Sunset in Angkor

The most popular venue for sunset is on Phnom Bakheng. By 5:00 p.m., the crowd normally starts to build up. By sunset, a few hundred people are on and around the mountain temple.

A less chaotic venue for enjoying the sunset is in Angkor Wat. Although you don’t get a panoramic view of Angkor as on Phnom Bakheng, you get a more dramatic effect. The entire west facing portion of Angkor Wat is bathed an orange tone.

A 3rd venue for sunset is in to climb to the top level of Pre Rup, which is part of the Big/Grand Circuit tour. You get a more serene and personal experience of the sunset as there is only a handful of people.

Chiang Mai Can Damage Your Health

 

Common among many agricultural provinces in Southeast Asian countries, the slash-and-burn method is the most economical and easiest to clear a piece of land.

The provinces in northern Thailand are no exceptions. This usually starts in February until May. The situation is often made worse by the same practice in neighboring countries, like Burma.

According to the Pollution Control Department of Thailand, a few days ago, the air pollution level in Chiang Mai was 4 times worse than Bangkok! Chiang Rai was at 5 times of Bangkok!

If you can’t avoid northern Thailand during this period, bring lots of high quality surgical masks.

Here is an article published by The Irrawaddy on May 27, 2010:

[ Govt Warning: Chiang Mai Can Damage Your Health ]

 

You can also read this article published by The Nation on February 24, 2010:

[ Air quality will deteriorate without action now ]

Kingdom of Angkor, or Toyota?

At least 7 out of every 10 vehicles in Siem Reap are Toyota/Lexus vehicles.

I know I didn’t use a scientific survey but the fact is very obvious when you are in Siem Reap and the Angkor Archaeological Park.

The next thing I didn’t expect was to see the high number of Lexus RX300/330/350 and LX450/470 vehicles in the 2nd poorest province in Cambodia.

These Lexus models are as common as in Singapore. Actually, I don’t think Singapore has as many of the LX variant. Again, this is according to my unscientific observations.

Oh, does this mean there are even more Toyota/Lexus vehicles in more ‘affluent’ provinces, such as Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville?

A 2-Hour Bonus in Angkor

Wouldn’t you like to get an extra 2 hours to visit Angkor without additional admission charges?

If you are able to purchase the Angkor Archaeological Park pass a day earlier starting at 5:00 p.m., you can immediately use the pass while the pass is officially valid starting the next day.

For example, at 5:00 p.m. on 1st May, you arrive at the park entrance ticketing booths to purchase a pass for 2nd May. Upon receiving your pass, you can immediate enter the park even though the pass is printed with a valid date of 2nd May. You may use the 2 hours before the park is closed to visit either Angkor Wat or Phnom Bakheng for the sunset.

The ticketing booths stay open until 5:30 p.m. everyday,  so you can purchase your next day pass between 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

This 2-hour bonus is available for the 1, 3, and 7-day passes.

Scambodia?

Did you know that only 35% of the admission fee you pay to enter the Angkor Archaeological Park goes to conserve the ruins? That’s US$7 out of every US$20.

This is according to a documentary by Eric Campbell, a respected journalist from Australia.

- Scambodia – Cambodia on YouTube

I can’t comment on the validity of the report as I don’t have the facts.

However, isn’t it amazing that the head of a corporation can’t provide one of the most important financial fact of a business and must rely on his staff to provide that piece of information at a later time? In many properly setup and managed corporations around the world, the head of a company would have been relieved of his/her job for not being on top of crucial financial indicators, such as the income. Looks like he didn’t get the project based on his exemplary management skills or his ability to remember financial figures. I’m sure he has other talents to allow him to manage the several luxurious hotels in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, the hot-air balloon ride in Angkor, and of course, the entire Angkor Archaeological Park concessionaire. Well, I don’t understand.

With an additional international departure tax of US$25 a person on top of the airport tax tagged to the airfare (paid in cash upon departure), the US$20 daily admission fee of the park, and the estimated 2 million foreign visitors in 2008, the business should be good for the ticketing concessionaire and the Cambodian government. Don’t forget that most visitors opt for the 3-day pass for US$40.

Does the government gets a share of the US$12 admission fee of the museum in Siem Reap too? In my opinion, the airport tax, park admission fee, and museum admission fee are high for any tourists visiting a developing country.

Judging from the cost of living and standard of living in Cambodia, the operation costs for the airport and park can’t be very substantial. A quick informal survey shows that the staff are paid between US$40 and US$70 a month. All these should result in the concessionaire and the government getting a very, very healthy profit.

Yet, the unpaved roads in town, the lack of clean drinking water for the villages, the many homeless adults and kids all over town and temples, and the lack of many other basic necessities and infrastructure are just as mysterious as the ruins that bring in the US$. I don’t understand, I just don’t understand.

I don’t understand how Siem Reap, with one of the most famous and attractive product to lure visitors from all over the world, can end up being the 2nd poorest town in Cambodia as indicated in various reports.

Where does the remaining 65% go?

1, 3 or 7-Day Pass

US$20 for a 1-day pass

This is just sufficient for a touch-and-go tour of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom (Bayon, Baphuon, Phimeanakas, Terrance of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, Tep Pranam, North Kleang, and South Kleang,) and Phnom Bakheng. This is normally referred to as the Small Circuit.

 

US$40 for a 3-day pass

This is the most popular type of pass as this is sufficient to visit the Small Circuit for a day, the Big Circuit for a day, and several temples 20-40km outside of the city center.

The Big Circuit consists of Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon, Pre Rup, Sras Srang,  Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm, and Ta Keo.

Banteay Srei, Banteay Samre, and Kban Spean are popular sites which take 1 to 2 hours of travel time.

For most visitors, they are usually templed-out by the 2nd day.

 

US$60 for a 7-day pass

This is obviously not for the common people who just want to visit these subjects of countless postcards and documentaries.

You can take all the time you want and to visit the sites as many times as you want.

Photographers looking to broaden their portfolios, history lovers exploring to experience the life and grandeur of an ancient empire, and modern wonderers who are seeking to understand the meaning and spirituality of life, this is your pass to your path.

Notes:

• Each pass is printed with the start & end dates and an image of your face taken at the ticket counter.
• State if you are planning to use the pass on consecutive or non-consecutive days upon purchase.
• Only the 7-day pass is laminated. Bring your own pass protector for the 1 and 3-day passes.
• Beng Melea and Phnom Kulen are charged US$5 and US$20 respectively as a regular pass is not required.

The Business and Pleasure of Angkor Wat

 

Hollywood often distorts reality for dramatic effect to pump up ticket sales. Movies, such as Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider, consolidated various Khmer temples, with additional props, to fit into their storylines. The movie industry is, after all, a business for profit.

As a result, many think that Angkor Wat is the only monument in this UNESCO World Heritage site with the faces of Bayon and the trees of Ta Prohm all in a single location. The truth is, Angkor Wat is one of the hundreds of temples in this ancient ruin site. It is, however, the most well-known.

Judging from the US$20 daily admission fee, the Angkor Archaeological Park is no small business either. The vast layout of the numerous temples built by the Khmer centuries ago serves the ticketing concessionaire well as one is often not able to visit the must-see sites within a single day. Some of the temples are more than 20km outside of the city center, and often take a day to travel for the visit. Hence, the majority of visitors opt for the 3-day pass for US$40.

Angkor Wat, the biggest religious monument in the world, is a half-day site, at least. Many visitors make the early trip (5am) just for the sunrise, and return later in the afternoon for a more extensive visit.

Although not as many go for the sunset here as compared to Phnom Bakheng, the sunset is no less amazing as the entire monument is bathed in an orange hue. The sunset crowd at Phnom Bakheng, usually in the hundreds, makes the experience more like being in a open market. The experience at Angkor Wat is much more serene and intimate.

Yes, the Angkor Archaeological Park is very commercialized with its steep entrance fee and the hordes of vendors trying to get as many dollars they can from tourists like you and me, who are arriving by the van and bus loads by the minute everyday.

However, if you can get pass the commercialism and arm yourself with the history of the Khmer, visiting Angkor Wat is truly a unique and spiritual experience.