Pandoraspace

Tip No 7:  Share a meal or two with your guide and the Tuk-Tuk driver.

Since the Tuk-Tuk driver and guide are paid to serve you, they naturally act as if you are their boss and treat you with deference. For instance, they would offer to carry your bag, never contradict you and seldom voice out their opinion. Also, while they will definitely share information, it is very basic and seldom gives you a deep insight into the Cambodian people and culture. (more…)

Tip No. 6: Stay at the Villa Siem Reap.

In Siem Reap, there are accommodations fit for every kind of traveler. There are hostels and inns for those traveling on a shoestring budget, excellent hotels for those with a little more to spare and opulent resorts and spas for the Conde Nast traveler.  Padma and I decided that, since we were not on a shoestring budget or Conde Nast travelers, we should stay in a mid-ranged hotel. We also decided against booking ourselves in a fancy-smancy place. We were happy to settle for a place where we had our own bathroom and clean sheets on our beds. This way, we would have more money to splurge on food and shopping. (more…)

Tip No. 5: Bear the dust and take the Tuk-Tuk.

When Padma and I stepped out of the modern Siem Reap International Airport, I expected a bus or taxi to take us to our hotel. Surprise, surprise…we were picked up by a Tuk-Tuk. I later discovered that the same Tuk-Tuk would be our mode of transportation for the entire duration of our stay in Siem Reap.

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Today and in the following days, I will be posting Siem Reap travel tips.

Tip No. 1: Bring a camera. This tip needs no further explanation.

I regret that these are all the photos I could take with, and store on, my phone -

Tip No. 2: Study flight routes, canvass travel fares and book flights in advance.

For any trip, you should find the best way to get there. In our case, I learned that there are no direct flights from the Philippines to Cambodia.  You need to take a flight from the Philippines to Thailand, Malaysia or Singapore and from there to Cambodia.  This could make traveling to Cambodia expensive.  After studying flight routes, I found several budget airlines that offer affordable fares.   (more…)

Bantay Srei is a grand house (not a temple according to our guide) made of red limestone with tiny intricate carvings. On the day we were to leave for Bantay Srei, I felt feverish and decided to skip it. Padma went without me. I was so envious of her Bantay Srei excursion especially when I saw these pictures.

Angkor Thom is a city built in the twelve century by Jayavarman VII. There are five gates that open up to Angkor Thom.  There is a gate on the north, west and south sides and two gates on the east side. Each gate is flanked on one side by fifty-four statues of gods and on the other side by fifty-four statues of demons. The gods and demons are seen pulling the snake-god Vasuki in the scene from the Churning of the Sea of Milk. (See www.sacred-destinations.com.)  I took an elephant ride from the outskirts of Angkor Thom and entered it via one of the gates to get a different perspective of the place. From high up on my elephant, I felt like I was above the gods and demons that lined the entrance to Angkor Thom and that I could reach the sky.  I also felt isolated from those entering Angkor Thom on foot.  Interesting…

Sunset at Angkor Wat

The setting sun colors the grey Angkor Wat pale orange.  Beautiful!  The only draw back is that certain parts of Angkor Wat were being repaired at the time I was there.  Hence, the ugly scaffolding on its facade.

The Churning of the Sea of Milk

A scene from the Hindu myth, the Churning of the Sea of Milk, is carved on one of the walls of Angkor Wat. The scene shows the Hindu snake-god, Vasuki, twined around a tower (Mount Mandara). On one side, the gods are pulling Vasuki’s head, and on the other side, the demons are pulling Vasuki’s tail. To prevent Mount Mandara from sinking in the Sea of Milk, a god (maybe Vishnu) transforms itself into a giant tortoise, which is seen keeping Mount Mandara afloat. (See Michael Buckley, The Churning of the Ocean of Milk, www.veloasia.com.)  As Padma and I were perplexed by what we saw, our guide explained that the amrita (the Hindu elixir of immortality), the apsaras and the three-headed elephants (whose Hindu/Khmer name I can no longer recall) were lost in a fight between the gods and the demons. Upon Vishnu’s advise, the gods and demons later worked together to churn the Sea of Milk to produce those lost items.  After our guide explained the myth to us, I was even more perplexed. The myth is mysterious, strange, funny, fascinating and definitely out of this world.

The Toothy Apsara and Sacred Apsaras

Apsaras are female celestial dancers who appear in various Hindu myths.  As Angkor Wat was built in honor of the Hindu god, Vishnu, many apsara images are carved on the walls of Angkor Wat.  (See www.sacredsites.com.)  All but one apsara wears a serene expression with a half smile that conceals her teeth.  Our guide introduced us to the only apsara in Angkor Wat who smiles with her teeth showing.

Our guide also told us that people have a tendency to touch the walls of Angkor Wat. Padma and I laughed when we noticed these apsaras. We now know where people have a tendency to touch.

A few friends have asked me to post more pictures of Siem Reap.  So, here are pictures taken by Padma.