Road Trip to Roluos

Desperately needing some exercise (felt like a blob after 30-days of sitting in a Russian van and snacking on chocolate and crisps), I hired a bicycle and ventured out of town to visit Roluos Group (Wat Bakong and Preah Ko).  The temples are located 20 km outside of Siem Reap and it's usually not on the Angkor Wat tour, so they were quiet and crowd free.

In context of Angkor's architectural timeline, Roluos Group was the capital of Indravarman I (877 to 889) and considered to be the forefathers of Angkor's main temples. These were the first temples built to last and are made of brick with some carved plaster reliefs. The group is made up of the three temples of Preah Ko, Bakong, and Lolei.

Preah Ke

Preah Ke

Wat Bakong

View from top of the central tower

One of the towers in Bakong

I think I'm 'templed' out!  I couldn't visit anymore temples in the afternoon....I just wanted to chill, have lunch in town and watch the day go by.  There's so much more to see but my brain is sensory-fried.

Of course, having a drink in the tourist area means you get to see some weird stuff - such as a woman dancing out on the street, in front of a bar (I assume the bar hired her), to "lure" tourists into the bar.  This video just doesn't do any justice of the weirdness...

I'm definitely looking forward to sitting on a beach and decompress from all this...Borneo should give me that.

Faces of Bayon

Having visited most of the temples around Angkor Wat, I decided to spend more time at Angkor Thom today.  But first, a quick visit to Banteay Kdei and Thommanom before heading over to Angkor Thom.

Banteay Kdei
Thommanom
Angkor Thom via Victory Gate
Bayon
Bapoun
The Royal Palace
Elephant Terrace
Leper King Terrace

This morning was no different from yesterday...rain.  Luckily it wasn't as bad as yesterday's continuous rain, it was more cloudy and misty.  Again my day started late but I got to update my journal and fb status.  By late morning, my Tuk Tuk driver was getting eager to leave the hotel (he was probably concerned that I may not need his services today), so off we go to Angkor!  Angkor Wat may be the largest temple in the world but I loved Angkor Thom more (“the great city” in Khmer), for its massive stone face carvings and intricate rooms.  My favorite was just seeing the monks in their classic brilliant orange robes in contrast to the huge stark stone blocks.

Angkor Thom, built by Cambodia's greatest builder, Jayavarman VII, is a ten square kilometer city enclosed by an eight meter high wall and encircled by a hundred meter moat (said to have been inhabited by fierce crocodiles). There are five twenty meter high gates in the wall in each of the North, West and South walls and two in the East Wall. Access is via causeways over the moat that are flanked by the statues of fifty-four Gods on the left and fifty-four devils on the right, all seemingly engaged in a game of tug of war.

The central temple, Bayon, is one of the most famous temples in Angkor.  Interestingly, the Bayon is a Buddhist temple built during King Jayavarman VII rule, but the temple adheres to Hindu cosmology with links to the natural world references.  It has four huge stone faces of Avalokitesharva, each facing out to a compass point.  Bayon is also wrapped by two long walls with bas-relief scenes of legendary and historic events.  At one point, the temple was host to 49 such towers; now only 37 remain.  The number of faces is approximately 200, but since some are only partially preserved there can be no definitive count.

On to other complexes within Angkor Thom, following the marked path from Bayon to Baphuon and around the Royal Palace, I walked over to Elephant Terrace and Leper King’s Terrace. 

The clouds started to lift in the late afternoon, so I went back to Angkor Thom after spending few hours around the Royal Palace.   And of course, my Nikon P7000 camera battery dies just as I get to Angkor Thom!  Luckily my iPhone (this has become my trusty back-up camera) still had some juice left to capture great photos in the afternoon light...or maybe it's the photographer who can shoot amazing photos with anything?  Haha.

Victory Gate, Angkor Thom

Buddhist Monk at Bayon, Angkor Thom

Bayon

Did I found inner-peace?  Oh please...

One of 200+ faces on the Upper Terrace

Only 37 out of 49 "face towers" remain today

Definitely not a monk (and I don't know him), but still a great shot

Elephant Terrace

Elephant Terrace

Leper King Terrace

Sunrise + Angkor Wat = Rain

Today was going to be an "off-the-beaten" path day of sight-seeing, I had all the good intentions to head 30 km north to Kabal Spean (known as the "River of a Thousand Linga" - relief carvings that line the river beds are believed to purify the water that flow to Angkor) and Banteay Srei (a small, unique and charming temple), but had to turn around as the steady rain completely soaked my Tuk Tuk driver (it was only 8am!).  We modified our itinerary to do the 'Grand Tour Loop' around Angkor.

(Rainy) Angkor Wat at Sunrise

Angkor Wat (“City Temple”) is a temple complex built for the King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city.  It is the world's largest religious building.  As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist.  The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture - combining two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early South Indian Hindu architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. It is estimated that over one million people lived there making it the largest metropolis in its time.  

Angkor Wat (sunrise)

East Mebon

Ta Som

Neak Pean

Preah Khan

Ta Keo

Ta Prohm

Angkor Wat (sunset)

I know Angkor Wat is the star attraction within the Angkor complex but my favorite temple is Ta Prohm.  The combination of trees growing out of the temple ruins created a splendid atmosphere when the day became cloudy and foggy.  Now if I only had charged my camera battery...thank goodness for my iPhone!

Ta Prohm was built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara. Located approximately one kilometer east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: a photogenic wonder of trees growing out of the ruins have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples.

After lunch, the sky turned clear blue and I was able to finish the day with a picture-perfect sunset view of Angkor Wat.  Now this is awesome!

Angkor Wat at Sunset

The amazing gold color of Angkor Wat at Sunset

Afternoon Rush Hour at Phnom Bakeng

I got up to a puddle of water in my room...hum, I wonder if this is a foreshadowing to what's to come.   It had rained all night and the water had flowed into my room through the door - my room was next to the exit door that was slightly open.  Oh wait, I'm still in Southeast Asia and it’s August (the wet season).  I decided to wait out the rain, relax in the morning and catch up on current events since I haven't had internet connection for some time.  

At the hotel, I hired a Tuk Tuk with a driver to take me to the temples and around Siem Reap.  Riding around town in a Tuk Tuk felt like being in the French colonial era...somewhat decadent yet felt wrong too.

By late afternoon, the rain had stopped and my Tuk Tuk driver was very anxious to start his hire; otherwise he doesn't get paid for the day.  It was too late to head over to Angkor Wat and visit the temple, but I had just enough time to see the sunset from Phnom Bakeng, just past Angkor Wat.  Phnom Bakeng is known for its amazing sunset view since it's on top of a steep hill; and on the eastern side of the temple, the upper terraces of Angkor Wat just peak above the tree tops.  Getting up to the top of Phnom Bakeng was sort of like an evening rush-hour in midtown Manhattan...complete chaos.  The stone steps were tall with very little footing and steep - did monks have really small feet and long legs back then?

Ok, the sunset was spectacular, well worth the agony of dealing with crowds...what a wonderful way to begin my Angkor exploration!

"Rush hour" at Phnom Bakeng for the sunset!

View of Angkor Wat, looking east

Sunset over Phnom Bakeng

Siem Reap

Most guide books will tell you a 3- or 4-day visit to the ancient city of Angkor will suffice, but don't  be fooled by their recommendation.  I thought 4 full days of exploring Angkor would be enough but I was wrong.  I really needed a week to fully explore and soak in all the splendors of Angkor (and not get 'over-templed' out).  My goal was to see more than just Angkor Wat, and to visit some of the smaller (and less crowded) temples beyond Angkor...I barely got to do this.  This is truly an amazing place and spending a week (even two) around Angkor and Siem Reap would be ideal.

Agent Orange

Today I joined Emma to visit the War Remnants Museum (please note - this museum will make you re-think about the Vietnam War). Clearly the Museum is one-sided but one cannot deny the devastation of Vietnam and its people caused by the war.

Well, after visiting the Museum, I definitely don't want to visit the 'Killing Fields' site in Cambodia. The Agent Orange exhibit was haunting and disturbing to see so many innocent lives affected by it. It's worth a visit (you'll be depressed after the visit)...especially the special exhibit on war photographers who perished during their assignments. Just amazing and inspiring.

Emma and I tried to find a cool rooftop bar on our last night in HCMC, she's heading back to London and I'm off to Cambodia, but we never really found one near our hotel and it started to rain....basically, we were too lazy to venture outside of the walking distance. We decided to chill and find a nearby spot for dinner - only problem was we didn't know what we wanted - Mexican? Thai? Vietnamese? Maybe a combo of all?

Tomorrow...I'm off to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Location:Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

When it rains, it really rains!

Our brilliant plan of taking the day tour to the Mekong Delta area started at 7 in the morning, which meant no Vietnamese coffee at Highlands Coffee (not a great way to begin the morning). The bus ride took 3 hours to Mỹ Tho on the Mekong River for our first of many boat rides to see bee hives (?), followed by a tour of the coconut candy factory, then to lunch, before ending the tour. About half way into the tour, the sky opened up and started to pour for hours and hours...oh right, it's the "monsoon" season.

Emma and I were soaked and we both started to question if we wanted to stay overnight in Bến Tre with all this rain. Our vision of cycling along beautiful picturesque rice fields and floating markets quickly faded into us riding in the rain. We figured once we got to Bến Tre, everything would work out fine and we would have a great day. Well, our tour guide didn't drop us off at Bến Tre and we were back at Mỹ Tho. "Oh you should have told me you wanted to get off at Bến Tre" - the response from our guide...WTF! We had told him that we would like to go one way and get off at Bến Tre in the morning, clearly he didn't listen or remember. Now we're stranded at Mỹ Tho's Visitor Center and we're told it's a 45-minute taxi ride to Bến Tre...again, WTF! Emma and I both looked at each other and nodded...'let's take the public bus back to HCMC and check into Elios Hotel tonight and bail on the Mekong trip'.

The only available room Elios Hotel had was a deluxe room...done.

Traffic on the Mekong Delta

It's pouring...non-stop!

He's so use to it...doesn't even notice

Flooding in Ho Chi Minh City

Flood...what flood?

Location:Mỹ Tho, Tiền Giang Province, Vietnam

HCMC

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) buzzes with life on wheels - from bicycles to motorbikes to cars. Trying to cross a street corner as a tourist is an adventure on to itself, but if one takes a deep breath and just start walking, bikers will move around you like a school of fish.



After the fall of Saigon in 1975, the city was renamed after the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh (both names are used interchangeably today). As the former capital of the French Colony of Cochin-China, Ho Chi Minh City's architectural heritage is linked to its French design of neo-classical buildings. The city is quite expansive with 16 urban and 5 rural districts, but District 1 is the Central Business District that includes many of the historical and cultural importance - The Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum, Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the touristy Bến Thành Market.

Sampling Vietnamese cuisine throughout the city is a must - from numerous Pho noodle shops to the food stalls (indoors and outdoors) of Bến Thành Market. Of course, one cannot miss the best coffee in Asia...Vietnamese coffee, with sweet condensed milk!

By now I was getting tired of sleeping in questionable "hotels", especially after spending a month sleeping in gers and the Beijing experience...the "hotel" Emma and I found in HCMC was definitely cheap but I was able to convince Emma that we needed to upgrade and pamper ourselves a bit, just like what we did in Hoi An. We both agreed that after the Mekong trip, we would move to a different hotel - we noticed a newly renovated 3-star hotel few buildings from our current hotel, found a great rate online for few dollars more and they would hold our bags until our arrival date...done. But we still didn't have a plan for the Mekong delta and we were suppose to leave the next morning. After few hours of research...nothing, until we spoke with the front desk clerk at Elios Hotel (where we'll be staying in two nights) who gave us a travel brochure for the Mekong delta. Emma and I had a plan - we would do a one-day tour, stay at a hotel overnight in Bến Tre, rent bikes to explore the area and then take the bus back to HCMC the following day. It was a brilliant plan, we even found a cheaper price at the travel agency next to the hotel! We headed to the Bến Thành Market for some shopping and dinner, feeling pleased with our itinerary.

Location:Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

To the Beach!

August 19 - 22 (Ho Chi Minh City - Danang - Hoi An)

I decided to meet up with Emma in Hoi An (instead of Ho Chi Minh City), so I can get to a beach and relax after the China fiasco. From what I briefly read about Hoi An, it was the perfect spot to chill for few days.

My flight to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) landed at 1am and I had a connecting flight to Danang in few hours. This time I wasn't going to take the chance of looking for a hotel near the airport or go into HCMC for few hours of sleep, instead I headed to the airport lounge area for few hours of shut eyes. Let's just say I didn't get much sleeping done between the hard seats and the fear of someone stealing my bags..but I did save money!

Of course, the airport pick-up request I had made to the hotel in Hoi An didn't happen, so once again I'm in a country where I don't speak the language and had no clue about getting to Hoi An. Oh hell with traveling cheap, I went luxe and took a taxi to Hoi An (it had air-conditioning)!

Hoi An is a beautiful town by the South China Sea, about half way between Hanoi and HCMC, known for their tailors among other things. The town still has the charm of an old French colonial period with many historic buildings full of tailor shops, restaurants and gift shops. The food here was absolutely delicious and fresh, friendly people, and enough clothing and shoe tailors/shops to stay busy for days. I only had three days but I could have stayed here for weeks, if not for a month.

Wood carver working outside his shop

View of the river from the cafe

The Market

"excuse me...are you sisters?"

Ferry boat for bikes...and people too

I'm guessing...honeymooners

To the beach!

Seaside lunch for about 5 bucks!

Beautiful French Colonial architecture

Love all the bird cages upstairs

Window of a lantern shop

Emma and I learned about a hidden gem (Villa Hoa Su) just outside of town; unfortunately, Villa Hoa Su didn't have any availability until the 21st, the day we're scheduled to leave for HCMC. I was able to convince Emma that we should stay one more night in Hoi An so we could check out the luxurious Villa Hoa Su. Villa Hoa Su was simply magnificent, it had everything I wanted - beautiful room with comfortable bed, outdoor shower and a marble bathtub, infinity pool, and a 5-star hotel service at a 3-star price (they even prepared a dinner for us based on what we wanted)! I can't do justice in describing the Villa, just check out their site - villahoasu.com. One day at the Villa Hoa Su wasn't enough...I definitely need to come back and stay for a week or two!

Location:Hoi An, Vietnam