Siem Reap, Cambodia
Siem Reap was the main destination of our vacation with my brothers, sister and sister-in-law. True to its new tourism motto (Kingdom of Wonder), Cambodia was really a place of wonder.
Siem Reap was a curious place for us, from its culture to its history to its structures. Siem stands for the Thais and Reap stands for victory. Siem Reap literally stands for victory over the Thai. This city is where the Angkorian era structures can be found. It is amazing that the Khmer people have made these magnificent and intricate structures between 900 -1200 AD. They were such a great civilization. But numerous wars from foreigners and neighboring countries had stunted their progress.
Tom arranged our tour with Apsara Tours, it is one of the few locally owned tour operators. I recommend anyone going to Cambodia to avail of their packages. They have very good services. We had a whole coaster to ourselves. They gave us free flowing bottled water. And our tour guide Heng Kimhas (Kim for short) was really good.
We stayed in City River Hotel. It's a decent hotel with varying range of amenities such as internet, massage, pool, etc. What's nice about the hotel is that it has an authentic Khmer feel; also it is quite near the market. The hotel restaurant is nothing much to boast for though. We had better Khmer food in Kitchen Angkor Chey restaurant. Tom has a great narrative about the Khmer Cuisine. Below are some pictures from our trip. Follow the links for more detailed description of the sights from Marion's blog.
Angkor Wat
Halls in Angkor Thom
Bayon Temple
Night life in Siem Reap
Bantaey Srie
Preah Ko Temple
Ta Prohm (Aka Tomb Raider temple)
Truly was a unique experience! I learned a great deal regarding Cambodia.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting and educational!
ReplyDeleteHaynako you guys didn't try the Happy Pizza like I told Mar.
ReplyDelete(The comment totally makes me sound BI).