The Angkor Wat alternative: exploring Cambodia’s forgotten ruins

I did a double take at the temple’s empty guestbook as it was handed to me from the small, wooden ticket booth. Nope, no visitors yesterday. And just two the day before that: one German, one Thai.

What a difference a two-hour drive can make. I had spent the previous day at one of the world’s greatest tourist sites, Cambodia travel destinations  the largest religious temple in the world, Angkor Wat. There, I’d had to use my guide’s local intel to get the best views before the crowds descended. And yet here we were on day two, just 160km up the road, with another temple all to ourselves.

I had taken a detour to the 12th-century Banteay Chhmar, which was also built during the reign of the almighty Khmer king Jayavarman VII. It is believed to have been a tribute to the Buddhist ruler’s son, who died in battle, but historians can’t be sure. It remains one of the most mysterious of all the Angkorian temples.

Tourism in Cambodia is focused on a few hotspots – those grand Angkor temples. When the country reopened its borders in the 1990s, after years of civil conflict, it welcomed just 100,000 visitors a year; by 2016, that figure had ballooned to five million, and it is forecast to rise again this year. Although barely 2,000 of those visit Banteay Chhmar, numbers were boosted slightly by the paving of the main road from Sisophon and Siem Reap in 2015.

 Banteay Chhmar, Cambodia. Banteay Chhmar was reconstructed, tour to dubai from cambodia  where possible, and reopened in 2014.

 Banteay Chhmar was reconstructed, where possible, and reopened in 2014.
Banteay Chhmar temple was neglected for years: it was looted to near-devastation, its towers had almost entirely collapsed, and it was strewn with landmines during the civil war in the 1970s and 80s. But eventually the mines were cleared, and a team of archaeologists reconstructed what they could from the wreckage, and reopened the site in 2014.

Trees sprout on top of gallery walls and creepers hang between one tumbledown gateway to the next

Today, trees sprout on top of gallery walls, lichen dapples beheaded sculptures, and creepers hang between one tumbledown gateway to the next. One of the towers has been painstakingly rebuilt, and from its top, a giant stone face looks down with a gentle, almost paternal, smile.

I booked into one of the homestays (£5.50 a night) offered by Banteay Chhmar Community-Based Tourism (CBT). Come nightfall, the CBT arranged dinner in the temple grounds, surrounded by flaming torches, their resin made from local gum trees. To a throbbing chorus of cicadas, we ate soup made from channa striata, commonly known as snake fish. The CBT’s torch-lit dinner is available as part of a two-day package for $98 per person …

However, a private dinner at Angkor can cost tens of thousands of dollars, my guide, Bunt, told me. “I heard of one family from Germany who spent $125,000 on a meal. And they still woke up hungry the next day!”
==> Read more: https://cambodiatours.com/cambodia-tours/mekong-cruises/pandaw-phnom-penh-and-siem-reap.html

 A simple homestay bedroom near the temple

My homestay, just across the road from the temple, was a stilted wooden house, with hammocks in its underbelly and an open stove in the corner. Upstairs, along a wide-open mezzanine lined with heavy wood furniture, I found a simple but comfortable bedroom, draped in mosquito nets and with a rumbling electric fan in the corner.

As incense wafted through the air, it was hard to believe the turbulent history of this serene temple

My hosts, Som and Saveoun, live there with their two-year-old, and have two children at university in the capital, Phnom Penh.
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Fatale attraction: a cocktail created for Jackie Kennedy in Phnom Penh

If Natalie Portman wins best actress at the Oscars for her portrayal of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, there’s a bar in cambodia visa  that will know how to celebrate.

The former first lady visited Cambodia in 1967 and had an honorary cocktail created for her at the capital’s Hotel Le Royal, now owned by Raffles hotels.

Called the femme fatale, it is still on the hotel’s menu as the signature drink in the Elephant Bar. As elegant as you’d expect, it’s a mix of crème de fraise des bois, cognac and champagne, topped with a tropical flower.

When Raffles bought and fully renovated the premises in 1997, they claim to have found the glass she drank from, complete with red-lipstick stain. Poetic licence? Perhaps. But there is no doubt this hotel is filled with history. It has welcomed a whole host of big names, including Charlie Chaplin and W Somerset Maugham, who name-checked the cocktail in his 1920s short story The Letter.

 The hotel’s Elephant Bar

Ngiam Tong Boon, the bartender at the original Raffles Hotel in Cambodia ,  is credited with creating the million-dollar cocktail (a mix of gin, sweet and dry vermouth, pineapple juice, egg white and bitters). But he remains best known for his other creation: the Singapore Sling. Raffles is certainly good at making cocktails, and even better at marketing them.

The Phnom Penh hotel’s other, more sobering, claim to fame is as a residence for reporters during the Vietnam war and the Khmer Rouge era. The Washington Post’s Elizabeth Becker, one of few westerners to have met dictator Pol Pot, stayed at the hotel and calls it a “historic treasure”. “During the war it was our fortress,” she told the Phnom Penh Post. She lived on the top floor, with a fan and cold water, for around $100 a month.

It’s rather pricier today, although the amenities are more luxurious. If in town, you can sample the high-life with a femme fatale  – even if Emma Stone wins for La La Land.
==> Read more:
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Cambodia revives train service between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville

Saturday morning and Phnom Penh’s French-built station is buzzing as excited groups board the inaugural passenger train tour to cambodia from dubai capital to the coastal town of Sihanoukville. After 14 years, regular rail services between the two cities restarted in May – offering a safer option than road for travellers aiming for some beach time.

“This should be much more fun than the bus,” says 30-year-old Ouk Sivonshe. “No crazy driving!”

Twenty minutes after we’ve left the city, the views from the large windows are of bucolic scenes synonymous with the lower Mekong region – water buffalo ploughing fields, palm trees and, in rainy season at least, green rice fields as far as one can see.

The service, which currently runs from Friday to Sunday – plus extra dates for national holidays – uses two refurbished trains, holding around 200 passengers each. The 266km journey to and from the coast takes 6½ hours, but this will be cut by two hours later this year – matching the bus journey time, and at almost half the price of some bus tickets. Passengers’ motorbikes, cambodia tour from Ho Chi Minh  and even cars, can be transported on the train at an additional cost.
For now, the train stops at two stations between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville: Takeo, two hours south of the capital, and home to some little-visited Angkor temple ruins; and Kampot, another two hours on.

On the edge of Bokor national park, Kampot is a peaceful coastal town, famous for its pepper and salt farms. It is undergoing something of a revival, with a handful of new guesthouses and restaurants forcing older places to up their game. Kool Kampot is a new hostel with a riverside location (its address is simply: Riverside), and Portuguese seafood restaurant Tertúlia (Tuek Chhu Road) is already proving popular. Tiny Cafe Espresso, known for its coffees and brunches, has just started brewing its own cider and ginger beer – worth the pilgrimage.
Nearby Kep, once the playground of Cambodia’s elite, has largely recovered from the ravages of the Khmer Rouge era, and some of the renovated villas are opening as guesthouses. Walks in Kep national park, home to macaque monkeys, build up an appetite for dinner at Kep’s famous crab market.

Those following the line to the end at Sihanoukville, fly to cambodia from thailand  named after the former King Sihanouk, can stay to enjoy the lively port city, or jump on a boat to the islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem – the latter light on modern amenities and with miles of near-empty golden sand.

With train travel in neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam featuring on many visitors’ itineraries, Cambodia’s gentle resumption of passenger services is bound to be popular. The restoration of a second line, linking Phnom Penh with the northern border city of Poipet – from where twice-daily trains run to Bangkok – is due to finish in February 2017, and prime minister Hun Sen is proposing a new line to Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat. The newfound enthusiasm for railways in the kingdom looks set to continue.
==> Read more: cambodia visa cost

Pope told by army chief: there is 'no religious discrimination' in Myanmar

Myanmar tours powerful army chief has told Pope Francis there is “no religious discrimination” in the country during talks at the start of the pontiff’s delicate visit to the majority-Buddhist nation that has been accused of “ethnic cleansing” against its Muslim Rohingya people.

Thousands of Catholics welcomed Pope Francis to the country’s capital, Naypyidaw, where he arrived for a three-day visit to Myanmar on Monday. The trip – fraught with sensitivity and trepidation over how he will deal with the plight of the Muslim Rohingya – could be the trickiest yet of his papacy.

The army chief told the pope that “Myanmar has no religious discrimination at all. Likewise our military too ... performs for the peace and stability of the country”, according to a Facebook post published by the general’s office a few hours after the meeting. There is also “no discrimination between ethnic groups in Myanmar”, he added.

The Vatican said the meeting with General Min Aung Hlaing and three officials from Myanmar’s bureau of special operations took place on Monday evening at the residence of the Myanmar travel archbishop and lasted about 15 minutes.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke didn’t provide details of the private meeting other than to say that “they spoke of the great responsibility of the authorities of the country in this moment of transition”.

Min Aung Hlaing is in charge of military operations in Rakhine state, where security forces have launched a scorched earth campaign against Rohingya Muslims that has forced more than 620,000 to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh in what the UN said is a campaign of “ethnic cleansing”.

Francis’s meeting with the commander had been scheduled for Wednesday morning, but was moved up to just a few hours after he landed in Naypyidaw. He is scheduled to meet the country’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in the coming days.

After touching down on Monday afternoon, cambodia visa for indians  the pope was greeted by a large crowd at the airport, many waving yellow and white Vatican flags and dressed in T-shirts bearing the slogan of the trip, “Love and Peace”. As he drove past, they screamed and chanted “We love Papa”.

But the head of the Catholic church faces a difficult diplomatic balancing act on his first papal visit to Myanmar.

12 Amazing Things To Do With 3 Days in Siem Reap, Cambodia!

So you've got 3 days in Siem Reap and you want to hit the highlights. What should you do? Where should you eat? Where should you stay? This is a carefully curated guide (created with the invaluable help of my friend Lara Dunston who lives in Siem Reap and writes for Grantourismo) gives you the best suggestions for your stay in Siem Reap! Truthfully you won't be able to do all of these things which is why I actually suggest staying for longer but you can definitely put together a fun and full guide using these suggestions.

Cambodia tours  is a fascinating country. Less well known and visited that its bigger neighbours Thailand and Vietnam, it is usually known for two things: the killing fields and temples. But there is so much more to this country and Siem Reap, the third largest city in Cambodia. From overcoming a tragic and recent history it surprises at every turn.

You are literally watching a country rebuild itself slowly but surely, the resilience of the population in which estimates say a quarter to a third of the entire population was killed by the Khmer Rouge is inspiring and full of wonderful moments.

1. Visit A Market

Siem Reap has several markets and which one you visit tends to be based upon how "local" you want the market to be. From tour to dubai from cambodia  the really local markets where there are few tourists where you can browse unbothered, to the trinket laden ones, there is a market in Siem Reap for every taste (including one that does a fabulously good num pang, the Cambodian version of a banh mi).

Phsar Cha or Old Market

Food markets can be confronting for anyone that doesn't like seeing where their meat comes from. The most easily accessible market is Old Market or Phsar Cha in downtown Siem Reap and is perhaps the best market if you are slightly squeamish. This is a market for the wealthier Cambodians to shop and there is a centre section with fresh produce. There is also an area for ready to food like noodle soups and snacks that change throughout the day. There are things like skinned frogs and things like that on display but there is a surprising lack of aroma to this market.

==> Read more:
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The Temple Where Angkor and the Jungle Collide

Better known as the Tomb Raider Temple since its starring role in the Hollywood movie of the same name, Ta Prohm has at least as much star quality as Angelina Jolie. Cloaked cambodia travel  in dappled shadow and locked in the embrace of the vast root systems that are still reclaiming it for the jungle, the temple is arguably the most atmospheric ruin at Angkor Archaeological Park. Construction on Ta Prohm began in 1186 C.E.; it was built in honor of the mother of King Jayavarman VII. Modern-day visitors are not permitted to climb onto the crumbling galleries of its 39 towers due to safety concerns. Nevertheless, picking a route around the various structures, close courtyards, and narrow corridors sprouting with lichen, moss, and creeping plants is one of the most enthralling experiences at Angkor.

Ta Prohm Temple at Angkor
I arranged for a 5:00 a.m. ride with a tuk tuk driver and skipped the sunrise at Angkor Wat in hopes of being the first to arrive at Ta Prohm that morning. Built in 1186 A.D., its original name, Rajavihara, means royal temple. The disheveled blocks, tour in cambodia  the jungle, the mist, the quiet and an absence of distraction contributed to incidental meditation. There's a surreal beauty where nature overtakes architecture, something sensual about nature's and time's touch. I came to Ta Prohm to be close to something ancient, to feel the power of nature, to steal a moment of beauty.

Angkor Artisans offers people the chance to tour through workshops and watch artisans create beautiful soapstone or wood sculptures some taking up to a week to create. The fair trade project was designed to give artists the opportunity to hone their craft and in some cases learn them while living in their village.

There are no shortage of temples in Siem Reap and it is one of the major draws for tourists. If you are a temple trekker you will be in heaven. We visited three temples during our stay: Adventure Tours in Siem Reap  Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is best accessed at sunrise so pick up is at 4:45am (and aim to return around midday for lunch and a rest, temple trekking is more tiring than one might think). Many of the hotels are accustomed to guests leaving early to visit temples and provide food and or takeaway breakfasts. The Shinta Mani Club gives a generously portioned 5 stack tiffin for guests provided you order it the day before.

Continue reading about trips to cambodia from dubai

10 amazing things you can buy in Cambodia [Part 3]

Cambodia travel destination is just not a shopping center in Asia, however, it doesn’t mean that you are unable to buy handmade traditional items in Cambodia.

9. Kampot pepper

Kampot Pepper takes its name from the province of Kampot, in the south-west Cambodia, some 140 kilometres from the capital of Phnom Penh. The pepper growing area of Kampot covers six districts located in the province of Kampot and that of Kep (which was recently separated from Kampot).

Bordered by the sea, the Kampot pepper growing area has an exceptional climate as regards exposure to the sun, sea breezes, the quality of the land and rainfall during the rainy season. Cambodia’s pepper or Kampot Pepper has been renowned as one of the best peppers in the world. It is exceptional in enthralling aroma, strong, delicate and aromatic.

Pepper and its piperine extract have many virtues. Over and above its gastronomic and flavour qualities, the use of pepper in cooking not only enhances the taste of dishes but also helps to reduce the use of salt, whose consumption is strongly discouraged by cardiologists.
You can take a tour to visit pepper farm to see how Cambodian grow such a best kind of pepper and then buy some fresh peppercorns right in their stems. For those who do not have a chance to visit pepper farm in your Cambodia trips, you can also buy dried pepper and other typical ingredients as souvenirs in the local markets or shopping centers.

==> Next: cambodia tour from dubai

10. Palm sugar

Cambodia is studded with palm sugar trees – the country’s national tree – and, if you’re lucky, you can catch some of the men and women who climb their skinny trunks to reach the fruit at its towering tip. The men climb to the top of the trees, cut into the stem that holds the fruit and then they tie a bamboo container under the cut and leave it overnight to collect the sap.

Palm sugar comes from the sap of the sugar palm fruit. Families use an ancient tradition method by pouring the sap into large pans and cooking it until thick. It is then taken off the heat and kneaded with wooden sticks until it is solid. The price is slightly higher than the normal sugar or imported sugar. Nevertheless, the quality of palm sugar is worth than the normal one.

Living for up to a century, the canopy can span three metres, with the tree reaching heights of 30 metres. The palm sugar tastes akin to brown cane sugar, with more caramel notes. It is used in cooking and as a traditional medicine, and is another local product that has secured GI status. Moreover, as it is stored properly, it makes foreign visitors ease for taking it with them to their houses. Buying a kind of food for your love one, it shows your carefulness, love, and respect.
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10 amazing things you can buy in Cambodia [Part 2]

Cambodia travel destination is just not a shopping center in Asia, however, it doesn’t mean that you are unable to buy handmade traditional items in Cambodia.
In this article, we will give you a list of items to buy in Cambodia so that you are not to worry to think about planning your Cambodia package tour and bring some amazing things to come back home.

6. Rice paper printed

This product is known as a popular souvenir in Cambodia. This souvenir is made by putting a rice paper on a shape derive from a bas-relief carving from temples of Angkor, then lighted rubbed over with soft charcoal. Rice paper printed will look more attractive when being framed. When framed and suitably illuminated, they can look superb. This decorative, meaningful and affordable souvenir is totally worth the traveler ’s money and undeniably must be in the Cambodia souvenir’s list.


7. Natural hand-made body products

Cambodia tend to use lots of natural ingredient to create scented products like candles and soaps. These are totally natural made and have unique smells and ingredients like Kampot pepper or Khmer curry. A wide range of things for you to consider that the air in your home fills with Cambodia senses even you haven’t been there.

Senteurs d’Ankor in Siem Reap committed that once tourists walk into their store they will be struck by an explosion of the natural senses. Moreover, the store also use package made from environment friendly material like sugar palm tree which is a recyclable and quickly renewable resource

8. Basket weaving

These items made of baskets are not something new for travelers, but you will be surprised that they are at a reasonable price, it’s cheaper than the handmade products sold in other countries. The dexterity of the local people is beautifully reflected in products of all kinds, including baskets, bowls, plates, and many other useful items. These items are very durable and could be a good memorial item of the Cambodia trip in your house.

You can easily find them on the streets and in different local markets. These baskets come in different sizes and shapes and can be used as containers and as decorative pieces. A variation of the usual baskets exists in the form of woven purses that come in many different colors. These come in various sizes too and make good statement pieces if you love unique items.

10 amazing things you can buy in Cambodia [Part 1]

Cambodia travel destination is just not a shopping center in Asia, however, it doesn’t mean that you are unable to buy handmade traditional items in Cambodia.

In this article, we will give you a list of items to buy in Cambodia so that you are not to worry to think about planning your Cambodia package tour and bring some amazing things to come back home.

1. Cambodian silk scarf

Silk is one of the most famous souvenir products of Cambodian. Cambodia silk was once renowned throughout the world for its purity and soft feel. This keeps being handmade by Khmer’s traditional weaving method. There are a lot of products made by silk including scarf, cloth, dress, purse,... in vivid colors.

Silk is great to bring home some “colors of Cambodia” and also light and easy to pack in your suitcase. Koh Dach is a small island 15km from Phnom Penh, a destination famous for handmade Cambodian silk. The price per product is quite reasonable about US$3. There would be a discount if you buy many of them.

2. Textiles

Cambodia is home to a unique collection of textiles, including cotton and other divine hand-woven items. The art of batik fabrics which people use special dyes method to pain colorful detail and fabric are considered as one of the most popular styles of Cambodian textiles.

Many of these can be found in markets across the country, as well as a rising number of boutiques. Tourists can find handwoven textiles in many villages in rural area of Cambodia where batiks is much more one-of-a kind. You can also find for yourself a colorful textile in the Institute for Khmer traditional textile situated in Siem Reap.

3. Cambodian krama

The krama is the typical and ubiquitous locally worn chequered scarf. Uniquely Khmer; inexpensive, and immensely practical. Krama in Khmer language means scarf, this is a product of solely Khmer people. The sole Khmer headwear brings you a hundred ways of using: head tie, head wrap, belt, baby carrier or just simply a scarf around your neck.

The checked fabric traditionally comes in red and white but many modern designs incorporate a rainbow of colours. This traditional Cambodian garment can be easily found and is of high quality. You may buy some at Siem Reap, the Angkor Night Market, as well as the Old Market (Psas Chas)

4. Silverware

In Cambodia, items made by silvers have started to be widely used in religious etiquette since 11th century. The normal working material is an alloy containing 70-80% of pure silver, and prices are based on a combination of weight and artistry, which puts bargaining skills to a good test. However, its unique designs based on Khmer patterns make silver jewellery tours in Cambodia stunning and truly representative of the country’s spirit.

With Cambodia's tourism industry expanding, numerous silver shops have sprung up in Phnom Penh, selling carved decorative and practical items. Others stores are in village center such as Tul Mau, nearly 30km north of the city. Night market Siem Reap is the easiest place to buy silver in Cambodia. Silvers also have the advantage of light weight and small shape, easy for packing.

5. Sculpture reproductions

Cambodia has incredible reproductions and copies technique at very reasonable prices. The local craftsmen will use the mined stone that also used to construct the ancient temple to produce sculptures. With skillful hands these sculpture reproductions are even tricked some experts.

These carvings are made only either of wood or stone (somehow gemstone) in a form of the head of Javaraman VII, head of Buddha, or Apsara in greeting manner. They are delicate copies of small statues, Buddha figures, heads and Apsaras, which are the best things conveying Khmer spirit the most. Moreover, the price of wood and stone carvings depend on definitely upon the sizes, color, type of original material, and its perfection.

==> Next: Luxury Cambodia tours

is cambodia safe for travellers?

That last story probably captures my view on Cambodia. If you follow my blog regularly you’ll know that I spent about a month in the country earlier in the year. thailand and cambodia tour  I found the people to be hospitable and friendly, although many will try and make an extra buck or two from a foreigner. I found it easy enough to get between the towns and cities, assuming you don’t need too much legroom. And I found vibrancy in the chaos, rather than vulnerability. I never even came close to any danger.

is cambodia safe for travellers?

But there is a dark side just beneath the surface and it’s up to you, as a traveller, whether you dig down and find it. More than twenty per cent of the population lives below the poverty line (US$0.93 a day) and with deprivation comes desperation and with desperation comes deviance.

is cambodia safe for travellers?

When I first went to Cambodia six or seven years ago, there were very few tourists. These days, the country has been invaded by the rich inexperienced travellers and the young party-seeking backpackers. Both are easy targets for criminals because these foreigners don’t pay attention to their surroundings and they put themselves in compromising situations. I believe these easy opportunities are fuelling any increase in crime that exists.

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is cambodia safe for travellers?

The majority of Cambodians is not going to try to take advantage of you. The majority will want to help you enjoy your time in the country, of which the locals are so proud. The key to safety is to be sensible and not treat the streets of Phnom Penh or the beaches of Sihanoukville like they’re your local neighbourhoods.

Is cambodia safe for travellers?

Don’t walk late at night through the streets of the capital. Don’t catch the tuk tuk with the driver who has been sitting outside the bar watching how much you drink all night. Don’t go to the beach parties alone and accept drinks from strangers. It’s sad that there are reports of women being drugged at bars in Sihanoukville but this can only happen if you let your guard down.

Is cambodia safe for travellers?

Siem Reap Discovery 

I decided to write this story after a few people contacted me to ask whether it was safe to go to Cambodia. I wanted the point of this story to be that I found the country to be extremely safe and never encountered anything untoward. But I also can’t ignore the firsthand (and secondhand) stories of other travellers who I respect. I would never tell anyone not to go but I would also warn everyone to be more wary than in, perhaps, Thailand or Malaysia. Cambodia is a beautiful country and it does not deserve to have a reputation as a dangerous destination.

For more information, please visit https://cambodiatours.com/

Is cambodia safe for travellers?

Roadside robberies, druggings, extortion and blackmail. They’re the kind of things to put any wary traveller off a destination but they’re also the things you’re more likely to expect from South or Central America than Asia. But day tours from Siem Reap  recently I’ve been hearing reports of an increase in crime in one of my favourite countries – Cambodia – and it’s got me worried.

I’m not worried for travellers, though. To be frank, I take these reports with a grain of salt. But I do worry about the reputation of such a friendly and open country which is finally getting a huge economic boost from a much-needed surge in tourism.

In just the past week, I’ve heard frightening stories from two fellow travel bloggers on the road together, Kate McCulley of Adventurous Kate and Mario Cacciottolo of Someone Once Told Me.

“Within a few days of being here, we’ve been warned repeatedly in Phnom Penh about thieves on bikes snatching bags from tuk tuks,” Mario wrote on his Facebook page. “Shortly afterwards my friend was attacked by five guys on bikes while in a tuk tuk, but he fought them off.”

I wrote to Kate to ask her about what she’s experiencing there at the moment. She’s told me that she’s been to Cambodia before and loved it but feels like it’s changed. The constant warnings about the bag snatchings, being a perfect example.

==> angkor wat vacation packages 

“Before this trip, I had Cambodia in my top 5 favourite countries, indisputably. And while the people are still some of the warmest, friendliest and kindest people you’ll meet anywhere, it’s not the same place it was a few years ago.”

is cambodia safe for travellers?

Kate was extorted by a man who demanded money to return her phone which fell out of a tuk tuk. Mario’s friend was robbed by a gang of small children who threw bottles at him. And then there are plenty of tales of danger.

“In PP (Phnom Penh) I heard a story of a Westerner who did drugs with guys in a rough part of town, then unsurprisingly they robbed him,” Mario wrote. “When he finally got a tuk tuk back to his hotel, the driver blackmailed him, saying he knew the guy was in a part of town where drugs were found and that he’d tell the police if he didn’t pay the driver off. Obviously this chap’s behaviour was pretty stupid all round, but the driver saw an opportunity to take advantage of him, and used it.”

For more information, please visit https://cambodiatours.com/

fly to cambodia from thailand- Tranquil temple at centre of a storm-

The view from the top of Preah Vihear temple is well worth the steamy, uphill trek to get there.
Stone steps and paths lead visitors through a series of ancient entranceways to the carved sanctuary high in the Dangrek mountain range.

Look one way and a Thai flag flies on a distant rocky outcrop. Fly to cambodia from thailand Turn the other way and the cliffs fall sharply down to the blue-green Cambodian jungle below.
At the top, the only sound is of cicadas and dragonflies. Lower down, in a market with a frontier feel to it, vendors sell gems and rare animal parts.
Things were good these days, one vendor said. The temple was open and visitors were coming. "The war is over," he smiled.
But the temple has not always been so accessible, or so peaceful.
Bullet holes scar one stone wall, while to the side of another stands a rusting artillery gun. Further down, both Cambodian and Thai guards maintain a low-key presence.

These are reminders that bitter battles have dominated Preah Vihear's recent history - and that one of them is still being fought today.
Court ruling
Preah Vihear was built mainly in the 11th and 12th centuries when the Khmer empire was at its height, its construction ordered by the kings that commissioned the temples of Angkor.
According to Sanskrit inscriptions, it was called Sri Sikharisvara, meaning Glorious Lord of the Mountain - a dedication to the Hindu god Shiva.

It sits on a mountain-top promontory, facing  north towards Thailand. The main access comes from the Thai side, because of the sheer cliffs behind it.
Cambodian ownership of the temple was first formally established in boundary settlements between its colonial ruler, France, and Siam, as Thailand was then known, a century ago.
A joint commission in 1904 set the border between the two countries atop the Dangrek mountain range - but its subsequent map, in 1907, put Preah Vihear in Cambodia.
In 1954, shortly after Cambodia achieved independence, Thai forces occupied the temple. In response, Cambodia took its case to the international courts.
Thai authorities argued that as the border was supposed to follow the watershed line of the mountains, the temple was theirs. They had not challenged the map, they said, because their access to the site gave them de facto control over it.
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But the court ruled against Thailand and in 1962, the Thai troops withdrew.
More trouble was in store for Preah Vihear as conflict engulfed Cambodia.
With its hill-top location, it was the last place to fall to the Khmer Rouge in 1975. Four years later, when a Vietnamese invasion swept the Maoist regime from power, it was one of the strongholds to which the Khmer Rouge retreated.
Years of fighting followed. Government forces managed to reopen the temple briefly in 1992, but Khmer Rouge guerrillas soon seized it back. Scores of fighters holed up in reinforced bunkers and held the complex for six more years.
But the Khmer Rouge was on its last legs, its leaders dead or defected.
In December 1998 the commander of the last group of fighters met negotiators at the temple to agree a historic surrender - one that ended three long decades of civil war.
-- For more information, please visit https://cambodiatours.com/

==> Source: BBC

Is anyone trying to sort out the dispute?- cambodia tour from thailand

In February 2011 Cambodia took the case to the UN Security Council, which then referred it to regional bloc Asean. Indonesia, as then-president of Asean, led mediation efforts. Both sides said they would allow access to Asean monitors.
However, trips to cambodia from dubai Asean could do nothing to prevent further fighting flaring up again in April and talks between the leaders of the two countries failed to break the deadlock.
In April, Cambodia returned to the ICJ and requested it clarify its 1962 ruling. In July, the ICJ designated a demilitarised zone around the temple and ordered troops from both countries to leave the area.

Hearings at the ICJ began in April 2013. The court is set to rule on 11 November 2013.
Why is the temple so important?
The Hindu temple was built mainly in the 11th and 12th centuries, by the same Khmer civilisation that built Angkor Wat. The Khmers dominated the region for five centuries. As Cambodia has a tragic recent history of genocide and civil war, politicians often look to the glorious distant past to inspire nationalist sentiment.
And Cambodian nationalists often use Thailand as a bogeyman to stoke nationalist fervour - charting a litany of wrongs such as the successive Thai invasions that helped destroy the once mighty Khmer empires and rendered the country defenceless against French colonial conquest in the 19th Century.
Thailand also took advantage of the chaos during World War II to occupy large chunks of western Cambodia, including the temples at Angkor Wat. It was forced to hand them back when the war ended.
The Thai military often treated flight to cambodia from thailand  refugees who fled the civil wars of the 1970s and 80s harshly - and Thailand backed the remnants of the Khmer Rouge in their struggle against the Vietnamese occupation, so helping prolong the civil war.
On the Thai side, the Khmer civilisation profoundly influenced Thai culture, and there are many famous Khmer-style temples in Thailand. In recent years, a powerful nationalist lobby allied to the military has helped drive a more muscular foreign policy agenda in Thailand.
The temple is also only one of several areas where the two countries disagree on where the border is. The maritime border is the subject of a dispute - and one which affects the development of oil and gas reserves in the Gulf of Thailand. The two sides had reached agreement on joint development, but the deal was then scrapped by the administration of former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

== For more information, please visit https://cambodiatours.com/ or https://cambodiatours.com/cambodia-tours.html

= Source: BBC

Thailand-Cambodia temple dispute

A row over territory around the 11th Century border temple of Preah Vihear continues to strain ties between Thailand and Cambodia. The BBC looks at the background to the dispute.

Who owns the temple?

The Hindu temple was awarded to cambodia tour from thailand  by a 1962 ruling at the International Court of Justice, which both countries accepted at the time. Thailand does not officially claim ownership of the temple - the dispute is over the area surrounding it. Thailand says the ICJ ruling did not rule on the border, only on the temple itself.

The geography of the area makes sovereignty a particularly complicated issue. The temple is perched on top of a cliff, hundreds of feet above the Cambodian jungle. It has direct transport links to Thai towns and cities, and tourists can visit the temple from Thailand without the need for visas.
In fact, until 2003 access from Cambodian territory was possible only via a gruelling hike through jungle and mountains. In 2003 a road opened connecting a Cambodian town to the temple.
How long has the dispute been running?
The temple has been at the centre of a border dispute for more than a century. Maps drawn by Cambodia's French colonial rulers and Thailand (or Siam, as it was then known) early in the 20th Century showed the temple as belonging to Cambodia, flight to cambodia from dubai  but in later decades Thailand said the maps were not official and were therefore invalid.
The ICJ granted the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but the decision rankled Thailand. The dispute was largely moribund for decades as Cambodia plunged into a civil conflict that lingered until the 1990s.
The issue escalated again when Cambodia applied for it be listed as a Unesco World Heritage site in 2008. Thailand wanted it to be a joint Thai-Cambodia listing, but eventually withdrew its objection. The decision enraged Thai nationalists and both sides began a build-up of troops in the area.
In April 2009, soldiers exchanged fire across the disputed border. More serious trouble flared in February 2011, when at least eight people were killed in several days of fighting. The violence moved westwards to another set of temples in April, before shifting back to Preah Vihear, as widespread clashes forced tens of thousands to flee.
=Source: BBC
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Siem Reap Tour Packages

Phnum Kulen Waterfall & Amazing Sunrise Phnum Bakheng Siem Reap
Cambodia is rated among the top tourist destinations in the world and you can make a visit to this place special with Siem Reap Tour Packages.

In terms of accommodations in Cambodia we are a one stop solution for your needs. We will provide you with a tailor made Siem Reap holiday that epitomizes commitment along with excitement at an optimal level.
Direct booking for Angkor vacation , a Siem Reap holiday where the biggest and prominent religious wonders in Cambodia are some of the focal points on offer. All around the world tourists have a great time when they are in our company. The finest of properties are provided where the tourists feel that it is an experience to cherish. Siem Reap Vacation Rentals in the bracket of $60.00 to $300.00 range are provided, for tourists who would like to explore the length along with the breadth of the country and this relates to religious wonders. When you tie up with us, vacations are a replica of luxury along with comfort at an unprecedented level.

It promises to be a vacation home from home, as the services on offer are one of its kind in terms of hospitality which our peers may find it hard to match.
Packages on offer
Sunrise tour- spread over half a day. You can choose any one from Bayon, Angkor wat or Ta Prohm temple. The services include, pick up and drop in at your residence, an English speaking guide and cold water along with towels. The services do not include temple pass and you would need to be ready at 4:30 am to avail the service

======> Cambodia luxury tour
Tour of Kulen Mountain Waterfall- it positions itself at a distance of 50 km from the Siem Reap town, it is a religious temple in Cambodia for Hindus and Buddhists. The attractions are reclining Buddha, Holy waterfall, tropical forest along with river of one thousand linga. In terms of services, transportation pick up along with drop in at residence is provided , temple pass and English speak guide is included in the package It does not include lunch and to avail this service you need to be ready at 8:00 am in the morning.
Floating village?—?a half a day tour. A trip to floating village is a welcome break from temple hopping and gives you an insight into floating market along with local fishing village. Services includes entrance fees, transportation pick up and drop in at your residence along with the presence of an English speaking guide.

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- tours in siem reap cambodia 
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What To Look For In Siem Reap Vacation Home

When hotels and restaurants no longer enthuse the traveler or it could be that a longer stay than normal is planned for a particular place; it is best to turn to a Siem Reap Vacation Home than anything else. There is no quite matching the air of a home stay no matter how far away from the city or town centers most of them happen to be located at.
There are a few points that need to be paid heed to at all times when using the home stays. They can be condensed to a few points as laid out below.

Self-cooking: Food is often considered a luxury when traveling options are considered and a trip to Siem Reap is no different. It does present a good feature to any visit to particularly a place of historic importance that the visitors get to eat on the food that is in common use at the country of their origin. At times there could be people in the traveling group that need special dietary consideration and with infirm travelers this is a distinct possibility. Vacation Rental is always noted for the feature of self-cooking that it affords the user.
==> Tour from siem reap to phnom penh
Bookings: Most hotels/guesthouses and places of such nature can be reserved in advance. The facility to affect an online booking only adds to the attraction of a particular place and can at time turn out to be more economical. It does help to use a vacation home that would offer something similar if not the same in service. Thus the convenience part would not be missed out no matter the choice made.
Homely feelings: The homely feeling that most home stays provide simply cannot matched by the large corporate hotel chains and this is something most vacation home use to the maximum possible extent. Thus it is possible to interact with people from a different country and culture in the use of a home stay better.

Personal touch: With most home stays, they do provide a personal touch that most corporate bodies lack in service. This can be traced to the need to be uniform in offering when it comes to a hotel than a vacation home where a more intimate touch is stressed at all times.
Taking family: There are a number of people that rely on home stays to travel with families and even with the household pet in tow. The home stay would be ideal for such outings. The personalized natures of home stays ensure that the most insignificant member of the group is look after with equal attention as any other member. Thus it brings a level of attention that is never possible with staying at hotels and such facilities.
==> Adventure Tours in Siem Reap
It is best to rely on references when a choice of a proper home stay has to be made in Cambodia or any other location. It pays to pay particular attention to good experiences that people have had with home stays that would ordinarily speak volumes of the hospitable nature of the hosts. There is never much point to stress economy in service as a home stay is meant to work out cheaper than most hotel accommodation.

===>>> Source: https://cambodiatours.com/cambodia-tours.html

Bring a boxset and cosy up - angkor wat vacation packages

Hygge was one of 2016's more joyous trends. Heaven knows we need a good dose of it, even while we may not entirely understand it.  angkor wat vacation packages The Danish concept - pronounced 'hoo-gah'- is the culture of cosiness and that lovely warm feeling you get from a hug, say, or holing up somewhere serene and devastatingly stylish, and preferably candlelit.

VivaMayr Altaussee, Austria
There are a few clinics across Austria offering the famed Mayr cure, but this is the newest and it caused a well-deserved stir when it opened. The setting is tonic itself for any urbanite: a snow-capped-mountain backdrop, an icy lake in front, and the crispest, sweetest, metabolism-quickening, stress-relieving air to breathe. Which is fortunate, as there isn't much to eat. The detox is hardcore but it can be game-changing, rebooting the exhausted, resetting the unbalanced, re-educating the wayward. Bring a boxset and cosy up in winter in between hay poultices and cheek-rosying Nordic walks, or bring your swimsuit for a brisk invigorating dip in summer.

Here's a new year's resolution you'll be happy to keep: go somewhere you've never been before - and for 2017, make it Cambodia. Go to Angkor Wat, one of the world's eternally great wonders which far exceeds all the hype - then head for the coast. Cambodia's southern coast is gearing up to be the hottest beach destination in South-East Asia for travellers looking for something a bit different. It is dotted with hundreds of tiny islands, perfect tropical idylls with white-sand beaches lapped by clear turquoise seas. The people are the sweetest. And there's barely a soul around.

Film-set-unreal Hampi is devastatingly romantic. In the wilderness of Karnataka in South India, it is an ancient ruined city, a UNESCO site of 550 monuments and temples, and one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places in the world:  cambodia trip package serene and surreal, with its intricately carved temples, empty and crumbling among giant red-gold boulders and banana trees.

Not a lot is known about the early history of the area until the rise of the Angkor Empire, also known as the Khmer Empire. It extended over much of Southeast Asia, claiming the region now known as present-day Cambodia in the 6th century. The Empire peaked between the 10th and 13th centuries and then fell into a decline after the 13th century when it endured attacks by its neighbors. By the 15th century Angkor was almost completely abandoned and the once mighty city and temples were covered by the surrounding forest.

This city is, of course, home to the Royal Palace in its full golden glory. When you’re here, make sure not to give the Silver Pagoda a miss, which can be found in the complex of the Royal Palace itself.
HEALING HOLIDAYS can arrange a 7-night SHA Recovery Programme from £5995 per person. Price includes flights, SHA VIP Transfers, fly to cambodia from  accommodation in a Deluxe Mountain View Suite with full board meals and inclusive medical spa programme.

Angkor Wat Cambodia- Cambodia tours

You have several options here: take more time to explore Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, or make some time to flop down on the white beaches of Sihanoukville as well. This is entirely up to the traveller, though, so think carefully of what you want to do!

If you’re looking for authentic Khmer Angkor Wat Cambodia  souvenirs, pop by Artisans d’Angkor – or take a stroll around the Old Market (Psar Chas), which is home to a range of fresh foods and houseware items. Hungry peeps can also make their way to the centre of the market, where you can inhale their Cambodian soups or go on a limb and try out their spiced frogs.

Phnom Penh is a marvel in its own right, but personally, there isn’t as much to see here as compared to SIem Reap. I’d say to give it 2 days — maybe even 3 if you’re really down to take your time.

Catch your breath away from the dusty roads of Phnom Penh at Sisowath Quay if you’re feeling a little tired. Or, if your engine’s still running, make a pit stop at the Independence Monument. Visit this place at night for the best pictures as the entire monument lights up in spectacular fashion.

Sorry, did you say you’re looking for something a little quieter? No problem. Set your beach mats down on Otres Beach, or hop over to Koh Rong Samloen for a quiet, back-to-nature kind of getaway. You should also take the opportunity to experience a little snorkelling and scuba diving here!

Ayurveda Parkschlösschen, Germany
You don't have to go all the way to India Tour to Cambodia from  or wear a hair shirt to get the real-deal Ayurvedic experience. Here in the Rhineland there's a surprisingly high-luxe hotel with an authentic proposal: cure-all programmes and therapies based on the ancient principles of Ayurvedic medical healing. It's a fully holistic offering, from the dosha-based food and traditional diagnostic methods (including tongue, eye and pulse examinations) to the synchronous massages and liver cleansing. There is even the option of a 10-day panchakarma, which takes detoxing to the extreme.

The sunbleached Golden State has not shone this brightly since the revolutionary 1960s. In Trump's America, California is a safe haven for New Bohemians, flocking here for the sunshine and sustainable way of life. Within California, rootsy migrations are riffling across the state, a kind of deurbanisation as hipster-hippies from the cities move into the hinterlands of desert and wine country, putting down roots, making dreamcatchers and mucking out chickens. The otherworldly Joshua Tree National Park is a promised land for musicians, a creative community where the beat goes on long after neighbouring Coachella is over. 'These tiny towns in the high desert are this generation's Big Sur,' says LA musician Brian Smirke, who has created two cool boho hideaways in Joshua Tree. 'It's full of like-minded artists and adventurers who have a common appreciation for the beauty of the desert.' Across the way, Palm Springs is buzzing again like it's 1959.

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