Siem Reap Archives | Freedom Wall

Backpacking in Asia: Your Ultimate Travel Guide

yAn A.L. — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 13:01:48 +0000

The ultimate backpacking destination has to be Asia. More specifically, South East Asia. There is a wealth of cultural delights to be had within the region. With this, there comes a need for something new. Many backpackers are keen to head to the region to soak up the foreign culture and to experience a completely […]

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15 “Backstabbing” Photos During Our IndoChina Tour

yAn A.L. — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 16:30:00 +0000

Last year, I organized a backpacking tour with my office mates to visit Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. While Aaron and myself were busy with some other stuff, Roderick silently took our photos from behind. All these fifteen photos are courtesy of Roderick Ordoñez. 1. Arrival in Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok) It was Aaron’s first time to […]

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Shutter: The Highway to Angkor Thom

yAn A.L. — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 13:01:55 +0000

While on our way to Angkor Thom. The cold breeze, the warm sun kiss, and the picturesque greenery made a perfect blend. I completely forgot how hard life is when we were navigating this highway.

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7-Day Thailand-Cambodia-Vietnam Tour Itinerary

yAn A.L. — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 21:17:23 +0000

Before we headed to our 7-day Thailand-Cambodia-Vietnam Tour, I made some research as to what are the places to visit, transportation to take, and their corresponding fees. Here is the actual result of that research which includes the commuting guide and itinerary. I provided some links (colored fonts) just in case you wanted to know […]

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Entangled in a Commotion while Commuting from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh

yAn A.L. — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 23:06:06 +0000

After a rush tour around Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Thommanon, and Ta Prohm, we immediately returned to our hotel, packed some of our loose belongings, and then checked out. We waited for our contact to pick us up. In ten minutes, the van came and brought us to the terminal of Rith Mony Transport. We paid US$15 for […]

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The Sprawling Roots of Ta Prohm

yAn A.L. — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 00:05:42 +0000

From Thommanon, our guide drove us to Ta Prohm, our final stop in our Angkor Tour. When Aaron heard that it was the featured location of Angelina Jolie’s 2001 film, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, he surprisingly got excited. Maybe he was already well rested when he refused to climb the Phimeanakas, and he’s also a great […]

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The Devatas of Thommanon Temple

yAn A.L. — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 18:22:27 +0000

After getting dumbfounded in Angkor Wat, we headed to Angkor Thom and explored every temples within the complex. We stumbled in Bayon, ascened to the top of Baphuon, climbed the highest point of Phimeanakas, wondered around the Royal Palace, lingered the stretch of the Elephants Terrace, and roamed in the the channels of Leper King […]

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Shutter: The Victory Gate of Angkor Thom

yAn A.L. — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 16:43:18 +0000

The Victory gate is one of the two east exits of Angkor Thom – the other one is the East Gate which is just 500 meters south. It is nearly 1.3 kilometers away and is exactly opposite of the Terrace of the Elephants of the Royal Palace. The structure of the gate is similar to […]

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The Phimeanakas and the Remains of Angkor Thom Royal Palace

yAn A.L. — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 00:50:12 +0000

The Phimeanakas (or Prasat Phimean Akas) is a Khmer pyramid-like structure, which name translates to celestial temple. It was built in the later part of 10th century and was situated at the heart of Angkor Thom‘s Royal Palace. The royal palace seats in the north of the Baphuon temple. Since the Royal Palace is pretty […]

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The Center of the Elephants Terrace

yAn A.L. — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 23:38:12 +0000

The Elephants Terrace is part of the walled city within Angkor Thom. This 300-meter long terrace serves as the viewing stand for public ceremonies and as base of the king’s grand audience hall. Elephant carvings decorate the southern sections while garuda and lion designs can be found in the central section.

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Baphuon Temple and its Giant Reclining Buddha

yAn A.L. — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 23:07:51 +0000

Immediately after exiting Bayon temple, we moved to the Baphuon temple. It is only few hundreds of meters (350+) away from Bayon, including the 150-meter walkway from the main road. The surrounding of the temple is a swamp, which gets deeper on wet season. That was probably why its builders created an elevated pathway. Pyramid-like Temple Baphuon […]

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The Four-faced Towers of Angkor Thom’s Bayon Temple

yAn A.L. — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 20:56:57 +0000

After witnessing the breathtaking view of Angkor Wat’s sunrise and wondering around its bewildering structure, our guide lead us to Angkor Thom. We entered the Angkor Thom complex via the south gopura (or an arched gate), and what welcomed us were stone figures seemingly pulling a log (a scene in a classical movie wherein the […]

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The Angkor Wat, Bow!

yAn A.L. — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 04:01:04 +0000

I never thought that I would be crossing out one great entry in my bucket list this year. This 12th-century temple was always a dream and then, just this December, I finally laid a hand to the world’s largest religious- and well-preserved monument – the Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat forms part of Angkor, the seat […]

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Things to do in Siem Reap (at Night)

yAn A.L. — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 14:32:57 +0000

It was already late afternoon when we arrived in Siem Reap. We’d been on the road for almost the entire day since we only took a public land transport from Bangkok. After a short rest in Angkor Wonder Hotel, we went out to the entertainment or tourist triangle, an area within Sivatha Road, 2 Thnou […]

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The Unusual Hospitality of Angkor Wonder Hotel

yAn A.L. — Sat, 28 Dec 2013 22:30:32 +0000

I did not ask for peer recommendations when I booked our accommodations for our Indochina tour. The only criteria I had in mind is – as long as I can afford it. We will be spending 7 days in foreign lands, so I have to make sure that we won’t run out of funds. I […]

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Cheapest 9-Hour Commute from Bangkok to Siem Reap

yAn A.L. — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 01:03:23 +0000

We checked out early on our 4th day in Bangkok to catch the 05:55AM train to Aranyaprathet, the closest Thai town to the Cambodian border at Poipet. There are buses that ply directly from Bangkok to Siem Reap but we chose the train because we wanted the tour to be more indulging. We wanted to […]

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Shutter: Angkor Wat Sunrise

yAn A.L. — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 23:11:34 +0000

Angkor Wat is one of the destinations you must see before you die. December 2 this year, I crossed out one of the entries in my bucket list and saw it from the moment it was pitch black until it slowly revealed itself as the sun lit the surroundings. Seeing the world’s largest religious monument […]

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