Cambodia - Temples in the forest

Kuala Lumpur to Siam Reap was just a 2 hour flight, though immigration took longer. Tourism being the main source of income and a weak currency meant that we were largely paying in US dollars right from the visa fees. At $30 per person, it is a tad bit on the higher side, but most entry fees are in that range around the Cambodia. The pick up and drop to the resort went through a straight road with plenty of resorts on either side, each one with a different look on the exterior. We still had the evening, so on the recommendation of a nearby tuk-tuk driver, we went to Pre-Rup temple as it had no entry fees and we could watch the sunset from the top. We ended up jostling for space as the top of the temple was crowded but we did get a view of the sunset.

The first stop in the morning the next day was the Angkor Wat complex. After a quick stop to buy the tickets, we got to the complex in tuk-tuks without much fuss. The complex itself was over-crowded beyond what we had expected. The temple itself is not too big but the surrounding courtyard is huge. In addition, crossing over a moat to get to the complex itself has quite good feel to it. As we walked around the complex over the next few hours, the crowds thinned out and towards the opposite side from the entrance, the crowds had disappeared.

Next stop after lunch was the Ta Phrom temple, famous for its ancient trees growing out of ruins. As the winding path through the complex took us around the complex, the rains came through. Even with the sky overcast, the weather is always hot and humid, but the torrential rains just bring out the insects as well. Nearby were a few other temples and a shrine to Buddha still in use by the locals. Interesting thing was that each of the temples we saw had something unique to keep us interested and curiosity piqued. As the rain receded, we still had some time before the sunset.

 

 

Last stop for the day was the Bayon temple, with its huge stony faces staring at us. Just as we started to go in, the rain came back but there was a certain charm to watching the stony sculptures and faces in the tropical rain. The downpour finally got the better of my camera and I had to switch as my camera refused to switch on. We spent the evenings in Pub street, looking for Indian restaurants for our dinner and some shopping along the way. The markets are an attraction in themselves, with bottled snakes, stuffed critters, crocodile purses and a host of clothes looking like an old hollywood movie shot in the "Orient".

 The next day was a longer trip to Phnom Kuleh by car. The road is narrow in the hills and the traffic is allowed in only one direction with the direction decided based on time of day. The massive Buddha in the Hindu-Buddhist temple was the first stop, from where we moved to a small waterfall. Nearby a stream ran through the forest, where the thousand Shiv Lingas were barely visible through the slowly flowing water. Each of these had small stalls lined up along the walkable road with more souvenirs, barbecued critters, food and local currency to distribute to the beggars. We had time as we got back so went down to the floating markets in Tonle Sap. It was a nice boat ride, but the markets themselves were just a money-making gimmick, with a bunch of ladies sitting on canoes selling biscuits, snacks, coconuts and beverages at 5 times the price. The next morning was spent at the museum, which is a good way of catching up with the history of the place and definitely worth a watch.

Sri Lanka - A national park and the beaches

 

Yala national park, is an absolute treasure trove of wildlife. Safaris here are not too regulated, but with the right amount of bargaining can be much cheaper than the ones in India. Also with a whole day safari option including a lunch on the beach available, the park is quite popular with many tourists. The prime highlights are the leopards, which are followed with extreme obsession by the drivers. With the high density on display, it is only a matter of time before one is spotted and the droves of jeeps close in. The other common attractions here are the elephants, wild buffaloes, hares and monitor lizards. Managed to see a lizard catch and eat a scorpion in front of our room in the resort. After rains, tortoises are another frequent visitor with a star tortoise and other species cross the road in the night as we drove down. Birding is quite rewarding here as well with plenty of species, endemic and migrant visible throughout the park. The sights included woolly necked storks, peacocks, yellow wattled lapwings, multiple species of cuckoos, crested serpent eagles, changeable hawk eagles, sirkeer malkoha, shrikes and kingfishers.

While driving along the coast, multiple Buddha shrines, monasteries and beaches catch your attention. The resort in Galle had its own private beach to chill and the town has forts and museums for the curious. The fort itself runs through a large part of town with colonial buildings and beaches for the crowds. The museum is another interesting place for the naval history of Sri Lanka. The beaches in this area are some of the best there are with white sands and turquoise clear waters. There was also an option for whale watching which we had to skip due to lack of time.

Along the coast towards Colombo are many more places for water sports and scuba. A river boat-ride on the backwaters through the mangroves is highly recommended. With stops for fish therapy, viewing cinnamon production and mangrove tunnels, the boat ride is a pleasure for 2 hours. Early mornings or late evenings would also have a number of birds or monkey in trees. We had gone in the afternoon, but we still spotted a kingfisher catching its lunch. The glass bottom boat is not as good with the boatmen trying to shorten it and the boat itself not being in good shape. Would recommend scuba or snorkeling instead to get close to the fishes

The final leg of the trip in Colombo was spent in the Mount Lavinia hotel, a massive colonial palace converted into a hotel. The hotel itself has plenty of places to explore within while the beaches on the side provide some fantastic views of the sunset. The city itself has many more Buddhist temples, historical monuments, museums and modern architecture to view. One of the temples had a fantastic collection of artifacts and felt more like a museum, while the independence memorial museum had another fine collection. The final morning was spent across the city streets and museums but although the flight was only in the evening, the distance of the city to the airport resulted in us heading back in the afternoon itself.

Hong Kong - Concrete forests

A delay in flight got us much later to Hong Kong than expected but delay of the next flight as well gave us a fun evening on the island. Spent the time walking around Tsim Sha Tsui and exploring areas around that. Was a cold and cloudy evening but that didn't stop the crowds. A few ferries, and photos later we were back in the airport heading to Philippines.

The return trip gave us more time in Hong Kong. Spent the day mostly at Ngong Ping. Although it is possible to trek to the monastery, in the interest of time and everyone's lack of healthy resolve, we took the cable car up to the hill. The ride up was beautiful as we watched the more dedicated folk trek the hills. The Buddha statue of Tian Tan is a magnificent sight though. The humongous statue peeking out of the clouds actually pushed us to climbing all the way up.

The rest of the day was spent traveling around the city, mall hopping, watching the Golden Bauhinia square and looking at the skyline from the sky terrace. The lift up to the top floor was incredible. We hurried back for the flight back only to realize that it was delayed but the airport offered plenty in terms of entertainment and food (paid for by the airline due to the delay).