Anyone been to Angkor Wat?

[HardDrive]

Wife and I both would like to see it. Any thoughts on a one week stay in the area? Spend some time in Thailand?

[DARISC]

Wat?

[Dottore]

I have been several times.

Two or three days in Siem Riep (Angkor Wat) is probably enough. I'd spend the rest of the time in Phnom Penh—and if you had a couple of extra days, I'd head into Laos. Vientiane is charming, and Luang Prabang (a short flight north) one of the most charming towns in all Asia IMO. (There's not much to see on the Thai side of the Cambodian border.)

[YTNUKLR]

I would second that. A week is too long for just Siem Riep, go to Laos, the hillcountry of Thailand (Chiang Mai) or Phnom Penh in that order...Awesome trip...enjoy

[porsche4life]

That whole area looks cool... I'd love to recreate the TG Vietnam trip... Cept on a bigger bike....

[Joeaksa]

Flown over it. Wasnt in the mood to stop at the time!

[targa911S]

One of my life dreams.

[vash]

agree siem riep is not week worthy. first time i ever had English Tea time was there. some high end hotel. cucumber sandwiches, etc. there are some freaky high end hotels there. freaky. we didnt stay in one of course.

angkor wat is effen amazing. what is amazing is that they just let you roam around. you can (i didnt) touch very old carvings, and stuff. most people are respectful. there is currently a german company refurbishing the place. they are going thru rocks like a jigsaw puzzle and fitting the place back together. missing pieces are scanned and recreated. so if you go now, you will see some construction.

there is a dawn tour. you go at night. heed my advice. take the baddest arse flashlight you can afford. i took a high end surefire, and blew away the europeans with their AA maglights. WTF? you want to really check out the nooks and crannies. i had hot euro chicks wanting me to hang with them because i had a "proper torch". to bad i had a "proper wife" too. hahah.

good times. explore with the culinary stuff too. i was in siem riep last year when the thai took over the bangkok airport. it was nerve racking. every effen bar has a drink named after angelina jolie.

[vash]

southeast asia is my favorite. my wife and i explored twice so far. both times we spent a month over there.

pet niet noi (not to spicy)...i think.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by vash

heed my advice. take the baddest arse flashlight you can afford. i took a high end surefire, and blew away the europeans with their AA maglights. WTF? you want to really check out the nooks and crannies. i had hot euro chicks wanting me to hang with them because i had a "proper torch". to bad i had a "proper wife" too. hahah.

Ha ha! I have a 650 lumen taclight for a rifle I'm building, but have grown so attached to it, I carry it around with me when walking at night or looking at houses with their power turned off. There is no substitute for a serious flashlight.

[porsche4life]

Hmm based on vash's comment re a flashlight....
Can I go with? I always have a badass flashlight.

[vash]

i took a relatively cheap G3 nitrolon by surefire. i wouldnt fall on a sword if some cambodian kid ran off with it, like i would if they scam a costly flashlight. ( like they did with my oakleys...GRRRR.)

i lit up a room full of old roots, carvings..and BATS. people freaked at the lumens. it was cool. i promised to send a "torch" to some london chick, but have yet to do it.

[masraum]

I'm seriously jealous of you folks that have been to AW. It's one of those places that I'd really love to go some day.

[M.D. Holloway]

hear they have great weed and cheap hookers

[Seahawk]

The below is why I come here...thanks Dottore, I cut and pasted and put in my travel spread sheet

Miles to go before I sleep...

Originally Posted by Dottore

I have been several times.

Two or three days in Siem Riep (Angkor Wat) is probably enough. I'd spend the rest of the time in Phnom Penh—and if you had a couple of extra days, I'd head into Laos. Vientiane is charming, and Luang Prabang (a short flight north) one of the most charming towns in all Asia IMO. (There's not much to see on the Thai side of the Cambodian border.)

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

The below is why I come here...thanks Dottore, I cut and pasted and put in my travel spread sheet

Miles to go before I sleep...

Angkor Wat is breathtaking and an absolute must for any bucket list.

But for my money the temple plain near Pagan, in Burma, is even more astonishing. Please add this to your spread sheet—if you haven't already done so. It's the single most sublime place I think I have ever been.

[vash]

how did you get into burma?

i am trying to work my way in...how did you get the visa? my wife and i are going to go.

i want in before it gets all "touched" by the rest of the world...same goes for cuba.

[vash]

dottore is correct...luang prabang is fantastic.

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by vash

how did you get into burma?

i am trying to work my way in...how did you get the visa? my wife and i are going to go.

i want in before it gets all "touched" by the rest of the world...same goes for cuba.

You get your Burmese visa at the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok.

Burma has of course been "touched" by back packers for years. But in the last decade or so the Burmese have discovered tourists with money, and now prefer these.

When I went back to Pagan three years ago some entrepreneurs from Singapore were offering hot air balloon flights over the plains of Pagan. With chilled Veuve Cliquot of course.

Check them out at balloons@myanmar.com.mm

This is wretched excess on so many levels it doesn't bear discussion. Still, that early morning balloon flight over hundreds of ancient temples was as close to heaven as I'll probably ever get.

[Dottore]

Sorry. That was the email address. Here's the website.

Eastern Safaris