AirAsia is on time. In fact it landed earlier by few minutes. Haha

Alright that sums up my Siem Reap travelogue (fhewww finally!).

Tsk! I can’t wait to go back there again. It will not be that soon though. Have another place in mind.

p/s: Paid RM78 for my AirAsia flights. Cheap le? Hehehe

Here’s my complete 2010 4D/4N Siem Reap Travelogue:
Siem Reap Day 1: Khmer Kitchen Restaurant & Artisans d’Angkor (Part 1)
Siem Reap Day 1: Angkor Temples – Preah Khan & South Gate & North Gate of Angkor Thom (Part 2)
Siem Reap Day 2: Center Market (Phsar Kandal) & Red Piano
Siem Reap Day 3: Angkor Wat & Ta Prohm (Part 1)
Siem Reap Day 3: Bayon, Angkor Thom, Blue Pumpkin, Old Market (Phsar Chas) & Angkor Night Market (Part 2)
Siem Reap Day 4: Hotel 89, Pub Street, Old Market, Pub Street Alley, Chamkar Vegetarian Restaurant

After Ta Prohm, I still have to make one more stop even though it’s urgghhh SCORCHING HOT!!! There is no way I’m going to miss the beautiful Bayon temple.

On the way to Angkor Thom (that’s where Bayon lies), we passed Ta Keo again. Here’s a snap shot of it from the moving tuk-tuk.

Don’t bother visit Ta Keo if you are pressed for time. This temple lacks carvings and the steps are more dangerous than those found in Angkor Wat.

This is Terrace of the Elephants. And nope I did not visit it. Just zoomed pass since it is just by the roadside. With no shades whatsoever don’t think I’ll go down and have a look. Hehe

Here is the the beautiful valley of Bayon!

My tuk-tuk driver asked me another ‘heart attack’ question.

Tuk-tuk driver: “I meet you at the other side?”

Me: “Ohh no no. You wait here. We come back here.” Muhahahahaha

Love this shot.

The most recognizable image/structure of classic Khmer architecture after Angkor Wat is probably Bayon; towers with 1 ‘smiling’ face on each of the 4 sides facing north, south, east & west. But not all towers spotting the 4 sides though.

Another wow moment. I don’t think I can build something like this even with ‘unlimited’ supply of lego set! Haha

Photo below was photoshopped to B&W to bring out the artsy effect. Hehe

Notice some tourists’ heads at the lower left corner? Hehe we’re so tiny.

The photo below was actually very dark SOOC. After some photoshop treatments, it became one of my favorite photos of Siem Reap.

Hope you like it too.
Take a while… look and be mesmerized. How on earth did they built that?

Tell you something. When I first passed Bayon on my way to Preah Khan on Day 1, I didn’t know ‘that valley’ was Bayon. Because from far, it doesn’t look like Bayon. It’s more like some old ruins with faded stone color located centrally at Angkor Thom. But as you near this ‘valley’… WHAM BANG… behold… you’re looking at one of the most beautiful thing on earth!

After a mere 15 mins at Bayon (yes too bad, I would love to stay longer but wait till you hear my reason haha) we told our tuk-tuk to bring us to The Blue Pumpkin for lunch. It would seem that I’m the ‘puteri lilin’ (candle princess) type but I assure you I’m not. It’s just TOO HOT and because I was templed out very early on… remember??? So everything I see also feels like I’ve seen before and so I didn’t take long at each temple.

And this wraps up my visits to Angkor Archaeological Park. Among the few temples I visited (few may be the word but they are the 4 must visit temples); Preah Khan, Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Bayon, I love Bayon the most – had a nice feeling there. At other temples somehow I feel there’s this energy and sometimes eerie feeling. The most eerie temple is Angkor Wat. Hehe

We had the most amazing lunch at The Blue Pumpkin because the food were great and also because we finally found an air-conditioned restaurant!!! We didn’t know about the air-cond at first but we decided to check out their first floor (lounge) and wah la… upon opening the glass door… cool air! But funny though the air-cond wasn’t very cold… just cold enough to sometimes let you sweat a bit. Hahaha ya I know funny but we’ll take it.

First floor @ The Blue Pumpkin.

The special seats (right) – where you get to put your legs up in a very large sofa (bed?).

Tuna Sandwich @ US$5.25 (sorry blurry); Very yummy… surprisingly!

Fresh Spring Rolls @ US$1.50; Delicious and ‘fresh’. The mint leaves and nutty-vinegar sauce blends perfectly with the spring rolls containing shrimps.

We also ordered a health drink called Lolita @ US$1.75 (shared with my travel partner since I’m still cautious about what I drink). It’s a mixture of apple, ginger, lemongrass and wild honey. This is my TOP FAVORITE drink. Especially refreshing after a hot day out at the temple. Highly recommended!!! It got me hooked on lemongrass!

Total bill: US$8.50. Worth it; awesome food & drink plus air-conditioned lounge.

After lunch we checked out Kokoon (next to Blue Pumpkin), boutique selling shawls, candles, artworks, shirts and many more. Bought a lemongrass soap @ US$3 (yeah expensive).

Then we walked to Old Market (Phsar Chas), the place to get souvenirs!!!

Cambodian silks… pretty colors ya?

Buddha & Bayons carvings. I was tempted to get one of the Bayon carvings but couldn’t find the perfect one.

Let’s buy! buy! buy! haggle! haggle! haggle! Hehe

Let’s see what I bought…
1. Cambodian trousers (very cute!) x 2 @ US$12 – usual was US$17 per trousers
2. Cambodian scarves x 4 @ US$20 + got 2 free scarves (a bit expensive but totally worth it as they are really beautiful) – usual was US$7/US$8 per scarf
3. Postcards (4 packets of 10s) @ US$3 (cheap neh?) – usual was US$2 for 1 packet of 10s
4. Tees x 3 @ US$3.90 (yes your read that right! super cheap hehe) – usual was US$5 per tee

Really satisfied with my loot. Yes I’m a great haggler! Hahaha Besides knowing how to haggle, you need to know the secret of shopping at Siem Reap. Remember I told you I learned an important Cambodian custom from a hotel staff which will benefit my shopping later?

Here it is… Cambodian has this custom whereby when they make the first sale of the day it will signify good busines to them for the rest of the day. Which means for us the customers, be the ‘early’ customer… hagglehagglehaggle to bring the price down to 50% or more.

One thing I like about haggling in Siem Reap is they will entertain you no matter what unlike some other places e.g. Chatuchak in Bangkok where they have kinda ‘fix’ haggling prices. Plus Cambodians are really friendly people. I had a bunch of fun time haggling and talking to them.

So how do you know you’re the first customer? You don’t. Just go early. Afternoon is early enough. When we’re there after lunch, the place is quite deserted.

After shopping we went back to the hotel to rest. Only come out again for dinner at 5.30pm.

Guess where we went for our dinner? Hehe Blue Pumpkin again.

The Blue Pumpkin @ ground floor. Pastry & bread anyone?

Ice-cream & cashier counter. Didn’t try the ice-cream though.

Stewed pork with mushroom with rice @ US$4.50. Sorry for the blurry photo. This is yet another delicious dish.
Ordered Lolita again. Haha
Total: US$10 – bill includes macaroons

Then we head to Angkor Night Market for more shopping.

The souvenirs here are almost the same as those found in Center Market & Old Market. So we basically walked by hurriedly. Again please don’t mind the blurry picture. I had no patience. Haha

Managed to grab some magnets and 2 beautiful purses (not from this stall mind you).

We also visited the Noon Night Market which is just across the road. Boring stuff as they are yes… same-same stuff.

When we went back to our tuk-tuk, my driver was shocked. Haha Shopping that fast? kekeke

That’s all for day 3.

Coming up day 4 and day 5.

On Day 3, we had an early breakfast at our B&B and then we’re off to the temples. I was back to my normal self. No more stomach-ache or nausea. Wohoo! &*@^!# carrot juice & antibiotics!!!

This will be our last day visiting the temples (as this is the third day; our temple pass expires today). We started our morning adventure at Angkor Wat.

In our tuk-tuk with morning breeze hitting our face and a view of Angkor Wat not far ahead.

They’re coming! Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese…
If you want to avoid ‘CROWDS’ come earlier… say 6am-7am. Hehe But not us. We’re okay with it. The time is 8am. Roger that.

Ahh loooook! Angkor Wat’s front facade is undergoing restoration. Aww too bad.

Walking on the main causeway. The magnificent Angkor Wat standing tall and proud.

I love this ‘dreamy’ like scenery. It was taken along the long walk towards Angkor Wat, left side somewhere near the library.

‘Must-take-compulsory’ photo of Angkor Wat with the temple reflected in the pool (tsk this is dry season hehe). This is the best I’ve got. Others were hideous. Haha

We found a lavatory behind the monastery on the left side right after the pool and stalls. A compulsory visit is a must!

1,000 riel (equivalent to about US$0.25). We pay to a small boy monk.
Even in daylight, you can’t see anything in the toilet. All I did was quickly do what I have to do and get out of there fast!

The Bas Relief Galleries which covers the whole 4 outer walls of Angkor Wat… from top to bottom, left to right. Seen here is the Battle of Lanka. It was really impressive… the detailed carvings, the color of the stone. Some are red and green! If you have plenty of time and are really interested, take time to go by all of them. I think you will need to spend whole day in Angkor Wat! Haha

This is the Gallery of 1,000 Buddhas (only some Buddha relics can be seen today as most were removed and stolen). In the middle is a pool (there are 4 ‘empty’ pools in total).

I love how the morning sun light up the pillars. Very HDR-like. Perhaps I shall process this in Photomatix.

Charming… with a little morning sun flare.

These are the Apsara dancers carvings. Apsara means celestial maiden/bidadari/tin lui.

I love this angle. Was sitting here resting and to get away from the 9am sun at Angkor Wat.

This is the 2nd level of the temple.
Tourists are queuing up. What for?

To go up the top most level, the towers.
When I was there (February 2010), this is the only place to go up. The authority have shut down others stairs entrance to the towers. I think this is good for the safety of the tourist.

Look at the sandstones… see how they stack ‘em? AMAZING yeah? I wonder how they haul the sandstones up there.

One way up, one way down. These are man-made stairs with railings.
I bet the view up there would be really stunning.
I didn’t go up. Was contemplating whether I should and just when I decide I wanted to… suddenly I find myself lost in the seas of Japanese/Korean/Taiwanese. Looks like they have catch up on me!

No regrets though. I know I will be back.

Old and ancient. Pretty and detailed. Wonder of the world Angkor Wat was and still is.
I must admit I’m really fortunate to have step on the soils of 2 wonders of the world, namely Angkor Wat and Great Wall of China.

Majestic towers!!!
On the 2nd level there are a few places with stone slabs. That’s where we sat, rest and admire the beauty of Angkor Wat. I really did not want to leave. But the heats and tourist forced me to!

A mystical-dreamy-Tolkien-like tree at Angkor Wat. It’s on the right side of the library (near the pony/horse?).

I have more photos actually but I think this is enough to slow down the loading time? Hehe

The best time to visit Angkor Wat is actually mid-afternoon but I know the heat would be horrendous. Even the morning sun is giving me a hard time.

When we were exiting Angkor Wat about 9.40am, just walking along the main causeway was a hardship. It was THAT HOT!!! Even with the help of an umbrella and a hat! Every time the sun is shining, I find a spot to hide. And every time the sun is hiding behind clouds, I hasten my steps.

At last we reach the main entrance. Very easily we found our driver and we demanded another toilet break. Haha There’s a toilet just opposite Angkor Wat (too far to walk, no, too hot to walk). After freshen up, our Indiana Jones spirit is still there (although diminishing fast as the sky is turning into a hot oven), we told our tuk-tuk driver to bring us to Ta Prohm.

When we reached Ta Prohm (yes this is where Tomb Raider’s was filmed), guess what? CROWDS again! This time too many. Haha

Awww too bad, some restoration work is going on too. Soon everything will be ‘fakey’. You know what I mean?

Ta Prohm was built in dedication to Jayavarnam VII’s mother. Whereas Preah Khan was a dedication to his father.

What else to say except magical.

Ahh puzzle time?

Trees growing and taking over the temples. Notice the background tree on the left?

That’s it from Ta Prohm. We were there for like only 20 minutes. Ta Prohm is quite small actually (correct me if I’m wrong) and with the non-stop incoming legions of tourist, all that I wanted to see is diminished. No feeling of magic.

Ta Prohm would be good at 6am or 7am in the morning… with the morning rays shining through the leaves of the trees. That would be magical.

Let’s run. No point staying here. Ta Prohm is too small for all of us.
Even with all these trees shadowing us we are still sweating like nuts.

My tuk-tuk driver has a ‘shock’ face painted on him when we greeted him. LOL That must be the fastest visit ever by any tourists to Ta Prohm. A RECORD!!! hahaha

We told him which temple to go to next… judging that it’s going to be mid afternoon soon we better hurry for we are going to melt… Hahahaha

To be continued…

Here’s Day 1 if you missed it.
Siem Reap Day 1: Khmer Kitchen Restaurant & Artisans d’Angkor (Part 1)
Siem Reap Day 1: Angkor Temples – Preah Khan & South Gate & North Gate of Angkor Thom (Part 2)

I wasn’t feeling well the night before. On Day 2 the nausea feeling is still present. I feel like puking all the time. Day 2 is the day I plan to watch sunrise at Angkor Wat but I had to cancel it. More pity is my tuk-tuk driver who waited for me at 4am. Of course I called lobby to cancel the ride so that he doesn’t have to wait for me. I’m not upset for not going to Angkor Wat for the sunrise because I had my sunrise view on the flight here which is outrageously stunning though the only thing missing is the Angkor Wat silhouette. Haha

We had breakfast at the hotel at 8am and then went back to sleep. Kekeke We only went out again at 10am+ to check out the Center Market (known as Phsar Kandal to the locals).

These are the only photos I managed to take because although I still have some ‘puking feeling’, the shopping at least take my mind off the matter for awhile. There were not many tourist. Maybe it’s still early morning. Managed to grab 2 sling bags @ US$4. But I gotta tell you 1 thing. Most of the stalls sell basically the same goods. So after awhile you kinda lose interest.

After the short shopping therapy, we went to Angkor Market (supermarket) to top up our drinking water, some bread & pads! Then it’s back to hotel. I’m still on my medication but not feeling any better. Plus of all days my period came. Hahaha We figured it’s better to rest today… so no ‘Indiana Jones adventure’ today if you know what I mean.

We hang out a little while at the hotel’s lobby, chit-chatting with the staff there. It was fun. Most important of all we learned an important Cambodian custom which in turn will benefit our shopping later on. Will divulge in the next post. Hehe

Our lunch is bread & fruits in our room. More rest. After taking my medicine, my nausea was getting from bad to worse. Finally I puked. Know what I vomited out? My antibiotics. At last I knew what was causing the nausea. I stopped taking all my medicine immediately.

Had to get my butt out of the hotel in the evening for some food. I choose to have our dinner at Red Piano just because the tuk-tuk driver stopped right in front of the restaurant.

Plus I wanted to see what’s so great at Red Piano (used to be the hang out place for Angelina Jolie when she filmed Tomb’s Raider at Angkor Archaeological Park.

We ordered Pork fillet set (left) and chicken breast set.
I had a bowl of rice which is complimentary.
Total dinner + sprite @ US$10.50

It was the worst dinner ever! I’m not sure whether it’s the food or because my stomach was churning so badly but my counterpart is not enjoying her food either. Half-way through I had to run to the toilet for diarrhea business. Felt a little better after that but still have problem finishing the food. So we end up ‘tapau’ some of it.

Restaurant along Pub Street. I really love the atmosphere & architecture. Old + new.

At night we had 1 hour soothing foot massage @ US$6/person. A nice way to end my horrible day.

That’s all for Day 2. Bizarre right?

Note: Super LONG post. Read at your own risk. Hehe

I actually plan to visit the temples right after Artisan d’Angkor but the scorching heat made me head back to Zzzzz.

Around 3.30pm we head out to purchase our 3 days Angkor Temples pass that cost US$40 ($$ fly away). There’s also the choice of 1 day pass @ US$20 or 7 days pass @ US$60. When you purchase the pass, you need to inform which date you’re visiting the temples because the operator will print the visiting dates on the pass. Also they will take your photo with web cam. Your picture will be printed on the pass. All this is done in less than 2 minutes. Yup that fast. And because of this I forgot to take some photos at the counter. Aiyak.

For those who have been to the temples surely you must be questioning me right now. Why get the pass before 5pm? Yes the day itself will be counted as 1 day. If I get the pass after 5pm, I can enter the temples after 5pm for free which means I have sort of like 1 hour free because ticket issued after 5pm is valid for next day. But nah… I don’t like this deal. Haha

Btw the temple pass is made of paper. So be careful ya. Once the pass is torn you need to get another ticket. More $$ fly away. Anyway we came prepared. We bring plastic card case from home so that we can keep our pass in there. So every time when we were asked to show our admission ticket, we just flash our plastic. Haha Or you can get them laminated at the counter office (somewhere).

Our first temple destination is Preah Khan. To go there we must first pass-by Angkor Wat… ahh what a sight! I had goose-bumps as we neared Angkor Wat.

Said to myself that “I’m finally here!”

Then we entered Angkor Thom through South Gate, passed by Bayon… wohooo. We stopped for toilet because there’s no toilet near Preah Khan but I forgot where. It’s very dark in the toilet. FOC when you show them the temple pass.

Then off we went through the North Gate. Then everything look so quite. It was 4pm. The road is deserted.

Here’s how the road looks like…

I find it quite scary lo. Nobody nobody but you… hehe

Anyway once we reached Preah Khan my tuk-tuk driver asked me a very scary question.

Tuk-tuk driver: “Where should I meet you?”

Me: “Not here?”

Tuk-tuk driver: “This temple has 4 gates/exits. I meet you at east gate ok?”

Me: “Where is east gate?”

Tuk-tuk driver: “The other side. This place is very big.”

Me: “No! NO! You stay here. We come back here. We don’t know where is east gate. You stay ar.”

He must be thinking we’re crazy. Does anybody do that? Do you enter one gate and exit the other or you exit the same point you entered? Tell me. I’m really eager to know.

So here’s Preah Khan… the main facade.

If look through the middle of the photo above, you can see that there’s quite a bit of walking to do still. Thank God for the crowds. The road is very dusty. I wore my Crocs throughout this trip. And this is the dustiest I’ve ever got.

Garuda holding naga. (according to Wiki, but I see no naga. )

One of the archway at the main facade of Preah Khan.

Ahead of us are a group of Japanese tourists. Yeah for the crowds. Imagine it’s just me and the temple. I’m not that brave. I know the adventurous lot would wish for no tourist. It’s just them and the temples. But not me. I’m a scary-cat. Okay?

Look at the carving especially the wheels. Simply A.M.A.Z.I.N.G yeah?
Preah Khan was constructed in the late 12th century C.E. That was like 800 years ago. And for the carvings to stand the testament of time, weather & human greed is simply WOW. That is why the whole of Angkor Archaeological Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Just a random tourist… so that I don’t have to pose like her. That’s a must posing area. Haha

Look at the ceiling of the temple. That’s how they stack ‘em. You will see the same thing in Angkor Wat.
How on earth did they do that? I HAVE NOT IDEA. SUPER Genius!!!

Another must-pose area. Is she a Japanese tourist? Hehe

Well, that’s all about Preah Khan. We didn’t went further into the temple. We’ve got no courage of Indiana Jones that day. Plus it was veli HOT! Plus I’m a scary-cat. Plus I’m templed out.

Yeah I know so many excuse. Haha

Even the Japanese tourist did not venture further in. Hehe

One the way out walking along the dusty road again we purchased some mangoes from this Khmer lady. 2 mangoes @ US$1. Love the mangoes. Very sweet.

Notice the purple fruit? That’s Khmer fruit as the lady told us. Also known as Milk fruit (source from internet).

Since we have some time left, we stop at the North Gate for some photos.

This is the North Gate of Angkor Thom. Only 1 vehicle can fit through the gate. While passing by, trying look up. You will wonder whether this gate will fall on you! Because the ceiling is being supported by wood beams.

This is the other side of North Gate. This view is more stunning. The trees and dusk lights gave the gate an aura of yesteryear.

If you view the above picture on larger scale, you will notice 2 long thingy jutting out on both side of the gate. They are the elephant trunks. I guess the gate is shaped this way for the elephants to pass through during the Khmer Empire.

The South Gate of Angkor Thom is the busiest entrance/exit point.

In short, the whole of Angkor Archaeological Park is like a big kampung (village). There’s the monuments and then there’s also Khmers settlements located randomly in the park. The Khmers still live in the park as were their ancestor who built Angkor Wat more than a thousand years ago. Angkor Wat after all means City Temple.

After exiting South Gate we passed by Phnom Bakheng (Bakheng Hill), the no. 1 sunset spot. Saw a very large crowds and the climb up Phnom Bakheng is damn scary. It was very steep. Like 89 degree vertical from my point of view from the tuk-tuk… hahaha No plans to go up there.

With still a little time left, we decided to have a sneak peak of Angkor Wat.

Along the moat banks… a place to relax and chill on the sight of Angkor Wat.

The long walk up the sandstone causeway. Moat on both side of causeway.
It was 5pm. The sun is setting. Perfect time for long walks. Very crowded… a far cry from Preah Khan.

Sighted along the causeway of Angkor Wat. Can dogs read? Hmm

The west gate of Angkor Wat. This is the main entrance (the most famous gate) of Angkor Wat.

Our sneak peak ended at the other side of west gate. No more walking for us today as our stomach is growling for food.

Half an hour later, we found ourself at Khmer Kitchen Restaurant again! Hahaha

This time we sat outside the restaurant which is along Pub Street Alley.

Nice color ya? That’s why I came back. Haha

We had French Omelette @ US$2.50 and Sweet Sour Chicken (I think) @ US$3.00. No drinks.
Didn’t take the food picture as I wasn’t feeling alright. If you remembered, I wasn’t feeling well prior to my Siem Reap trip. Well the bug is coming back again. Thankfully I had my medicine with me.

That’s all for my Siem Reap day 1 travelogue. Day 2 coming soon.

Prologue

I recently backpacked to Siem Reap, Cambodia for 4 days, 4 nights during Chinese New Year [21st February-25th February 2010 - yes it spells 5 days but the fact that I was on an early plane home (read: 8am GMT+7) on 25th mean I only have 4 days].

Ok here’s the shocking news: I was ‘templed out’ way before I step in the plane. LOL What a joke ya??

Unlike my other trips, I didn’t plan my Siem Reap itinerary until the very last moment due to some reasons. It was a week before the departure day that I started frantically googling and reading all about the temples, things to do, thing to see, etc. I was looking at so many photos of the temples in the web and reading so many travelogues of Siem Reap until… until… I was templed out! (read: sick of looking at temples) I decided not to read anything more about Siem Reap 2 days before departure as I was getting nausea from looking at ANGKOR TEMPLES!. Will tell you later how I fare during the temples visit. Hehe

I witnessed a stunning deep orange sunrise during the morning Air Asia flight to Siem Reap. What a way to start your day ya?

I thought of what Angkor Wat would look like with this stunner as the backdrop. And I thought ‘hey, never mind if I don’t see the sun rises at Angkor Wat, this is impressive enough.’ –> mistake!!!

There was a minor complication inside Siem Reap airport. We need to fill a custom form in order to ‘get out’ of the airport. Thank God we were stuck only for about 10 minutes… I thought it was going to be longer.

When we stepped outside the airport, there were a group of Cambodians surrounding the exit. They’re there for picking up tourist to their respective hotels. Very easily I noticed my huge name on the signage of Hotel 89.

This is our tuk-tuk driver, Dee (not his real name. I made that up as I couldn’t pronounce his name).

We’re riding along Airport Road.

Notice the numbered vest he’s wearing? That’s the tuk-tuk driver’s license number. Always go for these official tuk-tuk drivers as they are reliable and safe.

About 20 minutes later, we arrived at our ‘orange’ accommodation. I was a little surprise of the location because I didn’t expect this cute budget hotel to be situated at a dusty 1 lane road. Not really a problem… just that I imagined it to be on a main road.

As soon as we stepped in the wood-theme lobby, we were greeted with warm smile from the staffs & manager of Hotel 89. Before we can utter another word, refreshment was served to us: cold ginger drinks (YUM YUM) and cold towel (a savior! we get them every time we return to hotel; nice) to refresh our body. The staffs also explained to us the various transportation packages available for the temples escapade.

After resting for a good 2 hours, we decided to check the town out. Because the weather is so hot, we choose to travel by tuk-tuk instead of walking (and throughout our trip!). I figured it would take about 5 minutes by walking but as I said the weather is so hot hot hot. Dee would be our ‘personal’ tuk-tuk driver during our 4 days stint in Siem Reap.

First thing first we need to fill our tummy with food. And what better way to start our gastronomic adventure in Cambodia than the local Khmer cuisine.

This is Khmer Kitchen Restaurant. The one that we patronized is located beside Pub Street Alley. There are 3 locations in total all within walking distance.

Not even a soul except us and another lady. That’s because it isn’t lunch time yet. Hahaha

Stir-Fry Vegetable Tofu @ US$3 (L) and Amok Fish @ US$3 (R)
Rice is complimentary. We also ordered 2 glasses of carrot juice @ US$1.50/glass.
Total: US$9 (~RM30) expensive!
Two of us couldn’t even finish the meal. What a waste. Aiya. If only I can tapau back. Hehe

Verdict: The Amok Fish, a famous Khmer cuisine is a creamy, non spicy steamed curry. I kinda like it. Not a big fan of the vegetable but tofu is good. Our carrot juice tasted funny… not sure how to explain. Hmm

After our hearty lunch we proceed to Artisan d’Angkor, workshop that showcases Cambodian craftsmanship like silk painting, stone & wood carving, lacquering, etc.

Silk painting.
I wanted to buy one but they are too expensive.

Lacquered gold statue.
Lovely!

Saw this cat (kinda posing for me) with the lovely backdrop at the lacquering room.

Lacquered panel.
I like this too.

These are the tools used for making bronze boxes.

Hard at work.

Elephant stone carving.
How cute is that?

Need lots of patience.

Another part of the stone carving workshop.
This place reminds me of my primary school. Haha

Finally we’re in the wood carving workshop.

Masterpiece. Don’t you think so?

After that we went to Artisan d’Angkor’s retail shop which is just next door. The arts & crafts are beautiful no doubt but we’re mainly there for the air-cond. Haha It was freaking hot!!! I ended up buying a cotton tee. The rest are too $$.

I actually wanted to book the free shuttle to Silk Farm but was told the tour is going to take half day so I had to let it go. Next time then.

Just around then we felt uncomfortable in our stomach. Must be the carrot juice we consumed earlier. We decided to head back to our orange accommodation to chill plus it was really really HOT. So the logical thing to do is sleep. Hehe

To be continued…

This will be my first oversea trip in 2 1/2 years. My last oversea trip was to Hong Kong and Macau in November 2007. What happened to my ‘visit at least 1 oversea country a year’ mission? Failed lo. It was due to health and busyness. I’m very sure I will be able to ‘tambah’ balik those 2 lost ‘oversea trips’ soon. Thinking of Bali. Anyone? *blink blink

OK back to Siem Reap…
I’m getting the 3 days pass ticket
Taking my 2 lenses (50mm f/1.8 and 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6) but which one should I ‘load’ on my camera as the main lens. Any suggestion?
Am contemplating whether I should bring my tripod and gorillapod. Or maybe I can use my body as tripod? haha Decided to bring tripod.
Not hiring a guide (since this will be a leisure trip; will be going to Siem Reap again with a more ‘serious’ partner later)
Not visiting Tonle Sap
Will be hiring tuk-tuk except for the last day trip I will hire a car to bring us to Banteay Srei and Angkor Wat. I thought Banteay Srei is too pretty and cannot be missed. Is the road to Banteay Srei dangerous for 2 ladies and a driver?
Already I’m thinking this is sure gonna be an expensive US$$ trip.
Oh and where do you change large US$ notes to smaller notes? Got it at money changer. LOL

Kindly comment if you have any suggestion. I can read your comment until this Saturday. *yeah that soon!

Angkor Wat… here I come!!!

Note: Post is overload with photos.

We had our last yummy Hong Kong breakfast at Caritas Bianchi Lodge before proceeding to Kong Chung Ferry Terminal, Kowloon. We arrived at the terminal 8.30am but aiyo we can only get hold of 10.30am seats. That also is deluxe class ticket priced at HK$212 pax. All the early economy tickets (HK$137) had been sold out.

Paying for deluxe class ticket means we’re sited on the upper deck, get free newspaper and brunch!

We reached Macau 1 hour later. This is Macau Ferry Terminal.

Friendship Bridge which connects Macau and Taipa.

We spent almost an hour at the terminal queuing for immigration. I tell ya, the whole terminal resonance like morning market! We met a lot of China’s people at the terminal. Some of them are quite rude and loud.

One particular grandma didn’t shut her toilet door. She just choose a toilet, pants down and wahla….shhhh shhhhhh :laughing:

We arrived at our hotel, Macau Master Hotel at noontime. Sorry no photo because this hotel is so yucky! They promised us room with triple beds but what did we get? double beds with 1 extra bed. We couldn’t add another bed. No problem then but they charged us triple beds pricing. And because of this I don’t encourage anyone to stay there. The place is so rundown (different from internet photos), room is small, staff is quite rude and the hotel has this ‘old’ stinky smell. I didn’t make any complaint as we will be spending one very short night there.

After a short rest, we begin our walking route to Ruins of St. Paul’s Church.

Salted fish anyone?

We were greeted by rows of old buildings along Alvenida de Almeida Ribeiro (road name; they’re in Portuguese of course!)

This is our lunch. Mee hoon dishes: not our cup of tea. Hmm perhaps Macau people don’t like salty food. The Chu Pa Pao (pork burger) is yummy.

You can use HK dollar in Macau. HK$1 is approximately Macau $1 Pataca. Sometimes the shop in Macau will give you either HK$ or Pataca as change.

Senado Square aka Largo do Senado. Just follow this colorful road to Ruins of St. Paul’s Church.

This is the side wall of Pharmacia Popular; a pharmacy right at the heart of Senado Square. Pretty yeah?

I love old buildings. Arggh didn’t know that was a post office until I came back.

St. Dominic’s Church; built by the Dominicans in the 1950s.

These old shops still stands proudly today. Amazing isn’t it?

What are all these? They’re road signs and places name. Very unique!

After about 40 minutes walk, we reached our final destination: Ruins of St. Paul’s Church. Believe me 40 mins is NOT long because you’ll be busy looking around, absorbing the Portuguese and Macaunese culture and heritage.

Completed in 1602, St. Paul Church was destroyed in a 1835 fire. Only the main facade remain standing and it is known to the world as Ruins of St. Paul’s Church (Church of Mater Dei).

The beauty of Ruins of St. Paul Church.

This is the back view of the ruins. Yes you can climb on the metal pathway.

And this is the view that will greet you “Welcome to Old Macau”. Notice those tall modern buildings in the background. Oh yeah it is slowly swallowing old Macau.

Behind this ruins, it is home to a museum where you’ll find crypts and archaeological sites.

Just before leaving, I caught sight of Ruins of St. Paul’s image on the window of a building opposite this historic site. Pretty.

At the foothill of this ruins you’ll find a post office kiosk. Haha what else? We sent a few postcards home.

On our walk back from Ruins of St. Paul to our fugly hotel, we stopped by 2 pastelarias; Choi Heung Yin Bakery and Pastelaria Koi Kei. Two items that you must try from these shops are the almond cookies and phoenix egg rolls with seaweed and shredded pork jerky.

Portuguese egg tart from Choi Heung Yin. Taste like ours. From my research, the creator of the real Portuguese egg tart is situated at Coloane called Lord Stow’s bakery. Too bad we don’t have spare time to visit that shop.

When in Macau, you must try Portuguese food. And that’s what we had for our dinner. A Lorcha is a highly recommended Portuguese restaurant situated at Rua Do Almirante Sergio. The place is already buzzing with customer at 6.30pm (opening time).

I suggest you make a booking if you’re planning to dine there.

Our slurrppyyy…yummy…oh la-lala…mouth-watering dinner. Remember must try ar!
Sorry the photos are quite dark but I assure you the food is to die for!!!

After dinner, we took a taxi to The Venetian in Taipa. You can take The Venetian feeder bus if you’re leaving from Macau Maritime Terminal.

Left: Lobby; Right: Walkway to casino

Beautiful painted ceilings at The Venetian.

The Venetian was opened in August this year. This resort shopping area is themed after Venice. You’ll find the famous replica of the Grand Canal in Venice, St. Mark’s Square, the Rialto Bridge and beautiful decorated shop and painted clouds! Ohh you can even ride on the gondola and be accompanied by Italian opera singer. The singer’s voice is so good.

The Venetian casino is the largest in the world and hehehe I had the opportunity to look and play in this casino. Don’t have to guess la. I lost…&*#^!@ slot machines!!!

Our ride to the airport at 7am in the morning. Btw, The Venetian is just a stone throw away from Macau International Airport.

This is the end of my 2007 Hong Kong + Macau travelogue. I hope you have enjoyed reading my travel experience as much as I’ve enjoyed bringing ‘em to you. Hope you like those photos that I’ve presented to you as well.

I will definitely return to Hong Kong and Macau one day. I still have lots and lots of places, food and shopping to do you know?

Here’s my complete 2007 7D/6N Hong Kong-Macau Travelogue:
1. Hong Kong via Macau Day 1: Exhausted
2. Hong Kong Day 2: Trams, The Long Walk and The Peak
3. Hong Kong Day 3: Hong Kong Disneyland
4. Hong Kong Day 4: Shopping, Avenue Of Stars & Temple Street
5. Hong Kong Day 5: More Shopping & Yummy Food
6. Macau Day 6 & 7: Ruins of St. Paul’s Church, Pastelaria, Portuguese Food, The Venetian & Goodbye!

Tags: Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Caritas Bianchi Lodge, Kong Chung Ferry Terminal, Macau, Macau Ferry Terminal, Friendship Bridge, Taipa, Macau Master Hotel, Ruins of St. Paul’s Church, Alvenida de Almeida Ribeiro, Chu Pa Pao, Senado Square, Largo do Senado, St. Dominic’s Church, Church of Mater Dei, pastelaria, Choi Heung Yin, Pastelaria Koi Kei, almond cookies, phoenix egg rolls with seaweed and shredded pork jerky, Portuguese egg tart, Lord Stow’s bakery, Macau, Portuguese food, A Lorcha, Feijoada, Ameijoas Bulhao Pato, Arroz Marisco, Galinha Poitou, The Venetian, Taipa, casino, Macau International Airport, 2007 Hong Kong + Macau travelogue

This is our last full day in Hong Kong. So what better ways to enjoy our LAST day than shopping!!!

We visited Tanka Sport Outlet at Kaiser Estate Phase II, Hung Hom. This outlet sells low-priced clothes and merchandise from Adidas and some other brands like Timberland and Reebok. Unfortunately we’re not allowed to try on the clothes. I bought a 3/4 inch trousers for RM40 (normal price ~RM150).

Our lunch. Ohhh the prawns in the wan tan are so succulent. I wouldn’t say the same for the mee because the mee tasted like it has not been wash properly! Yucky! (you know mee stench?)

After that we went on a search for Dickinson Factory Outlet near Jordan MTR but alas it was the wrong place. Did some boring window-shopping near Jordan MTR and off we go to Mongkok for Ladies’ Market and Fa Yuen Street shopping extravaganza. Ladies’ Market is pretty boring. The stuff on bargain is almost same as Temple Street. YAWN.

We were going after Fa Yuen Street ladies’ garment road but we can only find rows of sneakers shop. Before long we found another ESPRIT Outlet (at Hollywood Plaza). What else? We pay ESPRIT another visit. :laughing: Other store like Bossini is there as well but we have our eyes fix on ESPRIT only.

At night we had an ‘early dessert’ at Yee Shun Milk Company which is just a stone throw away from our lodge. Their specialty: steamed milk in two films, steamed milk with ginger and steamed egg.
Left: Lotus seed on steamed milk (hot); Right: Steamed milk in two films.(hot)
Verdict: Deliciously wonderful. You can choose either cold or hot. Hot is better.:smile:

Then off we go again to Temple Street (our lodge is only 2 mins away), to the same restaurant for chicken and mushroom claypot rice. Aughhh! The 2nd time is always not the same. Too bad. Then we visited Hui Lau Shan again before going back to Yee Shun Milk Company to tapau some milk dessert and also to another shop to tapau ‘chi ma wu’ (black sesame soup) and ‘hung tau sui’ (red bean soup).

Left: Chi ma wu (ohgod so yum-yum!); Right: hung tau sui (nice too!)

Guess what happened few hours later in our hotel room? All of us farted. The odor? Smelly egg!!! :LOL:

I love Hong Kong streets at night. Those beautiful neon lights make the street so Hong Kong! What am I talking about? It is Hong Kong after all! :silly:

Tsk, btw those red signature Hong Kong cabs that you see…they’re Toyota Corolla cars. Very spacious inside. One more thing, HK cabbies won’t refuse you no matter where you’re going and they always use meter.

Another thing, in Malaysia although we use SmartTag we have to slow down right? but fuiohh in Hong Kong they have autotoll lane whereby you can drive pass without slowing down…swift like a wind fuiohh!

Hong Kong tourism slogan: Live it. Love it!
Oh yes I couldn’t agree more. I :love: Hong Kong. I felt so at home in Hong Kong. It didn’t feel like I was travelling to another country. Perhaps because we share the same culture (modern Chinese people way of life) and speak the same language: Cantonese. Beijing felt like another country.

Coming soon – Macau!

Tags: Hong Kong, Tanka Sport Outlet, Kaiser Estate Phase II, Hung Hom, Adidas, Dickinson Factory Outlet, Mongkok, Ladies’ Market, Fa Yuen Street, ESPRIT Outlet, Hollywood Plaza, Yee Shun Milk Company, Temple Street, Hui Lau Shan