MangoVine
Adventures in East Asia

Entries in Tourism

 10 December, 2009
Thursday Angkor Temple Ruins Excursion Costs and Summary
I went to Cambodia with little expectation, partly helped by the minimal planning required after choosing to book a tour guide. Visiting during peak season meant that it was the coolest part of the year in December, though still hot, and without risk of a monsoon. Linh and I found the people to be friendly and the whole experience in Cambodia to be superb.

Cow-Man

The people in Cambodia seemed to face a wide gulf in wealth compared to tourists that visit. However, they were always friendly and polite and we were hardly ever bothered for money. There were plenty of children out selling their souvenirs to tourists and they could be persistent, but I admired the fact that they were at least working for their money.

Read more... 10 December, 2009
Thursday Photographing Monks in Cambodia
Around Cambodia (and also Thailand), monks seemed to be fairly common around the temple sights and town streets. There's no reason why not. At Angkor Wat, we were told that some live there, as well as in Siem Reap town, and visiting temples is as much a pastime for them, if not a little more spiritual, as it is for tourists.

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However, its fairly obvious after spending a short time in the country that tourists love to photograph monks. It may be because in our own countries, they're simply not as common, and the striking orange robes are certainly photogenic. I can't say any different for myself though, as I took plenty of monk subjects when the opportunities arose. The orange is a great colour against the backdrop of the ruins.

Read more... 10 December, 2009
Thursday Nature Overgrown - The Beautiful Beng Melea Ruins
Beng Melea is an Angkor Wat style temple about forty kilometres east of the Angkor temple complex near Siem Reap in Cambodia. It was also to be our last temple visit and an amazing one it was which proved to us that Beng Melea was one of the more beautiful Angkorian sites.

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Since it was much further away from town than the other complexes, Beng Melea turned out to be a more peaceful place to visit, though we weren't the only tourists there. We didn't have our guide with us, just Marom, the tuk-tuk driver who happily dropped us off and waited while we walked around for almost two hours.

Read more... 10 December, 2009
Thursday Tonle Sap Lake, Fish Market, Crocodile Farm and a Floating Village
On our fourth day in Cambodia, we took a (comparatively expensive) day out to see a floating village and the Tonle Sap Lake, and the Beng Melea ruins. Both were the furthest destinations from Siem Reap that we visited and we got to the floating village after riding in the open air tuk-tuk for one and a half hours (driving at over 50 kmph).

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We chose to go to a distant floating village as opposed to one that was closer since it would be apparently less touristy. The result was a "quieter" experience, though devoid of any buzz, hustle and bustle that comes with a tourist destination.

Read more... 09 December, 2009
Wednesday Sunset at Phnom Bakheng
Phnom Bakheng was a Hindu temple in the form of a temple mountain at Angkor. Dedicated to Shiva, it was built at the end of the 9th century atop a hill. We past it several times before eventually stopping on this evening to walk up for the sun set.

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Phnom Bakheng always seemed to teem with tourists and today was no exception. It seemed to be especially popular for the sunset views. To reach the temple, visitors first have to climb the hill it sits on by way of a gently sloping path that curves around it.

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