26-29 Jan 2009
I'm really going backwards here in reporting my travel tales...hope I can still remember the details, haha. 1st day of Chinese New Year this year, we started the Year of the Rat with family trip to Siem Reap.
It was a busy period beginning of the year and I wasn't really looking forward to the trip considering there were lots of open issues on hand and that the boss' boss is coming over for visit after CNY. For most Malaysians, Cambodia's just a next door country and well, 3rd world so what can be that interesting? I've developed a soft spot for 3rd world country by now since the 1st trip up to numerous trips to Hanoi. Thinking that it would somehow be similar to Vietnam.
The arrival was pretty much what was expected. The airport is small but newly refurbished, Siem Reap is after all the tourism cash cow for the whole of Cambodia. I've been in contact with Panha Ou of Amazing Angkor Tours for months. Started out as an inquiry which I did not take up (coz Ben & I went to Manado on Raya hols instead). I promised Panha that I'll contact him if I eventually firmed up on visiting Cambodia - which I did when the Tans decided to visit. He's so nice as to allow us to pay in full upon arrival, which is a risk if we didn't turn up. It actually saved us on the bank charges to TT the deposit.
We were greeted by Narin our tour guide at the airport. I couldn't spot him at 1st, he looked kinda mean, the Ku Wak Chai look. But once he speaks, it totally different - fluent English and good historical knowledge like a walking Angkor encyclopedia. So like Susan Boyle, what do we learn here ha?
When we reached the hotel (Casa Angkor), we were greeted by 2 ladies who were very hospitable. Well, obviously it's time to pay so I settled the bill. To my surprise they stayed on and gave us our tour "kit" - which includes maps and a Cambodian scarf each, aww...that's nice.
We settled in the rooms & Ernzi (kiddo) and I became roomies and the best part? Between us we've got 3 days supply of snack in the room. She was so happy coz her mommy won't be there 24/7 to nag her junking on the snacks..Hi-5!! The not so good part? well I gotta bring her to toilet and luckily mom saved the day by coming over to bathe her..
Before entering the Angkor sites, the authorities required our pictures be taken and printed on our 3 days visit card. Hence the days of displaying our not so flattering mugshots around the sites of Angkor. To my surprise, this trip was an eye opener. Not only the temples are sights to behold, the people especially the children are truly endearing. The place that got me to start my interest (again) to snap people. The last time I felt like snapping the locals were in Sapa.
The food is not really my favourite, lots of coconut juice and sweet. And most of our meals are fusion of Malaysian, Vietnamese and Thai food. I did enjoy the tangerine sugarcane drink, ada oomph!!!
I basically got the places of our visit captured in the Photobook for this trip. It was a good photo experience for me. I've been hibernating for quite some time and my shots for HCMC, Manado, were so-so in my opinion so they were not my fav. So here's hoping for better and better snapshots to come.
Oh, just realized I skipped the whole chapter on the green label Hoya CPL purchase, anyway, it was purchased for purpose of this trip...adehh...
"Peace"
