Siem Reap International Airport facade

Our flight going to Siem Reap was around 10am that morning. What I really don’t like about the KL airport is that we have to drive around at least an hour just to get there from the city. We took an AeroBus service which is a Ringgit cheaper than AirAsia’s SkyBus. Fare is 8RM one way and 14RM round trip from KL Sentral. Some people go to Siem Reap via a 6 hours bus from Thailand crossing the border but I don’t want to waste that much time and I’ve heard a lot of Bus Scams there where the bus intentionally tire out their passengers and check them in on an affiliated (commissioned) hotel. So the 6 hours travel extends longer. However, the flight from KLIA to Siem Reap International Airport took only about 2 hours. And boy what greeted us on our arrival is one good looking airport.

A official welcomes us to Cambodia

I must admit, I’ve never seen much airport around the world yet but Siem Reap International Airport is the most stylized I’ve seen so far. It looks more like a Bali inspired resort than an airport. So from the tarmac, people started taking pictures already.

Native sculptures welcomes us at the immigration booth

The interior isn’t huge but it felt more like I’m inside a museum with all those statues greeting us on the entrance. The immigration even have more high tech equipment that those in Singapore and KL. They have cameras to quickly take a quick snapshot of incoming visitors for their database.

Baggage claim hall

Their baggage claim hallway is also very spacious with some modern artworks to spice it up. And is that a mirror ball I see hanging up there? I bet the folks here at the airport convert this hallway into a disco hall at night. Haha.

Airport Departure hall

The theme runs through out the airport. Even their departure hall is very spacious with modern artworks adorning the ceilings. Impressive design and very fitting for the place.

Riding a Tuk-tuk to our hotel

When we got outside, I looked for someone at the folks holding a placard or a piece of paper who was supposed to pick us up from the hotel I made reservations with. I did find the guy and greeted us and quickly led us to our transfer. I was half expecting a car or a van or something. And there it was. A tuk-tuk! How convenient. Hehe. Not that I’m complaining but it was somehow unexpected, but neat still that we get to ride one early in our trip.

Golden Temple Villa facade

It was a 15-20 minute pleasant drive passing by humongous hotels that seem to pop-up like mushrooms along the airport road. I tell you they are so extravagant. But I don’t need that extravagance (or I don’t have the funds for that) so I opted to get reservations at a hotel named Golden Temple Villa. There are numerous budget lodgings around Siem Reap but I chose this primarily for its location. It’s neatly tucked in a quiet neighborhood yet very accessible to the happening area at the Old Market.

Restaurant and Bar

Aside from that they have very nice facilities; you get free tea and coffee at their restaurant, free pick-up at the airport, free internet access and nice and helpful staff. They’ll give you a booklet with detailed information and maps that would be very helpful during your stay. When the staff greeted us at the reception “Good morning!” I was taken back a bit and looked at my watch. Oh yeah, I remembered the time here is GMT +7. Their an hour behind the clock.

Our room in the Golden Temple Villa

Here we got a twin room worth $18 USD a night. Another reason why I took this is the design of the rooms. It has very nice interiors and very cozy environment. Has a bathroom en suite with hot shower, Aircon (since I heard it’s very hot here at this time of the year) and a Cable TV. This will be our home base for the next 4 nights as we explore the famed Angkor Wat Archaeological Park and surrounding area of Siem Reap.

The post Cambodia: Arrival in Siem Reap appeared first on Ironwulf.net: En Route - The Philippines Travel, Photography and Adventure Blog.

Entering the Great City at Angkor Thom’s South Gate

We started our first day as early as 5am in the morning. Since Angkor Wat has been getting a lot of tourist lately, I thought that we should avoid the crowds as much as possible. Especially those bus loads of tourist that can easily block your composition view. In this series, I won’t be delving much on the history of each temple as there are a lot of resources in the internet which has detailed information on each temple. What I would focus on more are my favorite temples and my impressions of them. And more importantly the photos. So here we go.

My 3 day pass at the Archaeological Park

The first step into our exploration is to acquire an Admission Pass. In each temple there are security points and they are very strict on inspecting these passes. If you don’t posses one you will have to get back to the main entrance toll gate where you can acquire a pass. The price is quite hefty but I assure you it’ll be worth it, US$20 for a day pass, US$40 for a three day pass and US$60 for for days to a week’s Pass. For a three day passes or more, a photo is required. If you are acquiring a ticket at a peak hour, it’s better if you have a passport ID picture with you. Fortunately we were early and we manage to get a pass easily. I don’t have a photo so they just took a quick camera snap at the counter. Getting a pass doesn’t take more than 5 minutes in all. Don’t forget to smile.

Entering the North Hallway of Bayon

Once we got our pass, our Tuk-tuk went on rolling and off we go to see our first temple at Angkor Thom also known as the “Great City“. On the way though, we passed by Angkor Wat, although it’s tempting to see it early at that time we sped past it and headed north by the west road until we were greeted by a gopura at the South Gate. We decided to leave Angkor Wat for the moment and just build on the momentum by visiting the other minor temples first. Hell, from the South Gate itself I think we spent more than 30 minutes of photo frenzy and we haven’t got into the city yet and our driver is waiting on the other side of the wall, sleeping.

Top level Towers reaching for the sky

After pulling ourselves from the gate we rode the Tuk-tuk again for quite a distance, about 1.5 km from the gate to the heart of the city where we can find the temple of Bayon. And yey, there’s no people yet. Initially I had the idea that the temples here are walking distance from each other, I was so wrong. The whole Angkor Archaeological Park is so vast that you couldn’t cover much just by walking. Biking probably may. We ate a quick breakfast at one of the stalls there and waited for some morning light to hit the structure and off we go exploring the temple.

The Bayon temple symbolizes a mountain

Among all the structures in the park, Bayon seems to be the most enigmatic and puzzling in Angkor. The main foundation of the temple is certainly Hindu in origin which post dates Angkor Wat by a century. But during King Jayavarman VII time, he built structures on top of it representing symbols of Buddhism. There are 54 towers there with 200 serene stone faces on every side of the tower. It was believed that these stone faces represents Bodhisattva, but further research and comparison, the stone faces is closer to the image of the one who ordered its construction, King Jayavarman VII.

The image of King Javayarman VII

Don’t you think that King Jayavarman VII is one vain king to have his image carved in all sides of the temple? Hehe. Anyways, kidding aside, walking along the top level where these towers are located, you can’t help but feel an eerie omnipresence watching you from all sides which is very interesting. Aside from the stone faces, the hallways and the door entrances are adorned with designs.

Chilling out with the Monks

At the center of the top level of the temple, you’ll find a large structure which resembles a mountain which the temple was said to symbolize. I wanted to find a door or stairway up to the upper levels of the structure but I can’t seem to find one. The woman by the door, seems to be a Buddhist standing by an altar. She would constantly hail visitors to light up an incense at the altar. I don’t know if you have to pay for those incense since I didn’t try it. There are lots of these Buddhist altars spread through out the temples. Not only in Bayon but in all the temples in Angkor Archaeological Park as well.

One of the 54 towers of Bayon

In every temple you’ll usually see a lot of monks doing their rounds in the altars. Their bright red-orange robes indeed seems to stand out among the ruins and is a perfect subject to any photography. These guys also seems to be used to these kind of things. They don’t mind being photographed and won’t ask for a donation or money.

Bayon from the ground facing the East side

As the first temple we visited, Bayon was a great start. It’s not a huge temple and can be explored in less then two hours. I enjoyed walking along the grounds surrounded by these impressive stone faced towers. It literally represents the saying “I am watching you” and you could certainly feel that mighty presence here along with that monumental mountain like structures representing power and might. Among all the temples we visited, Bayon is one my faves here.

The post Cambodia: Angkor Thom’s Bayon appeared first on Ironwulf.net: En Route - The Philippines Travel, Photography and Adventure Blog.

The inner wall of the Terrace of the Leper King

After checking out the impressive Temple of Bayon, the exploration doesn’t end there. Angkor Thom, is a vast complex surrounded by high defensive walls with 5 gates, thus the name Thom, meaning Big. When Javayarman VII recaptured Angkorian empire from the Chams in 1181, he did some major empire wide constructions and made Angkor Thom as the new city capital. So aside from Bayon, there are other impressive structures just a walking distance from the center of the complex worth noting. So let’s take a brief look into some of them.

Exploring the Terrace of the Leper King

First, let me give a note about exploring the temples. Most of the time, the area where the structures are, is exposed to the sun and also at times dust. So make sure to wear light cool clothing, bring sun protection, like hat, sunglasses and/or umbrella. At the time we were there, the sun was blazing, since April and May are their hottest season, so make sure you bring plenty of water. I’m sure a liter of water wouldn’t suffice, I think I drank around 2-3 liters of water a day during exploration just to keep myself hydrated. There is no shortage of water in the area as vendors, with their hypersensitive tourist-sensor would immediately scream their “Would you like something cold to drink sir?” alarm once you step on their perimeter senses. I think I spent more money buying water here than food, a bottled liter of water here cost US$ 2.

Inner wall corner detail at the Leper King Terrace

Continuing on, there are two structures here that is really worth examining closely for their intricate details. These are the Terraces of the Leper King and the Elephant. The former is a double terrace wall. During the French restoration of the structure they found an inner wall collapsed and when they cleared the debris they found an inner terrace wall which seems to be the earlier version of the terrace. Now everyone is free to inspect both walls, warning though to those claustrophobic as the inner wall has narrow corridor and 20 feet high wall. It feels like being inside a maze since it’s quite a distance from end to end.

Outer wall detail of the Leper King Terrace

What amazed me about this terrace is the level of details adorned on both walls. The terrace is made with laterite and sandstones and the design consist of snakes, giants, asparas and other decoration I think the creator could think of. I must admit my pictures here only gives half of the level of detail when you’re on the wall itself. The identity of the “Leper King” himself is also a mystery to researchers, but nowadays, it’s been accepted that it represents Yama, the god of judgment and death since the place is believed to be a crematorium.

The Elephant Terrace

The other impressive terrace is The Terrace of the Elephants, which is a larger 2.5 meters tall and longer terrace spanning 300 meters long. This terrace is elaborately decorated with larger sandstone carvings, and most notable are the sandstone elephants with protruding trunks which the terrace got its names. But aside from the elephant there’s also some tigers, lions, nagas, garudas, warrior ans horses in the bas reliefs presented in excellent details.

The elaborate Elephant Terrace spans 300 meters long

Another thing about exploration, you could also hire a guide who can explore important facts about the temples and the structures. A guide would cost around US$20-25 a day. Likewise if you don’t have the fund, you could read your book as well if you have one when you’re there like we do. If you don’t have one again, there are lots of bootleg books being sold there on considerably cheap price! But as for us, when we chanced upon a guide who can speak English touring a group, we try to eavesdrop on their explanations so we could have an idea of what we are looking at. Like for the Terrace of the Elephants, we learned that the Royal family sometimes use this as a stage for entertainment and as for the ministers and generals, it’s to review their forces.

Entrance to Phimeanakas

Another significant structure in Angkor Thom is Phimeanakas also known as the ‘Aerial Palace’. The temple is a small pyramid-like structure built with laterite and sandstone in around 10th or 11th century. Frankly when I saw this, it immediately reminded me of the strutures from the Mayan or Aztec pyramids in Apocalypto where sacrifices are held. But this temple is very important since this is where the kings do their worship.

The Aerial Palace, Phimeanakas

The bas relief details here though isn’t as impressive, but do try to climb at the back where a stair was constructed for an easy climb at the top where you could see some views of the surrounding areas. Legend also has it that a nine-headed serpent lived in this golden tower before and would transform into a woman. The Angkorian Kings were required to make love to this serpent every night or else disaster would be brought to his kingdom.

The giant jigsaw puzzle, Baphuon

Another interesting structure in the area is a Baphuon, which is also a temple which symbolizes a mountain. I saw a feature of this structure before in Discovery Channel as it is one structure undergoing massive restoration. During restoration by The Ecole Francais d’ Extreme Orient in 1972, they found the structure severely collapsed and had to remove all the pieces individually and documented each piece before they restore it all together. But when war came, the restoration halted and some of the documents where destroyed or lost. After the war, they had to document each pieces again and figure out how to put them back together, thus it became a jigsaw puzzle. Luckily they seem to going on the right track as a large part of the temple has been restored slowly.

Prasats Sour Prat

Finally, spread across evenly just in front of the terraces are these Prasats Sour Prat. Prasats are also known as Towers. There are twelve of these towers, which artistically and architecturally is quite different from all the structures in Angkor Thom, making it hard for archaeologist to classify and date them. At first I thought it was like a first line of defense when an enemy infiltrated a war, but another writing said that these towers were used to settle disputes. Accused are put inside each tower and the one who goes out sick is guilty. A bit absurd personally but if that is what they believe in at that time. Now it’s a very nice photo opportunity with those towers standing along the green hill and some fauna grazing along.

That’s it for Angkor Thom! If you only have a day or limited time to explore the park, Angkor Thom along with Angkor Wat should be on top of your list. Next post would be a side trip of sorts. I will be alternating features regarding some stuff, food and places in Cambodia to avoid being templed-out in this blog.

The post Cambodia: Exploring Angkor Thom appeared first on Ironwulf.net: En Route - The Philippines Travel, Photography and Adventure Blog.

Paddling through Chong Kneas in Tonle Sap

For those who may have noticed, most of my travel trails covers a lot of UNESCO sites. I’m pretty sure you can never go wrong visiting one of their sites listed on their heritage list. In Cambodia, the Angkor Archaeological Park is not the sole UNESCO site in the area, nearby is the presence of a Great Lake, which helped the kingdom of Angkor Build their impressive structures and empire akin to how the Nile River build the Pyramids and the empire in Egypt. Tonle Sap, which means Large Fresh Water Lake, is the largest lake in South East Asia and was declared a UNESCO biosphere back in 1997. So a visit to Cambodia wouldn’t be complete without having visited this very important site and take a glimpse of life by this great lake.

Wood gatherers

It was already afternoon when we decided to visit one of the floating villages in Tonle Sap. We rode on a tuk-tuk from our hotel and headed out into the country side. The 11-15km Tuk-tuk ride going there cost around US$5 back and forth from Siem Reap. It was a dusty country side road where you could clearly see the poverty and realize that despite the booming tourism and structures in Siem Reap, Cambodia is still a third world country. Along side the road are shanty houses and some stilt houses as well. It was a sad sight really.

A floating school

We were first dropped off at a floating village registration center. There we paid a whopping US$15 for each of us for a boat ride to Chong Kneas. “Man that was a ripoff!” my friend said. I also think that this was a Tourist Trap at that time. I told them that we wanted to visit Kampong Phleuk floating village, but they said that it’s already late so we have to settle for Chong Kneas instead. We were in no position to complain though so we paid and headed off to another short drive to the docks. Chong Kneas has a reputation for being too touristy, but I guess if this is what time would allow, it’s better than nothing. A kid who seemed to speak acceptable English took our tickets and guided us to our boat. A small boat for that matter with a shade! I guess we paid that certain amount since there’s only 2 of us along with the boatman and the kid who served as our guide.

A typical household

The water out of the docks was muddy. Our boat easily rocks on when waves come along. And when a large boats pass by, I almost thought that the boat would turn. I was worried since I don’t even have my dry bag with me for my camera. Anyways, getting used to it, we navigated through the canal. From there we could already see some locals on their boats, some doing fishing, others have some wood. And why do those other tourist have a large boat while they are alone?!

A floating sari-sari store

Shortly on our way out of the canal towards the open lake we could see some floating structures ahead. It was the school grounds, err water. It was very interesting as their basketball court is also floating. I wonder how it’s like to study there with the ground gently rocking and all. I could easily doze off during lectures.

An excited dog greets his owner

Soon we were out into the open lake. I thought it was gonna rain at that time since the sky darkened a bit, but good thing it didn’t. The scene somehow reminded me of a boat ride in Laguna lake, but as we approach the villages it was totally different, it was a large community floating on the center of the lake. The kid was explaining there were even several villages there whose names I could no longer remember.

A one dollar banana vendor

On our way to the village we were passing by this boat then suddenly these girls who were riding a smaller boat grabbed the side of our boat. Hey, that’s dangerous! While we were speeding they were holding on to our boat while the others were selling us Bananas and soft drinks. As soon as they found out that we have no intention of buying they let go. Wow! Even the vendors here are still persistent.

Approaching a restaurant and souvenir shop

I must admit that this boat ride turns out to be interesting as we go along (or maybe because there weren’t that many tourist around). The people here live on what we call houseboats. Their community have different floating facilities as well like a store, electronics and repair shop, police head quarters, restaurants even a catholic church.

Vendors by the restaurant dock

As we go around the village, we saw how they go through their everyday lives, from preparing meals, having board games, pets greeting their owners or just hanging out on their lofts. I saw some antennas in their houses and was wondering how could they watch TVs when there’s no electricity in the area. Well each houses have fuel powered generators.

Top view of the vendors

Later we stopped by a restaurant selling souvenirs and they also have some information about the biodiversity on Tonle Sap lake. They even have crocodiles there on display. Also present are hordes of vendors coherently repeating their “Just one dolla’” hymn to any tourist visiting the place. Good thing they were not allowed to go up the restaurant docks though, but it was a really sad sight.

A landmine victim on a tin boat waves good bye

While the floating village like Chong Kneas is picturesque, is also a display of the reality of poverty on a third world country. The people living here have a harsh life and their living pattern depends on the swell of the lake. During dry season about 5000 of these houseboats move within the lake but when the snow in Himalayas melts or the rainy season comes in, they move to narrow canals heading inland when the water rises. Their dwellings doesn’t even have proper sanitations which could open them up to a lot disease. Crocodiles are also an occasional threat. But the people here have tolerated this kind of life since fishing is their main livelihood. And some Vietnamese communities here who came from the Mekong River have been here longer and have gotten used to this kind of life.

The post Cambodia: A visit to a floating village appeared first on Ironwulf.net: En Route - The Philippines Travel, Photography and Adventure Blog.

Angkor Wat’s famous sunrise

I think most people already know that Angkor Wat is one of the most important structures in the world. Since Cambodia finally cleared itself of its land mines and opened itself up for tourism, it gave a lot of people from around the world a chance to finally see this UNESCO World Heritage Site which entranced a lot of people since its discovery. It has been used as a setting for some movies like Lara Croft’s Tomb Raider adventures in Angkor Thom and the profound whispers of Chow Mo-wan in a hole at one of the walls at Angkor Wat in the film In The Mood for Love by Wong Kar-wai, which piqued a lot more interest to the general movie going public. Personally, being a fan of places with scenic ruins overflowing with history, Angkor Wat placed as one of my dream destinations (along with Maccu Picchu). And it has been great that I finally had the chance to walk these hallowed corridors whose walls echo stories withstanding throughout time.

Entering the central complex

Our journey started as early as 5am. With the cool morning wind passing by us, our tuktuk raced towards the direction to where famed Angkor Wat is located. We were determined to get there as early as possible, since we failed to catch the sunrise yesterday after we woke up a bit late. When we arrived at the causeway entrance, there were already a number of inspectors strictly checking every pass before the let them through. After getting through the inspectors, we sped past some of the tourist and entered by the West Gate of the complex.

Climbing the steep and small step stairs

The guide books are true when they say that no matter how knowledgeably prepared or have researched a lot about Ankor Wat, nothing can prepare you to the sheer immensity of this temple. My first thought upon seeing this structure for the first time was “Wow! This is huge!” Once you enter the main gate passing by some corridors, you’ll exit to a wide open field where the causeway continues towards the main central complex where the closed lotus-like-towers are located. Quickly we went down to the left side of the causeway and headed towards the pond where a number of people are already waiting for the sunrise. I found a neat spot and quickly placed my tripod to mark my territory and set up my camera. Since we didn’t have breakfast yet, I took my snacks from my bag and munched on some cracker nuts while waiting for the skylights to start their play.

The upper corridors illuminated

As soon as the colors of the sky started to change as the sun slowly rises, people started clicking their cameras. It was also funny when the sun showed itself behind the Wat since people started moving on the opposite side of the pond since the sun rose on the left side of the structure. As it turns out, the sun rises in different positions depending on the season, like right now for this summer it rises on the left side of the Wat while during the cold season of November and December, the sun rises on the right side of the Wat. Despite its position though the changing colors of the sky and the light of the sun creates the perfect silhouette of the structure whose outline is proudly placed on Cambodia’s flag.

Details of the window and an Apsara

As we were on our way to the central complex where the towers were located we again bumped into this two Singaporean girls we met yesterday while exploring the temples. They said that they were able to catch the sunrise yesterday as well but the sunrise today was much better. That was great to hear. Lucky for us I guess.

The central Tower represent Mt Mero, center of the Universe

There weren’t much tourist inside this central complex which is the main temple itself. I told my friend that I wanted to climb up to the upper levels while the lighting is still good. So we went to the east side of the towers and climbed. I wonder why the steps here are so small, less than half of your foot so you have to step on sideways. At first it seems daunting but once you started it’ll be easier. Those who are vertigo prone may think otherwise on climbing,

Top Corner details bas relief of the central tower

When I reached the upper level, I was greeted by a corridor basking in the warm glow of the morning sun. I looked around to see what I could find. On the walls of this upper level temple are more impressive bas reliefs of Apsaras alongside the very detailed carvings of the window pillars. Apsaras are very common bas relief throughout the archaeological park. They are celestial nymphs, always bare-breasted and usually dancing, representing an ideal of female beauty. And here on the upper level, it is said that there are 1500 of these Apsaras.

View of the Wat West Entrance from the top level

The 5 main towers which resemble a closed lotus is located here. The central tower represents Mount Meru. This central temple has very impressive bas relief as well. It makes me appreciate the hard work these people have done just to decorate each side of this structure.

Victory of Vishnu over the Demons

From this top level you could see the whole area of Angkor wat and the outlying forest. You’ll be more impressed with sheer scale of the whole temple here. French archaeologist Georges Coedes considers Angkor Wat as a model of the universe. The central tower that represents Mt Meru is the center of the universe while the outlying walls symbolize the surrounding mountains and the surrounding moat as the oceans spreading beyond the universe. Angkor Wat literally translated also means as “the city which is a temple”

The Churning of the Ocean of Milk

We went down from the top level and to the 2nd tier. Then I had this weird conversation with one of the sweepers there. When this Korean guy asked me to take his photo with his camera the sweeper was at the inner corridor looking through the window and he was laughing. I found it weird at first on why he was laughing. When we were headed outside the sweeper was there on the corridor and asked me “Where you from?” “I’m from Manila. You work here sir?” I replied “Yes, I’ve been sweeping here for many years now. If only I could sweep those tourist too. Hahaha” he laughed. I guess he’s a bit annoyed with them as well. Then he asked “Are you afraid of Buddha?”. “Hmmm… not really.” Then he said something that got lost in the air and I couldn’t understand. I don’t now where the conversation is going and just said thank you and good bye. I guess I’m not the only one annoyed when there are lots of noisy tourists around. Angkor Wat is still a temple, so it should be quiet and solemn as it is still a place of worship.

Afternoon light by the pond

We then inspected the bas reliefs in the east gallery of the outer wall of the complex. And all I can say to the level of detail here is another WOW! Angkor Wat features the longest continuous bas relief in the world, and the level of detail here is stunning. At the east gallery illuminated by the sun, we can find on one side the “Victory of Vishnu over the Demons” depicting Vishnu’s battle with a legion of demons while riding on a garuda. But my favorite here is “The Churning of the Ocean of Milk” where in the middle is Vishnu standing on a giant turtle, on one side are 88 asure (devils) and on one side are 92 devas (gods) who seem to be on an endless tug of war using a giant serpent. Their purpose is to extract an elixir of immortality which both sides covet. And above all these are numerous Apsara singing and dancing as if to cheer on both sides. This is truly a brilliant as every replica on one side is exact and symmetrical and details astounding. This is a work of art at its finest!

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (in black) and Mr. Ang Choulean (White with neck tie)

Updated: I think the whole exploration of Angkor Wat took around 4 hours but it was really worth it. Maybe it took that long since I was taking time to take some photos as well. But all in all Angkor Wat is best visited in different times of the day so while exploring different temples, you may come back here numerous times as there is something new to see every time you go back. And while we were leaving the temple we chanced upon a head of state Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei being toured by Mr. Ang Choulean, a Khmer ethno-sociologist. At first I was wondering why there were some soldiers clearing the path at the causeway, turns out these two were touring the park. I think the Sultan wants to buy Angkor Wat for his kingdom. Hehe Kidding. Anyways, it was a nice event to cap of our tour of Angkor Wat.

The post Cambodia: Angkor Wat appeared first on Ironwulf.net: En Route - The Philippines Travel, Photography and Adventure Blog.

Moan Cha Kdov (Cambodian Chicken Dish)

Updated: Thank you Toe for the help on naming the dishes

Let me start first that by saying that I’m no food critic nor a gourmet expert and my cooking skills rank below 5 out 10. But one thing I know is that I do appreciate good food and binge into what I really enjoy. And in any adventure, I always try to be as adventurous with the local dish as well. Cambodia is no exception of course, a taste of Khmer Cuisine is a welcome experience.

But apologies if I forgot the names of some of the dishes. Any help on identifying them would be welcome (help Toe! hehe). Like the dish above is a Khmer chicken dish we ate for lunch at a restaurant near Srah Srang worth USD$ 3. It has that semi mint lemon grass taste and the sauce is a bit on a sweet and sour side.

Chrouk (Khmer pork dish)

Now the dish above is a pork counterpart on the same restaurant, lots of bell peppers on this one. But the meat is kinda rubbery, same with the beef so I didn’t like it that much.

Amok Tofu

Amok is a popular food in Cambodia, it is usually coconut milk steamed with fish. For this one though I preferred Tofu, and the dish also has lots of kalabasa and potatoes. Ordered this at Khmer Kitchen, a lonely planet recommended restaurant at Psar Chaa. All in all it taste okay and is similar to our local gata dishes with some added spices.

Koukep (Frog Curry)

Now the one above is a first for me, yes Frog Curry. It actually taste a bit like chicken only more bony in little tiny bits. Curry here is a bit different. All in all it taste ok, not something to jump around though. What would I expect from eating on a nearby carinderia.

Chicken on Sugar Palm soup

The Khor Moan (Chicken on sugar palm) above is also on the same carinderia we ate at. Honestly it is very similar to our adobo, only this one is a lot sweeter.

Sachkor (Beef with oyster sauce)

Now the food above is from the restaurant in our hotel at Golden Temple Villa. This Beef with oyster sauce is part of a 3 dish meal combo they serve with rice on this leafy bowls. Presentation is actually very nice. When I try to move the leaf bowls it somehow breaks and the soup leaks out. Wondering how they prepared this. And the taste is very good as well.

Fried Chicken Breakfast

Now during temple exploration, it’s inevitable that you have to eat at nearby stalls come breakfast or lunch. And I must say that prices in these stalls are much expensive that those nice restaurants in Siem Reap. The above Fried Chicken is actually USD$ 3 bought at a stall near Bayon. But I was surprised on how it was presented. At first I thought they would present it like the usual fried chicken, but this one has cucumber and strips of carrots with skinless and boneless chicken served. It’s actually very good and healthy.

In general for me Khmer food is okay, mostly it’s subtle in taste with a touch of lemon grass consistent in all the dishes. Though I enjoy eating khmer dishes I still long for the strong flavors and spicy dishes though.

An additional travel tip here though, sometimes your Tuktuk driver will take you to some restaurants or eateries they know. Most of the time they have a commissions here or they driver get to eat fro free or at a reduced price at the restaurant when they bring in customers. If you have a particular restaurant in mind insist on going there instead. Also we learned from our driver that food prices here differ when your a local or a tourist (Arghh!), of course tourist gets the higher price.

The post Cambodia: Khmer Eats appeared first on Ironwulf.net: En Route - The Philippines Travel, Photography and Adventure Blog.

Rooted doorway at Ta Prohm

The Angkor Archaeological Park, is huge and there are numerous temples around that you would need at most a week to explore most of them. But like I said before, I would only be featuring some of my favorite temples. One such temple which have also been popularized in the media and one of the most postcard perfect temple scenery is Ta Prohm.

Popular scene where Tomb Raider was shot

Yes, this is the ground where Angelina Jolie walked during her shoot at the first installment of the Tomb Raider movie. A lot of people were intrigued when they saw this scene. Even my officemates before said so “It’s real” they thought it was a studio or some graphics. Yes, it’s the actual setting, the difference is there’s no trap or underground tunnel to where she fought with the giant Shiva.

beheaded statues

Sad to say though that Ta Prohm is in a state of disrepair. Trees and outgrowth roots penetrated the temple walls causing them to crumble. But despite these sorry state the combination of old stones and creeping roots created a beautiful pattern among the temple walls. Also symbolizing the ephemeral existence of these great temple and kingdom at the hands of nature.

Exploring the central complex

This temple was one of the first major temple which Jayavarman VII built around mid 12th to 13th century as a Buddhist monastery. At that time, it was the wealthiest temple controlling over 3000 villages. Now it has been outrun by an overgrowth of forest. The place has only been partially cleared intentionally so visitors could have a feel on how the discoverers of Angkor Wat felt when they first stumbled upon it.

Silk cotton tree roots running along the the inner enclosure

In our exploration, we entered through the west entrance of the complex. It’s a bit of a walk upon entering the gopura towards the central complex. We were a bit in a hurry since there was a bus load of Korean Tourist behind us. They did reach us though so we just let them go first while we took our time to take the picture. The Tomb Raider scene is actually the first root outgrowth you’ll see upon entering the complex. Already there were still a few Caucasians there taking picture, the Koreans moved on. We took the left path and examined the walls of an inner complex, we didn’t enter at this time since we thought it was a restricted area due to the unstable structures and rubble. We continued on outside the wall until we reached an exit gopura. But the place was different than the one we entered and our tuktuk driver (whose probably sleeping again at that time) is not there so we headed back.

Inner temples and pathways

Good thing we headed back. I saw this accessible temple entrance and decided to enter. It was the entrance to the main inner complex where there where temple structures inside. Also, there are more impressive and scenic root outgrowths that can be found in here.

This roof might fall off

Inside the temple, there are also some wooden pathways to help you find your way safely around the area. Don’t try to venture off the cordoned area, lest you want to be buried alive under these rubbles.

The post Cambodia: Ta Prohm appeared first on Ironwulf.net: En Route - The Philippines Travel, Photography and Adventure Blog.

Exquisite detail carvings (height is about 1 foot)

Continuing on with my series of my favorite temples in the Angkor Wat Archaeological Park, this time we venture of quite a distance, 20km away from the main temples and visit the so called ‘Jewel among the Temples Angkor‘, Bantey Srei. If Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom impressed you with its sheer scale, Bantey Srei, which literally translates to ‘Citadel of the women’, will mesmerize you with one of the most celebrated Khmer Art intricately carved along its temple walls.

Elaborately designed frontons

There were already hordes of tourist with their buses and vans already parked at the temple entrance when we arrived with our tuk-tuk mid-morning. Despite it’s distance from the main temples, Bantey Srei gets its fare share of visitors. As much as I detest these tourist crowds, we have to see this temple no matter what.

Cordoned temples

There were no high rise towers this time around, let only some ruins at the entrance. And a short walkway which used to be a hallway towards the entrance to the central complex where you are welcomed by an already impressive piece of art at the fronton structure.

Central Complex shrines

Inside the central complex are shrines where you’ll be able to see a fine display of beautiful and intricate carvings than any Angkorian Temple. The area is cordoned off and the viewing time and visitors ere are being controlled to protect the temple from any further destructions. Before, there were incidents here were people would steal pieces of the walls and sell them at a high price on some museums and art collectors. That’s how intricate these temples are that every square inch is filled with detail that alone can stand as a work of art in itself.

False Doors

So a tip to any photographers visiting this temple is to bring a telephoto lens or a camera with a large zoom to be able to take detailed pictures of the inner temple walls since you couldn’t get close enough to touch them. Also the optimal lighting where the shadows just reveal their details is around mid-morning until 10:30 in the morning and 1:30pm after. I heard there’s not much crowd in the area during the afternoons.

Female Divinities at the inner temple walls

Just to give a short background, these temples were constructed in the late 10th century by king Rajendravaman. Pink sandstones were used to build these temples, sculptures and carvings as well. The inner shrines were built dedicated for the gods Shiva and Vishnu.

Male Divinities at the inner temple walls

Inspecting closely the carvings on the walls are the familiar heroes and heroines of the Hindu epic Ramayana, like Shiva, Parvati, the monkeys of Hanuman and Krishna. Also their finely carved male and female deities are carved beside the walls of the the temple doors like guardians in a watch.

fronton top corner details

As you can see, Bantey Srei has become one of my favorite temples in the park due to its rich and detailed artwork deeply carved on its walls and has no rivals in terms of intricacy. This sure is a must visit to anyone whose visiting the Angkor Archaeological Park.

Macro detail (about 2 inches sized carving)

The post Cambodia: Bantey Srei appeared first on Ironwulf.net: En Route - The Philippines Travel, Photography and Adventure Blog.

Monks at Phnom Bakheng

Who said monks are restrained by their vow of silence and abstinence of worldy pleasures? I guess times have changed. Like our modern priest and nuns, monks are no longer confined to the walls of their convents or temples. They seem to be open nowadays to explore new things and the world around them.

Monks among the tourist

I found this group of monks who seems to be tourist as well when we were waiting for the sundown at Phnom Bakheng in Angkor Archaological park. I was amused to see them carrying some cool gadgets under their brightly colored robes. To think that another word for buddhist monks are Bikkhus which means beggars, these folks have money to afford gadgets as such.

Techy monks

This is just a quick post since I’m quite busy organizing some things and some projects as well. Aside from refinement to my sites backbone hosting Bigskymedia.net, I’m also planning to launch a new site as a replacement for my Daily Snap. Hopefully I can launch by end of the month. Also do check out the latest issue of Philippine Airline’s Mabuhay Magazine. I’m on the Last Frame of the June (?) issue and also a shot from the Kultura photoshoot I did for them for their Travel Log section. Also I got some Vigan photos out in Mega Magazine’s June issue of Girlfriend. I haven’t seen it though. If someone have a copy could you please scan or take a shot at it and send to me please. Many thanks to my friend Dahl for hooking me up with these publications.

Video taking monks

This week I was able to shoot a private party launch for the Wine Club Makati which will have an official public launch I think this Monday. I covered for my friend for that since he wasn’t available for that day, thus me ended up rubbing elbows with the elite and high society people who I was advised were guest that night. I don’t really know them though. Hehe. Next week I have a studio shoot for an advertising material for a known foundation. So please bear with me if I’m a bit slow on updates on upcoming days and do some blog rounds. Enjoy the week people!

The post Cambodia Tourist Monks, some site updates and news appeared first on Ironwulf.net: En Route - The Philippines Travel, Photography and Adventure Blog.

The upper central tower of Preah Rup

I still have quite a lot of materials from my fave temples in Cambodia’s Angkor Wat Archaeological Park. Like I said before, this place is quite huge so there’s a lot of photo opportunity here. I will try to post an entry or two each month until it runs out along with some new materials. Please note that not all travel post are real time, as some materials are posted for documentation purposes as well. And for this entry, is another temple that I enjoyed exploring at the park, Preah Rup Temple.

Corner walls and towers

Originally, our destination that morning is the elaborate temple of Bantei Srei, but on our way, there are several temples we passed by and one that’s quite impressive is Preah Rup Temple. Just a few distance passing by Sras Srang at the eastern side of the park, you won’t fail to see this huge temple mountain standing proudly on the corner of the road.

Stone guardians and views from the top

We went to the south entrance of the temple and climbed from there. The area of the temple is quite vast and the temple itself is three levels high. Even though some of the lower structures of the temples are destroyed some of the guardian statues on the upper level are still intact. I may say this is one of the artistically designed temple in the park in terms of architecture. Nice windows and impressive carvings can be found here. From this south side top, ou could also have impressive view of the surrounding countryside and looking a little to the west you could actually see the spires of the Angkor Wat.

Walking at the upper temple level

The top most level of the temple have four temple towers on each corner and one larger central tower in the middle. The temple is actually Hindu, built in dedication to Shiva. At first t was thought to be a funerary temple where bodies are burned, but in fact it was a state temple of Rajendravarman II. Historically significant for it was the 2nd temple built after Angkor was returned as a capital from Koh Ker post a political upheaval.

Descending the temple at the East Gate

After enjoying the view and walking around the upper temple we decided to go down the East Gate. From the top we could se an arrival of a bus load of tourist so I guess it was time for us to go. The staircase here is a bit thin like in Angkor Wat but more manageable. Upon descending, you could see the other towering structures of the base level of the temple which is quite impressive.

View of the stairs and the top level 3 towers at the East Gate

The post Cambodia: Preah Rup Temple appeared first on Ironwulf.net: En Route - The Philippines Travel, Photography and Adventure Blog.

Children playing at the Ta Som Temple

For my long overdue wrap-up post on Cambodia, I’d like to summarize some of the not-so-popular or off-the-beaten-path temples around the Angkor Archaeological Park which I think is worth some people’s look if they have extra time. The park like I always said is huge and warrants considerable number of days to explore all of them. But personally, no matter how grand the structures here are, there are times you would be “Templed Out”. I must admit on our last day there after visiting a major temple, I no longer want to see another brick or ruin again because they started to look the same. hehe. So it is advisable if you mix your temple-hopping with other activities in between to add variety.

Entrance to the Ta Som Temple

Considered as the most distant temple of the Grand Circuit, Ta Som sees only a few tourist so it’s a delight to visit since it’s small and quiet. Much of the structures here are left in ruins but there is still the central tower which stands. Before, there were fig trees growing along the entrances much like Ta Prohm but most of it were cut down due to the danger of damaging the structures more and the passersby. Only one entrance is left with the tree growth.

The small and attractive Thommanom Temple

Another photogenic temple just outside the walls of Angkor Thom, after passing by the Victory gate is Thommanon. Built at the same time as Angkor Wat, this small temple is still in excellent condition. The style is very similar to Angkor Wat yet on a miniature scale making it a nice photo opportunity with the forest behind it as a backdrop.

The Hall of Dancing Girls at Banteay Kdei Temple

Just south east of Ta Prohm is another monastic (one level) known as Banteay Kdei or “Citadel of Cells”. Much like the former, there are fig trees penetrating the temple. The area isn’t huge but one of its features is the central hallway where finely carved details of dancing girls can be found.

The island temple of Neak Pean

Probably one of the most unusual and unique of the Angkorian temples is Neak Pean. The other name for it is the “Coiled Serpent” as you could see in the design of this island temple. The water from its pool, which is usually filled up during rainy seasons are said to have healing properties.

The off-the-beaten temple of Banteay Samre

If you are planning on visiting the elaborate temples of Banteay Srei, do make a side trip to another distant temple, a bit outside the usual routes is Banteay Samre. This complex has a massive area surrounded by laterite walls but flat in structure. The inner temples are similar to Angkor Wat design since it was built about the same time. Try not to wander off outside its walls and path since there are still de-activated land mines around the area.

The Library Building at Preah Khan

Lastly, I guess is one of my favorite temple as well, is the massive Preah Khan. It is a monastic temple with very vast area filled with passages and carvings on its columns. When I say it’s huge, it is huge as this temple used to be a teaching ground. Much like a university at our present time. Aside from more picturesque growth of fig trees in the area, its main library building attracted me the most. As the columned structure reminds me a lot of Greece(Like I’ve been there. hehe) than Angkorian.

So there you go. That wraps up my post on Cambodia and hope that others would find this entry useful.

The post Cambodia: Off-the-Beaten Temples of Angkor Archaeological Park appeared first on Ironwulf.net: En Route - The Philippines Travel, Photography and Adventure Blog.