Temples…..Day 2…..

Temples…..Day 2…..

After another good breakfast we set off in a different tuk tuk to visit some more temples.
Banteay Srei or Banteay Srey is a 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located in the area of Angkor in Cambodia. It lies near the hill of Phnom Dei, 25 km (16 mi) north-east of the main group of temples that once belonged to the medieval capitals of Yasodharapura and Angkor Thom.Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. These factors have made the temple extremely popular with tourists, and have led to its being widely praised as a “precious gem”, or the “jewel of Khmer art.”

On the way
Dec 20, 2012 10:52 AM

Houses on stilts
Dec 20, 2012 10:55 AM

Dec 20, 2012 10:52 AM

Dec 20, 2012 10:57 AM
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After 90 minutes in a tuk tuk we finally arrived at Banteay Srei

Dec 20, 2012 12:09 PM

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After visiting the temple we stopped off at the restaurant for coconut water.
To the next temple
Dec 20, 2012 12:49 PM
Dec 20, 2012 2:23 PM
Another house on stilts
Dec 20, 2012 2:23 PM
Dec 20, 2012 2:23 PM

Pre Rup is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built as the state temple of Khmer king Rajendravarman and dedicated in 961 or early 962. It is a temple mountain of combined brick, laterite and sandstone construction.
The temple’s name is a comparatively modern one meaning “turn the body”. This reflects the common belief among Cambodians that funerals were conducted at the temple, with the ashes of the body being ritually rotated in different directions as the service progressed
The entrance
Dec 20, 2012 2:32 PM
Steep climb
Dec 20, 2012 2:33 PM
Here goes!
Dec 20, 2012 2:34 PM

Views from the top
Dec 20, 2012 2:36 PM
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The sales children!
Dec 20, 2012 3:07 PM

Banteay Kdei, meaning “A Citadel of Chambers”, also known as “Citadel of Monks’ cells”, is a Buddhist temple in Angkor, Cambodia. It is located southeast of Ta Prohm and east of Angkor Thom. Built in the mid 12th to early 13th centuries AD during the reign of Jayavarman VII (who was posthumously given the title “Maha paramasangata pada”), it is in the Bayon architectural style, similar in plan to Ta Prohm and Preah Khan, but less complex and smaller. Its structures are contained within two successive enclosure walls, and consist of two concentric galleries from which emerge towers, preceded to the east by a cloister.
This Buddhist monastic complex is currently dilapidated due to faulty construction and poor quality of sandstone used in its buildings, and is now undergoing renovation. Banteay Kdei had been occupied by monks at various intervals over the centuries till 1960s.
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Ta Prohm is the modern name of a temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara Located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor’s most popular temples with visitors.UNESCO inscribed Ta Prohm on the World Heritage List in 1992. Today, it is one of the most visited complexes in Cambodia’s Angkor region. The conservation and restoration of Ta Prohm is a partnership project of the Archaeological Survey of India and the APSARA (Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap).

At the entrance to most temples they have information on the temple and who is restoring it
Dec 20, 2012 3:56 PM
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Ta Keo possibly the first to be built entirely of sandstone by Khmers.
Ta Keo had to be the state temple of Jayavarman V, son of Rajendravarman, who had built Pre Rup. Like Pre Rup, it has five sanctuary towers arranged in a quincunx, built on the uppermost level of five-tier pyramid consisting of overlapping terraces (a step pyramid), surrounded by moat, as a symbolic depiction of Mount Meru. Its particularly massive appearance is due to the absence of external decorations, as carving had just begun when the works stopped, besides an elaborate use of perspective effects. It is considered an example of the so-called Khleang style.
The main axis of the temple is E-W and a causeway 500 meters long connects its eastern entrance to a landing stage on the Eastern Baray, with which Ta Keo was in tightly relationship. The outer banks of the surrounding moats, now vanished, measure 255 m by 195 m.
The first terrace is 122 m by 106 m, its wall of sandstone on laterite basis constitutes the outer enclosure. Along the east side there are two long galleries, whose roofs were probably in wood and tiles. They were illuminated by balustraded windows.
The second terrace is 5.5 m higher. Each of the first two terraces has a gopura at the four cardinal points. Each gopura has three independent passages and a central tower with diminishing tiers.
A continuous gallery (1.4 m width) constitutes the inner enclosure of the second terrace. It has windows only towards the interior and measures 80 m by 75 m. It’s really interesting, because it has no door and seems to be purely decorative, and is the first example of Khmer gallery (together with Phimeanakas). Before Ta Keo (e.g. in Pre Rup) there were long buildings that followed the length of enclosures with some discontinuity. However it hasn’t a stone vault, probably its roof was made of wood and tiles too.
Along the eastern side of the second terrace in the corners there are two buildings that are the shorter version of the long galleries of the first terrace. More towards the central axis there are two little sandstone “libraries”, opening to the west, with false windows on upper storeys.
The final pyramid rises 14 m in three narrow steps from the second terrace. Its base is 60 m square, the summit is 47 m square and stands 21.5 m above the ground. The four stairways that lead on the summit are continuous and very steep. At the foot of the eastern one there is a statue of a kneeling Nandi, which confirms that Ta Keo was a Shivaite temple. The absence of any decoration makes the final pyramid really massive. However on the east face some damaged carvings of floral patterns are still visible.
The four corner towers on the summit stand on 0.8 m high basements and open to the four cardinal points with protruding vestibules. In the central tower, which dominates the others from its basement 4 meters high, the vestibules are doubled. Fragments of lingas and several statues were found in the sanctuary chambers (some 4 meters wide) and around the towers. The central tower reaches a height of 45 meters.

Dec 20, 2012 5:06 PM
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Srah Srang is a baray at Angkor, Cambodia, located south of the East Baray and east of Banteay Kdei.
It was dug in the mid-10th century, by initiative of Kavindrarimathana, Buddhist minister of Rajendravarman II. It was later modified around the year 1200 by Jayavarman VII, who also added the laterite landing-stage at its western side, probably because the East Baray had been overwhelmed by sediment and had begun malfunctioning. French archeological expeditions have found a necropolis close to it.
At present Srah Srang measures 700 by 350 m and is still partially flooded. As other barays, maybe there was a temple standing on an artificial island in the middle of it, as suggested by finding of a basement. The landing-stage, opposite the entrance to Banteay Kdei, is a popular site for viewing the sunrise. It is cruciform, flanked by nāga balaustrades which end with the upright head of a serpent, mounted by a garuda with its wings unfurled. The steps that lead down to the water are flanked by two guardian lions.

Dec 20, 2012 5:40 PM
Dec 20, 2012 5:51 PM
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Dec 20, 2012 5:54 PM
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For the evening dinner we ate at Peace Cafe (address in a previous post) the food was bland, just what I needed. This restarant is very nice the drinks smoothies are worth trying. Another shattering day. The heats gets to you!

Hotel entrance
Dec 20, 2012 8:12 PM

Temples…..Day 1…..

Temples…..Day 1…..

After a good breakfast we waited outside for Gursewa Singh. We have decided to share the cost of the Tuk Tuk. Works out to be around USD$7.50 each.

Our first port of call was to buy the entrance tickets. You must possess an admission pass (an ‘Angkor Pass’) to visit the temples and sites in the Angkor Archaeological Park. Passes may be purchased at the main entrance on the road to Angkor Wat. One-day tickets only can be purchased at the secondary tollgate on airport road entrance near Angkor Wat and at Banteay Srey.

Passes are sold in one-day ($20), three-day ($40) and seven-day ($60) blocks. The three day pass is valid for one week, i.e. 3 days to be used within the week, not necessarily consecutively. The seven day pass is valid for one month, i.e. 7 days to be used within the month, not necessarily consecutively.

A one-day visit allows you to see the highlights of the most famous temples but very little more. Three days is sufficient to visit all of the major temples once, a few of the minor ones and have a little extra time at your favorites. Seven days is enough time to really explore some of your favorite ruins and visit many of the minor structures as well. One passport-sized photo is require at time of purchase of three and seven day passes. If you do not have a photo, free photos are provided at the main entrance, though this can be a time consuming process at peak entrance hours.

Visiting hours are 5:00AM – 6:00PM. Angkor Wat closes at 6:00PM, Banteay Srey closes at 5:00PM and Kbal Spean at 3:00PM. Always carry your ticket. It will be checked upon each park entry and at major temples. There is a significant fine for not possessing a valid ticket inside the park. A regular admission ticket is not required to visit Phnom Kulen, Koh Ker or Beng Melea, but there is a separate entrance fee of $20, $10 and $5, respectively.

We then rode to Preah Khan. Sometimes transliterated as Prah Khan, is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built in the 12th century for King Jayavarman VII. It is located northeast of Angkor Thom and just west of the Jayatataka baray, with which it was associated. It was the centre of a substantial organisation, with almost 100,000 officials and servants. The temple is flat in design, with a basic plan of successive rectangular galleries around a Buddhist sanctuary complicated by Hindu satellite temples and numerous later additions. Like the nearby Ta Prohm, Preah Khan has been left largely unrestored, with numerous trees and other vegetation growing among the ruins.

Preah Khan

Dec 19, 2012 10:40 AM

The Entrance where we spent an hour before realising the temple is further on!

Dec 19, 2012 10:40 AM

Dec 19, 2012 10:48 AM

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Dec 19, 2012 12:19 PM

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Afterwards we saw Neak Pean (“The entwined serpents”) at Angkor, Cambodia is an artificial island with a Buddhist temple on a circular island in Preah Khan Baray built during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. It is the “Mebon” of the Preah Khan baray (the “Jayatataka” of the inscription).

Dec 19, 2012 1:06 PM

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Next was, Roluos Group which is a collection of monuments representing the remains of Hariharalaya, the first major capital of the Angkorian-era Khmer Empire. It has become known as the ‘Roluos Group’ due to its proximity to the modern town of Roluos. The ancient capital was named for Hari-Hara, a synthesis of the Hindu gods Shiva and Vishnu. Though there was an existing settlement in the area before the rise of Angkor, Hariharalaya was established as a capital city by Jayavarman II and served as the Khmer capital for over 70 years under four successive kings. Setting the pattern for the next four centuries, the first great Khmer temples (Bakong Temple, Preah Ko Temple, Lolei Temple) and baray (reservoir) were constructed at Hariharalaya. The last king at Hariharalaya, Yasovarman I, built the first major temple at Angkor, Phnom Bakheng Mountain, and moved the capital to the Bakheng area in 905 C.E. With the exception of a 20 year interruption in the 10th century, the capital would remain at Angkor until 1422 C.E., 12km southeast of Siem Reap.

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A modern temple

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Temple at Lolei

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Dec 19, 2012 5:01 PM

Here the budhists have setup a free school for the local children

Dec 19, 2012 5:12 PM

Sunset

Dec 19, 2012 5:32 PM

On entering and exiting the temples you are bombarded with adults and children selling you books, drinks and whatever else they can sell you! A simple no will not make them go away….I usually find that no eye contact, no talking and just carry on walking does the trick. The day was very hot around 32 degrees c and a humidity of 80%.

Afterwards we headed to Chamkar for dinner. Once the tuk tuk driver had dropped us off, his price had gone from USD$15 to USD$25 he said it is because he had to take us to Rolous Group…….I just got angry and told him not to bother picking us up tomorrow, his greed had lost the business for the next two days……to get rid of him, Gursewa gave him USD$5…..I was not happy – this place is exactly like India, they want to get more out of you!

The dinner at Chamkar was okay at the time, afterwards it gave me a bad stomach……not what I need in this part of the world.

Goodbye Malaysia…..Hello Cambodia…..

Goodbye Malaysia…..Hello Cambodia…..

This morning we had an early morning flight with Air Asia from LCCT. Low cost carrier terminal or LCCT aka budget terminal is a specific type of airport terminal designed with the needs of low cost airlines in mind. Though terminals may have differing charges and costs, as is common in Europe, the concept of an all budget terminal was promoted and pioneered by Tony Fernandes of AirAsia at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in 2006.

AirAsia Berhad is a Malaysian-based low-cost airline. AirAsia is Asia’s largest low-fare, no-frills airline and a pioneer of low-cost travel in Asia. AirAsia group operates scheduled domestic and international flights to over 400 destinations spanning 25 countries. Its main hub is the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Its affiliate airlines Thai AirAsia, AirAsia Philippines and AirAsia Japan have hubs in Suvarnabhumi Airport, Clark International Airport and Narita International Airport respectively. AirAsia’s registered office is in Petaling Jaya, Selangor while its head office is at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The taxi was scheduled to picked us up at 4:30 which ended up being nearer 5. The hotel tried to charge us for the laundry RM497 (close to £100!!!) we ‘discussed’ the payment and finally managed to take it off our final bill.

The journey to LCCT takes around 45 minutes, we had already checked in online. So that eased the stress!

Once you arrive at the LCCT the front looks nice plenty of shops, cafes, restaurants. Once you get inside it is like a hanger! The airport is badly labelled so you are running around trying to figure out where to go. Finally we managed to work it out. On the opposite side to where we were standing there is a security scanner, security scan your baggage before you go to the check in desk. Once there it is like any other check in desk. A guy on the mobile tried to push passed everybody, one person told him to move back. He shouted saying he is on the phone. The attendant at the check in desk sent him back. Once checked in you then go through two lots of people who wanted to see our boarding pass. Up the escalator and then through customs. You then go through a security check for yourself and any carry on luggage. Once through you are free to enjoy the shops!!

We spent a couple of minutes in the shops before boarding the plane.
Dec 17, 2012 5:24 AM
Dec 17, 2012 5:24 AM

The flight from KL, Malaysia to Siem Reap, Cambodia takes two hours and you gain an hour. We landed in Siem Reap at 7:50am to a glorious temperature of 26 degrees C.
Dec 17, 2012 7:52 AM
Dec 17, 2012 7:51 AM

As you enter the airport, you’ll be greeted by a striking statue of a white elephant in the middle of the room.
Dec 17, 2012 8:08 AM

The statue, the live plants behind the visa area, and the overall design of the airport makes you realize that they did some serious designing here. All in all, the Siem Reap airport has somewhat of holiday resort feel.

The visa section
Dec 17, 2012 8:08 AM
If you don’t yet have your visa, you can apply for it on your arrival.
There are mainly two types of visas for travelers: the tourist visa (valid for 30 days, not renewable) and the business visa (valid for 30 days, but can be renewed multiple times).

The process of applying for a visa is simple, but you do have to wait while it is processed.

If don’t like to wait, you can get your Cambodia visa online instead.

The electronic visa process allows you to print the visa yourself and go straight to the e-visa immigration line as soon as you arrive.

That way you can be out and about faster!

The immigration

You’ll see the immigration line as soon as you step inside. Yes, the airport is that small.

Unfortunately, the passport check line does not move very quickly. But it’s not overly slow either.

Just be patient, and you’ll be out of there as soon as they take a digital photo of you and stamp your passport with their multiple stamps.

ATMs

There are at least two ATM machines in the arrival hall; one near the visa section and another near the immigration line.

If you need to apply for an on-arrival visa, the visa fee must be paid in cash. So these ATM machines come in handy if you don’t have enough on hand.

Once we had the visas we walked onto immigration which was a simple process. Once through I saw the backpacks on the conveyor and rushed to get them.

Siem Reap is the capital city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia, and is the gateway to Angkor region.
Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market. In the city, there are traditional Apsara dance performances, craft shops, silk farms, rice-paddy countryside, fishing villages and a bird sanctuary near the Tonle Sap Lake.
Siem Reap today, being a popular tourist destination, has a large number of hotels and restaurants.

The name Siem Reap means the ‘Flat Defeat of Siam’ — today’s Thailand — and refers to the centuries-old conflict between the Siamese and Khmer peoples.
This name, according to an oral tradition, was baptized by King Ang Chan (1516-1566) as “Siem Reap”, meaning “the flat defeat of Siam” (Cambodians call Siam or Thailand “Siem”). It was because of the victory over the Thais which King Ang Chan counter-attacked, and shot Prince Ong dead on an elephant’s back, and routed the Thais and captured no less than 10,000 Thai troops.
The history was told that King Ang Chan of Cambodia tried to assert further independence against Thailand. The Thais also had been through internal trouble themselves during these years. King Chairacha was poisoned by his concubine, Lady Sri Sudachan, who committed adultery with a commoner, Worawongsathirat, while he was on the campaign against Chiang Mai. The Queen then raised Worawongsathirat to the throne. The nobles hated Worawongsathirat and lured the usurper and his family to a place outside the city where he was assassinated together with Lady Sri Sudachan and a new-born daughter during the royal family’s procession by barge to see a white elephant (allegedly just captured). The nobles then invited Prince Thianracha, who was a monk in a monastery, to disrobe and ascend the throne under the title of King Maha Chakkraphat (1548-1569). Being informed of the internal troubles in Ayutthaya, King Ang Chan attacked Prachin Buri in 1549 and successfully took away Thai inhabitants. At Prachin, he obtained information that King Maha Chakkraphat had become the new king of Ayutthaya, signaling that the question of succession in Ayutthaya had thus become settled. King Ang Chan therefore retreated and did not advance any further. King Maha Chakkraphat was very angry at this, but his hands were tied, because the Burmese had just come by the way of the Three Pagoda Pass, took Kanchanaburi and Suphanburi, and appeared in front of Ayutthaya.
Cambodian history presents the reason for the next Thai attack because King Ang Chan refused to give King Maha Chakkraphat a white elephant when he asked for it, it is indicated that King Ang Chan declined any symbol of vassalage to Thailand. King Maha Chakkraphat’s attention was now turned towards Cambodia. He put Prince Ong, the Governor of Sawankhalok and Srey’s son, in charge of an expedition against Cambodia. King Ang Chan counter-attacked, and shot Prince Ong dead on an elephant’s back, and routed the Thais and captured no less than 10,000 Thai troops. It was because of this victory over the Thais that King Ang Chan baptized that battle area as “Siem Reap” meaning “the flate defeat of Siam”. However most of sources mentioned the final defeat of Angkor Kingdom by the Thais from Ayutthaya in the fifteenth century. The city was abandoned since then.
From the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries, the feuds among the Cambodian lords caused the interventions and domination from the more powerful neighbors, Vietnam and Siam. Siem Reap, along with Battambang and Sisophon, major cities in the north western part of Cambodia, were under Siamese rule from time to time until the French rule.

We were met at the airport by the hotel representative and got a transfer to the hotel. It is still amazing the rate we managed to secure this five star accommodation. I checked on the iPad and a few minutes later Sangeet checked the rate on the iPhone. The iPhone showed half the price. We are not paying much more then a hostel room!
Dec 17, 2012 8:13 AM
Dec 17, 2012 8:30 AM
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On the way to the hotel
Dec 17, 2012 8:51 AM

Borei Angkor Resort & Spa
0369 National Highway 6,
Siem Reap
T: +855 63 964 406

When I saw the entrance with music blasting out I taught this looks shabby
Dec 17, 2012 12:02 PM
Dec 17, 2012 12:02 PM
Dec 17, 2012 8:55 AM

The hotel staff asked us to wait here whilst they checked us in
Dec 17, 2012 8:59 AM

Complimentary drinks on arrival
Dec 17, 2012 9:00 AM

Whilst they prepared our room, we had a complimentary breakfast. There was plenty of fruit, unfortunately it did not taste that fresh.
Half asleep but I can manage breakfast
Dec 17, 2012 9:46 AM

After breakfast we explored the hotel
Pool area
Dec 17, 2012 10:21 AM
Dec 17, 2012 10:20 AM

Our bedroom
Dec 17, 2012 10:32 AM

A neat touch
Dec 17, 2012 10:38 AM

Shattered
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Hotel foyer
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Hotel entrance
Dec 17, 2012 11:58 AM

Walking to the market
Dec 17, 2012 12:04 PM

Gas station
Dec 17, 2012 12:15 PM

Dec 17, 2012 12:20 PM

Tempted to jump in?
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Monastery

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The day was getting hotter
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Alleyway
Dec 17, 2012 1:03 PM

Pub street
Dec 17, 2012 12:59 PM
Though Pub St is better known for its bars a handful of places are known for great food, many with seating upstairs so you can escape above the partying milieu on the street below. Crammed along The Alley is a wider selection of restaurants that offer a generally quieter and more intimate experience. The local restaurants lining Phsar Chas have extensive yet near identical menus of cheap fried rice and westernised approximations of Khmer dishes. At dusk the Kindergarten on the corner of Street 8 and 11 erupts into a a rabble of small BBQ stalls, billowing smoke, noise and the persistently entreating peddlers. The phnom pleurng here is the cheapest you will find.

Here we ate at
Chamkar Vegetarian Restaurant
The Passage
Old Market
Siem Reap
Cambodia
T: +855 92 733150
Dec 17, 2012 1:24 PM
Dec 17, 2012 1:17 PM
Dec 17, 2012 2:00 PM
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View from the restaurant balcony
Dec 17, 2012 1:23 PM

We were surprised to find such great tasting vegetarian food.

We then took a tuk tuk to Angkor National Museum
No. 968, Vithei Charles de Gaulle,
Khrum 6,
Phoum Salakanseng,
Khom Svaydangum,
Siem Reap District,
Siem Reap Province,
Cambodia

T: +855 63 966 601
F: +855 63 966 600
E: [email protected]

Opened on 12 November 2007, the Angkor National Museum offers visitors a better understanding of the area’s archaeological treasures. The Golden Era of the Khmer Kingdom is presented, including the use of state-of-the-art multimedia technology. The museum covers Khmer history, civilization, and cultural heritage in eight galleries.
Dec 17, 2012 6:03 PM

Cambodia mourns former King Sihanouk
Dec 17, 2012 3:29 PM

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One is not allowed to take a picture of the actual exhibits. The exhibitions are amazing are worth seeing. At the time of writing the entry fee was USD$12 per person.

Afterwards we took a tuk tuk back to the hotel. With tuk tuk drivers you have to negotiate the charge.

Dec 17, 2012 6:32 PM

Caught in the rain…..

Caught in the rain…..

This morning I did not get to sleep until 5am. As part of the kundalini yoga teacher training you have three ‘check in’ calls with your group. It discusses how you are doing after the teacher training. The teacher asked if I was grounded, I answered “it is 4am in Malaysia, I am definitely grounded!”

So as you can imagine I had a lie in, well apart from waking up at 10am to go and get breakfast. When it is free I make sure I get my monies worth!

In the afternoon we went to Blue Boy Cafe

Blue Boy Vegetarian Food Centre

6001, Blue Boy Mansion,
Jalan Tong Shin,
55100, Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
T: +60 3-2144-9011

Dec 16, 2012 2:41 PM
Dec 16, 2012 2:42 PM

The restaurant did not seem that clean so we did not eat there.

Afterwards, we walked to Mainduab Gurdwara. The address is in a previous post. I noticed a lot of Sikhs here with cut hair. Most of the time Sikhs with cut hair look like people from other religions and it is hard to tell them apart. Sikhs with cut hair always say Sikhi is in my heart that is what matters!! Seems like we are great at changing Sikhi to how it suits us.

Just to prove we walked!
Dec 16, 2012 2:52 PM

Looking outside from the lungar hall
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Lungar hall
Dec 16, 2012 2:58 PM
Dec 16, 2012 3:27 PM

Darbar sahib
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Dec 16, 2012 2:57 PM

Entrance to the Gurdwara
Dec 16, 2012 3:28 PM

Afterwards we had a drink at Woods Bio Marche, again the address is in a previous post. By this time the heavens had opened up and the rain was getting heavy.

Dec 16, 2012 3:31 PM
Dec 16, 2012 3:53 PM

We walked to Petaling Street. At one stage the rain was very heavy, we took cover the side of a building. Once the rain turned into a drizzle we carried on walking.

Petaling Street (Malay: Jalan Petaling, Simplified Chinese: 茨厂街, Traditional Chinese: 茨廠街, pinyin: Cíchǎng Jiē, Cantonese: Chee Cheong Kai) is a Chinatown located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is infamous for pirated clothes and accessories along with bootleg DVDs and CDs. Petaling Street however does not exclusively offer pirated products. Haggling is a common sight here and the place is usually crowded with locals as well as tourists.
The area has dozens of restaurants and food stalls, serving local favourites such as Hokkien mee, ikan bakar (barbecued fish), asam laksa and curry noodles. Traders here are mainly Chinese but there are also Indian, Malay, and Bangladeshi traders.

The walk towards Petaling Street
Dec 16, 2012 4:40 PM
Dec 16, 2012 4:47 PM

Petaling Street
Dec 16, 2012 4:56 PM
Dec 16, 2012 4:57 PM
Dec 16, 2012 4:57 PM
Dec 16, 2012 4:58 PM

‘Genuine’ Mont Blanc pens
Dec 16, 2012 4:59 PM

Dec 16, 2012 5:01 PM

We walked through the sheltered street and arrived on the other side to see and feel the very heavy rain. We waited until it calmed down then tried to hail a taxi. They wanted RM20 to drop us off at the hotel. I said we would like to use the meter he said no. On the side of the taxi it says metered fair no haggling allowed!!

The heavy rain
Dec 16, 2012 5:04 PM

For email subscribers
Heavy Rain

Drenched
Dec 16, 2012 5:14 PM

Everybody is waiting until the rain eases or stops
Dec 16, 2012 5:19 PM

We carried on walking and saw the LRT which we caught to the hotel.

Sewerage is flushed directly into the water
Dec 16, 2012 5:30 PM

LRT
Dec 16, 2012 5:32 PM
Dec 16, 2012 5:33 PM

LRT ticket which is a plastic disc and gets reused
Dec 16, 2012 5:43 PM

Dec 16, 2012 5:41 PM

First train was packed, so we caught the next one
Dec 16, 2012 5:41 PM

Dec 16, 2012 5:42 PM

A much quieter train
Dec 16, 2012 5:48 PM

Back at the hotel I noticed the clothes I sent to a third party laundry via concierge had not come back. I called concierge to chase this. A little while later they said that the laundry had a problem and will have my clothes washed by 11pm because they had this problem they will not charge me. I received the clothes later that night. We packed as we had a very early morning flight to Siam Reap, Cambodia.

My thoughts on Singapore…..

Singapore is an amazing country, I am so tempted to move there and work for a couple of years. The people are very friendly and the technology is everywhere….probably one of the many reasons I like the country.

Some of the sangat at the gurdwaras have been very warm. Hopefully, I will be back in Singapore near the end of January 2013. Meeting and chatting to Andrew was great, he gave us very good information which I will be acting upon.

I did notice more in Singapore then anywhere else that people are stuck to their phones, iPads, tablets. In restaurant you would see a group of people just stuck to their phones, not even talking to each other. Then I thought about myself sometimes I do the same. It is very easy to get caught up with being engrossed in technology and not paying attention to what is around one.

My thoughts on Australia…..

Firstly I would like to thank Keith, Uma and Shivani for letting us stay in their beautiful home. I would also like to thank Quentin his wife Jane, Tony and his partner Jane. Thanks guys for coming all that way for dinner. Tony as always is hilarious, he had us in stitches. Such a positive chap, he came to our house in the UK a few years ago. Tony is visually impaired, yet he landed in a country he has never been to and called me from the train station. Saying “I am here, please come and pick me up”. Amazing!

Australia is like New Zealand as in gods creation is amazing, the man-made items are very behind the rest of the world.

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