Preah Khan

I was excited about visiting Cambodia for quite awhile and I am so glad I had the opportunity to visit while on semester break from teaching in China. So far, Cambodia is one of my favorite countries! I love history, ancient cultures, religion and food. Visiting the temples of Angkor in Siem Reap was really exciting for me. Truth be told, I bought the one month pass which allows me to visit the temples on seven different days over the next month. I spent two days visiting the temples prior to my departure for Phnom Penh and I plan to revisit a few for a sunrise and sunset viewing. Plus, I'd like to check out one or two that I haven't seen yet. 

I hired a tuk tuk driver and a local English speaking guide. My hotel arranged for both which was very easy and convenient. The cost for the driver was $15 for the day to tour the small circuit temples and $17 for the day to tour the large circuit. The guide was $35 per day. It was worth the money for the guide. I learned a lot about the history of each temple, the differences between Hindu and Buddhist carvings and also everyday life in Cambodia. Plus my guide was aware of the main routes for bus tours and we bypassed the masses by stopping at some of the temples during strategic times. Of course there are tourists everywhere, but I noticed the difference when the crowds would thin out. As an added bonus, I had my own personal photographer who knew plenty of great photo spots. 

Although the temples were all built centuries apart, many of them have similar statues and carvings. The architecture follows a distinct pattern depending on whether it was originally built by Hindu or Buddhist cultures. Preah Khan is located on the large circuit and this was the last temple I visited on my second day of touring.       

Similar to the more popular Ta Prohm, Preah Khan is in the middle of the jungle with many tree roots spread out along the ruins. The site itself is quite large as well. 

Personally I loved visiting the temples on the big circuit more than the small circuit. They're less popular so they are less crowded, but they have some of the same beautiful carvings and architecture.

Do you have a favorite tourist attraction? 

Photo Friday: Liberty Island, New York City

 

Liberty Island, New York City

December 2013 

Grand Epoch City

Within the first month of my arrival of China, I needed to apply for my permanent residency visa which meant surrendering my passport for ten days. Normally, that sounds like no big deal, but here in China you need your passport to do almost everything related to travel when you're a foreigner. You can't take the trains or check into hotels without your passport. Before I surrendered my passport, I took a three day weekend trip to Beijing and had an amazing time. Then I settled in for two weeks without going anywhere. At first, it wasn't so bad. Then I started getting cabin fever. I mean, I came to China to explore and I didn't want to waste a minute!

So one of the other foreign teachers (my neighbor) and I decided to take a bus trip. Fortunately, foreigners don't need their passport to travel by bus. My neighbor had heard of Grand Epoch City, which is only an hour away from LangFang by bus. Since we couldn't check into a hotel, we needed a place we could travel there and back in the same day.

I knew absolutely nothing about the place, but I was eager to get out of my apartment for awhile. It turns out Grand Epoch City was created more for tourists than anything else. If I had my choice of going anywhere, this wouldn't even come close to my list. But it was a lovely day trip and we enjoyed seeing the beautiful Chinese style architecture, temples and gardens. The site is next to a large complex with hotels (for all those tourists) and a golf course. 

The place had a strange feeling to it, like maybe it was under renovation or something. Most of the shops along the shopping street were boarded up. The one shop that was open looked like sort of a make shift shop to sell drinks, ice cream bars and a few trinkets. We had a hard time even finding our way inside and ended up sneaking in the back way, completely by accident, while trying to locate the entrance. The ticket price for admission is typically 20 yuan (about $3.35 US). This isn't a place I would make a return trip, but it was worth it and served its purpose of getting me out and absorbing some Chinese culture for the day.          

Where do you go when you just need to get out for awhile?

Sunday Reads: 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die

1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die

By: Mimi Sheraton

This book has two of my favorite passions rolled into one: food and travel. The book is organized by country/region and offers a wide variety of foods with the traveler in mind. Even if you are just an armchair traveler.  Restaurants are listed under each new food item, but they are limited. Of course, if you travel to the local region that the food is known for you most likely won't have trouble finding the tasty treat because it will be available everywhere. Although she does list American restaurants throughout the book in New York City, Chicago, California and others where her recommendations can be found. Not all of the restaurant listings come from the country of origin, but that may make the cuisine more accessible to most people.  

I absolutely love food! Cooking at home, eating at restaurants and traveling around the world to sample the local delicacy excites me. I reminisced about the delectable foods I enjoyed on my travels while paging through this book and I dream of tasting them again someday. There's a section on American foods that made me crave the tastes of home. I never truly realized how specialized some of our dishes are until I moved to a country that's never heard of them.

A few recipes are scattered throughout. I'd love to see a book similar to this that is ALL recipes. That would be delightful. I would love to see more pictures, however I do think Sheraton does a wonderful job traveling the world through food in her book. I'll definitely be referring to this handy guide whenever I travel to a new country so I can be on the look out for her recommended local specialties. For a food trip around the world, I recommend this book.   

*Note: I received a free digital copy for my honest review   

Photo Friday: Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Chicago

Spring 2014