Desire - Years and Years

I discovered about the group: Years and Years when I was listening to an online radio. The catchy lyrics along with a mix of techno and pop caught my attention.

This is one of their songs that I have on my playlist right now. I wish to dedicate this to my crush whom I sent a message to but rarely replies and takes months to do so. I know he is busy while on duty and he has a life on his own and who am I to demand. And as we are worlds apart, so I just wish him well through the miles :)

1 day Historical and Cultural Tour in Phnom Penh

We arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia at around 9 in the evening. After settling down and having dinner, we decided to just sleep immediately to get ready for a long day.

The currency in Cambodia is Riel. We did not have to exchange our USD cash to their money because USD is widely accepted. Armed with a breakfast of pancakes and coffee, here are the places we visited in the country's capital.

1. National Museum

Entrance Fee: 5 USD

We were so lucky that the hotel we chose was very near to the National Museum. We did not have to ride a tuktuk to get to it. This is Cambodia's largest museum of cultural history.

The museum works to provide a source of pride and identity of the Cambodian people. It housed a lot of stone sculptures important to the Buddhism and Hinduism. We were not able to take photos inside the museum as it has a separate fee.

2. Royal Palace

Entrance Fee: 6.25 USD

To serve as a residence of the King of Cambodia, his family and foreign dignitaries, the Royal Palace was built. This also serves as a venue for the performance of court ceremony and as a symbol of the Kingdom.

The Royal Palace is very near to The National Museum. Again, we hiked towards the place. We arrived at around 9am, paid for the entrance fee and proceeded to explore the area.

There was a map given to us on the entrance which was very useful as there were a lot of buildings.

Separated by a walled walkway but still within the compound is the Silver Pagoda. This has been coined because of the solid silver floor tiles that adorn the temple building.

This houses the Emerald Buddha and a collection of priceless Buddhist objects. We were not able to take photos inside as it was prohibited.

A lot of stupas were surrounding this temple. This was one of them.

A replica of the famous Angkor Wat is found in the palace grounds.We figured to have a look at it to know how vast it would be. 

3. Independence Monument

Entrance Fee: 0

This was built in 1958 for Cambodia's independence from France. Located in the center of the city, the lotus - shaped stupa stands majestic. We first saw this monument on the evening of our arrival and the lights surrounding it added to its beauty. This shot was taken by Wincee when we stopped in the park fronting the monument on our way to Wat Phnom.

4.Wat Phnom

Entrance Fee: 1 USD

Set atop a small hill and serving as a central site in the city as religious sanctuary for prayers and offerings since 1973 is the temple called Wat Phnom.

What amazed us when we visited this place is the giant flower clock that provided the exact time of the day. Sources pointed out that the original clock came from France but in 2000 it was replaced by a new version as a gift from China to mark the countries friendship.

5. S21 or Toul Sleng

Entrance Fee: 3

This was formerly a school which was used by the Khmer Rouge from its rise to power in 1975 to its fall in 1979. During the regime, this place became Security Prison - 21 wherein prisoners were kept, shackled, stripped, beaten and interrogated so that they will confess to crimes they were accused to commit.

Photos of the prisoners lined the walls of the first floor of the building. There was even a glassed case containing  all the clothes of the prisoners who did not survive. I was not able to hold my tears thinking that this place was where horrible and inhumane things happened.

The sign at the side says that this is called the gallows: "This pole with cables attached to it  had been used by the students to conduct their exercise. The Khmer rouge utilized this place as interrogation room. The interrogators tied both hands of the prisoners to the back by a rope and lift the prisoners upside down. They did like this until the prisoners lost consciousness. Then they dip the prisoner's head into a jar of smelly, filthy water which they normally use as fertilizer to the crops in the terrace outside. By doing so, the victims quickly regain consciousness and that the interrogators could continue the interrogation."

There were survivors of this terrible times who were able to tell  the world what they have gone through. Their detailed accounts and photos are posted at the rooms on the 3rd floor.

6. Killing Fields

Entrance Fee: 6 USD

This is a fitting continuation of the story of the Khmer Rouge regime's doing.

Corpses of the prisoners were buried in Toul Sleng however when it ran out of space, the regime made an extermination center in Choeung Ek. This is just one of the many killing fields of Cambodia and is 15 kilometers from Phnom Penh.

Armed with a map and an audio player, we visited the site and learned that prisoners were taken here to be killed. This is a tree where babies/ newborns were killed by smashing their heads. They killed even the young ones to stop them from growing and making revenge against what was done to their parents.

Dozens of mass graves are visible in the area. The skulls as well as bones and other belongings of the victims that were dug up are now placed in the Buddhist stupa.

It was a long and tiring yet a very informative day for us. We didn't know much of Phnom Penh before apart from it being in Cambodia. Truly to travel is an enriching experience. Thank you for your time and 'til next blog! :)

One Day Tour at Angkor Wat - part 1

I've always wanted to visit UNESCO world heritage sites. One of them is Angkor Wat, the number one attraction of Cambodia. I can still remember my teacher in Civics and Culture mentioning this to us in class. I never bothered to dream about travel at that time but now travel is my addiction.

Going back to the temples, we showed the guards our entrance IDs again. This time we went with our tour guide, Mr Chenla (sorry, forgot to get the correct spelling of his name). Our hotel was also kind enough to provide us a dozen of bottled water placed in an ice bucket to combat the heat and thirst while going through the temples.

King Suryavarman ordered Angkor Wat's construction in the 12th century to serve as his official temple and royal capital city.This is the straight path towards the towers. But this view only provides at least 3 towers. We were asked to go towards the left side for a different view.

This side from the pond enabled us to see the 5 towers. Our guide suggested this pose which we gamely did. It came out nice. :)

Going towards the entrance of the first building into Angkor Wat was a stone balustrade of a seven headed serpent or "naga". In the Sanskrit, this represents power, water and fertility in many Hindu texts. The Khmers adopted this Hindu Indian myth.

A lot of beautiful carvings were on the walls of the Central Angkor Thom. These were about the stories of their gods such as Vishnu conquering the demons, Churning of the Ocean of Milk and Battles of the Gods and the Demons. Observe that the stones are now shiny because in the past tourists were allowed to touch them. Now, a rope or a wooden barricade is placed to distance the tourists from the walls. 

We were led towards the left (or maybe the north) side of the complex. It was something like a corridor where we saw a groom and bride having their photo shoot. Not to be outdone, we had ours too.

We were led by the guide a bit further outside the gate and asked us to have a jump shot. Another cute idea from him!

There were guards who regulated the entrance to the towers. They did not allow tourists who were wearing shorts, sleeveless tops or mini dresses that didn't reach the knees. I was allowed to come up because I've put on my jacket. I roamed the second floor of the complex. The stairs were very steep. 

Up close with the center tower.

We came back down and was led to a great hall so massive we appeared very small.

Heading out of Angkor, we passed by the South Gate of the Angkor Thom. It is a challenge to wait for the area to be empty of people. I was lucky to have this shot of Wincee.

From here some tourists would opt to ride an elephant towards the Bayon temple.

The Bayon

Next, we headed out to Bayon temple. This is the central temple of the ancient city of Angkor. This was built around 1190 AD as a Buddhist temple but with Hindu elements. 

Bayon is famously known for the huge stone face of Avalokiteshvara. Here is also where tourists are able to have a nose to nose photo of the stone face.

There is an estimated 216 count of the face of the bodhisattva of compassion on the temple.

The temple had a lot of passageways and rooms in it. The place is as crowded as Angkor. We had to get a good timing to take photos without photobombers. This time Wincee took a  photo of me and in a split second after this was taken, people were coming in from different directions.

Some tourists opted to have their photos taken with Apsara costumed women. This had a fee of course.

Baphuon

Just a short walk from Bayon is another temple often times overlooked by tourists. The Baphuon temple was built in the mid 11th century and is a three tiered temple mountain dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva.

Unlike the temples we have visited earlier, Baphuon almost feels like it's a temple all to ourselves.

We had to climb steep stairs again to reach the top. There were no guards this time to regulate the dresses of tourists.

This is where Wincee was able to literally have a "Temple Run" kind of photo.

Me, sitting like a boss. Enjoying my view from the top.

This is the west wall of Baphuon. I really thought there was something about the bricks that at first glance was only piled up. From my readings, I found out that this was actually constructed as the face of a reclining buddha in an abstract form. 

This concludes the first half of our tour. We were dropped off at a nearby restaurant to eat lunch and rest a bit before starting the second part.

Thank you for your time and 'til next blog! :)

7 things to do on a cross-country bus

We headed on to Phnom Penh, Cambodia after our short visit in Vietnam. There are a lot of bus companies and travel agencies scattered in the city that can help tourists with this.

This is also what we did when we traveled from  Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh and from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. These trips are about 6-8 hours each, so while being on the bus here are my suggestions to keep busy.

1. Get Wifi Password from the bus staff

Stay connected while traveling along borders. You can use this to stream music or upload real time photos to update your current status. This was my uploaded photo status on my Facebook account while we were in the bus.

2. Take in the view

I always loved traveling by land and enjoying the view. I was wondering why the houses were on 4 stick poles and always elevated from the ground while the land was very dry.  I knew later on that these areas get flooded really bad and so they built elevated houses. I was not able to take a photo of the houses but this dry and barren land was a long stretch so I was able to take one.

3. Make new friends

The person sitting in front of us was kind enough to answer my question of what fruit he brought when the bus stopped. He was very happy to tell us all about it and on how to eat it.

This is a lotus seed pod.

4. Eat something new

The lotus seed pod is actually a local snack. Our new friend showed us how to open and eat it.
So I tried to eat what the locals do - eat a lotus seed.

5. Have a decent snack/ meal

The bus ticket usually includes a bottle of water. We're lucky this company also provided their clients with snacks. This is the snack box given to me while on board. It is actually a good idea for marketing as well. As far as I can remember, there were 2 kinds of bread inside.

6.  Review the upcoming itinerary.

Wincee and I would regularly check our itinerary so that we can make necessary changes and not forget what to do next. This is essential as we have to make sure to have time for the places we need to visit.

7. During breaks, don't hesitate to stand up and go off the bus even just for a while.

It was around 6 in the afternoon when we stopped by a restaurant to eat. We were still full so we just decided to go out of the bus, walk a little bit and buy some fruits.

These are just a few suggestions while waiting to arrive at the next destination. There are still a lot of things that can be done. Hope ya'll have a safe trip. See you on my next blog! :)

Our stay at Basaya Beach Resort and Hotel, Pattaya

Since we would only stay for a night in Pattaya, we had to make sure we would be satisfied with our accommodation. I sought the help of popular hotel booking sites for places to stay. The first thing I look for in hotels is their proximity to the city center or proximity to bus/ train stations. This would enable me to plan our itinerary well because good transportation saves time and money. Being close to the city center also saves time and gives a good reason to just walk to places making it an exercise too.

The second important thing I'd look for in hotels is their inclusive breakfast buffet. I'm a die hard fan of breakfasts. My favorite feeling is waking up on my hotel bed and not having to think of where to get my first meal of the day. 

The third and most important thing that I look for in hotels is their ratings and reviews. Reading from a lot of reviews about a particular hotel can give an insight on how it feels like to be there as well as know the things to watch out for. Well, these are just my hotel qualifications and I'd like to take my time to choose one. I'd like to say that these were met by Basaya Beach Resort and Hotel in Pattaya.

Our hotel had an on going promotion and instead of paying around 1800THB per night per room, we only paid 1120THB. They offered guests with their nice pool area.

This is the view from our room's window. Our room was on the far right side of the building so there is not much of it. I guess having rooms in the center would have been much better. One thing I'd like to note is that their rooms could use a little bit of fixing up. The hallways need a bit of repainting, too.

What is directly opposite our room was the dining/ restaurant area. I was very happy to have their breakfast buffet that I forgot to take a photo of my plate. They offered sausages, bacon and eggs, cereals, fruits and a salad bar. They also served different kinds of bread and I particularly liked their egg tart which was very soft and yummy.

Another nice thing about this place is that it is only a 5 minute walk to Central Mall Pattaya which was right in front of the beach. This also means that there are a lot of food choices since there is also a number of restaurants and bars along the road.

We did quite a hike from our hotel to Pattaya Walking Street but it was fun to see the place and people at night. The journey took us about 20 minutes. (But I took this photo on our way back.)

Upon reaching the famous Walking Street, we had to enter these pillars.

Walking Street Pattaya is famous for having all kinds of entertainment. There were restaurants, disco bars and cabaret shows and more.

Here are awesome things we saw:

A very busy walkway with a lot of neon lights from establishments luring tourists and customers.

A car on the wall.

An Ice Bar we didn't enter.

And a catchy statement on one of the bars.

We didn't go into any of the bars as we were already tired from the whole day walking. We just decided to head back to our hotel to look for a massage parlor. We ended up the night by having an oil massage from one of the establishments near our hotel.

Thank you for your time. 'Til next blog! :)