Marina Villa Guesthouse Siem Reap

... settled into our room and the evening just entailed going round town and eating. Hanna, Petr and Minal went to a fish massage place, again similar to what Rumit and I had done in Chiang Mai so we just watched. Afterwards we decided to go to bed as the sheer amount of traveling, plus the heat was exhausting and all we wanted was to lie in an aircon room for the evening ready to experience the temples for the first time.

... stilt and otherwise flood these huts if they weren't made of wood: the hut transforms into a floating raft above the waterline when high tide season comes around.

The level of poverty on my first day there was indescribably... you had to be there. The local tour guide explained that the families live off the fish they catch, and therefore have it better than the land-bound people who have to find food elsewhere. The muddy ...

... good because they would be guarding everything, they couldn’t destroy it, unless they killed all the guards. The giant temple was like 300 feet big. I climbed it, and it was fun. We went off of the stairs climbing up and it was actually easier. The stairs were harder because they weren’t as big as the blocks on the side. The fishing net, one cast, they could catch a ton of little fish, like 6 inches big. We saw millions of rice ...

... holding a banana out and having them scamper up to you and take it with their all-too-humanesque hands. My favourite monkey was a female with a tiny baby that clung to her at all times; she had the most ridiculously animated eyebrows I have ever seen on any living creature, and my unavoidable anthropomorphism meant that I translated her emotions vis a vis me gingerly proffering a banana in her direction as in state of constant flux between skepticism, anger, worry and surprise. She ...

... Mr Ran was no exception – he recalled being sent to a work camp as a small child and lost several family members during the regime. His descriptions of the terrors were told so matter-of-factly, perhaps bringing the events alive all the more so in an almost painful manner that was difficult to listen to at times. He himself was clearly still very moved by the events he described, and the anguish in his expression made the ...

... and dropped us off for a late lunch.

Once again, the affair began with the cold towel (we never got tired off this courtesy). We enjoyed steamed fish, prepared in a wrapped banana leaf, some Khmer soup (green curry and vegetables), and I drank both glasses of Mango juice as Dee didn’t care for it. Our last stop of the day was an artisan school in Siem Reap. Students were busy making artwork, wood carvings and other handicrafts from wood, tin ...

... heavy rain every day for the last few days and it's been sunny and beautiful, with rain for only a couple of hours per day. Heavenly!

For all those planning a trip here to Cambodia, please still come. It is green and lush and beautiful, most of the temple areas are dry (only Beng Melea is closed), and many restaurants are open. Most hotels are also dried out by now.

Siem Reap, Cambodia endlesssea

Version francaise plus bas

It all starts again...for you, not for me!

School, university, work, the gym, music lessons, painting academy... it all starts again and it's a busy busy time... especially for parents, I would say. The French have even coined a name for these few weeks at the beginning of September : "la rentrée". From the verb "rentrer"or "coming back", "coming home".
I hope you all had a wonderful summer and wish you all good luck ...

... s history. Bayon is a breath-taking site, and even if you have no interest in the history, it's likely that you will be captivated by it's beauty.
Unrestored and at the mercy of the surrounding forest, Ta Prohm is slowly losing it's battle as the encroaching trees tear it down, brick by brick. Hundreds of years of neglect have allowed the forest to partly claim back what was once it's own domain. Trees now grow in and amongst the temple and ...