Namaste Cambodia,
I bid goodbye to Thailand ( https://thehaflonggirl.blogspot.com/2021/08/pictorial-glimpses-of-my-solo-trip-to.html?m=1). I easily got VoA (Visa on Arrival) at the small immigration office at Poipet (border town in Cambodia) without facing any hurdle. A journey of 2 hours on a bus brought me to Siem Reap from the border town.
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hello Cambodia |
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directions in Poipet |
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bus ticket from Poipet to Siem Reap |
The pub street of Siem Reap comes alive from early evening. The buzz around the street continues till late night. There are pubs, cafes, restaurants, food stalls to suit every budget. Loud music coming from the pubs fill the night air. Colourful light decor adds to the beauty of the street. A perfect place to hangout and people watch after whole day of exploring in Siem Reap.
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the happening Pub Street in Siem Reap |
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the colourful decor of Pub Street |
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an artist at work |
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creating work of art |
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an artist at his work |
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products of Cambodia |
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the lady is preparing ice cream for me 😊 |
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yummy ice-cream |
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Cambodian ice tea |
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local transportation |
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a street in Siem Reap |
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a decorated bridge in Siem Reap |
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a good place to buy souvenirs |
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Buddhist temple |
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Buddhist temple |
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Buddhist temple |
How do you feel when you lay your happy eyes on Angkor Wat for the first time? I don't know which adjectives to use to describe this UNESCO World Heritage Site. I explored the morning session from sunrise to lunch time with a travel group. But explored it on my own post afternoon till sunset. There are 3 types of passes to visit Angkor Wat. One needs to buy the passes from the ticket counter. I took the 1 day pass which is pretty expensive.☹️ |
one day ticket is too pricey |
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ticket counter for Angkor Wat |
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sunrise at Angkor Wat |
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people watching sunrise at Angkor Wat |
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the group for Angkor Wat visit |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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one for the memories at Angkor Wat |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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a waterbody in Angkor Wat |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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a well-maintained road in Angkor Wat |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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an artist selling his art at Angkor Wat |
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Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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sunset at Angkor Wat |
The hostel where I was staying in Siem Reap had a variety of outdoor outings, for a price of course. I joined a group to visit Kampong Phluk, one of the floating villages on the floodplains of Tonle Sap Lake situated on the outskirts of Siem Reap.
A short van ride from Siem Reap brought the group to the ticket counter of Kampong Phluk. A guide gave a brief summary of the area. A short van ride from the ticket counter brought us to the edge of the lake where we boarded a large boat. The boat sped through the brown coloured water of Tonle Sap and brought us to the floating village. Since it was dry season and so we could walk on the ground of the floating village. It is only during the rainy season the true essence of the floating village can be felt when water floods the village. No wonder all the wooden houses of the floating village are built on stilts. The guide took us around the village explaining all about it.
After the tour around the village, we again boarded the same boat and the boat was stopped somewhere near a floating restaurant. Here, we got on small country boats to go boating in the flooded mangrove forest. The mangrove was beautiful and pristine. At some places we had to lower our heads to avoid the low branches of the trees. The late afternoon Sun filtered through the canopy of the mangrove forest. The quietness of the mangrove was broken by the sound of the paddle on water, the twittering of birds, and the occasional chit chat of tourists on other country boats. As the small country boat emerged from the mangrove forest into the big expanse of Tonle Sap, I freaked out a bit as the small country boat tossed playfully on the lake. It gave the impression that the small boat is gonna topple over anytime soon and then get swallowed up by the huge lake.😁😂
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Kampong Phluk floating village |
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Kampong Phluk floating village |
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Kampong Phluk floating village |
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smoked fish in Kampong Phluk |
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boating in the mangrove forest |
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boating in the mangrove forest |
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sunset from a boat in Tonle Sap |
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sunset from a boat in Tonle Sap |
I joined a travel group for a day trip to Bokor Mountain. One can even hire a bike to go and explore the massive place on one's own. My tragedy of not knowing how to ride a bike😒, and that's why it made better sense to join a travel group. It is 42 kms drive away from Kampot to the mountain top. There are interesting stops on the way from where you can get sweeping views of the surrounding places and the blue waters of Gulf of Thailand. The dilapidated buildings of the Bokor Hill Station in Bokor Mountain that was once upon a time a French resort is a picture of eeriness, neglect, and lost glory. The place was abandoned by the French colonialists when Cambodia gained independence. Later on it became a stronghold for the Khmer Rouge.
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bus ticket for Ho Chi Minh City |
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the bus that travelled from Phnom Penh to HCMH |
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the bus that travelled from Phnom Penh to HCMH |
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Bavet (Cambodia) border crossing post |
It was my 4th land border crossing during this solo trip. I got stamped out at Bavet immigration centre (Cambodia) without any hiccup and the immigration process was equally smooth at Mac Boi immigration centre (Vietnam). It was evening by the time I arrived at Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon. So, it was a whole day journey from Phnom Penh (Cambodia) to Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) by bus via border crossing.My next photo blog will be about Vietnam. Stay tuned!
Thank you for stopping by!
Travelled on: 3 December 2019 - 15 December 2019
©All content and images are copyright of thehaflonggirl.
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