31st July 2007

We made our way to the airport at 6am for oour flight is at 750am..

woke up pretty early today.. took tuktuk to the airport.. have a clear view of Cambodian lifestyle.. saw many new things.. tried a few new things.. know more things.. what we can say is that it is a enriching trip to Siem Reap.. aside from knowing Cambodia as a "killing field" and famous for the Angkor Wat,what we gained is the knowledge of a friendly city..











we came back singapore with a greatly suntanned outlook.. very heaty...thank goodness for the weather in singapore is so much better.. this trip to Siem Reap is not within our plans.. totally unexpected.. but this definitely brings uplanned surprised for us..I believe things will get better in Siem Reap,life will hopefully be better for people in Cambodia..less landmines with the efforts from Mr Aki Ra and fellows.. and a happier life for the little children over there... bless them:)

30th July 2007

Our itinerary:

1. Cambodian Cultural Village
2. Rest and relax

this is a picture taken with the owner of the guesthouse and his child..


1.Cambodian Cultural Village


is basically like a theme park that recreates Cambodian culture and history to its visitors.. from hill tribes to minatures of Phnom Penh's landmarks..such that even if you never go Phnom Penh..u know what are the main attractions over there..






at the wax museum


with the APSARA dancer

there's this performance on how Khmer wedding is carried out..one of the tourists was asked to be the groom.. pretty interesting..





there are different "villages" in this themepark accompanied with performances..
1.floating village


2.Cham Village


3.Chinese Village


random pics:





4.Surin Village



5.Minatures





6.Archery Place

we had our beginner's luck at this archery place.. and dear hit the bull's eye and won a can of coke..there's a challenge over there.. hit 10 arrows at bullseye..win USD100.. good deal? haha.. not easy man i think.. need accuracy!..if u are good at this.. go try it!






one of the kids i encounter in the theme park..kawaii

following are snapshots of various performances:





after the performance.. we got to see the beautiful sunset.. another memorable experience..





breathtaking aint it?:)

our dinner at the guesthouse

Khmer style omelette


pork steak

29th July 2007

Our stops:

1.Artisans D' Angkor
2.Butterfly Garden Restaurant
3.Tonle Sap Lake(Floating Village)
4.Ecstatic Pizza

breakfast at guesthouse:





us with tuktuk driver

1.Artisans D' Angkor

We took a tuktuk to this workshop that is located near our guesthouse to know more about stone carvings, silk painting.Basically at this place, craftsman work to produce finest silk designs and damous carvings.We too have an opportunity to have a hands on experience in wood carving and me in silk painting.. the guide even invite me to be trained over there with them.. well.. if i do have the time.. i wun mind :)

a)Silk Painting done by the handicapped(deaf and mute)





b)Carving of statues




we actually answered this quiz correctly.. on a question asking about what type of material is used for carving.. the answer is from rubber tree.. our prize??



piang..is like hundreds of kg heavy.. how are we supposed to drag it back to singapore?? i find the elephant really cute esp with the specs.. but to bring it back is a darn challenge.. i wonder if the guide is joking with us on giving us a prize..haha..



us with the guide

2. Butterfly Gardens Restaurant

we had our lunch at this nature restuarant with butterflies flying everywhere.. we saw little kids.. who are paid to catch butterflies for this restaurant.. though they do not how to speak English.. they smile beautifully and are very friendly.. i see how they earn their living.. i see their simple happiness as they catch butterflies.. is hmm.. unspoken feelings...













a wonderful place to have lunch and memories~

3.Tonle Sap Lake..

to reach the port.. we need to take tuktuk through a VERY BUMPY ROAD to it.. piang..is so bumpy that I feel im like flying off at anytime if i dun hold tight... the journey was long too.. but along the way.. i saw scenes which I never saw before.. villages.. poor children.. their way of living.. simple happiness... nature.. a sense of helplessness.. a sense of extreme poverty..







we then took a boat ride through the lake to see how people live in floating villages.. must say is an eye opener








their basketball court


little children rowing boat


father and daughter trying hard to persuade tourists to buy food from them..earning a living..


the scenery


seeking tourists to buy things from them...


us with the boatman and guide



the boatride lasted for 1h30mins.. we were too early for sunset.. along the way as we returned.. we saw something spectacular..



what can we ask for more but to mesmerize in this beautiful sight.. is our 1st time seeing a rainbow in a foreign country.. the view is totally breathtaking.. i will never forget this scene :)



sunlight so strong... piercing thru the clouds

haha..but things aint tat smooth along the way.. the tyre punctured.. and we waitied for ard 30mins before our tuktuk driver comes save us from our stranded situation along the road.. glad we were safe haha


stranded and yet cool haha

4.Ecstatic Pizza

dinner was at this restuarant which serves great pizza... the pizza from there can fight with Pizza Hut man.. totally adored it!




savoring Angkor Beer.. the beer was great.. we liked it!


pizza!

we ended our day in our room.. watching cable tv.. all taiwan dramas and variety shows like Guess... damn shiok.. and also espn channel and football channels for dear.. haha..