Cambodia : Part 15 - Day 5 Morning : Street 240 and Street Food

22.01.2017 - Today, we fly back to Malaysia. Our flight was in the evening. Hence, we have time to explore in the morning. Because our hostel room in Mad Monkey did not have a window, we woke up late. When I looked at my watch, it was 9am! WHAT! So, we hurriedly got ready and left the hostel. 

I have a place in mind - Street 240. It was very near and we thought of taking the tuk-tuk but we were overcharged for USD3. I told the drivers that it was near (1.5km), and they bargained to USD1.50. Still no. It is suppose to cost USD1 but obviously, no drivers are going to drive us for USD1. So, we walked to Street 240. We relied on Google Map.

As we were walking towards Street 240, we saw so many street food from the locals! Initially, I had a place to go to on Street 240 - Artillery Cafe. But when I saw it was a Western cafe with the usual meals - oats, sandwiches, salad, toasts and the USD price, we decided to go back to the street food.

Cambodia : Part 14 - Day 4 Morning : Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Russian Market

21.01.2017 - After Choeung Ek Killing Fields, we were on our way to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. The Musuem is closer to town. I also realised, in Phnom Penh, the tuk-tuk drivers are covered as in the shade is longer, whereas in Siem Reap, the tuk-tuk drivers are not covered. I did not know what to expect from this place when I reached here. I have not researched much on the interior of the place. I thought it was a museum with lots of write-ups. Yes, it has a lot of write-ups and also includes photographs and skulls of the victims, and the actual torture mechanism.  

Entrance fees is USD6 /RM27 which includes the audio too.

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (Khmer: សារមន្ទីរឧក្រិដ្ឋកម្មប្រល័យពូជសាសន៍ទួលស្លែង) is a museum in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, chronicling the Cambodian genocide. The site is a former high school which was used as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge regime from its rise to power in 1975 to its fall in 1979. Tuol Sleng (Khmer [tuəl slaeŋ]) means "Hill of the Poisonous Trees" or "Strychnine Hill". Tuol Sleng was one of at least 150 execution centers in the country, and about 20,000 prisoners were killed there. Source from Wikipedia.

Cambodia : Part 13 - Day 4 Morning : Choeung Ek Killing Fields

21.01.2017 - After breakfast, we walked back to the hostel and was looking for any packages that will bring us to Choeung Ek Killing Field and S21 Prison. There were many tuk-tuks available waiting in front of our hostel. Some of them belonged to the hostel as they had the hostel's logo on their tuk-tuk. I saw a package opposite our hostel, but unfortunately, the door was locked. It was only 8am. 

Then, a tuk-tuk driver from the hostel approached us. He mentioned that the package only allows to visit for an hour per place whereas he will let us in for 2 hours and he will wait for us. He was charging us USD8 for 2 persons for the journey. I thought it was a good deal, until after at the end of the visit. He was not happy he waited so long because we spent more than 4 hours in both places and he did not want to drop us at the Russian Market. I told him that 4 hours were inclusive of the driving to the places as the journey to Killing Field took us 30 minutes to and another 30 minutes to S21 Prison. I was annoyed at how he cheated us which made me complained to the receptionist of the hostel. The receptionist agreed that 4 hours was not enough. One spends about 5 hours. She said she will tell the driver off. I hope that happens. 

That dishonest man. 

Cambodia : Part 12 - Day 4 Morning : Mad Monkey Hostel Phnom Penh, Grilled Pork

21.01.2017 - We arrived in Phnom Penh at 5.30am after a 6-hour bus ride from Siem Reap. Upon our arrival, we saw many tourists and tuk-tuk drivers at the bus station. A tuk-tuk driver wanted to charge us USD6 to go to Mad Monkey Hostel. Yes, I booked a room in Mad Monkey Hostel. Haha! This time, it is a room just for the 3 of us. I bargained for the tuk-tuk price to drop to USD4 as it was just a 3km ride. 

Cambodia : Part 11 - Day 3 Evening : Sita Sousdey food, Giant Ibis bus to Phnom Penh

20.01.2017 - After the exploration of Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Bayon, we are now headed back to Mad Monkey hostel. We walked randomly to find an eatery for lunch. This place was just opposite Sugar Palm Restaurant. We saw it when we had our dinner in Sugar Palm Restaurant on the 2nd day, and decided to try this place because it looks 'local' enough and the price was affordable.

You must be wondering why is the photo taken at night. Yes, I forgot to take it before lunch because I was just too hungry and tired. We went back to the same place for dinner, and hence, the night shot. The place is called Sita Sousdey Khmer Restaurant. I just found out that this place has many good reviews in Trip Advisor. Yay to our lucky find! 

For lunch, I had mango smoothie for USD1 / RM4.50 and Pha Lok for USD3 / RM13.50. I cannot seem to find the definition for Pha Lok in Google, but what I had was sort of omelette, raw vegetables and brown rice. How healthy is that? Brown rice! The raw vegetables got me very full and it was tiring to eat them because it was very crunchy.

Cambodia : Part 10 - Day 3 Morning : Ta Prohm

20.01.2017 - Next temple is Ta Prohm. Why did I choose Ta Prohm? Because it was made famous by Angelina Jolie in her Tomb Raider movie where there are huge trees growing amongst the temples structure. It was a 10 minute tuk-tuk drive from Bayon to Ta Prohm. Here, there were lots of stalls selling food and drinks. I was so tempted to get some but I decided to wait after the last temple.

Ta Prohm (Khmer: ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម, pronunciation: prasat taprohm) is the modern name of the temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara (in Khmer: រាជវិហារ). Located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm is in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors. UNESCO inscribed Ta Prohm on the World Heritage List in 1992. Today, it is one of the most visited complexes in Cambodia’s Angkor region. The conservation and restoration of Ta Prohm is a partnership project of the Archaeological Survey of India and the APSARA (Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap)

After the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 15th century, the temple of Ta Prohm was abandoned and neglected for centuries. When the effort to conserve and restore the temples of Angkor began in the early 21st century, the École française d'Extrême-Orient decided that Ta Prohm would be left largely as it had been found, as a "concession to the general taste for the picturesque." According to pioneering Angkor scholar Maurice Glaize, Ta Prohm was singled out because it was "one of the most imposing [temples] and the one which had best merged with the jungle, but not yet to the point of becoming a part of it".[8] Nevertheless, much work has been done to stabilize the ruins, to permit access, and to maintain "this condition of apparent neglect."

The trees growing out of the ruins are perhaps the most distinctive feature of Ta Prohm, and "have prompted more writers to descriptive excess than any other feature of Angkor." Two species predominate, but sources disagree on their identification: the larger is either the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) or thitpok Tetrameles nudiflora, and the smaller is either the strangler fig (Ficus gibbosa). or gold apple (Diospyros decandra). Angkor scholar Maurice Glaize observed, "On every side, in fantastic over-scale, the trunks of the silk-cotton trees soar skywards under a shadowy green canopy, their long spreading skirts trailing the ground and their endless roots coiling more like reptiles than plants." Source from Wikipedia.

Cambodia : Part 9 - Day 3 Morning : Bayon Temple

20.01.2017 - After Angkor Wat, the next place is Bayon Temple. It was a 5 minutes drive from Angkor Wat Temple. I shared the temples that we would like to visit and the tuk-tuk driver arranged for us the temples to visit in sequence. Why did I choose Bayon Temple? Because of the detailed carvings of smiling faces on the stones. We spent one hour here.

The morning was getting hotter, and there were so many tourists. Most of them were from China, and a number of them were pushing to get in line, cutting queue and shouting very loudly causing some other Caucasian tourists to cringe at the loud voice (I saw this).

You can see more photos than words in this post. 

Cambodia : Part 8 - Day 3 Morning : Sunrise at Angkor Wat

20.01.2017 - Today, we wake up very early to purchase another ticket from Angkor Wat Ticket Office. My sister's friend did not follow us the day before and we cannot purchase on her behalf as one needs to have their photo taken. We woke up at 3.30am because a tuk-tuk is coming to pick us up at 4.15am. Usually, it is recommended to depart at 4.30am but we wanted to avoid the crowd at the ticket center as we saw yesterday.

We booked the tuk-tuk from Mad Monkey Hostel. The Hostel has a few tuk-tuk drivers assigned. The tuk-tuk has the logo of Mad Monkey Hostel. I booked the tuk-tuk the day before, and the receptionist tells me it is USD17 for half a day for 3 temples (Angkor Wat, Ta Phrom, and Bayon). If it exceeds half a day, we can negotiate the price with the tuk-tuk driver. We exceeded till 2pm but we were not charged extra. One can book any tuk-tuk drivers from outside (there are so many of them) for USD20 for a whole day to bring you around Angkor Wat Archaeological Park. Thankfully, I chose 3 because I was already tired after 2 temples, and the heat was overwhelming. I cannot imagine how the tourists managed to sustain a whole day. Well, one has the option to go back to the hotel after the sunrise for a rest and then come back again to see the temple because you have a pass with you. Or have lunch in town and then come back again.   

At 4.15am, the tuk-tuk driver was waiting for us. He is so punctual. I am amazed. It took about 15 minutes to reach the Ticket Office. There was only one tuk-tuk and I saw 5 tourists. 

This is the crowd by 5am. Everyone wants to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat. The parking ground was full of tuk-tuk.

Cambodia : Part 7 - Day 2 Evening : Angkor Wat Sunset, Sugar Palm Restaurant

19.01.2017 - We told the driver of our Countryside Tour to drop us at Angkor Wat Ticket Office because we wanted to buy tickets for the next day to catch the sunrise. Well, one can buy it tomorrow too but we were worried if we cannot wake up in time or cannot find a tuk-tuk. But anyway, we could see the sunset today too and get to go in for free after 5pm if we have the next day ticket. Angkor Wat Ticket Office is huge! There are 47 counters, a small cafe, some souvenir booths, a clean toilet, and an ATM machine. I noticed the ATM machine in Cambodia are enclosed. It is safer that way. 

Cambodia : Part 6 - Day 2 Afternoon : Kompong Khleang Floating Village

19.02.2017 - After the countryside cycling, the group is now headed for lunch in a local home. We arrived at 12.20pm, after an hour drive from our cycling spot.  

Our lunch spot is in a fishing village. During the rainy season, the water level can go up very high, hence, the reason the houses are on stilt.