Siem Reap II
More pictures of Siem Reap courtesy of Jas :)
Warning, there are non-halal pictures coming up. Well, if this country is so tolerant whereby cows and goats are slaughtered in broad daylight in front of Hindus, Taoists, Buddhists and vegetarians during Hari Raya Haji …. I’m sure my Muslim friends will not be offended by images of cute piggy wiggies :)
This is where we stayed. Two Dragons Restaurant and Guesthouse.
Our room equipped with a TV (80 over channels including TV3!). There was no hot water for this room but that’s okay cos the weather is pretty hot over there.
Piglets! We made the driver slow down so Jas could snap this.
Pigs were all being transported around like this. I think these fellas are off to the slaughterhouse. I hope they become yummy char siew or pork ribs. lol.
Jas’ octopussy *guffaws* in one of the holes at Bayon Temple.
The Blue Pumpkin. Most travellers stop here for the wi-fi. We went there twice!
My Chai Masala Tea. Yummers. Also good there - Orangina :)
We have heard of this on all the American TV we’ve watched. Dr Pepper was sold in Siem Reap. We tried it. And we voted it ‘worst drink in the world’. Fucking tastes like cough syrup. Eww.
Jas overheard a tour guide saying that the tree looks silver under the sunlight. Holy crap, it does!
Elephants for Nat’s family :)
Garlands of flowers for the apsaras. Gosh this was a good shot by Jas.
Spot the gecko!
Mulberry trees for silkworms. Blue skies. Ah, bliss.
More pictures of mine, here.
Tips for potential Siem Reap travellers.
1. If you are cheap, not into religion or architecture - you can finish at least 4 temples in a day. Start at 5am to catch the sunrise in Angkor Wat and later head to Banthay Srei, Bayon Temple and Ta Prohm (in no particular order). It costs US$20 for a day. If you want to explore more and take it all at your own pace, US$40 for the three day pass would better. You are however reminded, US$20 goes a long way for the budget traveller. lol.
2. Bottled water is available everywhere.
3. For meals, head to the old market. The food there is like awesome with tonnes of variety. Don’t be conned to eat in buffets and tourist-infested restaurants.
4. Be nice to the street kids. Politely decline what they want to sell to you, there’s no need to be rude. One was pretty rude to me at Angkor Wat but heck, I know soon I will be in safe ol’ PJ where as they will continue to roam the streets. I call it ‘perspective’.
5. Shop to your heart’s content in Psar Chaa. Bargain justly - offer how much you can afford and don’t be obsessed with wanting a steal. I don’t know how large their profit margins are but these people need to make a living too.
6. Tuk tuks are pretty good. Cars aren’t all that necessary unless you can’t take the long, dusty, bumpy journeys. I swear that’s all part of the Siem Reap charm.
:)
Next holiday break? A beach, hopefully. lol.
April 9th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
ohh pigglie wigglies.. schooooo kiuttttttttt… Too bad you haven’t driven behind slaughtered pigs hanging behind some open aired truck at high speed in the rain.. People just do not know how to handle valuable meet these days..
April 9th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
hi politikus, tks for the nice pix. have always wanted to travel beyond Thailand but have not found a good reason :-)
anyway, if you are looking for some good beaches, try Lombok island - paradise for scuba diving and beautiful sunsets and blue ocean unlike our polluted beaches.
i have spent several years working there and have spent time at the Senggigi Beach and wander around Mataram the city - which is very basic but nice and VERY different food which is my favorite! (food)
what kind of local dishes have you tried at Siem Reap? is it similar to vietnamese food?
hope you could share some pix of their local dishes… i can show you some i got from Sulawesi - Soroako, Makassar, Mataram etc…
And btw, I agree with your coments on Dr Pepper …. ugh*
April 9th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
Aah.. Siem Reap… probably the best trip abroad I’ve had in a long time, and that was back in 2005. Looks like not a lot has changed since then, going by your two posts. Definitely a must-go-back destination. In the near future, God-willing…
Thanks for the nice pics post…
Oh, and having had a lot of Dr. Pepper while I was living in the States, it IS an acquired taste… ;)
April 10th, 2007 at 7:12 am
Looks like you have a nice peacful holiday politikus.
April 10th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Pigs!!! Pigs!!! Getting harder to see them… in the original form.
April 11th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Hey, Amoi comel (untung pak we hang!)
Babi tu memang la kami tak boleh makan. Itu sahaja. Tidak pula kami disuruh menghina, memukul, mendebik babi.
Takat nak tengok, tengok la berapa lama pun.
Tapi maaf la, Sheih cakap penembak badak, tapi saya lebih selesa gunakan istilah penembak babi untuk saya. ..
April 13th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Politikus,
show my husband your pictures, he loves it. Thinking of visiting Angkor Wat too, may be end of this year. I am wondering do you mind if we ask you a lot of questions on travel tips by then or not? :P
April 13th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Sure, I’d be glad to help! Feel free to shoot me emails any time :)
April 13th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Politikus, you are absolutely right about the Dr Pepper drink. The worst drink ever. blecch. If you ever watch “Blast from the Past”, it is mentioned that Adam’s father (the man who built that underground shelter) liked his Dr Pepper warm. Ewwwwwww
Anyway, I was blog-hopping and found your link from Nuraina’s blog.