​At 6:00 am on the morning of our last day in South East Asia, we arrived at our final port of call, Singapore.  The Singapore Cruise Centre is located in the downtown area at Maritime Square and right next to Harbourfront Centre.  Our disembarkation process was very smooth and quick. We walked off the ship and crossed over into Harbourfront Centre where we found lockers to store our luggage.  Since our flight home was scheduled for 11:00pm, we had the whole day to explore this wonderful city.  Kim had arranged a private walking tour with a local guide and we were to meet her at a subway stop in downtown Singapore.  After leaving our luggage in the storage area, we took an escalator down to the Harbourfront MRT (subway) Station, and after a quick 10 minute ride on the quietest, cleanest subway I have ever seen, we emerged into a small square just off a busy street where we met our guide.

​Our walking tour was going to take us through the heart of Singapore with an opportunity to experience the diversity of this multi-racial, multi-cultural city.  To give us a bit of perspective on where we would be going, our guide took us into the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) Singapore City Gallery which is home to 3 very detailed scale-models of the city-state of Singapore.  These massive models show virtually every building, park, roadway and waterway of the entire area along with the projected developments that will continue to expand the city’s modern and environmental footprint.  It was a great visual that you don’t normally get when you arrive at a new place and just start walking around.

Today’s tour would take us through Little India, Chinatown and the Arab Quarter, all reachable on foot and Mass Rapid Transit (MRT).  What is different about Singapore from other cosmopolitan cities is that although there are identifiable ethnic districts, they are primarily set up for business.  Residents of the city are integrated based on the relative population of the country.  The demographics of Singapore’s nearly 6 million people comprise of approximately 75% Chinese, 15% Malays, 7% Indian and 3% other.  The residential communities consist of the same proportion of ethnic groups as part of Singapore’s integration policy.  This has led to a high degree of ethnic and religious tolerance throughout the country. 
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We began our walk through the district of Little India, with our first stop at a Hindu Temple.  For most of our trip in South East Asia we had visited countless Buddhist temples that were adorned in deep red fabrics laced with heavy gold trimmings and gold script.  This Hindu temple, equally ornate and elaborate as its Buddhist cousins, presented a lighter and cheerier atmosphere filled with pastel blues, pinks and yellows. 

​After passing through the temple, we continued to the Indian market filled with bright, multi-coloured fabrics of ruby red, emerald green, and sky blue.  Poignant spices and burning incense permeated the air as we made our way through the various stalls. 

​The next stop on our tour was a visit to Chinatown.  While this area was very reminiscent of the markets that we had visited in Hong Kong with many Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) shops, dried vegetable and fresh fish markets, there were a few peculiarities that we had not come across before.  One of the TCM’s that we visited specialized in Chinese Bird’s Nest soup.  This is a concoction made from the nest of swiftlets, a small South East Asian bird that lives in caves near the sea.  The extraction of the nests is quite a process and very labour intensive.  The nest itself is made from the bird’s saliva that has become dry and hard.  The nests (bird saliva!) are boiled and dissolved into a broth.  It is used primarily to aid digestion, strengthen the immune system and to increase libido, all for a mere $5,000 USD per pound of nest!

​As we continued our journey through Chinatown, our guide pointed out the street sign at one of the intersections.  It read “Street of the Dead”.  She explained that in earlier times, Singapore’s poor Chinese immigrants lived in very tight quarters.  When they became severely ill, they were moved to “death houses” that were attached to funeral homes because it was considered unlucky to die at home.  These death houses lined both sides of Sage Lane, referred to as Street of the Dead, in Chinatown.  The practice of sending the ill to death houses was banned in 1961.

​One of the markets that we visited was the Chinese Wet Market.  This is a very large, fish and food market situated under the ground floor of a shopping mall.  The market has rows and rows of raw fish of every description along with fresh vegetables.

​One of the markets that we visited was the Chinese Wet Market.  This is a very large, fish and food market situated under the ground floor of a shopping mall.  The market has rows and rows of raw fish of every description.  Around the perimeter of the market are hawker’s stalls selling every kind of Chinese food dish.  One particular hawker stall was much busier than all of the others with a queue that extended several hundred feet through the market.  This is a daily occurrence at this particular stall with patrons often waiting in line for their specialty of chicken & rice for more than an hour.  In 2016 this food vendor was awarded a Michelin Star, the only such designation ever to be given to a hawker stall.

​Our last stop in Chinatown was at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum.  This is a multi-story complex that was built to house a tooth relic of Buddha that was found in a collapsed Buddhist shrine in Myanmar.  The tooth relic is enclosed in a glass case which sits on a pedestal that is roped off from all sides. 

​After finishing our trek through Chinatown, we descended into the subway and a few minutes later emerged onto a busy street just outside the downtown core.  This area was quite different from the downtown district with its modern architecture and high rises.  The Arab Quarter features 2-story 19th century houses that have been converted into shops with streets that are filled with Arabian textiles, colourful rugs and fragrant tea and coffee houses.  Restaurants lined each side of a pedestrian street, many featuring blue and white mosaic tiled walls and tables that were reminiscent of our trip to Morocco a few years ago.

​The central feature of the Arab Quarter is the Masjid Sultan Mosque which stands guard over the area and is considered the national mosque of Singapore.  The large white building is capped by a golden orb that is visible from nearly everywhere in the district.

​The next stop on our tour took us back to the downtown area where we exited the subway near the massive and impressive 2500 room Marina Bay Sands Hotel Resort.  This is a signature structure at Singapore’s city centre.  It consists of three 55 storey towers that are topped by a Skypark that spans all three towers and resembles a large ship that has set on top of the hotel.  The Skypark actually houses an infinity pool that is the world’s longest elevated swimming pool which seems to spill out over the city’s skyline.

​We walked around the Marina Bay Sands to the Waterfront Promenade where our tour guide purchased tickets for us to tour Marina Bay by boat.  We boarded the tour boat and as we left the dock, we began to glide gently and noiselessly around the bay.  Singapore is the embodiment of modern city eco-culture.  The bay that we were boating on is a reclaimed marsh which serves, not only as a water-taxi route around the downtown area, but is also the main fresh water reservoir for the city.  The tour boats that whisk around the marina are all battery operated creating a transportation method through the downtown that is virtually pollution free. 

​After our 45 minute ride around the bay and the surrounding canals, we disembarked and proceeded through the Marina Bay Sands to the adjacent Gardens by the Bay.  Gardens by the Bay is an ecological marvel that features 3 major attractions - the Flower Dome (the largest glass greenhouse in the world), the Cloud Forest Dome (a mountain rainforest), and the Supertree Grove (giant tree-like structures that mimic the function of trees and sustain the park).  We spent quite a bit of time admiring the myriad gardens from around the world in the Flower Dome and we walked inside and through Cloud Mountain in the Cloud Forest Dome.  Gardens by the Bay is by far the most impressive technological wonder that I have experienced in any urban area I have visited.

​After leaving the Gardens, we decided to get a birds-eye view of the city by taking a ride on the famous Singapore Flyer.  The Flyer is situated just off Marina Bay and while it was once the world’s tallest ferris wheel, it was surpassed in 2014 by the High Roller in Las Vegas.  We purchased our tickets and made our way up several ramps where we were escorted to one of the 28 air-conditioned capsules that rim the giant wheel.  Each capsule has a capacity for 28 passengers, but because it wasn’t busy, we were allocated a capsule to ourselves. 

​The ride takes just over half an hour to make a full revolution, and that gave us plenty of time to take in the surrounding area.  We were able to make out many of the places that we had visited throughout the day - along with a few we hadn’t, including a great view of the Formula One racetrack that sits just next to the Flyer.  The view from the highest point of the ride was spectacular and enhanced my appreciation for this beautiful and eco-friendly city. 

​We left the ride and took the MRT to Clarke Quay on the opposite side of Marina Bay.  We had passed this area by boat earlier in the day and had been told that it was a great spot to eat.  There were dozens of waterfront restaurants that surrounded the canals and we chose one that had a patio near an MRT stop so that we could eat and get back to the Harbourfront Centre to pick up our luggage and head to the airport.

​We had been in Singapore for just over 15 hours by the time we grabbed our luggage and hailed a cab to the airport.  The day had gone by far too quickly and I have added Singapore to my list of all time favourite cities, one I definitely want to revisit.

Our final day onboard the Azamara Journey was a sea day.  The day was pretty quiet, spent relaxing by the pool, a jewelry making session, packing and then a lovely dinner in the dining room followed by an interesting North Pole Christmas presentation lead by the cruise director, Eric.

Since our last day was uneventful, I thought I would share images of the Azamara Journey so you could see in detail where we spent our last 13 days floating on the China Sea.

Azamara Club Cruises has only two ships in it's fleet.  For this trip we sailed on the Azamara Journey.  Both this ship and her sister ship the Azamara Quest, underwent an extensive dry dock in 2016.  We were impressed with the entire ship.  The cabins, the public spaces, the dining rooms were all tastefully decorated and each area was clean, spacious and the furniture was very comfortable.  One of our favourite touches were the cushions on the lounges chairs.  They were thick and plush and very cosy!  And since we were sailing just prior to the Christmas season we were thrilled to see many Christmas decoration and touches all around the ship.  It made our holidays very festive.  We can't say enough about this ship and it's finishings, decor and overall appearance.  Top notch!

Following 3 very active port days in Bangkok (including a 20-hour land excursion to Cambodia) we were excited about spending a relaxing day on one of the beautiful beaches of Ko Samui, an island just off the coast of Thailand.  Prior to our trip we had gawked at countless Ko Samui photos of pristine white sandy beaches separating the turquoise sea from the velvety green palm trees on the shore.  All of these photos featured bright sunny days against a canvas of blue sky.  Alas, as I opened the blackout curtain on the morning of our 12thth day expecting sunlight to flood into our stateroom, I was instead met with a wall of stone-grey mist and rain that filled my entire field of vision.  What a disappointment!
We turned on the room’s television and flipped to the daily weather report.  The forecast was for heavy rains for the entire day.  We contemplated going ashore anyway and browsing through the village shops that were within easy walking distance of the pier.  However, we were moored offshore which would have meant tendering in and the thought of trudging through puddles in sopping wet clothes quickly changed our minds.  Instead we decided to stay on board and stay dry. 

Quite a few people who had pre-purchased excursions had left the ship so it was a fairly quiet day compared to sea days when everyone is aboard.  We took advantage of the quietude and spent most of the day reading and putting together the notes from our last few days.  From time to time I walked around the covered area of the pool deck to try and get glimpses of Ko Samui’s Big Buddha, who stands atop the dragon steps of the Way Phra Yai temple.  This golden statue measures 40 feet tall and is usually visible from several miles away.  Unfortunately, the thick pea-soup skies blurred out much of the island from the ship’s vantage point.  We were able to see a navy frigate which had recently arrived and moored just a few hundred yards away between our ship and the shore. 

There were several onboard activities that we could have participated in, but laziness got in the way.  Today’s activities included a Destination Lecture titled “The Battle of Singapore - February 1942: An Impregnable Fortress that Crumbled”, afternoon trivia - “Visual Trivia - Car Manufacturers”.

We did participate in the past guest reception that was hosted by the Onboard booking representative since we have status from our Royal Caribbean affiliation.  It was a very nice event with fancy drinks and speeches by the Captain and other senior staff.  They also honoured a couple who had sailed with Azamara some 30+ times.

​As much as we were disappointed by the weather and the impact it had on our initial plans for the day, we both felt we had needed a day to just unwind and do nothing.  While we were approaching the end of our cruise we still had a busy day in Singapore to look forward to.

​One of the many great things about Azamara is their itineraries including overnights in several ports.  Having two overnights in Bangkok allowed us to see the city, do our trip to Siem Reap and also see some of the sights that were a little out of Bangkok.
 
We met Ms Lek at 7:00am for our second private tour with her.  Today we were first visiting the Maeklong Railway Market.  We drove approximately 30 minutes outside of Bangkok and our driver dropped us off at a convenient location for us to walk through the inside market.  We were informed the market was originally located only inside but as demand grew for additional vendors, the stands started to move outside and sprung up around the train tracks.
 
Our initial walk through the inside market was fascinating.  This market had fruit and vegetables, meat, seafood, snack items, etc.  It was really quite large.  We stopped at a few stalls to look at some of the specialities of the area – including the vibrant pink eggs otherwise known as Century eggs.   This is a delicacy of preserving duck, chicken or quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime and rice hulls for several weeks to several months.  The yolk becomes dark grey and the white becomes a dark brown jelly.  Ms Lek suggested we try one.  Once you got past the very different colour, the egg didn’t actually taste much different than a boiled egg – just a little more salty than usual.  While I was open to trying it, I don’t think it would be something I would want to have a second time.

​Once we made it to a small café on the edge of the train tracks, Ms Lek ordered us cold Thai coffee and fresh coconut water.  We also had yummy rice pancakes while we waited patiently for the arrival of the train.
 
Many tourists visit the market specifically to see the train come down the tracks where vendors have their items laid out.  As the train blows it’s warning horn, the awnings are closed and some items are pushed back, however many of the fruits and vegetables are strategically placed so that the train will move right over them without touching anything.  It is quite a sight to see. People are also riding the train and hanging out the windows to enjoy the view from up top.  This process is repeated six times each day.

​Once the train had passed through, we walked the length of the tracks through the market until arriving at the station.  The myriad of foods was amazing.  From run of the mill veggies to exotic fruits to live fish and grilled frogs – this market had it all. The smells, sounds and sights cause your senses to work overtime.  So glad we were able to experience it.

​On the way to our next location we made a stop at a Traditional Thai house where we learned about the making of palm sugar.  It is similar in method to making maple syrup with a double boiling process.  We toured the house and learned about typical life in Thailand, their customs plus an in depth talk about the monarchy and the important role the King has within a Thai family.

​Once back in the mini bus, we drove a little further to the Damnoen Floating Market.  This was like no other market any of us had ever seen.  There was a narrow channel between two buildings where boats navigated back and forth selling their wares. Tourists board the boats and while a brave person paddles them down the crowded river, you are able to look at souvenir items set out along the edges and purchase drinks and food from the vendors on their boats.  It is crazy crowded and it seems like boats will crash into each other every few minutes but somehow they slowly creep along until you reach the end where it opens up.  The boat vendors here were focussed more on supplying snack items such as plates of fruit or meat kebabs or cans of beer.  While the people along the edges had a very large variety of items for sale including clothing, knick knacks, hats, bags, etc.  Our ride was truly amazing.

​Leaving the congestion of the main river, our captain paddled us to the floating village through the lovely canals that surround the area.  Many people live on the water in stilt houses and have intricate shrines, temples and gardens on their small pieces of property.  We also passed by a mango plantation and watched as lizards swam through the water and skittered up onto the banks of the river.  I certainly wouldn’t want to swim in this water even though we saw many people doing just that.

​Our boat ride was soothing after the chaos of the market and we thoroughly enjoyed the slower pace.  We also noticed that the locals don’t tend to enter that market but utilize some independent women who would take orders and then paddle it over to the person’s house.  Kind of like Grocery Gateway on the water!

​On our walk back to the bus, Ms Lek purchased rice waffles and mangosteen for us to snack on in the car.  Both were very tasty.
 
We arrived back at the ship around 1:30pm after an incredible morning of sightseeing and proceeded to Windows Café for a tasty lunch from the grill. 
 
Our afternoon was spent lounging at the pool although it was extremely hot and humid.
 
We enjoyed a dinner of steak and prime rib.  Both were cooked perfectly.
 

​After dinner we watched the entertainment of the cruise director Eric singing his rendition of Phantom of the Opera and the main headliner was Ashley Curruthers who is a highly accomplished piano player.
 
After a very busy day, we spent the balance of the evening sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine while we sailed along the coast of Thailand. 

Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 1 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 2 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 3 & Onboard Azamara Day 1 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 2 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 3 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 4 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 5 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 6 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 7 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 8 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 9 - click here
​Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 10 - click here

​One of our most anticipated excursions on this South Asian Cruise was a visit to Angkor Wat, the UNESCO World Heritage temples at Siem Reap.  Friends of ours had visited the temples the year before, and had insisted it was a “must see” if we were ever to find ourselves in Indo-China.  Siem Reap is in the north east of Cambodia and nowhere near the sea or a port.  Azamara offered an overnight excursion from Bangkok to Siem Reap which was scheduled to leave at 2:30 pm (just 2 hours after our ship was scheduled to arrive in Bangkok) with a return the next evening at 6:00 pm.  The excursion included a flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap, dinner and lodging at a 5-star hotel in Siem Reap, visiting the temples the next morning followed by lunch and a flight back to Bangkok. 
    
While this journey would have allowed us to visit the ancient temples we so desperately wanted to see, we could not justify the $1,800 cost per person for an overnight excursion.  Leaving the ship at 2:30 pm on our arrival day also meant that we would miss the Azamazing Evening (see Day 10 post) that is a special part of each Azamara Cruise.  Rather than skip the temples altogether, we looked for other possible options. 

After some vigilant research, Kim was able to find a private tour company that could provide us virtually the same itinerary as offered on the Azamara excursion, but at a fraction of the cost.  The only caveat was that instead of a relatively quick flight to Siem Reap, we would be trekking from Bangkok to Siem Reap by car - a trip of approximately 400 kilometres.  We were more than willing to sacrifice the dinner and lodging at the 5-star hotel in Siem Reap given the superb quality of the food and accommodation that we were enjoying on the Azamara Journey.  Since the actual temple visit would be the same, we opted for the private excursion.  Not only did we save a considerable amount of money, but we had an opportunity to see parts of Cambodia that we would have missed had we flown directly to Siem Reap.

Our journey to Angkor Wat began with a wakeup call at 2:15 am!  We had barely slept for 3 hours after our Azamazing Evening and here we were, heading off on a trip across one country and into another.  We walked through the eerily quiet ship to the gangway and descended the steel steps to the deserted pier.  We crossed over to the main gate and our awaiting van.  It was quite surreal as we climbed through the open doorway into the rear of the vehicle.  It was the middle of the night and we were heading from one foreign country that we had just arrived in, to another foreign country with a driver that we had never met before.  Once that thought had dissipated, the comfort of the van’s deep leather seats and the low hum of the engine as we slipped out of the port towards the main road to Cambodia slowly lulled me to sleep.  Kim was stretched out across the 3rd row seats (she had brought her pillow from the ship).

We only stopped once on the 4-hour trip to the Cambodian border so the driver could fill up the van with gas.  We arrived at the border just as the sun was rising.  Our driver pulled into a small parking lot amid a cluster of shops on the Thai side.  As the van came to a stop, the front passenger door opened and a young man jumped into the seat beside the driver.  He greeted us with a big smile and introduced himself as Mr. Sok.  He spoke English rather easily and his cheery personality was as bright and colourful as his purple shirt. He explained what we needed to do to cross over into Cambodia.  We would be driving another minute or so to the actual border crossing where Kim and I would get an exit visa from the Thai border patrol.  We would then walk across the border into Cambodia and he would meet us on the other side where he would facilitate our Cambodian Visa purchase.  

Our driver brought us to the government building at the border crossing.  We exited the van and took all our belongings as the Thai driver was not permitted to go into Cambodia.  We would be meeting another driver who would take us to Siem Reap once we crossed over and obtained our Cambodian entry visa.  Mr Sok directed us to the entrance of the Customs building and we ascended the stairs and watched him pass beneath us under the archway into Cambodia.  We would meet him on the other side.
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The customs area was surprisingly crowded at 7:00 in the morning.  Despite the large numbers of people in the customs area, it was strangely quiet.  It took us about 15 minutes to mill our way through customs and obtain our exit visas.  We needed these to get back into Thailand after our trip to Cambodia.  As we left the building on the Cambodian side we descended the steps into an archway that funneled us into the border town of Poipet - and utter chaos. 

Hundreds of people and dozens of scooters were zigging and zagging through the narrow intersection that terminated at the border.  We pushed our way to the street corner and looked around anxiously for Mr. Sok.  He had told us he would be waiting on the other side, but wasn’t specific about the location.  Searching for him in the ever-moving crowd was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.  A group of young men on parked scooters by the corner had been watching us for several minutes and noting our anxiety, shouted to us and pointed to the building across the street.  It was obvious to them that we must have been lost tourists in distress.   The building they were pointing to had several flags hanging from the entrance with a painted sign in English that read “Visa”. 
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We assumed that Mr. Sok must have meant for us to meet him there so we crossed the busy street to the building.  We entered the building and walked into a small square room that had a couple of hightop tables in the middle and a cashier style window on the far wall.  Aside from a young couple who were standing at the window and being attended to by a government official, the room was empty.  After waiting another 10 minutes or so, our anxiety level was becoming alarmingly high.  We decided to start the visa process ourselves in the hopes that Mr. Sok would arrive shortly.  As Kim was filling out the forms at one of the hightop tables, I stood outside the building hoping to spot Mr. Sok.  Just as Kim was completing the visa transaction, I saw Mr. Sok jauntily walking towards the building smiling and greeting locals as he approached. 

With the visa application done, we now needed to go through Cambodian customs in another building a few hundred yards up the street.  Mr. Sok escorted us to the building and we entered another square room, this time with about a dozen other people waiting to be processed.  Mr. Sok warned us that Cambodian officials were corrupt and that we may be asked for money before being allowed to enter.  He advised us to tell them that we had already purchased our visas and that we were not going to pay any more money.  We went through the process with no issues and were not asked to provide further payment. 

As we were leaving the customs booth and walking back to the busy street where Mr. Sok was waiting for us, we were startled by a long, sharp whistle that lasted about 15 seconds.  As the whistle ended, every car, scooter and pedestrian came to a complete standstill.  The cacophony of noise resonating up and down the street suddenly stopped.  At the same time, music began blaring from speakers hanging from telephone poles on either side of the street.  All the pedestrians were standing at attention.  Car occupants and scooter riders sat perfectly still.  Everyone began singing in unison.  This lasted for about one minute and then the music stopped, followed by another long, sharp whistle.    As the whistle blew, the chaos from a few minutes before resumed as if the interlude had never happened.  We would learn later that this ritual occurs countrywide, twice a day, at 7:00 am and 5:00 pm. 

We walked with Mr. Sok to the next street corner where there was a small plaza lined with parked cars.  He led us to a Toyota Camry and introduced us to our new driver who would take us to Siem Reap which was just over two hours away.  He explained that he would meet us here on our return at the end of the day to help us cross back into Thailand.  We bade him goodbye and settled into the back seat of the air-conditioned vehicle.  Like our driver from Bangkok, our Cambodian driver spoke very little English, but was extremely polite and welcomed us to Cambodia.

It took about 15 minutes to drive through Poi Pet on the main road to Siem Reap.  The stretch was a bit seedy with tiny shops lining each side of the road.  A narrow sidewalk separates the shops from the street and there was a steady stream of scooters and pedestrians.  At one point, we passed a massive tent set up on the sidewalk that was lavishly decorated.  Our driver indicated that this was for a wedding. 

The drive to Siem Reap was quite uneventful.  The road, which is mostly tree lined, is relatively straight and was in fairly good condition.  We passed a few scattered villages on the way.  The countryside was mostly flat with large, open fields and a smattering of forested areas.  As we approached Siem Reap, the road morphed into a boulevard lined with shady trees.  Tin shacks made way to larger bungalows, then to old French houses, many of them converted to shops, then to sprawling hotel resorts with manicured hedges and gated entrances.  This was a sharp contrast to the relative poverty we had observed in Poipet.

It was approaching 10:00 am when we turned into one of the very grand resorts and parked near the hotel entrance.  Our driver made a call and in a couple of minutes we were greeted by our guide who would take us through the temples.  We were at the hotel long enough to have a quick bathroom break and then we resumed our ride for another 10 minutes to the Angkor Archeological Park to pick up our tickets.  Our driver parked in front of a large open-sided building where we would have a quick breakfast before entering our first temple. 

Angkor consists of multiple temples, basins, dykes, reservoirs and canals covering an area of over 400 square kilometres.  We would be visiting three temples: Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Angkor Thom.  These temples, along with several others, were the centre of the Khmer Kingdom from the 9th to the 14th  century. 
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We began our tour at the west gate of Angkor Wat.  This temple dates back to the 12th century and is the largest religious monument in the world covering an area of 400 acres.  A lilied pond serves as a natural welcome mat when approaching the temple from the west.  The temple was originally built for the Hindu god Vishnu, but in the latter part of the 12th century converted to a Buddhist temple.  The temple consists of 3 rectangular galleries inside a 3 kilometre wall.  The 3 galleries are stepped from smallest to tallest with a series of 5 towers in the centre arranged to form a cross when viewed from the top.  It took us approximately 2 hours to walk through the temple and to take in the detailed architecture including bas reliefs and myriad Hindu deity etched into the walls. 

​We ended our tour of Angkor Wat at the East Gate with the sun nearing its apex.  The East Gate exits to a pathway lined on either side with tall, shady trees.  Our car was waiting a few hundred yards past the East Gate to take us to our next temple - Ta Prohm.  Ta Prohm was immortalized in Hollywood by Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft - Tomb Raider.  This temple was started in the late 12th century and was constructed as a Buddhist Temple.  It consists of many towers and corridors covered in bas-reliefs.  What is remarkable about this temple is that it is covered in jungle with large trees growing from the walls and rooted in the stone structures.   The whole effect gives this area a fantasy land feeling. 

​The last temple we visited, Angkor Thom, like Ta Prohm, was constructed as a Buddhist temple, and was the last capital of the Khmer Kingdom.  It was a fortified city built to house priests, officials of the palace and the military.  Much of the main city was built of wood, and as a result, there is little that remains of these original structures.  What does remain are the many stone monuments within the 360 acres where the original city was built.  At each of the 5 entrances to the temple is a causeway that leads to a tower.  Each causeway is flanked by 54 stone statues on each side - demons on the right and gods on the left.  A serpent, held up by the gods and demons, is stretched the length of the causeway forming a railing.

It was approaching mid-afternoon by the time we finished our visit of Angkor Thom.  We had been walking all day and we were beginning to fade.  As we were leaving the temples, we stopped briefly at a makeshift market and purchased a few items made by local merchants.  Our driver took us back to the hotel in Siem Reap where we had a quick bathroom break and bade our guide farewell before we headed back to the Thai border. 

Our drive back to the border was uneventful.  We stopped at a roadside restaurant about an hour into our trip and purchased some take-out food to eat on our way back.  We arrived in Poipet just at dusk where we met up with Mr. Sok who guided us through immigration and introduced us to our next driver for our trip back to Bangkok.  We managed to get a little bit of sleep on the way back.  We arrived at the pier in Bangkok around 10:00 pm totally exhausted, but glad we had made the effort to visit one of the great wonders of the world - Angkor. 

​Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 1 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 2 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Hong Kong Part 3 & Onboard Azamara Day 1 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 2 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 3 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 4 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 5 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 6 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 7 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 8 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 9 - click here
Adventures in South East Asia - Onboard Azamara Day 11 - click here