SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

One of our annual August adventures took us to Cambodia, where we went temple hopping, pool lounging, and market haggling.  Here’s a rundown of our adventure.

SIGHTS TO SEE:

The Angkor Archeological Park is the highlight of Siem Reap.  Really, the town exists because of tourism to the Angkor region.  It is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Our favorite temples:

Angkor Wat, because it is the largest religious monument in the world.  As the leading attraction in Cambodia, Angkor Wat is on the country’s flag.  The temple was originally created as a Hindu place of worship and was later converted to a Buddhist temple.  These pictures really don’t do it justice.

Bayon for its picture perfect facade  with stone faces

Ta Prohm for the tree growing inside (and the site of Tomb Raider filming)Phnom Bakheng for the sunset view.  Go early enough to reach the roof for the best view.

WHAT TO DO:

All the markets!  You can score a great deal on anything from a new suitcase to Buddhas to bamboo salad tongs.  I still regret not getting a new roller bag for $15.  However, we are set with a growing collection of Buddhas from our Asia travels.  One of my favorite finds in Siem Reap is a bright-colored painting of Angkor Wat hanging in our bedroom.  I love decorating our house with travel mementos and artwork.  It serves as a daily reminder of these amazing experiences (and to remind me why we work so hard every day, so we can go on these trips!).

night market
img_6467
wooden Buddha
The produce appeared bright and fresh, but not looking to get sick for once.  Skip!

Soak in the sights and sounds.  It is not often you can pull over your bike to watch a troop of monkeys snacking out of discarded zip lock snack bags…or move aside for elephants crossing the road.  Slow down and watch how the people of Siem Reap live.

WHERE TO EAT:

To note: We somehow did NOT get sick, despite the lack of hygiene seen in restaurants.  As always, don’t drink the water and stick to hot foods that were just cooked.  And probably avoid the guy making smoothies on the corner who just picked his nose and then cut up fruit.  Gag.

I have to say…slim pickings for really good food.  We did stumble into Cafe Central off of Pub Street one day and it was just what we needed!  A little a/c, cold drinks, and no mystery meat.There are plenty of street side food stands around Angkor Wat, if you’re more adventurous.  I think packing snacks brought from home is a safer bet, but to each their own.

Pub Street is full of restaurants, if that’s your scene.  It was a short tuk-tuk ride from our hotel, but loaded with tourists.Had we planned it out better, we would have made reservations at a teaching kitchen.  The restaurant allows students to learn hospitality and cooking.  It sounds like a great way to support the local community, but these spots book up in advance.  Make a reservation!

WHERE TO STAY:

We stayed at the Sofitel, which is located very close to the Angkor Archeological Park.  The service was top-notch, probably the best I’ve ever experienced!  You can certainly get hotels at bargain prices, but since your money goes further here, why not have some comfortable accommodations?  Room rates were close to a standard hotel in the U.S.  It also helped that we traveled during wet season, which is far less popular.  Turns out they were in a drought, so we only saw rain for a total of 15 minutes during our trip.  Breakfast was included, which made the hotel worth it alone.  Usually I think buffets are pretty germy, but this spread was fresh.  Good thing we trekked around during the day to burn off the massive breakfast!There was more to the hotel than the pool, but apparently I liked it so much, that’s all I took photos of.

complimentary iced tea, fruit, and cold towels at the pool
swim up bar with fresh coconut water

TRANSPORTATION:

To get to the hotel, we used a van service.  It was somewhat overpriced, but still cheap by U.S. standards.  We ended up taking a tuk-tuk back to the airport, which was very reasonable and allowed for some more scenic back road travel.  I would not recommend this option if you have a lot of luggage since there’s no place to put it.I do NOT recommend renting a bicycle to see the temples.  Intense heat and humidity, dust, and wearing clothing to cover shoulders and knees made for a sweaty mess on day one.  Lesson learned.  Renting a tuk-tuk is about the same price, and you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.  Day two was much more pleasant.

TIPS:

Get your vaccinations and malaria pills before traveling.  While we lucked out with mosquitoes, we still came prepared with 98% DEET bug spray, recommended by the travel doctor.You’ll need a pass to enter the Angkor Archeological Park, which at last check was $20 for 1 day, or $40 for any 3 days in a week.  This must be purchased at the ticket office, which you’ll pass on your way into Angkor.  You can’t miss it!  Trust me: 3 days should leave you just about templed out.  Temple fatigue is real!

US dollars are widely accepted.  Be sure your bills are crisp and clean with no tears.

Bring smaller bills.  We needed something small,  and breaking a $20 was a challenge for the knock off 7-Eleven.It gets HOT!  We found the best plan of action was to fuel up on the massive breakfast buffet, check out temples, then come back in early afternoon when the sun got to be unbearable.  That was a perfect time to hit the pool, drink out of a coconut, and rest before checking out the night markets and seeking identifiable meat for dinner.

And there you  have it!  A week in Siem Reap.  It’s hard to capture the grandiosity of these temples in picture form, but here’s a whole bunch more photos to try and convey it.     

 

BAGAN, MYANMAR

After experiencing the hustle and bustle of Yangon, we took a quick flight North to see Bagan, the land of many temples.  Bagan was the capital of the Kingdom of Pagan in the 9th to 13th centuries, and at its height, there were over 4,000 Buddhist temples, stupas, and monasteries.  About 2,200 currently remain, with many in disrepair after the earthquakes of 1975 and 2016.

WHAT TO SEE:

All the temples, pagodas, and stupas!  Keep in mind that the most recent earthquake in August 2016 caused significant damage to the area.  Even so, there are so many temples, it is impossible to see them all.  We picked out a few we definitely wanted to see, and then made pit stops along the way to any others that looked interesting.  Quite often, we found ourselves in a pagoda all by ourselves!

Many of the temples have a family that looks after them.  For instance, a young woman who we met at the one Hindu temple in Bagan, Nathlaung Kyaung, gave us a full tour with lots of interesting facts.  At the end, she led us to her souvenir stall to help support her family.  Of course we felt obligated after the time she spent with us.  Enter useless souvenir number one, a lacquerware cup.  Apparently Bagan is the center of the lacquerware industry, with a trade school and museum showcasing the art.

Shwesendaw in the daylight

Shwesandaw Pagoda is the go-to spot for sunrises.  On our first morning, we got up at the crack of dawn and left our hotel by 5:15am.  It was an incredible feeling riding a little e-bike through the back roads of Bagan in complete darkness.  There’s basically no light pollution, so you can see the stars shining bright, and there’s no traffic besides some monks starting their day.  Once we finally found the pagoda (Google Maps aren’t exactly helpful for unmarked dirt pathways!), we hiked up this insane set of stairs to get to the top.  We spent the next hour waiting with a crowd of 50 or so other sunrise enthusiasts.

Almost there!  The sky started to illuminate temples as far as the eye can see.Here we go!  Hot air balloons over the horizon.  If you want to spring for it ($300ish), you can float over Bagan rather than view from the top of a temple.The sunrise was beautiful and well worth it.  Make time to see some sunsets, too.  We got lost en route to our intended sunset spot, but stumbled upon this view instead.  Not bad.Shwezigon Pagoda was overwhelming!  Most temples in Bagan are small, and constructed of brick.  This one is an exception, and is almost as big as Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.

a one eyed temple cat

Bupaya Pagoda, located right down the street from our hotel, overlooks the Ayeyarwady river.  The name translates to pumpkin/gourd  (bu) pagoda (paya).  The original structure was badly damaged in the 1975 earthquake, and was recreated using modern materials.On our next attempt at seeing a sunset, we made it to Oak Kyaung Gyi monastery.  It is nothing to look at from the outside, but after squeezing up a a dark set of narrow stairs, we were rewarded with a beautiful view on the rooftop.  The family who tends to this monastery lights candles along the steps to the roof for sunset.  It was one of my favorite experiences on the trip. Here’s a collection of snapshots from various temples we found along the way.WHERE TO STAY:There are 3 main areas in Bagan; Old Bagan, New Bagan, and Nyaung-U.  We stayed in Old Bagan along the water at Aye Yar Riverview Resort.  There is a restaurant and riverside bar on-site, a nice pool, and beautiful grounds. Nyaung U has a restaurant row, and appeared to be more of the backpacker-type area.  New Bagan has some temples, and more restaurants.  We didn’t explore much in that area.

WHERE TO EAT:

Starbeam Bistro:  Situated right next to Ananda Temple, this open air restaurant has some solid food options.  Just beyond the restaurant, a bunch of young monks were playing soccer on the grounds of an abandoned temple.  Such a different world!

Be Kind to Animals The Moon: No idea what this name is intended to mean, but the food was great!  It is also next to Ananda Temple.

Bagan Zay: This was a nice, really clean looking, restaurant.  They have a variety of foods, not just Burmese.

Weather Spoons: This is apparently a knock off of the British chain.  The food was really good, but timeliness is not their forte.

TRANSPORTATION:

To get to Bagan, you can take a bus, train, or plane.  I hear the trains are pretty rough, and the bus ride is quite long from Yangon.  We opted for the flight, despite my fear of third world aviation…. Surprisingly, these flights were really nice!  The hour flight included a refreshing towelette, a boxed meal, and pizza candy.  U.S. airlines take note!  The airport itself is really small.  I am fairly certain one of the pilots also checked us in at the counter.  After we confirmed details with the pilot/gate agent, we were given a sticker with the airline logo. That served as an identifier when trying to find our bus to take us direct to the plane on the tarmac.There are taxis available outside the terminal to get you to Bagan.  Negotiate before getting in.Once in Bagan, I suggest you rent an e-bike to zip around the temples.  Regular bicycles are available to rent…but why would you torture yourself by biking miles on dirt roads when you could have a bike that does some of the work?  (Lesson learned from a very, very hot and sweaty day in Cambodia. NEVER AGAIN!)  There are some main paved roads, but most are small dirt roads leading to the smaller temples.  Steve and I were able to share one e-bike.  You can rent by half day or full day increments.  Our hotel had some available, but BoBo was our guy.  He set up shop right outside the hotel, along with his horse.  We negotiated a rate based on the amount of time we planned to be out.

TIPS:

Basic English is spoken, however it is not widely understood.  Hello is ‘Mingalaba’!

Once you arrive at the airport in Bagan, you’ll need to purchase a pass for the Bagan Archeological Zone.  It was about $12 USD, and serves as entry to all the temples in Bagan.  We were only asked to display the pass once at Shwesandaw.When entering temples, be sure your shoulders and knees are covered.  No shoes or socks are allowed.  Local women and men usually wear longyis, which is a swath of fabric tied in a knot at the waist, similar to a long skirt.

Local children are at all the temple entrances, trying to hawk their goods.  A typical exchange went something like this, every single time:

Where you from?

The United States.

Ah!  Obama!

Steve was also a novelty, as he is about 3x the size of an average Burmese person.

I hope this gives you a little window into Myanmar and all it has to offer!  It was a great experience seeing another part of the world rarely seen by foreigners until recently.  However, after 16 hours of travel time each way, we are ready for a nice, short, flight on our next vacation!

 

YANGON, MYANMAR

Over the Christmas and New Years holiday, we took a very long series of flights to get to Myanmar.  Why go there, you ask?  It is a fascinating country that is not yet overrun with tourists (less than 70,000 Americans visited in 2015).  The food is delicious and cheap, the temples are awe-inspiring, the people are friendly, and the weather is warm and dry in December.

We started our trip in Yangon, the biggest city in Myanmar.  It is an interesting mix of newly constructed high rises just blocks away from open air housing and chickens crossing the road.  The infrastructure hasn’t quite kept up with the growth.  Hotels are in short supply, making them more expensive than other Southeast Asian destinations.  The traffic is very heavy, despite the fact that only 38 per 1,000 people in the country have cars (as of 2014 data).  There’s an open ditch of sewage next to the sidewalks, and electricity can be spotty, so many businesses rely on generators on the sidewalk to power their shops.  Have I sold you on visiting yet? Ha!  It gets better.

OBSERVATIONS:

There are lots of dogs and a number of cats, too.  It’s hard to tell if they are all strays, or actually someone’s pet.

Look at the shade these cats are throwing!
rooftop guard kitty

Betel nuts:  This reddish nut is wrapped in betel leaf with lime, spices, and sometimes tobacco.  Watch your step!  After chewing, the remnants are spit out, and look like little pools of blood all over the sidewalks and in the street.

Thanaka: Women, children, and some men wear a paste made from the bark of the thanaka tree on their face.  It is a light yellow color and is thought to prevent sunburn and heal acne.  A magical bark!

Mail: See the blue and green bags?  That’s the mailbox for apartments on the upper floors.  They can pull the rope up to retrieve their mail.

THINGS TO DO:

Sapel Burmese Foot Spa: You can’t beat a 30 minute foot massage for less than $6 USD!  After walking the city all day, a relaxing spa was in order.  It was so nice, we went back at the end of our trip, too!  The spa is tucked into a side street in Chinatown.  Take some time to stroll the streets and take in the sights and smells.  Lots of smells…

Circular train: We ran out of time, but multiple people recommended taking the train around the perimeter of the city to get a better taste of how the locals live.

Bogyoke Market: A one stop shop for paintings, jewelry, souvenirs

WHAT TO SEE:

Shwedagon Pagoda: We went at sunrise to see the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar.  It was incredibly peaceful and breathtaking.  It is gold plated and encrusted with rubies and diamonds on the crown.  We were one of the only tourists at that time, so we really got a look into the lives of the Burmese people worshiping, including monks and children in monastic schools.  Within the temple, there are areas for each day of the week, except Wednesday is split into a.m. and p.m.  The Burmese visit an area based on the day of the week they were born on.

Maha Wizaya Pagoda: If you have time after visiting Shwedagon, walk across the street to see this.  It was built in 1980, so it doesn’t contain nearly as much history, but does have some beautiful carvings from the King of Nepal inside.

Sule Pagoda: Located inside a traffic circle, Sule is thought to be over 2,500 years old.  It served as the meeting place for anti-government and pro-democracy protesters during the ’88 and ’07 protests.

WHERE TO EAT:

It’s hard to pick a favorite, but 999 Shan Noodles is probably the winner.  Noodles and Burmese milk tea is the breakfast of champions!

Aung Mingular is a close second.

Feel Restaurant: This place was highly recommended on TripAdvisor, yet when we arrived, we were the only foreigners there.  Shortly after, an Australian couple came in and were seated with us.  They have traveled the world over, and inspired us to plan out another big adventure!  The noodles were full of flavor, and the desserts were addicting.Bar Boon: They offer coffee, fresh juice, and smoothies next door to the Bogyoke market.

Rangoon Tea House: if you are noodled out, try the bao buns here.

Union Bar & Grill: Another great option if you are tired of the traditional food. After food poisoning, comfort food was the only thing that sounded appetizing.  Enter mac and cheese and smoothies.  All the gluten and dairy…oh well!

Sharky’s: great breakfast spot!  They have 2 locations in Yangon and one just opened in Bagan.  Bonus: hot drinks come with cute little chocolates!

WHERE TO STAY:

We stayed at ParkRoyal Hotel on the front end of our trip, and then Merchant Arts Boutique on the back end.  ParkRoyal was an upscale hotel with a pool and a comfortable bed.  Merchant Arts Boutique was very reasonable at less than $50 a night.  No frills, but did the job to get a good night’s rest before getting on a plane home.

TRANSPORTATION:Keep in mind: pedestrians do NOT have the right of way.  Crosswalks appear to be a suggestion, as are some traffic lights.  Walk at your own risk!  Taxis are very reasonable, and felt safer than navigating some of the congested roads by foot.  Every destination within the city was about $2-3.  Negotiate the cost before getting into the cab.  They don’t have meters, so you need to agree on a price beforehand.  Getting to the airport was slightly more, around $6.  The streets were jammed at almost all times of day.  One taxi we were in decided to drive on the wrong side of the road briefly to avoid traffic.   Not for the faint of heart!

-We observed that almost all cars are white.  A little research finds that  white is the preferred car color of the Japanese, so the Burmese follow suit.

-Cars drive on the right side of the road, however the drivers seat is on the right, too!

-Despite all the traffic, and pedestrians weaving in and out, drivers are calm and we didn’t see any accidents.  Drivers do a ‘friendly beep’ when passing, to indicate they are approaching.  It is much better than D.C. drivers who lay on the horn the second after a light turns green.

TIPS:

You’ll need to get an e-Visa online prior to visiting.  Be sure to check with a travel doctor on what shots and medicine you’ll need beforehand.  We had all our shots from visiting Cambodia last year, but had to get malaria pills.I recommend packing snacks like meal replacement bars, rehydration powder (in case you get sick), a first-aid kit, hand sanitizer, and baby wipes.  I may go overboard with packing ‘just-in-case’ items, but you won’t be able to find these items easily in Myanmar.  Slim pickins in their grocery stores…but you can find lychee juice boxes for about 25 cents!

Bring a converter for the outlets.  Oddly, one of the hotels we stayed in had some outlets that fit US plugs, but that’s not the standard.  It’s also advisable to pack portable phone chargers that you can use when you don’t have access to power.

Stay tuned for part two, Bagan!