Driving to our Hotel in Siem Reap
Siem Reap International Airport
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Vietnam Airline from Ho Chi Minh and on
to Taipei Taiwan!
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Fabulous Five Star Hotels all Over the
Place!
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Majestic Angkor Hotel!
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Bopha Angkor Hotel
Entrance to the Hotel and Dining Room
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New Swimming Pool, Just a Year Old! |
Dining Room with a Great View of the Gardens!
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Our Room with the Ubiquitous Mosquito Netting of Course!
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Siem Reap Village People - Views along the River
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River Housing & Boy Playing on a
Vine!
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Early Morning
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Fisherman and his Wife and Child
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Sunday
- February 4th - 2007 - Siem Reap ~ Angkor Wat Temples
- Chuck's Birthday! |
We got up early and had breakfast and hired a Tuck Tuck run by Mr. Lim. He was very nice
and took us to the huge Angkor Wat Temple. It first was a Hindu
Temple but suddenly the King walled off areas and turned the temple into
a Buddhist Temple.
We decided to climb to the
top and there we discovered on each of the four sides, huge areas about
six feet deep that we were told were filled with water so there were
four pools for religious purposes and use by the King.
The steps are very sharp
and very tall and we climbed up facing the steps and not looking down
too often. Coming down was fun, we decided to use a metal railing
instead of just walking down the steps, just in case we slipped and fell
on the sharp stone! To our surprise, our driver was still waiting
for us after over six hours!
That night we went out and
had strawberry Daiquiris downtown in Siem Reap and then dinner at our
hotel, Bopha Angkor!
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Entering Angkor Wat
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Today is My Birthday and What a Way to
Celebrate - at Angkor Wat in Cambodia - and Perfect Weather! |
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Space.
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On Our First Day of Touring, We did the
Tourist thing and Hired a Tuck Tuck and Our Driver was Mr.
Lim.
And Here am I, Ready to Tour Angkor Wat
and Perhaps, Climb the Highest Steps to the Tower! |
| Space. |
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Angkor Wat and Friezes
Entrance
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One of Four Sides
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Friezes - Elephants in Battle! |
Friezes - Dancers |
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Small and Steep Steps
Small Steps and Sharp!
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Here I am on the Top!
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Hang on Baby - Coming Down!
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Venerating Buddha!
Buddha!
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Colorful Umbrellas!
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The Back Wall!
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Monday - February 5th - 2007 - Siem Reap ~ Angkor Wat Temples - Overgrown by Jungle - Chuck's Birthday! |
| Space. |
| Monday
- February 5th - 2007 - Siem Reap ~ Angkor Wat Temples
- Overgrown by Jungle |
| Space. |
 Today we hired a driver
with an air-conditioned car and a guide. They were very helpful
but the guide had a speech ready for each location and he just stopped
and stood there and gave his spiel. Sometimes there wasn't any
other people at the site but he just stood there and talked. We
wondered if he could walk and talk at the same time. Obviously
not!
We stopped at the famous
ruins that weren't uncovered and the buildings were covered by large
trees with roots that looked like snakes twisting around the walls and
temple complexes.
We went to several other
temple complexes and saw huge walls full of friezes denoting the
religious ideals of the Buddha and also of the Indian Hindu religion.
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Temples Overgrown With Trees!
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Temples Overgrown With Trees!
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Buddha Before the Entrance
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Dancing Ladies!
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Giant Heads and Carvings!
Famous Heads on Entry Gat
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Dancing for Buddha
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Courtly Woman
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Archery
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Monks |
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Tuesday - February 6th - 2007 - Siem Reap ~ Hindu Temples! |
| Space. |
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 Today we were picked up
early and drove a long ways to several temples. One had about 50
towers and many different friezes.
We then drove miles through
the country side seeing how the average Cambodian lived.
Many houses were built high above the ground and we thought it was due
to the rains but our guide said when a son was married, they could build
an additional room below for the wife and son to live in.
We then went to the best
preserved Indian Hindu Temple complex in Cambodia with fantastic
friezes. These buildings were made of brick and the friezes were
dramatic and included the Monkey King and other deities.
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Hindu Temples and Carvings
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Farthest Temple Complex at the Site |
Small but Beautiful! |
Carvings in stone.
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Carvings in Brick. |
Local Houses as We Drove Around the Area!
Cows in the Front Yard
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Lumber to Make Charcoal
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Fruit for Sale
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The Old Homestead!
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Tuesday
- February 7th - 2007 - Flight from Siem Reap to Saigon to Taipei to San Francisco! |
| Space. |
 We got up around nine AM
and packed and had breakfast. After two weeks, the temperature
suddenly soared to over 90 degrees and the humidity was starting
up! We had been spoiled, either cooler weather or hot but
dry. We wondered what it is like when the temperature is
over 100 degrees and the humidity is also 100 percent!
So I had breakfast in Siem
Reap at ten AM, flew to Saigon around three PM and had lunch
there. Then to Taipei and stayed there for about six hours and had
dinner. Then a nine hour flight from Taipei to San Francisco with
breakfast over Honolulu. Needless to say, I was worn out and
Barbara wrote to me and said the same thing, hard to get a good nights
sleep after all our travels and the time change.
But all in all, a fabulous
vacation and I would recommend the trip to all of you!
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Farewell Breakfast
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Breakfast Before Flying Home! |
Usual Breakfast - Very Nice! |
Charles Walter Buntjer
San Francisco California
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Created on:
2007.01.204
Updated on:
2020.10.21
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Extraordinary
Indochina, so much liked, so much sung, for the wonders with which nature is
endowed with
generosity as for the heads with work of art that man was born to create.
