A breakfast menu would also be given to you. You could choose from American Breakfast to Mexican food, Chinese food etc.
* The waiters there barely understand nor speak English, so you need to be very careful on how you explain your order. UA ordered burritos on the second day of our tour and he ended up with nothing but scrambled eggs in his burritos LOL *
The front desk would ask you what kind of tour you want for the day (Small Circle tour or Big Circle tour). They would also give you a map and teach you directions if you have questions on how to go around Siem Reap.
* They would give you different choices if you want to hire a tuktuk ($ 16), car ( $ i dont know how much) or bike (free) for your tour *
We chose the tuktuk ride ( the best thing about tuktuk is that there is an ice bucket with bottled water in it, and its all free) and for the tour, we also chose the Big Circle Tour for the day)
Mom was our driver for the day and he always made sure that we were comfortable at the back and careful the way he drove especially some tutuk drivers were swerving around with no fear.
Our first stop was a place where we payed for the temple pass.
You need to fall in line with the other tourists and have your picture taken ( which made me feel unfair after UA got his ticket pass with a HUGE smile on his face. . .I thought it was like an NBI picture where your not allowed to smile)
* Prices vary according to days and tourist spots you want to see *
Cost of our ticket pass: $40 each
Okay, so these were the temples we visited for the Big Circle Tour. . .
1. Preah Khan - before going to this temple, we had a short stop at the North Gate to take pictures
2. Neak Pean
3. Ta Som - you could eat your lunch here
4. Banteay Srei or Banteay Srey also known as Lady Temple
5. East Mebon
Here is a sample map, get familiar with it . . .
 |
| Pink lines ( route going there) Blue lines ( going home) |
This picture was taken near Ankor Wat on our way to the South Gate.
* To escape the other tourist, you need perfect timing to take the pictures, a look out ( warn your partner that there is a huge number of tourists coming your way ) and patience. . . lots of it *
NORTH GATE
When we saw that there were a few tourists in the area, we told Mom to have a quick stop before they ruin our picture. ( most tourist get stuck at the South Gate buying some hats and taking pictures of every peddle they see)
 |
| All these lovely pictures were all taken by Edwin Dalisay JR. aka UA :) * all of these pictures were really a struggle because we were surrounded with thousands of tourists and we need to be fast, patient and smart before taking each picture to make it look abandoned * |
Preah Khan ~ "the sacred sword," was a Buddhist university, a temple, a monastery, and a city at the same time. Built by Jayavarman VII dedicated to his father. This temple was not fully restored.
 |
| Map of the Temple |
Gate area of the temple ~
Right picture: This structure used to have lamp on it to light the walkway of the temple, it was stolen during the war.
* The guy selling these things and some books told us that he and his family sketched it and sells it for food for $20 to $80 but when we got to Pub street, there were a lot of the of these sketches; same designs and quality for $ 2 - $5 so DON'T BE FOOLED *
We promised the guy that we'd come back after seeing the temple but he told us that we won't and other tourists often promised him the same thing but never did. It figures because this temple is HUGE. Going back to buy his EXPENSIVE, OVERPRICED items would be the last thing you'll even think about.
At the bridge of the temple. . .
Entrance of the Temple ~
The temple has two different entrance; the area where Mom dropped us off and on the right side of the temple where most tourists neglect to see.
* Always explore the different side of the temple where most people won't go because it has less people and the scene is way more breathtaking than the usual *
The rest of the pictures inside the temple ~
* While we were inside the temple, a guy with white sleeves approached us suddenly and started telling stories about the temple. Please be careful with these people, they will hire themselves to be your temple guide without you asking for one. We ended up paying him from $ 40 to $ 20. We felt cheated on but it was kinda worth it because he showed us the different side of the temple and gave us tips where to take pictures *
 |
| The self hired tourist guide talking about the restoration of the temple |
Used to be the library of the temple.
Ruins because of the war
If you look very closely, the hallway narrows down to a central point. At the end of this hallway lies the throne of the King so his people would be forced to kneel down while approaching.
An image of bad God ( right) and good God (left). You would be able to identify which is which by their facial expressions. Bad God always seemed mad with a scary face while the good God is always smiling.
Old tress surrounding and intertwined with the temple walls.
You could pray at this shrine. Light a candle and make a wish. I'm not sure if I remembered it right but I think the guide told us that it is where the Father of King was buried
At the other end of the temple, after all the walking and watching for falling debris, you would be able to grasp for fresh air. . .
. . .while Mom waiting for you ready to offer us a cold water.
Neak Pean ~ ( The entwined serpents ) built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII.
From the highway, you need to walk a long trail just to get to this temple. There were a lot of locals selling different souvenir stuffs, mostly ranging from $ 2 - $ 6.
The temple guard told us that it used to be a hospital. Each side of this temple represents Water, Earth, Fire and Wind. People used to take a bath on each side of this temple to heal their illnesses. There is a statue of Balaha (Bodhisattva Guanyin transformed into a horse) at the center of the temple, it is a symbol of drowning prevention.
We were not able to get close to this temple because it was surrounded by wooden gates.
On the highway, across the road you would see a lot of food stalls. You could eat your lunch there. Cost: $3 - $4 per dish
We had some noddles, rice, some kind of chicken curry and soda. Cost of our lunch $6
Ta Som
Ofcourse, when you are the great King, why not build another temple to offer once again to your father, duh?!
This temple has two parts, the first part had nothing to see really, just a bunch of rubles and stones being balanced forming a mini tower.
* On each temple you visit, temple guard would asked you for your temple pass, always put them somewhere safe and accessible*
 |
Towards the second part of the temple.    |
At the second part of this temple, there are locals selling souvenir bracelets and key chains that would cost 3 for a dollar.
* The entrance and the exit of this temple is practically the same *
Outside this temple, coconut juices are being sold. Cost: $2
Even if they put the fruit inside a huge bucket full of ice, the coldness can't penetrate the fruit so don't believe the sign, " COLD COCONUT JUICE" written on the sign.
We also made new friends there. These ladies were very friendly to us, too friendly actually. . . offering their used spoons so we could scrape off the meat of the coconut. They also taught us how to eat the soft part of the fruit mixing it with chili.
On your way to the lady temple, just imagine a country side where most of the things you see are plants, trees and well. . . more tress. It was sooo hot, me and UA were literally spraying ourselves with alcohol to just cool us down and reapplying sunscreen.
The Lady Temple ~ temple dedicated to the Hindu ( religion) god Shiva ( known as "the Destroyer" or "the Transformer" and the god of yoga and arts). This temple was built largely of red stones.
Remember the books that was being sold for $20 at the first temple we visited? At the Lady temple, it was being sold by locals for $1.
From the entrance you need to walk quite far to be able to see this temple
*At the entrance, there is a public comfort room where you could wash your face, take a leak and steal the whole roll of tissue paper because you need it for your survival*
It's always fun taking pictures with UA. ( foreigners always gave him thumbs up because of this cheesy ideas)
At the end part of this temple you would see some locals playing songs which their families were victims of bombs during the war. You can either enjoy watching them play or give donations
* On each temple we visited that day ( except Ta Som and East Mebon) it had these locals, playing musical instruments yet each group had different descriptions such as victims of bomb, victims of socialization and other so called "victims"*
Its okay to give donations but make sure at the end of the day, you still have money for food, not unless you came there for charity work. Yes, I was the mean one and UA was the good guy, giving away $2 or $5 second time around, letting him promise I'll be the last donation whatsoever he'll give for the rest of the trip.
 |
| I guess the rope says don't cross, but you could always excuse yourself if you get caught because you are labeled as a tourist |
* Don't follow the trail to get to the exit, look for a shortcut at the side outside the temple, it would save you time and energy *
* At the exit gate, you would see a lot of souvenir shops. Never buy things there because they are overpriced and expensive *
On our way to East Mebon we saw some local sweets. We were not able to take pictures because UA was very excited to taste it so let me just give you a short description about this food. ~
It was probably 7 inch long, wrapped in coconut leaves. The inside of it looks like hopia ( 10 pieces in 1 wrap) but actually it was some kind of a fruit deep fried in sugar. 3 of these wrapped sweets for $ 1.
Short story about female instinct and moments where a female acts like a mother, and men acts like a child ~
Me: Lets just get 1, I think it's too sweet and you can't possibly eat all of them.
UA: It only cost $1 and besides it looks delicious, I could consume each one of them ( with a face waiting for you to say yes). Let's buy 3.
Me: I don't think that's a good idea. You'll get tonsilitis because of this.
UA: I can consume it really!!! ( with so much enthusiast on his voice)
Me: Mom, please tell the lady, we'll buy one! So that's 4,000 divided by 3.... ( to think it was his money LOL)
UA: ( whispering to Mom with a sad voice) But I want 3.
Me: WHAT DID YOU SAY?!
UA: ( looks at me innocently) HUH?
.......
To make this part short, I won the argument and he ended up eating 3 pieces and complained he can't finish the whole thing because it was too sweet.
East Mebon ~ dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and honors the parents of the King Rajendravarman
Mom asked us if we want to see other temples, but we were too tired. We wanted to go home and just rest. Mom told us we can't possibly miss the last temple he wants to show us.
By the look at the temple outside the highway, we decided to check it out because it looks amazing.
These stairs are excruciating on your feet, find a place where you could rest before checking out the temple
Oh yes, feel the pain we were suffering while climbing the stairs
Left and right side of the temple, halfway through the evil stairs
 |
Top of the temple (YEY!! we survived)  |
Amazing view from the top ~
* This picture( top) is a shot inside a shrine where you could pray and make a wish, but be careful, the locals guarding this shrine does not practice donations, they would literally force you to pay *
Going down was not that bad as going up especially when the sun is starting to set.
 |
| one of the many panoramic shots of UA
* Outside this temple, there were drinks and food being sold, we were able to buy a pineapple juice for $1 ( sold in a plastic with a straw) *
Mom and UA were bff's by that time, Mom offered UA a peach fruit but when I tasted it, it was so weird I just had to spit it out.
On our way back to the hotel, we saw a local street food near a school. A lady was selling different kinds of bread. It had fillings of meat, ham and eggs on it. Bought 6 of them Cost: $1 for 6 pieces *Mom serves as the translator to locals who can't speak or understand English* We thanked Mom when we got to the hotel safely, got the remaining bottled water from his tuktuk and went back to our room. You could actually feel your as dirty and dusty as the temples. When we saw our bed how nice, clean and BEAUTIFULLY arranged it was, we decided to lie down on the floor instead for an hour, leaning our feet on the center table. * The front desk would always offer you minty cold facial towels everytime you arrive* |
We woke up and decided to check out Pub Street and have a taste of the famous Happy Pizza.
* Free tuktuk ride going to Pud Street from your hotel and vise versa from 6pm to 10:00pm. But if you are going back to the hotel after the given time, you need to get your own tuktuk for $2 ( anywhere around the town) *
Befriend and be one with the map of Pub Street ( always carry the map that the hotel gave you)
Yes, I know, its effin confusing. To make this simple, the pink curvy circle is where the tuktuk always drop you and from there you work your way to the pub street.
* tuktuk rides are available anywhere on the yellow road of the map *
That night, me and UA decided to just quickly look around Street 1 and Street 8 then figure our where the heck are the restaurants that are selling Happy Pizza.
 |
| They say it heals your problems with your reproductive system, touch it with caution |
* Always ask for the last price, if its too expensive, don't buy it ( will give you tips on the next blog I'll make after this)*
We were able to buy some nice loose colorful pants originally cost $ 6 to $4.
I named this. . crazy crepe Cambodian style. You could find it across the street of BB Ankor Night Market. Cost: $2 ~ it taste good just like crazy crepe :)
My feet was complaining again so we decided to eat dinner. Look at the the map again, there is a green curvy circle, that's the place we ate. I recommend this restaurant to people who are interested to taste authentic happy pizza and more ;)
Happy Herb Pizza: Prices differ according to size and if you order it extra happpyyyyy
Cost: Medium size, forgot the approximate inches of it : $10 - $15
We were not able to take a picture of the Happy Pizza, because we were excited to eat it. It was not that delicious, it tasted. . . ummm. . . normal?
Okay, so this was the highlight of the night. . . . .
Oh yeaaaah! These ladies and gentlemen are deep fried insects. There was a sign that says " Pay first before taking pictures".
 |
| Crickets |
 |
| Frogs |
 |
| "Water bugs" |
...... and beetles....
It would cost you $ 2 per cup but we told them we will just take 2 pieces of each kind and pay 2 dollars for everything. They agreed. ( don't forget to talk really slow to them with hand gestures)
UA was hesitant first but it was such a crazy night for us why can't we do something crazier before going back to our hotel.
Let UA's facial expressions says it all. . .
First the beetle. . .
 |
| and it taste.... |
 |
| hmmmmmm |
 |
| awww haha! NASTY!! |
~ the beetle was hard to chew. When the vendor saw what we were doing, he showed us that before eating it, you need to take the legs off the body and the hard spike part on its back. Too late, UA was already chewing on the whole thing but he spit it out because he complained, " It would cut my throat if I swallow it". Yeah righhhht. . . .
Second, the frog. . .
 |
| so braveeee. . . |
 |
| laughing in relief because it wasn't that bad |
~ the frog tasted like chicken, really!!!
Third one, the cricket. . .
 |
| crunchyyy |
 |
| happy UA :) |
~ the cricket was crunchy and it tasted similar to a chicken skin.
and the last one. . . the aka "water bug"....
 |
| allergies kicking in? |
 |
| awww :) |
The water bug was the worst experience we ever had. Okay, so this insect was about 3 inches long and an inch wide so we asked the vendors what it was. Since they can't speak English, they showed us a cup, put water on it and showed us a swimming gesture so we concluded it was a bug that swims in water, so we called it "water bug". We are not Entomologist (people who study insects), who would have known that in google the meaning of this water bug is a cockroach??!
You need to pay $1 for this insect
~ it tasted creamy on the inside ( verbalized by UA). We were going to share half of it but he was so excited to eat it LOL, I only got 1/4 of it. Yes, I also had my share of these insects. . . . .
* UA didn't let me eat the beetle because he was worried it might cut my mouth *
I think we didn't have any side effects except the for cockroach which UA got allergies on his arms and his lips while my fingers that was holding the insect got really itchy.
After all the excitement, laughing and gagging, we visited a couple of night markets were we met Chida Stall number 6 who told us that we could buy some medicine for UA's allergies next to their building.
*Luckily, we brought our own anti-histamine, that helped UA's allergy subside*
Bought some water, local brand ice cream ( not recommended), junkfoods on that grocery / pharmacy store and called it a night for Pub Street.
No comments:
Post a Comment