| Cambodia and Return to USA |
.We skipped a couple of Phnom Penh’s more popular tourist attractions, the
Museum of Genocidal Crime and the Killing Fields, as we had seen enough
depressing exhibits earlier on this trip.
Siem Reap & Angkor, Cambodia --- 20 to 24 February
Took a 7:00am express boat from PhnomPenh about 150 miles up the Tonle
Sap River and Tonle Sap Lake to SiemReap, arriving at about 12:30pm.
Checked into the Bakong Hotel ($20) but found the room very small with no
closet, so next morning changed to the nearby Bayon Hotel ($25 nightly)
where we got a very nice large room with two double beds and a balcony
overlooking the Siem Reap River; also included was breakfast in the hotel’s
attractive riverside restaurant.
We bought 3-day passes ($40 each) to the Angkor, the impressive ruins of
the capital of the ancient Khmer empire, and got a taxi ($25 per day) to drive
us to the various archaeological sites. Five or ten miles from Siem Reap, the
ruins of Angkor, ancient capital of the Khmer empire, consist of the remains
of dozens of different Hindu temples, Buddhist Wats, royal palaces, etc.
Spread over an area of many square miles. It is an enormous and imposing
complex with many of the buildings still standing but stripped of most of the
smaller decorative features, which were hauled away over the years to
museums and private collections. Among the sites we visited are Angkor
Thom, Angkor Wat, Banteam Samre, Neak Pean, Ta Prohm (our favorite).
One evening we went to a dinner-theater near our hotel to see a performance
of Cambodian dances.
In the small town of Siem Reap we took walks along the river, visited Wat
Preah Prom Rath, shopped in the market, and had a look at handicraft
workshops.
Museum of Genocidal Crime and the Killing Fields, as we had seen enough
depressing exhibits earlier on this trip.
Siem Reap & Angkor, Cambodia --- 20 to 24 February
Took a 7:00am express boat from PhnomPenh about 150 miles up the Tonle
Sap River and Tonle Sap Lake to SiemReap, arriving at about 12:30pm.
Checked into the Bakong Hotel ($20) but found the room very small with no
closet, so next morning changed to the nearby Bayon Hotel ($25 nightly)
where we got a very nice large room with two double beds and a balcony
overlooking the Siem Reap River; also included was breakfast in the hotel’s
attractive riverside restaurant.
We bought 3-day passes ($40 each) to the Angkor, the impressive ruins of
the capital of the ancient Khmer empire, and got a taxi ($25 per day) to drive
us to the various archaeological sites. Five or ten miles from Siem Reap, the
ruins of Angkor, ancient capital of the Khmer empire, consist of the remains
of dozens of different Hindu temples, Buddhist Wats, royal palaces, etc.
Spread over an area of many square miles. It is an enormous and imposing
complex with many of the buildings still standing but stripped of most of the
smaller decorative features, which were hauled away over the years to
museums and private collections. Among the sites we visited are Angkor
Thom, Angkor Wat, Banteam Samre, Neak Pean, Ta Prohm (our favorite).
One evening we went to a dinner-theater near our hotel to see a performance
of Cambodian dances.
In the small town of Siem Reap we took walks along the river, visited Wat
Preah Prom Rath, shopped in the market, and had a look at handicraft
workshops.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia --- 18 & 19 February
We flew from Saigon to Phnom Penh ($80 each), obtaining our Cambodian visas
($20 each) upon arrival. Taxi to the Cathay Hotel ($15 nightly); very basic room
in a grungy neighborhood near the Old Market, but the hotel manager was very
helpful arranging our boat trip to Siem Reap, as well as motorbike taxis to take
us to the dock.
Visited the National Museum, whose exhibit of many Angkor artifacts was our
main reason for stopping in Phnom Penh. Also visited the large and beautiful
Royal Palace. Both the Museum and the Palace are in the beautiful Cambodian
traditional style. Lunch at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Cambodia, on a
balcony overlooking the Mekong River.
We flew from Saigon to Phnom Penh ($80 each), obtaining our Cambodian visas
($20 each) upon arrival. Taxi to the Cathay Hotel ($15 nightly); very basic room
in a grungy neighborhood near the Old Market, but the hotel manager was very
helpful arranging our boat trip to Siem Reap, as well as motorbike taxis to take
us to the dock.
Visited the National Museum, whose exhibit of many Angkor artifacts was our
main reason for stopping in Phnom Penh. Also visited the large and beautiful
Royal Palace. Both the Museum and the Palace are in the beautiful Cambodian
traditional style. Lunch at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Cambodia, on a
balcony overlooking the Mekong River.
Buddhist Temple at National Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Garden at the National Museum, PhnomPenh, Cambodia.
Stupa at the National Palace, Phnom Penh.
Bangkok, Thailand --- 25 February
We took a 8:30am flight from Siem Reap to Bangkok. Near the Bangkok
Airport we checked into the Quality Suites Airport Hotel (US$70), an
international-style hotel where we enjoyed relaxing in a large well-appointed
two-room suite. Because of our very early flight the next morning we wanted
to have a hotel near the airport.
Bangkok to USA --- 26 February
Woke up at 3:00am to get to the airport about 4:00am for the 6:05am flight
from Bangkok to Newark via Tokyo and Detroit, arriving home about 8:30pm
(en route over 26 hours). In Detroit Northwest Airlines had not yet gotten all
the bugs out of their baggage-handling system at their new terminal, which had
been opened two days earlier, causing a missed flight connection resulting in a
3-1/2 hour delay.
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We took a 8:30am flight from Siem Reap to Bangkok. Near the Bangkok
Airport we checked into the Quality Suites Airport Hotel (US$70), an
international-style hotel where we enjoyed relaxing in a large well-appointed
two-room suite. Because of our very early flight the next morning we wanted
to have a hotel near the airport.
Bangkok to USA --- 26 February
Woke up at 3:00am to get to the airport about 4:00am for the 6:05am flight
from Bangkok to Newark via Tokyo and Detroit, arriving home about 8:30pm
(en route over 26 hours). In Detroit Northwest Airlines had not yet gotten all
the bugs out of their baggage-handling system at their new terminal, which had
been opened two days earlier, causing a missed flight connection resulting in a
3-1/2 hour delay.
.Click here for next page, "Indochina Trip Comments"
Click here to return to "Indochina Trip Menu"
Click here to return to "Our Travel Journals Main Menu"
Entrance Causeway, Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Angkor Wat Monuments, Cambodia
Tree growing out of Angkor Wat ruins.
Land mine victim musicians, Angkor, Cambodia. The USA is the only major country in the
world to refuse to sign the international treaty for the elimination of land mines.
world to refuse to sign the international treaty for the elimination of land mines.
Stupas at Buddhist Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia.