I promised the kids months ago I’d take them up to Kulen Mountain and this school holiday was finally the chance. We loaded up two motos and headed off from Siem Reap and spent three wonderful days and two nights up there stopping by Beng Melea on our way back. Camping in a random spot … Read more
No matter how many books or research papers you read, can you truly get an understanding of the real local culture and beliefs that surround this ancient wonderland? It should also be said that much of what’s written looks at the Khmer Empire almost purely through French eyes via an Indian lens upon what became … Read more
List updated with new options for 2022! Where to find a great breakfast in Siem Reap? Keep walking past Pub Street and on to one of these picks below. Here I will introduce places to try Khmer breakfast favourites including Kuy Teav (noodles), Bor Bor (rice porridge), Egg Baguette, and Bay Sach Chrouk Ang (Pork … Read more
Somebody recently asked how many ancient sites are there in Cambodia, to which the simple answer is, thousands. The exact number according to official databases is close to 5000 in Cambodia and that number grows to over 7000 when including parts of the ancient empire that are now present-day Laos and Thailand. That number grows … Read more
Fancy a scenic trail within Angkor that’s rarely explored, has a jungle wandering feel featuring water views along with ruinous and intriguing ancient construction offering up amazingly unique photo opportunities? Read on. Preah Khan, the brother to Ta Prohm, is one of the larger and more interesting sites inside of Angkor Archaeological Park. Located just … Read more
Not many people think of waterfalls when they think of Cambodia but this list may surprise you. Here is a huge list of Cambodia’s natural waterfalls which are spread out across the nation Cambodia is a country blessed with epic natural resources and potential tourism destinations yet much of it is yet to be developed … Read more
While Angkor Wat and the greatest array of ancient Khmer temples are in Siem Reap, there is a surprising number of incredibly interesting ancient wonders within easy reach of Phnom Penh, especially once the Road 5 and Road 4 roadworks are completed. Many of these sites are quite unique in terms of art and architecture, … Read more
The Ancient Royal Road network stretched across the Khmer Empire heading north, east, and west, and amazingly, much of it is still in use today. A fantastic way to explore that ancient trail is via the section that leads from Angkor to Beng Mealea featuring ancient bridges and unique temples along with beautiful countryside and … Read more
Bakong Temple is the stunning pyramid/temple-mountain masterpiece in the ancient city of Hariharalaya (present-day Roluos, Siem Reap) belonging to the 9th century and the state temple of King Indravarman I. The site consists of an outer moat (barely noticeable today) delimiting an area that then features an outer enclosure of laterite, containing a large beautiful … Read more
Here is our big list of buffet restaurants in Siem Reap including hotel buffets, all you can eat BBQ’s, free flow breakfasts and more. Outside of the hotel buffets prices start around $6.50 which is amazing value and the BBQ buffets offering a unique truly local experience. For hotel buffets offering more international cuisine prices … Read more
South East Asia has some spectacular beaches and Cambodia is blessed with many, and many that are still pristine and undeveloped. The beaches all reside along the south-western coast from the border with Thailand at Koh Kong in the north to Kampot on the Vietnam border in the south. The offshore area is also home … Read more
[Updated Oct 2024] Here is our big list of gyms and fitness centres in Siem Reap, ranging from the basic workout gyms at a bargain $1 per visit to $10 per visit for luxury A/C gyms with steam rooms etc. Recently, many new gyms have opened, vastly expanding the options available. Meru Fitness Center Address: … Read more
The ancient Khmer road network that we can still see the remains of today was built during the 11th to 13th centuries CE and connected Angkor (present-day Siem Reap) to the outer reaches of the empire including Vat Phou (present-day Laos) via Beng Mealea and Koh Ker, Phimai (present-day Thailand), Sdok Kok Thom (present-day Thailand), … Read more
If you have followed this website or the Facebook page for any amount of time, then you’ll well understand how much time I spend on archival research. Let me tell you, it’s way more than I should be! It’s hugely addictive which is often fuelled by gems like this. Le mystère d’Angkor is a wonderous … Read more
Night markets, craft markets, street markets, Siem Reap has them all and more and I am going to show where they are, and introduce the local traditional markets for a slice of the Khmer local life. Let’s start with the central markets, which focus have a strong tourist focus but also serve the local community. … Read more
I am sure you know about the “Dinosaur” of Ta Prohm, the apparent ancient carving of a Stegosaurus by people who would have never known that such existed. Or did they? At the end of this article I’ll explain exactly where to find it and what you need to know about the Ta Prohm Dinosaur, … Read more
There is much more to the ancient Khmer Empire than just temples and viharas, for example, there are the building types including libraries, hospital chapels, stele shelters, firehouses, staging places, ashramas, and of course bridges, then, there are all the constructions made of perishable materials which we will never truly know bar attempting to visualize … Read more
Sihanoukville is going through a massive foreign investment-led revitalization that is seeing it transform from a sleepy backpackers beach getaway into becoming a home of casinos, modern hi-rise resorts, and five-star hotels. Global hotel brands such as Novatel, Le Meridien, Marriott, and Wyndham all have new developments underway or near completion. Along with hotels, there … Read more
Battambang city, located about 160km by road to the southwest of Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, is culturally rich and charming, featuring the best food in the country, several important ancient temples, beautiful heritage pagodas, and also French colonial heritage. We’ll focus on the Buddhist pagodas today, introducing a little of their heritage and the … Read more
An oft unexplored part of Siem Reap is the numerous Buddhist Wats, or Pagodas, many of which are quite interesting architecturally, and beautiful, and instil a real sense of peacefulness simply by wandering the grounds. The Khmer word Wat (often synonymous with Pagoda) is equal to the entire grounds including all buildings eg. temple (pagoda), … Read more
Some of the best things are never planned. This started as a trip to Sambor Prei Kuk to get some up-to-date photos and turned into something much longer, starting on Jan 17 and in the end, rolling back into Siem Reap on Feb 10. To be honest, it wasn’t completely unplanned, this journey perhaps has … Read more
Well within the highly visited temple area of Angkor hides a secret trail away from everything, and everyone. This trail leads us around the ancient wall of Angkor Thom featuring amazing views, close-ups with the amazing smiling faces of the Angkor Thom gates, and four hidden temples. Angkor Thom is the large walled ancient city … Read more
Here’s a route, that you can do in whole or part, that is packed with ancient wonder and takes advantage of some of Cambodia’s rapidly improving roads. The whole route, apart from temple detours, follows sealed bitumen roads that are in good condition from Siem Reap to Kralanh to Sisophon to Banteay Chhmar to Samroang … Read more
Siem Reap’s Angkor Archaeological Park, home to Angkor Wat, is a massive area covering some 400 square kilometres, packed with hundreds of spectacular ancient temples, monuments, and infrastructure dating back to the 9th century. The area houses what was once the capital of the great Khmer Empire and the largest pre-industrial city in the world … Read more
Funky name for a tour, looking back on it, I probably should call it the pagoda tour, although Kampong Cham, Tbong Khum and Kratie are where most of the time would be spent, and never far from the spectacular Mekong River. Departing from Siem Reap, this tour didn’t have a grand plan apart from revisiting … Read more
The ultimate luxury experiences in Phnom Penh for 2020, here are the top five hotels. While there are lots of four and some five star hotels in the city, most are so-so. But not these. Here are our five picks for a real luxury escape in Phnom Penh. Rosewood Phnom Penh Address: 66 Preah Monivong … Read more
Known to few, Siem Reap offers some of the world’s truly unique luxury five-star accommodation experiences. What’s more, they are incredible value for what will be a lifelong memory on a journey into ancient Angkor. It’s not hard to find a five-star hotel, but it is hard to find a luxury experience that’s unique in … Read more
It’s that wonderful time of year again when the sun magically rises over the center tower of Angkor Wat! It happens twice a year, in March and September and it’s one of the biggest events on Angkor Wat’s calendar drawing crowds of upwards of 10,000 people. It’s one of the world’s most unique experiences, where … Read more
This trip was another quite random journey, tacked onto the end of a trip to Tnoat Chum for family reasons. Chanthim and I would go on a short trip, exploring for four days from December 15 to 19 2022, doing a loop from Kampong Thom to Preah Khan of Kampong Svay, to Khvav, Kampong Kdei … Read more
This was a short two-day trip and sadly, once again travelling on my own as Chanthim was busy. For this trip, from Jan 19 – 20, I’d do a little loop from Siem Reap out to Khvav and down to Kampong Kdei and back to Siem Reap. Starting from Siem Reap I’d head out my favourite back … Read more