Cambodia: Floating Villages and Beng Mealea

At the end of October, my parents finally made the long journey to Singapore for a visit.  We were excited to show them around and introduce them to Asian culture as this would be their first time here and their first time even using their passports!  They were only in Singapore for a day before we rushed them off to Siem Reap in Cambodia for a long weekend.

For our first full day, we headed out to Tonle Sap Lake to see explore the floating villages.  Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in southeast Asia and the size changes dramatically depending on the season.  We were there near the end of the rainy season so the lake was near its peak.  The villages we visited are built on stilts so that as the water rises throughout the season, they stay dry.  During the dry season, the lake empties and the houses are standing on dry ground.  At some places we could see huts or tanker trucks that were submerged in the water next to some of the houses and even some houses that weren't built high enough.

We arrived at the pretty early and were surprised to see buses and cars parked all along the road.  Our guide was confused because this was supposed to be one of the non-touristy spots on the lake.  Fortunately, it wasn't tourists but a large group of locals who were boarding several boats to take them out to a temple to make a donation.  They were all dressed in their best attire, playing music, and dancing as they rode down the river.  Such a sight to see!  In all the years our guide has been doing this, she has never witnessed one of these boat parties so we were really lucky.

A little blurry but this was the landscape on the way to the lake.  Our first time seeing water buffalo in the wild.

Our little boat with a LOUD motor 

The party boats

They had some monks with them as well 

Dancing, clapping, and having a good time! 

Into one of the village

Kids playing at the schoolhouse

Some of the local fisherman selling their fish at the edge of town

A short drive from the lake was Beng Mealea which is a 12th century Hindu temple.  This was one of our favorite temples we have ever visited because it is unrestored.  Not many tourists make the trip all the way out to see it so at times it felt like we were the only people there.

The main entrance to Beng Mealea

How could I forget to wear something orange!

Thankful that this area has been cleared of land mines.  This is an ongoing effort around the country.

 Along the roadside there were many stalls selling rice with coconut milk and red beans cooked in bamboo over a fire.  We had to stop and give it a try!

Once we returned to Siem Reap, we visited a spa so that we could all get massages.  We visited one of the more expensive places in town but it was nice and clean.  $21 for an hour massage still seems like a steal!  We had to relax and rest up for the next day which would be all about Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples.

Myanmar: A Day in Yangon

We arrived back in Yangon around noon and had about 24 hours to explore the city before we flew back to Singapore.  Our guide met us at the airport and took us to Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda which is known for it's enormous reclining Buddha.  We didn't think that we would see a reclining Buddha larger than the one we saw in Bangkok but this one was definitely larger.  This Buddha measured in at 52 ft high and 213 ft long.  What made this Buddha so unique, besides being huge, was the very feminine face the artist chose.  It looks like it has on makeup, complete with fake eyelashes.

A little perspective 

Complete with fake eyelashes

 After the Pagoda we headed to the Maha Bandoola Gardens to see the Independence Monument.  The gardens were surrounded by some incredible buildings.  Many of the buildings in Yangon had the somewhat rundown look with plants and vines growing all over them.

High Court Building

City Hall

Walking along the road we had to beware of the barbed wire!

Freedom Monument

 Our next stop was the Kandawgyi Nature Park to walk along the lake.  It was peaceful and quiet which was a nice break from the noisy parts of the city we had been touring earlier.

Walking along the boardwalk around the lake.

Karaweik Palace which is a buffet restaurant that has a Burmese dance for entertainment.

Shwedagon Pagoda as the sun began to set

 With it getting close to sunset, we headed to the Shwedagon Pagoda.  The Burmese are very proud of this pagoda as people from all over the country have donated gold and jewels to it.  The pagoda is plated with real gold and the umbrella at the top is adorned with more than 5,000 diamonds and 2,000 rubies.  The crowning jewel is a 76 carat diamond that changes color when the light hits it just right.

No Pagoda is complete without a Banyan tree

Sporting our sarongs and tourist stickers

As it gets cooler at night, Shwedagon begins to fill up.

The moon is already out 

Monks climbing the pagoda to check for any jewels that may have fallen from the jeweled umbrella.

The monks have made it up as high as they can.

Palmtrees and Pagodas

Shwedagon by night

Tons of people were lighting these oil lamps along the railing 

There were at least a thousand of these set afire at once.

There was a gathering of people following the chants of the monks in front.  Our guide said this was a dedication and the family had sponsored all of the lights.

The next morning we were picked up by our guide and driver and headed to do a market tour and some shopping.  We had a preview of the market the day before but I really wasn't prepared for some of the sights.  It was crowded and we were the only foreigners walking through there.  We were a bit nervous as there had been a bombing at a nearby hotel the night before that badly injured an American women.  They had also found several other bombs around the city so there was no telling when and where the next strike would be.  Derek even had a man stop him and ask if we was American and Derek wisely didn't answer and rushed off to catch up to our guide.  Thankfully, we made it safely through the market almost without incident.  I did almost get whacked with freshly skinned goat.

Fresh betel nuts.  Again, we didn't try these even though they looked interesting. 

Street food

Fresh meat and seafood.  Those chickens were very fresh as we got to see them being killed and plucked further back in the market.

Some of the goats that almost ran me over

Down one of the residential streets.  

Every kind of banana you can imagine

Monks walking through the market to collect alm food.

Fresh meat stall.  They sell every part of the animal including the de-boned head.

So much produce that actually looked really good but we would never be brave enough to buy it and eat it.

We wanted to visit a tea shop so our guide took us to the local's favorite place called Lucky Seven.  All the waiters were young boys who had dropped out of school to support their families.  This place is known for its great, efficient service and we were not disappointed.  We had a few cups of tea and some pastries for a late breakfast.

Derek with our guide and driver.  Notice the boys in blue, they are the waiters.

All the locals enjoying breakfast and tea

With a bit of energy we were ready to go to Scott Market and do some shopping.  We picked up a few decorations but what caught our eye was a few of the workers around the market.

Using a pulley system to hoist the roof tiles 

No idea where he was going but he was over 50ft above our heads walking on this beam with nothing to catch him.

Really hoping he doesn't lean too far back while scraping paint off the windows.

To keep up with our tradition of visiting a Mexican restaurant everywhere we go, we headed to Sai's Tacos for lunch before catching our flight out.  Sai's Tacos was located in this small house down a residential street near the US Embassy.  It had a total of six tables and served up pretty decent Mexican food.

Sai's Tacos.  It's a miracle we even found it.

Overall we enjoyed our trip to Myanmar and are thankful we got the chance to visit.  In our opinion, the only reason to visit Yangon is to see the Shwedagon Pagoda but Bagan is definitely worth the trip!