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Next country on our list
Cambodia! We didnt really know what to expect about this new country except that we could not miss the famous Angkor temples
Our first landing point was Siem Reap
the departure city for the visit of the famous Angkor temples! Siem Reap is a two-faced city with on the one hand, the overdevelopment of the city to attract tourists and on the other hand, a city being one of the poorest in Cambodia. To be honest with you we didnt really like it
it was too much!
But we enjoyed the Angkor temples
We decided to visit the site by bicycle. We got two bicycles for the day for one dollar each, so a real bargain. Definitely, the cheapest way to visit the Angkor temples! ;-)
To give you an idea, Angkor Wat is the largest religious structure in the world, it is the Khmers national symbol, the epicenter of their civilization and a source of fierce national pride (dixit the Lonely Planet).
The Angkor temples regroup more than hundreds temples
the most famous ones are Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Phrom,
Ta Phrom is one of the only temples being as the European explorers discovered it in the 19th century. Indiana Jones would feel right at home in this temple ;-) We really appreciated it
you can really realize the power of the jungle (here we come again ;-) )
We then left Siem Reap to go to Battambang
the second largest city in Cambodia and the fourth touristic destination of the country. We wanted first to go there by boat but after checking the length of the trip being 4h to 7h (nobody has been clear)
we decided to take the bus, especially that it is here the dry season, this means no water at some places
I let you imagine what could have happened! ;-) We have to admit that Battambang is not really the place to be and there is not a lot to see but we enjoyed relaxing on a terrace of one the remaining French colonial houses.
The next day, we enjoyed again a six hours bus drive to Phnom Penh, the capital of the country! We had a chock arriving at the final bus station. The police had to put barriers to let us go out of the bus as a wild group of tuk tuk drivers was literally shouting at the arriving tourists for a tuk tuk ride! Oh my God, the tone was given! We finally ended up on one of these crazy machines in order to reach one of the city centre guesthouses.
The day after we have enjoyed a tour around the city passing by the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, the Independence monument, different temples, the central market,
The Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda are particularly impressive! Check the pictures below. So as a summary, great monuments but a crazy city where below rules apply:
· Dont look twice but FIVE times if you want to cross the street!
· Never look at a tuk tuk waiting along the road otherwise he will follow you being sure you want to jump on his crazy machine!
· Dont wear skirts
I pass you the details on this one!
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After another 5 hours bus drive, we are now at the Cambodian seaside
Not yet Ibiza but here this is the place To Be for holidays. The most famous city is Sihanoukville! We nearly slept on the beach as all hostels were full
This is the start of the week of the Chinese New year and it seems all Cambodian wanted to enjoy a sunbath at the seaside! After checking about 10 accommodations, we found out one of the last rooms available! After a well deserved night, we enjoyed an afternoon at the beach! Key word was RELAXING before taking a night bus to Bangkok where we have our flight to our next destination the Philippines
(See the PS for details).
AGAIN our bus trip turns into a kind of unexpected journey
Instead of taking 12 hours as originally announced, it took us exactly 23 hours to reach Bangkok!!!! The southern border between Cambodia and Thailand being closed at night, we had to go up north to reach another border.
PS/ Important thing to mention
we wanted to avoid the Chinese New Year week in Vietnam (week of the 3rd Feb) as all prices are triple and all Vietnamese are on holidays so everything is closed in the country! So after investigating different possibilities
we have decided to go to the Philippines to discover the rice terraces of Banaue and the famous sunset of Boracay J
05-02-2011 om 12:21
geschreven door Marjan & Isa 
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