Monday, April 29, 2013

Siem Reap 4/5/13 - 4/8/13

When you cross over the border from Laos into Cambodia, there is usually a "bus helper" that takes all the passports and visa applications through customs to expedite the process.  Of course, every traveler that uses this method over-pays a few dollars for the "service", but it was minimal enough to us that we went with ease and utilized the "service".  It made it a very easy crossing and we simply walked to the other side, no questions asked, except for the medical device we were shot with in the neck.  Not exactly sure what it was.  But the note they handed us, below, made us feel really comfortable entering Cambodia :-).



On our way to Siem Reap we stayed a night in Kampong Cham to break up the trip.  From there, we managed to find our way on a morning bus (apparently it was another "holiday" and drove the demand up for seats) where we were put on the back row atop the engine, which caused our seats to be very hot and add to our sweat box of a ride... but we survived.

It was not obvious to us before we started traveling; however, we quickly found out that the "thing to do" in in SE Asia was to go to Siem Reap and visit Angkor Wat.  It's a staple for tourism such as Machu Pichu, the Great Wall of China, or the Eifel Tower.  Thus so, the town of Siem Reap had plenty of restaurants, shops, spas, etc. focused toward tourists.  Lucky for us, our first day there we found a Mexican place called, Viva.  We know what everyone is thinking....."Mexican food in Cambodia???"......but we didn't care, it was actually pretty good.  We had been craving chips and salsa, and Kristin loved the mango margarita (all 4 times we went).


Now, a little bit about Angkor Wat, which actually means "Temple City" or "City of Temples".  The main temple, Angkor Wat, was actually built around the year 1100.  There are other temples around it built in the years previous to its construction, and then others such as Bayon, and Angkor Thom which were built later in the 12th century.  The wats were originally designed and used as Hindu temples, but in the 13th century transitioned into Buddhist use as they still are today.  Angkor Wat has gone through the most extensive amount of renovation as it is the main attraction, but there is continuous efforts on the other temples in the complex as well.

The travel rumor mill informed us that we needed a minimum of 2 days to see the wats (temples).  Our first day, we took bikes from our hostel and rode out to see the largest Hindu temple complex of the world known as Angkor Wat, in fact, it is the largest religious monument in the world!  We slept in and went after breakfast which meant it was HOT, a Houston in August kind of heat.  Despite the sun beaming down, we spent the afternoon riding around the temples and observing them in awe.












To us the next most impressive temple after Angkor Wat was the Bayon temple.  Each of the various temples throughout Angkor Wat were designed/built by a different king from the Khmer empire and has its own influences and symbolism based on the king's choosing.  Bayon was memorable because of the number of massive stone faces on the many towers.






More pictures from various "smaller" temples.




That evening after some more Mexican food, we headed back to the night market.  After all the walking from that day, Kristin decided to get a fish feeding pedicure while we watched a film on the history and significance of Angkor and how it was built.  The little fish "bite" off the dead skin on the feet.  Kristin said it tickled a lot!  



Can you believe Angkor Wat was completed in roughly 30 years?  Quite impressive given the lack of tools and technology back in that time, and the fact that because of the wet season they couldn't work for a few months out of each year.  The Angkor Wat temple is a powerful symbol in Cambodia and is used on many various items such as their flag, national beer, etc.  The temple is a source of national pride and means a lot to the country.  Despite the many hardships the country has endured, the temple symbolizes a great accomplishment that was built by their own people and has survived the test of time.

The next day we woke up at 4:30 AM and hit the road by 5 on our bikes (the evening before, Matt went and got a mountain bike to ride that was much better for him).  It is common for hundreds, if not thousands, of tourists to try and capture the classic photo of Angkor right at sunrise when the sun comes up from behind the massive temple.  Who'd want to miss out on that?  Well, sadly it was very cloudy that morning and we all missed out on the "classic photo".    Luckily, the people watching was still entertaining.



After the sun was up, we grabbed a bite to eat and then went on the "small circuit" tour of more temples.  It was much cooler starting out so early, so we were able to enjoy the temples a little more.  Having said that, we still grew tired and perhaps a little bored by 10:30 AM (we figured that might happen).  We felt like we had seen quite a bit of Angkor Wat (for us at least) and went back to rest, nap, and eat Viva (again) for lunch.  Don't judge.










The next morning it was time to move on and catch a 6 hour bus to Phnom Penh.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Laos Recap 3/21/13 - 4/5/13

Recap of Laos:

Time in country: 15 days
Money spent: approximately $480 USD each
Currency:  Kip
Conversion Rate: 8000 Kip to 1 USD

Food:
The food wasn't that great and actually a mere imitation of Thai food.

There was a lot of French influences with Frech bistros and cafes.  Also, lots of baguette sandwiches all over for very cheap ($1 or less).  In Vang Vieng especially, there were food stalls up and down the road all selling the same thing: sandwiches, fruit shakes, burgers, and pancakes.  They all wanted us to buy something whenever we walked by, it was hard to choose where to stop.


One thing we noticed is what many of the locals ate: in one hand the ate dried chicken and in the other they would roll up a ball of sticky rice and eat it together. 

Lao BBQ, we saw a lot of signs, but only really had it in Luang Prabang.  And the meat was delicious!



Places Visited (in order):  Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Thakhek (Konglor Cave), 4000 Islands (Don Det)


Random Thoughts:
The people were very nice and welcoming.  

Maybe it was because we were in Laos during the dry season, still, we were surprised at how dry and dusty it was, unlike the lush greenery of other places in Asia.

The northern part of Laos, ie- Luang Prabang, was better than we expected.  The French influence helped create a good atmosphere with a unique charm.

4000 Islands (Don Det) 4/2/13 - 4/4/13

We thought we would be able to get a "VIP" bus which came with A/C the next morning when we arrived to the bus station; however, as it happens in Laos, that bus didn't seem to actually exist like the schedule said it did.  Another local (non- a/c) bus showed up to take us south, was fine while moving and the windows open, yet deathly hot when idle.  Did we mention the weather is like Houston in July (very hot and humid)?

Given we feel like old people and Kristin couldn't take another four hours on a non-a/c bus, we had a stop over in Pakse for the night before continuing on to the islands in the morning.  It turned out to be a good choice.  We took a four hour mini-van the next morning to the pier where we took a 15 minute boat ride over to Don Det island.  The 4000 Islands is a group of islands in Southern Laos amidst the Mekong River delta.  The number of islands can vary from 2,000 to 4,000 depending on the water level between the wet and dry season. 

Taking the boat from the mainland over to Don Det island
View of Don Det from the river
We stayed in a very basic bungalow right on the riverfront for about $4 each.  There was just a bed, fan, window, and porch with two hammocks (view of the Mekong river included).  It was a very peaceful environment though. Good thing too because it was over 100 degrees and without air conditioning anywhere on the island we didn't want to move very much.  Only from restaurant to restaurant looking for "cold" beer.  Most of the places gave us room temperature beer and ice to add to the mug.  Yum ?

Our bungalow porch over the river
Cooling off and enjoying the view from the hammock
One of the "ferries" 
View of sunset on the Mekong from our porch
Don Det was hotter than hell, yet, we managed to take care of a few logistics that afternoon.  We booked a kayak trip for the next day and a bus to Cambodia the day after.

The kayak trip was a full day, with about 16 other people, of kayaking, walking through villages, visiting waterfalls and swimming, lunch, seeing the highly endangered freshwater irrawaddy dolphins, and more waterfalls.  It was a great way to casually enjoy the Mekong river and the region around it.

Group kayaking down the river
Local fishermen
First waterfalls and swim stop of the day
The "tractor and cart" used to moved our kayaks from one point to another (very common throughout Laos)
Break time
Our lazy guide enjoying his partner doing all the work ;-)
View from the river
Another break time

The last stop of the day was at the largest waterfalls, by volume, in Southeast Asia, Khone Phapheng Falls.  These Falls are the reason why the Mekong is not fully navigable into China.  Some Canadians in the group described it as a mini version of Niagra Falls because of the similar shape.  Obviously it wasn't the same as seeing Iguazu Falls, but it was still very powerful, loud, and amazing to see.


Hard to capture the size of the falls
Standard pic with the falls
The next morning it was time to head out of Laos and into Cambodia!