1 day ago
#travelgoals2020 a lookback to our Cambodia tour last February. We were nearing the last leg of our vacation as this was already in Sihanoukville. Last time I shared about our night bus tour. This time around we were picked up by our service and taken to our hotel accommodation.
What we found strange about Sihanoukville was all the road construction going on. Perhaps when the roads are ready, it would be a better place. Anyway, our hotel was located so far from the center. It seemed so secluded, plus also seemed so empty of other visitors. Perhaps it was because this was the time when China was on lockdown and its citizens weren’t allowed to travel then. Otherwise, Sihanoukville would be bustling with Chinese tourists.
We got to our hotel and got to change and freshen up a bit. Then we were off to our island tour. Funny, it’s a good thing I got a bit hungry and so my daughter and I had a hearty breakfast at Yasmin Cafe near the dock. This turned out to be the best decision I made that morning as it almost spiralled down from here on. I’ll share more about the supposed three-island tour that got cancelled at the last minute. Oh boy! Don’t worry as it eventually turned out ok.
More stories next time… Ciao! ^_^
4 days ago
#travelgoals2020 now here’s one experience that I wouldn’t forget in Cambodia. We traveled on the night bus from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville at the Virakbuntham Express Station. We were picked up from the Lub.d Hotel and taken to wait at the station before loading began.
The thing with transportation in Cambodia is they almost always leave on time, if not ahead of time. So by around 8:30pm we were loading up to the bus. It’s unlike any typical bus as this one has sleeping compartments. Too small if you ask me, but my daughter fit right in being petite and all. LOL!
Two levels of sleeping compartments. We got the bottom one behind the driver. There’s a tiny curtain to keep the compartment partly hidden from view. I hardly slept a wink, although it’s a step up from the road trips that we did locally. At least here we could lie down and sleep. I kept waking up at least three times during the trip.
We stopped a long time at Phnom Penh, but still managed to arrive before sunrise in Sihanoukville. We got there an hour or so earlier than expected. We even had to contact the service that would pick us up from the bus station to bring us to our hotel. Sunrise could be seen from the car as we were on our way to our accommodation.
More on our Sihanoukville adventure. Till then.. ta-tah! ^_^
2 weeks ago
#travelgoals2020 Koh Ker, the pyramid temple, the only one in Cambodia. Our guide, G1 said that some folks compared it to the ones in Mexico. Well, I have to see those first before I could validate it. But we did get the chance to climb to the top of the pyramid. There were lots of other lesser temples that we visited after Koh Ker. They were all in the surrounding areas. G1 also said in would take 2 - 3 days to visit all available temples. I’ve read that Koh Ker actually has 180 of them but only 24 have been de-mined. Indeed there remain lots to explore in Siem Reap. Perhaps one day, we’ll be back again.
Till next update.. Ta-tah! 😊😊
2 weeks ago
#travelgoals2020 day five and we’re still in Siem Reap. My daughter knew about this schedule and took the opportunity to book with Klook for a day tour at two more temples farther away from the town center. Travel took an hour at least. We were impressed with how organized the tour partner of Klook was. We were picked up from the hotel then brought to a cafe to await other travelers. From there, the groups were subdivided according to the location of the tours. We were five in our group.
An update is in order here. Beng Mealea temple is now part of the Angkor Wat pass. It’s cheaper to buy a pass for more than a day if you’re planning to visit temples for more than a day. According to my daughter, this was the Indiana Jones temple. I’m a huge Indi fan so I couldn’t pass up the chance to see this for myself.
Each temple in Cambodia has something interesting to offer. We were truly amazed. Till next post..
2 weeks ago
#travelgoals2020 our last stop for day four of the temple tours involved climbing a hill to reach Phnom Bakheng. Again, we were left to enjoy this adventure by ourselves. Our guide must have been too beat. 😂😂 But we did enjoy exploring on our own. What an experience to climb some 65m up. There were scenic stops along the way. We waited for the sunset, as this place is famous for it. But we did climb down the cliff before it got dark 😂😂
What a day it was! Day four was indeed the highlight of the entire trip. Watch out for day five stories. Till then.. Ta-tah! 😊😊
2 weeks ago
#travelgoals2020 our fourth run isn’t so much as a temple. It kinda reminded me of the Intramuros walls. This was Angkor Thom. I think I read somewhere that it’s a city from long ago. Perhaps this was the gateway to the city. It’s lined with 54 gods & demons on each side. At least I think that’s what our tour guide said 😂😂 it’s a busy road but we did manage to have shots taken in the middle of it. Credits to Mr. Kong our guide. 😁😁 our fourth day was almost coming to an end. There’s one more stop that I’d be sharing on the next post. Till then.. Ta-tah!
2 weeks ago
#travelgoals2020 third temple run about two weeks ago in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Bayon Temple. I’m happy that I still have the stamina and strength to go trekking and hiking for long periods of time. Travel is indeed food for the soul. 😍😍 I actually enjoyed all the places we visited (minus the shopping areas as we’re not shopaholics). The temples were the highlight of our trip. But we did enjoy Phnom Penh ‘coz we had a really good tour guide esp. on the second day. (Thank you Mr. Sean!) I will be sharing more temple photos. You may think we have visited a lot, but we feel like there’s more to explore in Siem Reap. Hopefully, we get to go back again someday. Till my next story… Ta-tah!
2 weeks ago
#travelgoals2020 Some photos from our visit to Ta Prohm temple, the jungle temple. This temple was also featured in the original Tomb Raider movie. And finally, we were there!
Day four was our temple run. After Angkor Wat, we had a quick lunch. This was the next stop after lunch. There were lots of folks who were also visiting there. It was quite an experience being there. We have more photos but just had to choose ten for this post.
Some more temples for next time. Till then.. Ta-tah! 😊😊
#rcsmonthlyrecap #rcsFebruary2020goals more than tour and travel, I did not forget about my declutter & refurbish goals. In fact, I’m interrupting my travel updates with home improvements for the previous month. So the cluttered corner was cleared and a new bookcase / display cabinet was put in place. Some of our books were also given their special place.
Two small crates were also ordered. These are waiting to be placed on the wall in the bedroom.
Time to plan for March 2020 goals. Still a long way to go for my declutter & refurbish project. I still have a cluttered zone that I need to clear to make way for a two-seater sofa. Inshallah! Till next month… Ta-tah! 😊😊
3 weeks ago
Day Four - Angkor Wat
#travelgoals2020 There it is from the distance. I took this shot from afar as we got to the Angkor Wat area. We’re a long way from the temple. I’m truly excited already as this is a dream come true.
This is the original bridge leading to Angkor Wat. However, it is undergoing reconstruction at the moment. They put up a temporary bridge for visitors to the temple.
That’s the temporary bridge constructed for visitors to Angkor Wat. It’s made of floating materials that surprisingly felt really sturdy. I felt funny crossing on it though. It was as if I was bouncing as I was walking.
Stone statues surrounding the entrance to the Angkor Wat really looked interesting. Although some are broken, the remaining parts show how elaborate the details are on each of the statue.
A seven-headed naga with a very long tail. Was this just a mythical creature?
Apsaras carved on the wall of the Angkor Wat. Our tour guide pointed out that none of these were alike. It was amazing to see well-preserved carvings on the walls.
We’re inside the complex, but we still needed to walk further to get to the main complex. I do wonder how this place was used a long time ago.
So that’s where the reflection shots of the Angkor Wat are taken. It’s a pond fronting the complex. Lots of folks are lining up to get a shot here too.
We climbed atop the main tower and saw that this part was being restored. The stairs leading up (and down) were pretty steep and scary. But we made it – yey!
I can’t help but feel small inside the grandeur of the Angkor Wat. It’s a dream come true to be really there in person. I thank my bebe for planning this whole trip to celebrate my golden year. This is just one of the temples we visited on day four. There will be others that I will be sharing. Till then.. ta-tah! ^_^