Day 2: Angkor Temples Heaven

Note: This is a map of the Siem Reap town and map of Angkor temples area for easier reference of the places I'm talking about.

We woke up at 2.15am... because LF my travel partner set the wrong time on our alarm. HAHAHAHA! Thank god I noticed and we went back to sleep until 4.15am. Our tuk-tuk driver, Vicheka was already waiting for us at 5am at the entrance.

I still can't believe we still took him as our tuk-tuk driver when he left us at Dead Fish Tower the previous day!

Anyway, 5.30pm sharp, we were in the outer gate of Angkor Wat. We took our own sweet time walking from the outer gate and then only realized that we were running out of time. We didn't what to catch the silhouette of Angkor Wat at sunrise, we wanted the real thing. Everyone will be at the inner wall area, sunrise there wouldn't be nice.


We took a quick walk to the end and top of Angkor Wat with the help of two local children and an old man. The kids and man knew we wanted to see the sunrise and lead us all the way to the middle of the temple, passing the swimming pool, up the super steep stairs into the center. We headed to the North of the temple (East on map), and then took the South West steps up (North West on map). The man then lead up to the middle tower, the largest and tallest tower of Angkor Wat. At every angle of the tower is a Buddha statue. He lit a joss tick for both of us, so we prayed.

It seemed silly, but I felt a moment of calmness in me at that time. My adrenalin was pumping after all that rushing and climbing.. and I think that adrenalin pushed me to climb quicker without the fear of falling off the steps.


After the short prayer (donate la ok, there will be a small bowl for donations at every prayer statue), we head North of Angkor Wat (East on map) and picked our locations to wait for the sun.


Waiting.. and still waiting... until I gave up. The sky was already bright. We missed the sun. There were too much thick clouds that day =(


We hung around the towers with the local children and enjoyed their bas-reliefs on the walls.


One of the 5 towers.


Apsara dancers... all are unique. Not one dancer is the same. All have different costumes, accessories, styles... and smiles.


Inner wall before reaching to the temple steps to reach the tower area.


The North West tower. North East on map.


Corridor and steps to the central tower.


View from the top to the entrance of Angkor Wat (west on map). That yellow thing is a hot air balloon.


The bas-reliefs on one of the walls.


We left Angkor Wat and headed to the South gate of Angkor Thom. You will see soldiers pulling a Naga (five headed serpent). The ones at the North Gate are all missing heads! Thieves... A lot of Buddha head were also missing in Angkor Wat actually. Some bas-reliefs and Apsara dancers are hacked out from the stone walls.

Before you read on, load this map to guide you to what location and temple I’m talking about.

Vicheka brought us to the Bayon area for breakfast. ARGHHHHHHH!


Bayon, the 4D face temple. Faces here, faces there. No wonder one of my colleague’s husband got a Bayon nightmare after visiting the temple.


Such a happy face with a good nose.


Baphuon was under restoration, so we didn't get to the full feel of it.


From Baphoun to Phimeanakas through the Royal palace walls.


Phimeanakas and the Royal Palace


You will have to walk quite deep in to reach Preah Palilay but its very worth the visit. This is my favorite temple of all. Covered by trees, very shady place. Calm, smooth, relaxing. I wish I could camp there.


At Tep Pranam, there were many local people praying. The day I visited the Angkor Temples was their Pchum Ben festival, aka Festival of the Dead. Man and woman will cook food and bring to the temples and offer them to the monk. The monk will then bless them and pray to their ancestors. This is something like our Chinese "Ching Ming" where were give respect and pray to our ancestors.


On the whole street, there were many ladies clad in white lace tops and Cambodian silk sarongs. All were holding a food carrier. I later got to know from a local that the lace tops are not sold. They have to be tailored. The lace can cost up to USD50 and tailoring can cost up to USD20. One expensive piece of top.


At the Leper King Terrace, we saw a few Cambodians giving offerings to the Leper King statue ....with a nice red roasted pig. I see the chopper too!


The detailed reliefs of the Leper King Terrace.


Elephant Terrace


We exit the Angkor Thom area using the Victory Gate and headed to Thommanom and Chau Say Thevoda. Both are small temples but I really like Thommanom. That temple gave me a relaxing feeling. Put me in a good mood. (Which was good for the two girls that came to me asking me to buy something from them. Beaded accessories 6 for USD1. Good bargain I think). I don't have a picture of Chau Say Thevoda, the temple was under restoration so I think I forgot to snap.


Next stop was Ta Keo. LF didn't dare to climb so I didn't too. =( I wish I had.


I didn't really enjoy my visit to Ta Prohm. There were too much tourist in the temple. Over crowded and noise. Ta Prohm did have many nice relief though. And a lot lots of tree roots. Some of their tree trunks are different too. White like a white elephant. The trees were alive but with no bark.


Banteay Kdei was totally different compared to Ta Prohm. I loved the length of the temple. Very run down temple, everything fell apart. Not much relief admire but we had a lot of ...


Apsara dancers! HAHAHAHAHA!


The weather was getting bad when we went opposite to Sras Srang. It was drizzling on and off.... not much of a view with no hot sun.

We moved on back to Angkor Wat to have lunch. We did not listen to our tuk-tuk this time and I was glad we didn't! Food at the food stalls in front of Angkor Wat was superb!

We took a longer lunch because it started to pour. We only manage to head into Angkor about 2.30pm. LF was jaded, her feet hurt, but I was pumped. I took her up until the inner walls and we hung out and soaked in the atmosphere at the swimming pool area for a while. So peaceful, so windy, so relaxing. We later continued to explore the inner walls and the lower part of the Wat.


I got really excited when we came to the East gallery, South section. Churning the sea of milk. This is my favorite myth out of all that is reliefed in the Wat.

Vishnu, the Protector god came to earth as Kurma, a turtle, to support the churning the sea of milk from under, preventing the Mount Mandara from sinking. The is done by puling the giant Naga Vasuki which is coiled around Mount Mandara. The other figure you see on top is the flying Indra that helps to steady the mountains and hills that were shaking due to the churning. Kind of like stopping earth quakes to happen. The middle is a four armed Vishnu who directs the churning operations.

1000 years of churning produced "amrita", the elixir of immortality. The churning is actually a co-operative effort between the Asuras and gods. But when this "amrita" started producing, the Asuras tried to steal them.

The churning also created creatures like the elephant Airavata and horse Ucchaissrarvas. And not forgetting the Apsara dancers. Did you know what the Apsara dancers are actually flying creatures? Now you know :P


The effects of the churning. Sea creatures are all twirled, broken, snapped, sliced... dead.


The giant Hanuman at the god's tail end, helping the other 88 gods.

Anyway, I can go on and on about the myth and how the battle and victory over the Asuras went but I'll save that for myself and not bore you. If you are interested to know more, come to me, and let me tell you the tales of the great Angkor. FYI, if you are not enthusiastic about all this like me, it’s a better idea to hire a guide to explain all the stories and myth to you. USD20 a day is ok if you have a bunch to share cost with.

Wait one last picture, me and LF hunted high and low for her.

Can you see her teeth? She's the single Apsara showing the teeth.

We left Angkor Wat 4.30pm, wanted to head to Phnom Bakheng for the sunset but the clouds were everywhere. LF didn't want to climb Phnom Bakheng too, so... nvm lo. Mr.tuk-tuk Vicheka took us back... yeah right. He didn't get any commision for lunch so he decided to try his luck by dropping us off at another over priced shopping market.


Looks pretty.

We called it an early day. USD12 for Vicheka. We bought the USD0.55 Angkor beer back to the room and ate some food we took away from the Angkor Temple area, and drank coffee. ...that kept us awake and chatting up until 3am. *yawnnn*

Nope, I didn’t dream that I was dancing in the hall of dancers with the Apsaras’ I only wish I was flying with them.

Day 1: Siem Reap Heaven

Air Asia, now everyone can fly...just don't get suck in the turbine.


First thing we did was check in and freshen up. I stayed in Golden Temple Villa. Ok place considering the money we pay. Fan and air-conditioned. Water with heater... I one of those who still need warm water to shower in a burning hot day. Free breakfast which was delicious, free coffee and tea and banana. Free pool table to play some pool, and most of all, free PC usage with internet access! USD15 a night, what more can I ask for?

Oh, and it wasn't really that hot there. Like Malaysia la. I don't get why everyone is such a princess. It's the same heat you get from Malaysian weather when you wqalk under the sun the whole day. Think about it and quit being a baby. Me and LF had no issues with the heat. (...at least not yet) It's like going to the zoo la. Not hot meh? Oh, we have a TV and Cambodia have a lot more channels, a lot of Korean series, and I can watch our TV3 there and HBO too.


We had our lunch at the guest house restaurant and headed to see the miniature Angkor Temples.


Dy Proeung and 3 more persons took 3 years to get the architecture and scaling done. Dy took a whole year to complete the miniature Angkor Wat temple. He was praised by one of the Cambodian kings and awarded by the government. He currently have 4 miniatures around, the first in his home, second in his workshop, third in Phnom Phen and the last in the cultural village in Siem Reap.


He also did the Bayon and Batey Kdei. Really impressive. If you see something you like, buy it there because it is much cheaper. I think his workshop supplies to the tourist stalls in the markets. Dy told me that sharing the knowledge on how to build the miniature was his passion and he was actually training the neighborhood kids to make them. I was a few of them there working on their own stuff too.


Speaking about his neighbors, they almost broke into this home once! Yep...crocodiles. A lot of Cambodian rare them to be sold to Bangkok or Phnom Phen. They are fed fish, and at about 15 years of age, then can be sold for USD3000. 150kg of croc meat... I didn't get to eat them though... HAHAHA.


This is the first local Wat we went to. Wat Po Lanka. Nothing special....yet. I notice that at all the temple gates, they have this gate keeper god thing. Hell keeper maybe?


We went to Wat An Kau Saa next, but my tuk-tuk drive only stopped us at the school next door, we could not find the way in to the temple. Even the school corridors and staircase is decorated with styles.


The water pump still works you know. It's everywhere. One at my guest house too.


We still had a little time to spare before sunset so out tuk-tuk driver brought us to a place to do some shopping. Not worth talking about because everything sold there was at cut throat price. The old reason he brought us there was because he will have a commission if we buy anything there. We left the place quick and boom Angkor Wat!


Didn't manage to catch the sun set because clouds were everywhere... and it was drizzling a little. =(

Disappointed, we left for the Killing Field. FYI, it's free entry to the Angkor Temple area after 5pm. You can continue to use your ticket for the following day. Tickets are sold in a day block (USD20), 3 days (USD40), 1 week (USD60). Get a 1 day pass if you are unsure if you can see rocks the whole day. You can always get another pass the next day. Get the 3 days and 1 week pass only if you are really passionate about the history, the stones, the carvings, the myth, the Apsara dancers, the friendly kids, and delicious (but dirty to some people) food.


There will be a group of people there explaining the history of the killing, the Khmer Rouge regime, Pol pot, Brother 2 and all. You will be hinted to donate some money to their school of language for the orphan kids later on. Do donate as this will help, if not much, just a little will do from the heart.

Email this guy called Udorm, he knows a lot of the history and will be able to explain to you in detail if you are interested to know. Of course, only if you are going to Siem Reap's killing field.


It was dark when we left the killing field....to kill at the Dead Fish Tower.


The food there was ok, but many cheap good food anywhere else. The decoration is something else though. The place reminds me of Nailies, but a bigger better version of the tree house mamak. Dead Fish Tower have floor tiers, very unique tables and settings too. They have their Apsara dancing performance at 7pm. You will have to seat at the elevated floors to watch the performance.


At about 7.20pm, the traditional courting dance is performed. Their dancing and facial expression was so real. I think I was blushing while watching them dance.

Our tuk-tuk driver left us at Dead Fish Tower. I was pissed because we had to walk home in the dark just because we didn't want to go to the restaurant he recommended where he could have gotten commission. &*%$*)_*#()_)#@@#

Anyway, we found our way back easily and took us only a 5 minutes walk. Town was really small. We passed by a few markets like the 7Elevent. Got a can of famous Angkor beer for USD0.55. Nice and delicious. Burbbbb!

Check out the food review at Eat First Think Later.

The trip was the bomb

So I'm back! Just so so much to tell you about the trip! So many pictures but I can't upload them all. So just a preview today. This is what I brought back. My luggage was overweight by 2.5kg. I didn't want to pay the extra USD4 for a kg ...so I had to take the kilograms out carry it with plastic bags as hand carry. Thank god my backpack was as heavy to keep me from falling to the sides!


1# Two bottles of sauces. The one in the picture is a kind of vegetable seasoning. It's salty like the soya sauce but totally different taste. Very unique. The other bottle of sauce I bought was a prawn and duck sauce mixture. It's also salty, taste different from the sauce above and don't taste like any sauce I have tasted in Malaysia.


2# I bought this at one of the local Chinese bakery called Aspara Bakery. Honestly, the pastries and deserts there (and Siem Reap) are not that nice. The groundnuts and sesame seed biscuits above taste a little too sweet. We can get much better ones here. I bought them because I like this biscuit and just though of trying them out.


3# I bought another pack groundnut biscuit from the local market (Old Market) just for fun. This doesn't taste too sweet and is ok, but still, better ones are sold in Malaysia. The biscuit on the right is just a flour egg mixture deep fried and coated in icing sugar. I bought them at first thinking it was some ginger biscuit... this tasted horrible. "Lau fong" already although the packet was tied tightly. The biscuit was with no aroma.... just flour and sugar.


4# I bought some of these beaded accessories from two girls while I was visiting the Angkor temples. USD1 for 6. Buy from these kids when you can because when I wanted to buy more of them I only got 4 for USD1 in the old market.


5# Okay...I spent most of my "cha ching" here for some colourful "bling bling". My mom wanted the ruby ring.. and specified the shape, the pattern and the shape of the stone at the sides. The ring cost me a bomb...and a lot of hassel. It was actually a blur sapphire, I had to get them to change it to a ruby and resize the ring to fit my mom's finger. Rounded stones are much cheaper... I paided 50% more just for the rectangle stones.

The two other rings are for myself. One sky blueish, and one pink. The girl that sold me the ring told me the sky blueish stone colour was for someone born in my birth month. The two "diamond strings" are for myself and my aunt. Took me freaking long to bargain and still I paid too much. *^(*@$^*#

The cat necklace is for my buddy and the ballerina pendant... I just had to buy it when I saw it. Share share with my sister la.

Stones there are real. But you got to really bargain to get it worth your USDs. Pick those that have thicker silver or gold coating. Go stall hopping until you get the price you want… the other shop keepers will always call you back and offer you a lower price, so just play hard to get. Pretend that you don’t want something even you want it desperately. I learnt my lesion… I suck at bargaining.


6# One my first day in Angkor, about 30 seconds walk away from my hotel, I smelt coffee. An there it was, a local coffee manufacturer. The old couple that manages the place are Chinese and speak Chinese. I didn't have trouble communicating. The old man's surname is Chang, and he is a Hokien. He owns the business. Kiam Sia!


7# This two pieces of cement is one the few reasons my luggage was over weight hehehe. I bought them from Dy. He a 70 year old man that manages and the teacher and the maker of the miniature Angkor Wat. You can see his work at his home, his work shop, the cultural village, and in Phnom Phen. He was awarded by the King (I think) in 2000 for his work. Oh, and he sighed my cement!


8# The famous Apsara dancers that was the one the end product of the 1000 years of Churning the Sea of Milk. Most of the temples (...then again I think all of them) have the Apsara dancers hall. All the dances are carved in the rocks uniquely. All with different hand gestures and clothes and decoratives.


9# Ok, I don't smoke, but ... just for fun. The local store keeper told me that the Angkor and Ara brand are the famous brands that Cambodians in Siem Reap smokes.


10# I bought a whole bunch of these clay magnets... another reason why my luggage was darn heavy. The top left is the face in the Bayon temple. King some thing....The bottom right is King Jayavarnam the 7th. He was the first Buddhist king that ruled Cambodia and is responsible for the grand Angkor Wat (and a lot more of other temples. But he did also destroy a lot of Hindu temples and converted them to Buddhist temples)


11# These are their silk scarves. The locals wear them around the neck to protect their skin from the sun. I didn't buy any of the scarves actually. The pink one was from a friend that came from Siem Reap 2 weeks before I left. The green one was from another friend sometime back when he was there for a company trip. The last scarf was from a souvenir stall keeper. Me and LF (my travel buddy) personally hand delivered a gift for her from one of her Malaysian friends. We spent quite sometime locating her... and when we found her stall, we were told that she was away at a relatives place. We didn’t catch her until the last few hours before our flight and she was glad we did.


12# Don't laugh, but I did bring back some local sweet deserts for my sister to try. The one on the left is a steamed flour mixture with banana. The one on the right the same flour mixture but stuffed with groundnuts. They taste like the local Chinese quih, ours are better.


13# Palm sugar. The sugar is wrapped in a way that no ants can get in. ... Or is it the leaf smell that blocks it from the ants? They have this at the "high class" markets. USD1 for a stick. I got 10 for USD3 in the market and it was still over priced! Kena waterfish yet again.

14# Oh... I also bought their version of thick "queh tieow" from the market. ...If you think I'm crazy, well yep, maybe a little. But I remembered my mom bought back 5kg of their "mee souah", I only bough 500g. I'm more sane HAHAHA


15# Last but totally not the least, the super yummylicious French bread two different ham and cheese and picked vegetable chili sandwich! Why in hell did I buy this back? You have to personally take a bite to understand why I was crazy enough to do this. I had to let my dad to try. When he was there, he didn't get a chance to try (because he was traveling with a bunch of "Aiyor so dusty at the roadside stall") and was complaining that he regretted about not eating it. So... daddy, there you go. And he totally loved it... me too!