South East Asia trip 2014: JANUARY 14, 2014: PREAH VIHEAR, KOH KER, BENG MELEA, DINNER-RAFFLES CAFE D'ANGKOR

January 14, 2014

Hotel breakfast box again. Pick up by Son 5:00 am in a 4 wheel drive Land Cruiser. Very comfy car. Driver Mr. Rate. We are heading north to visit some remote sites. This was supposed to be a 2 day, 1 night trip but had to be scaled back due to our losing 3 days time in SR. We cut out Banteay Chhmar and the overnight in Anglong Veng. We stop first in town to register that we are going to PREAH VIHEAR. Had to show our passports. Stopped in ANGLONG VENG for coffee and to eat our breakfast. Tons of fruit and so many pastries to share. Coffee $1.50. I tried to get pictures of scenery as we drove but most ended up blurry. It is a pleasant ride.

Sunrise

Anglong Veng

Our vehicle for this trip

Where we stopped for breakfast in Anglong Veng

Passing scenery on the way to PV

PREAH VIHEAR-MOUNTAIN OF THE SACRED MONASTERY Arrive around 9:00 am. Faces north instead of east. Lots of military due to dispute with Thailand even though World Court has decided the temple belongs to Cambodia. I didn't take any pics of the military but they were all over the place. Got a water blessing from a monk. Very few tourists here. Dedicated to Shiva. Imposing. 2 hrs. here.

This is the view looking down to the beginning of the walkway up to PV

Us at Preah Vihear ruins

Churning of the Sea of Milk??

Detail on carvings

SRAS EM We drive through this small town that is close to PV.

KOH KER Grand complex. Prang-7 tiered pyramid similar to Mayan. Powerful images (we will see some in the National Museum in Phnom Penh) All landmines not cleared so stay on the paths and in the designated areas. Only get to have 45 minutes here.

Prang

We have 1/2 hr. for a lunch/toilet stop near KK. noodle vegetable soup and soda $8. It's now around 2:00 pm. For whatever reason I didn't take any pictures here! Can't believe I forgot to do this so you'll have to take my word that this restaurant was fine and that the toilets were clean and even had tp! Now we are on our way to our last stop. Around 10-15 minutes before we get there we stop to purchase tickets for BM and also to pay for KK.

I've gotten the tickets

BENG MELEA-THE LOTUS POOL Arrive 3:00 pm. Sprawling; jungle temple. Adventurous feeling. Climb among the stones very carefully. No bas reliefs and few carvings. Enormous. Poor condition. There are some wooden walkways. 1 1/2 hrs. here.

My husband Richard "Indiana Jones" at BM

Wooden walkways throughout the site

We return to our hotel around 6:30 pm. Cost for the day $200. Son's website www.angkorwatservice.com Entering our room, we find our laundry has been delivered. It's on the bed all neatly folded in plastic bags. Can recommend LAUNDRY LIKE HOME.

Richard, Son, Mr. Rate, and me

Dinner-reservation at RAFFLES CAFE D'ANGKOR-a place for fine dining, very elegant. I have the grilled corn fed chicken breast with grilled mushrooms, asparagus, chorizos, & truffle cream sauce and my husband has the roast salmon with warm potatoes, seeded mustard and watercress. We have rose wine and for desert-macaroon tasting plate with coffee ice cream and chocolate gateau with grapefruit sorbet. Impeccable service and very good food beautifully presented albeit a bit pricey. Cost $113 which included 6% service charge. More than we have spent on our other dinners but about what this same dinner would cost us back home. A nice splurge. Tuk tuk Narak $6 round trip.