The Sacred Phnom Kulen

After a good time exploring the Temples of Angkor Wat we decided to go further North to what is considered the most sacred part of Cambodia. The vibe here is less tourist and while there we only encountered very few tourists. We chose to trek up the mounting which is 10 Km from the base of the mountain. It was a good scenery getting up there and the forest quite lush.

This is a perfect postcard picture :)

 

While going up we kept listening for the count of water falls but you don't hear it until  your at the top. At the top our 1st stop was the 1,000 lingas.. It is such a unique thing to see...series of stone carvings in sandstone formations in the river bed and banks. They are believed to keep the river scared.

There are a few ruins but they are not as spectacular after the Angkor ruins. The people here are less intrusive and really just mind their own business.  

Night motor taxis was the norm

the color of this bananas was quite intriguing :)

I am a big sucker for waterfalls and by far these are the most immaculate waterfalls I have ever seen. My 1st reaction after my 1st click click moment was dang it!...I dont believe in photoshop anymore. Without any edits or pro camera.. The shots of the waterfalls looked like a post card photo.

There are a couple of levels and the lower you got the more breathtaking it got. We did get our water massages at this holy place

I had to put some Khmer food here just because I love exotic food.. 

Happy Travels

- L - 

The Angkor Week

This past month has been incredibly fun, traveling around South East Asia has been a mixture of fun, adventure, new experiences and deep learning of myself. I have made a conscious decision to skip Phnom Penh because I hate all the goriness that is pegged to the city. I would have loved to explore Sihanoukville but 9 hours from Siem reap is something I was not keen on doing.

 So Cambodia is generally a very poor country, and coming from Kenya, I know what poverty is, so when I say its an incredibly beautiful and history rich poor country, i think I know what I mean. The country as a whole have embraced Tourism at all levels from the tuk tuk driver to the highest of levels. They do understand it is one of the major sources of foreign revenue. I am so impressed by how everyone is trying to ensure you have a great stay.

Lets me start by saying Siem reap and Cambodia is heaven for backpackers and flashpackers like myself. My hostel was incredible for US$ 8 per night, I had a lovely 4 bed dorm room, breakfast and swimming pool. The Siem Reap Hostel is a nice cosy nice place to be and has a very good vibe. The staff go out of their way to recommend all the cool stuff to do.

After being on the road solo, we reconnected with Sandra and decided to explore Siem Reap together, this was the best decision ever. We had great times together and even when we split to explore our own individual interests we had great time laughing about our experiences. Why this is so important to me, its coz, I have never really traveled with a companion who I know well, I love to make my choices and do whatever I want. Sandra really opened a whole new world of travelling with a mate. I heart her big time..

I love taking tuk tuks, our driver was awesome and he made our Angkor Wat Temple Tour Incredible. We took the 3 day pass to allow for ample time to live and experience the Angkor vibe. We all have our great expectation of places we've never been to but we don't always get what we expect. For Sandra she was expecting her zen moment at Angkor Wat but got it at Banteay Srei.

 Pre Rup Temple which is very close to Banteay Srei was also pretty cool stop for us.

Angkor Wat is the main attractions which meant us together with 1,000 plus people were up at minutes to 6 waiting for Sunrise at Angkor Wat. We were unlucky as all we got was day break and no sun rise :( I was awed by the external appearance and intricacies of the whole temple but when I was inside the temples it didn't exactly get me. Not a bad thing though

Bayon on the other hand was incredible open and walking through it was a whole different kind of feeling. The design and details in each of the Bayons was like looking at the South East Asia Mona Lisa.. build within a square of Angkor Thom you get to see the Elephant Terrace and other ancient ruins

By far our favorite temple was Ta Prohm, seeing the trees take over the temple was indeed spectacular, there no wonder why the site was used as part of the Tomb Raider movie. You really feel this temple walking through it was a unique feeling for Sandra and I. 

I will be exploring the holiest part of Cambodia and will write about it soon. 

Happy Travels

-L-

The Undiscovered Gem near Burma - Koh Phayam

Koh Phayam is a lovely island near Burma which is perfect spot for complete  relaxation. 

After a month and half of being Thailand and having great days with loads of visitation and meeting great people, it was  time for some quality me time of perfecting the act of doing nothing. This is a very skillful art which we perfected with a friend in Zanzibar. 

Koh Phayam is an island with no cars, limited electricity, no atms or banks. At this island its all about enjoying the clear blue waters, white fine sand, lush forests and perfect sunsets. 

There are very few bars on this island and just as few people. Walks on the beach and seafood is the order of the day. My bamboo cabin was small and cosy and made me feel so removed from reality. 

This was the perfect way to end my Thailand exploration. I practically fell in love with this fine Island. 

Happy Travels

- L -