Tag: Siem Reap

The ultimate backpacking destination has to be Asia. More specifically, South East Asia. There is a wealth of cultural delights to be had within the region. With this, there comes a need for something new. Many backpackers are keen to head to the region to soak up the foreign culture and to experience a completely different way of life. When a Western traveller heads to this part of the world, they are overwrought with what they are presented with. The region is nothing but beautiful. But, it’s also diverse. You cannot make the uncultured mistake of lumping South East Asia ... Read more

Last year, I organized a backpacking tour with my office mates to visit Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. While Aaron and myself were busy with some other stuff, Roderick silently took our photos from behind. All these fifteen photos are courtesy of Roderick Ordoñez. 1. Arrival in Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok) It was Aaron’s first time to be overseas and he was amazed how advanced the airport is, compared to the Philippines. Related Story: Day 1 of the 7-day Indochina Tour: A Walkathon in Bangkok 2. Arrival in Our Hostel, Lub d Siam Square A lot of freebies: book exchange, free pop ... Read more

Way to Angkor Thom While on our way to Angkor Thom. The cold breeze, the warm sun kiss, and the picturesque greenery made a perfect blend. I completely forgot how hard life is when we were navigating this highway.  

Before we headed to our 7-day Thailand-Cambodia-Vietnam Tour, I made some research as to what are the places to visit, transportation to take, and their corresponding fees. Here is the actual result of that research which includes the commuting guide and itinerary. I provided some links (colored fonts) just in case you wanted to know the details of our tour. You can leave your comment(s) if you have questions and I’ll try to provide answers to the best of my knowledge. Border Crossing [custom_table style=”1″] Route Time and Description Fare/pax Bangkok-Seam Reap 05:55AM – Train leaves Hualamphong Station 11:35AM – Train ... Read more

After a rush tour around Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Thommanon, and Ta Prohm, we immediately returned to our hotel, packed some of our loose belongings, and then checked out. We waited for our contact to pick us up. In ten minutes, the van came and brought us to the terminal of Rith Mony Transport. We paid US$15 for our tickets from a third party agent – the same person who offered us the Angkor Tour. Rith Mony Transport bus ticket We left 30 mins late from our scheduled departure and I thought it wasn’t that bad. I read stories that some bus companies are ... Read more

From Thommanon, our guide drove us to Ta Prohm, our final stop in our Angkor Tour. When Aaron heard that it was the featured location of Angelina Jolie’s  2001 film, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, he surprisingly got excited. Maybe he was already well rested when he refused to climb the Phimeanakas, and he’s also a great fan of places shown in the popular culture. A walkway to Prasat Ta Prohm When we arrived in Ta Prohm, we noticed that the place is heavily vegetated with huge trees. We entered the compound via the west gopura, a designated gate for tourist entrance. We did ... Read more

After getting dumbfounded in Angkor Wat, we headed to Angkor Thom and explored every temples within the complex. We stumbled in Bayon, ascened to the top of Baphuon, climbed the highest point of Phimeanakas, wondered around the Royal Palace, lingered the stretch of the Elephants Terrace, and roamed in the the channels of Leper King Terrace. It was an awesome temple run in Siem Reap. But hey, we weren’t done yet. Though Aaron already met his limit, we still headed to some amazing temples outside Angkor Thom. We left Angkor Thom through the Victory Gate and stopped in Thommanon. Thommanon was built ... Read more

The Victory gate is one of the two east exits of Angkor Thom – the other one is the East Gate which is just 500 meters south. It is nearly 1.3 kilometers away and is exactly opposite of the Terrace of the Elephants of the Royal Palace. The structure of the gate is similar to that of Bayon temple which is made of faced towers. We exited the gate when we headed to Thommanon and the neighboring Chau Say Tevoda temple. The Victory gate of Angkor Thom

The Phimeanakas (or Prasat Phimean Akas) is a Khmer pyramid-like structure, which name translates to celestial temple. It was built in the later part of 10th century and was situated at the heart of Angkor Thom‘s Royal Palace. The royal palace seats in the north of the Baphuon temple. Since the Royal Palace is pretty close to Baphuon, we visited it next. We followed a trail in a highly vegetated area at the back of Baphuon and entered the south gopura of the palace. We spent some moments reading the information placards of trees we met along the way, which ... Read more