Cultural Village Part 1

Cultural Village is a giant historical park, located on National Road #6(just 5 minutes walk from our hotel). Admission is $12 USD and a free tour guide for group admission.

We reach there at noon time and spend the rest of the days there.

First we visit the wax musuem. Here is the welcom aspara made by wax. Looks real and beautiful. With the tour guide, she will explain each and every statue inside the musuem.

The next destination was the opposite of the wax museum, where there display tools and materials they use to build the angkor wat and the rest of the angkor buildings.

This painting was on the wall and it is so beautiful.

Next was the Miniatures building around the cultural village. One of the miniature I like the most is The Royal Palace at Phnom Penh.

Big sleeping buddha infront of a pond.

Some nice view on the Cultural Park.

There are alot of areas that you can snap pictures with, this is quite a cute spot- tom and jerry.

Inside the Cultural Village, there are alot of performance to watch at. Will write on my next post: Cultural Village Part 2.

Previous: Food at Cambodia
Next: Cultural Village Part 2

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

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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.

Previous: Great Spot at Cambodia (Day Time)
Next: Cultural Village Part 1

Great Spot at Siem Reap (Day Time)

Anywhere to visit in Siem Reap at Day Time besides Angkor? Yes there is some.

Before that, let me talk about some transportation we used.

For those days we follow the tour guide, the tourism company rented a mini van for us. It was very comfortable and easy to move around. We can decided which location to skip and to walk slower at certain area. But the price is abit expensive. But for those location such as Banteay Kdei which is very far (30 minute drive). Everyone can have a nice nap at the van.
We have 2 day free and easy, tuk tuk cars (taxi) is an alternative transport for visitors. They charged us USD3 for taking us to from our hotel to the central market and to the cultural park (near to our hotel). And good exprience on sightseing the whole town.

Walking around the road side which is quite fun. Stop by and have some sugarcane.


The Largest man build lake at siem reap. Very huge.
Another large lake, build by those ancient people for bathing purpose.

Another spot you can spend at day time, which are the central market and the old market. Will talk them more later is another post.

Previous: Great Spot at Siem Reap (Night Time)
Next: Food at Cambodia

Great Spot at Siem Reap (Night Time)

After a long day of walking at Angkor, pamper yourself with khmer message. For only USD10 per hour. There are very good and relaxing. I love the first messager that we went. The second one was not good and make my body feel more pain.
Khmer performance dance + buffet. There are several buffet dinner severing at a price of USD 12 for buffet dinner and live performance dance. The second buffet have move choice of food. And it was very near our hotel. Just beside. After they perform, the dancer will stand on the stage and you can quickly snap some photos with them.
Old market night scence. There are selling dryed food, such as snakes.....

Pub Street is a happening place at Siem Reap at night. Various foreign restoran and pubs are all located here. Angelina Jolie’s hangout at "the Red Piano" when she made the Tomb Raider movie. Which made it so famous there.

Busy streets behind of us are full of pubs and restorans.

Previous: Hotel at Cambodia
Next: Great Spot at Siem Reap(Day time)

Hotels at Cambodia

This was the hotel that we stayed Cozyna Angkor Hotel. It is at 6th street, the same street of the air port and the cultural park. A nice 3 star hotel with swiming pool and breakfast. This hotel was much more cleaner and neat compare to the New York Hotel at Phnom Penh. The rooms at New York Hotel was small, old and dirty. The first night was horrible because we are assign to a small room with not cool air con and no hot water.

Previous: Hot Air Balloon

Next: Great Spot at Siem Reap (Night time)

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.

Previous: Neak Pean and Banteay Kdei

Next: Hot Air Balloon

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)