Showing posts with label angkor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label angkor. Show all posts

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Food at Cambodia

TS like to eat. So he expect cambodia will have alot of good food to try on. Who knows after some discussion with those friends that visited Cambodia before told us that there is not much good food to eat. Instate need to be extreemly careful on food and drinks there.

But I still found some are tasty, some are special and some are unique.

Pork Noodle was the 1st food we tried. All of us are scared. But it turn out to be very tasty. The pork soup are delicious. Not this restoran is tasty, but those buffet we have at Siem Reap, all their pork noodle taste good. But this pork noodle is 7000 Riel (RM7)
Our food was included in the travel package. Their arrange us eating at restoran (more cleaner). This is their cambodian(khmer) dishes. Some curry, fermented fish paste with meat, chickhen. Making of fermented fish paste is something like the process of making soya sauce. The fish is keep and wait until it is all rotten during those monsoon season where there are alot of fishes. It does not smell smelly but in fact it taste good.
Crocodile soup at the steamboat bowl, vegetables, eggs and meat.
Amok trei - (Otak otak) is very nice. The one is bamboo bowl. It is fish coated in a thick coconut milk with kroeung, either steamed or baked in a cup made from banana leaves. It is quite the same as we eat at Penang.

Cambodian Dessert - Taste good

Our breakfast at Siem Reap Hotel. Omelete taste good. They serve fruits, but everyday is pineapple and dragon fruit. Seems every where serve this 2 fruits only. We only have the found watermelon on one of the buffet dinner. But pineapple is something that you can try. It is very sweet.

The was the meal we ate inside the Angkor Park. Coconut and can drinks are USD 1. So drinking coconut are more worth the price. The price for meals in Angkor area is slightly high compare to those stores we eat near the old market.

Thai Food. Quite nice and clean with good enviroment. A more high class restoran. Our tour is 8 person. So every meal is like 9 to 11 different dishes. And we are like hungry ghost, ate all. Almost every meal, kangkung is a must dishes. Almost every meal we are eating that.
Here is a meal in a chinese restoran. Some taste good as some restorans owners are from China. Most of them are Teow Chew and some are able to speak Teow Chew too.

Here is an interesting scence that we saw at Central Market Phnom Penh. The seller in on the middle serving foods.
Some of the must try food:
1. French bread
2. Sticky rice in bamboo
3. Sugar cane piece selling at the road side


Below are some pictures we find interesting, yet some people will find it disgusting. Just be prepare on what you are watching.
Asam at the road side. Fermented with chilis and spices. Shell Seafood (Ham) with chilies selling in a trolly. Who dare's to eat?
Duck egg?? No!
Its actually Fetus of a duck.(Fetus of a 15-18 days duck). Cambodia people say it is a good tonic.
We 8 people only tried one. It is mix with pepper and I have one bite of it. Taste like chickhen with pepper. I even eat its wings with feather. You can see clearly its head, body.... A pretty good exprience.

Fried grasshopper. I didn't eat, but my friend tried and told me it is abit too salty and not very nice to eat.


Black spiders. None of us dare to eat.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Hot Air Balloon

An optional choose to have a great view from the sky. USD15 per ride for 10 minutes. Not really worth the price as it just blow up, stay up for 10 minutes, then come down.

Like a cage on the hot air balloon. Another alternative is to have an helicopter ride, which is too costly for us. Around USD100++.
Scenery when the hot air balloon is rising.
The higher it goes, it become like those square square boxes. I guess those trees are what we saw at the plane when landing at siem reap.

Previous: Phnom Bakheng (Bakheng Hill)
Next: Hotels at Cambodia

Phnom Bakheng (Bakheng Hill)

Phnom Bakheng is the first temple-mountain constructed in Angkor. We wanted to visit at the first day of our Angkor Trip but it rains heavy at the evening. On the second day, it rains too at the afternoon. We try our luck and see if we would see the sun set of Angkor Wat on top of the hill.

You can either climb the hill or have an elephant ride. Climbing up is just 30 minutes. Elephant ride up is USD15 and elephant ride down is USD10.
Resting at half way.
But when you reach the temple, we still need to climb up those stairs to reach the temple. Really need to be young to climb like that.
Finally on top of the temple. Beautiful view on the top. Althought not very clear(after the rain), but yet still beautiful. The tiny tip far behind the forest was Angkor Wat. If you have a DSLR, maybe the Angkor Wat snap shot will be more clearer.


We waited and waited, more then 1 hour. But couldn't see the sun set. Too bad. Its darker and darker as the sun sets. We quickly climb down. Its a bit dangerous to walk down without lights at the hill path. So make sure you climb down before the sun is down.

Neak Pean and Banteay Kdei

Neak Pean
Neak Pean are mythical lakes and whose waters are thought to cure all illness. Neak Pean was originally designed for medical purposes, as it is one of the many hospitals. In the middle of the four healing ponds is the central water source. It was raining that time when we visit it.

Because of the raining season, it is full of water and we couldn't have a closer look on the building at the middle.Four pools represent Water, Earth, Fire and Wind. Each pools have object to represent it. This is one of it - an elephant. The pool now dry up can we are able to seek in and that photographs
Banteay Kdei
Banteay Kdei is the place where have the most detail carvings from pink stones. It is carve by women workers at those time. So the carving are much more detail compare to others.

We are not allow to enter this area. Full of detail carving all over the buildings.
Banteay Kdei has been occupied by monks at various intervals over the centuries. It is unknown to whom the temple is dedicated.

Snake with the teeth. So detail carvings.



Next: East Mebon, Ta Phorm, Preah Khan
Previous: Phnom Bakheng (Bakheng Hill)

East Mebon, Ta Phorm, Preah Khan

Now the second day on Angkor Town. But the third day at Siem Reap.

East Mebon
East Mebon is the earlier structure of building. This is a three-story temple-mountain crowned by five towers.The building is made from brick while those building we saw at Angkor first day was made from Big Stones. Many structures are in poor shape. The carving are less noticeable because they are carve at those bricks.

It was located on an island originally. Here is where they park their ship and enter the temple.
The temple is best known for its massive (restored) elephant statues.
Ta Phorm
Ta Phorm is another temple. It's beauty of the building temple is there are there have huge, huge trees among an on top of the building. We can see big huge roots lying on walls.



Preah Khan
Preah Khan is another building this is quite similar design compare to Ta Phorm,in the meaning that alot of roots are conquering the building. The temple is still largely unrestored. The free-standing statues have been removed and kept at musuems.
Here is the long way path towards the building. Besides are stones with missing buddha. All the buddha has been dig out when the king changed and the religion change as well. They dig every stones with buddha faces out. It is a large area, see how deep the path of roads. The building on the left is the place where the king keep his sword. And the opposite is his administration building.
At the front gate: 2 Statue without heads. The one on the left is holding a sword.

Previous: Bayon
Next: Neak Pean and Banteay Kdei

Monday, October 20, 2008

Bayon at Angkor Thom

Just remember that I seems forgotton on my cambodia trip blog.

Another stone building again - Bayon, the interesting part of this historical building is it consist of stone faces on the many towers. The tour guide say it consist of 49 buddha smiling face. You can see them on the entrance. So many faces smiling at you went to enter.
All of us in front of the beutiful Bayon.
Some closer view on some stones faces of buddha, notice not all have the same face.
Me trying very hard to kiss the buddha..... Haha...

Previous: Angkor Wat
Next: East Mebon, Ta Phorm, Preah Khan

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