Published in Expat Living

Five years after starting this blog to channel my writing energy, I've finally been published in a Singapore magazine! Expat Living picked two of my travel stories, on Angkor and Xian, to feature in their Annual Travel Guide for 2011. This is so exciting!

Here's to the start of an award-winning, best-selling career as an author ;-)

Angkor - Kingdom of Wonder


The Many Faces of Xian

Shopping in Cambodia

Most of you know that I love shopping on my travels. However, I must admit that Cambodia offers a shopping experience that is not always typical nor comfortable. Have a read of my shopping list and you'll understand why...

• My first purchase were some guide books from a man with no hands. Top Vanna is a land-mine victim who was disabled in 1988 while training new recruits on jungle warfare & survival skills. He now earns a living by selling books to tourists outside the Pasr Cha (Old Market) in Siem Reap.
  
• Bracelets from this little girl (pictured here) outside the Ta Phrom temple. She followed me for about 200 meters and I finally succumbed to her sweet smile after she tripped and lost her slipper. Tourists will encounter hundreds of children hawking their wares and begging around the temples.
• One CD of Khmer traditional music by a band comprising victims of landmine victims
• Another CD of cello classical music by Dr Beat Richner, a Swiss paediatrician who has started four Kantha Bopha children hospitals, providing free treatment for the children of Cambodia
• An apsara carving from Artisans D'Angkor - a school specialising in teaching impoverished youngsters the skills of wood and stone carving. The items are pricier than the old market but profits go back into funding the school and bringing more teenagers into the program
• Purses made from re-cycled paper by the street kids of Siem Reap

I bargained very little on this trip.

Children of Tonle Sap

As beautiful and awe-inspiring as the Cambodian temples are, it's good to get away to admire some other natural wonders. Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater inland lake in Southeast Asia and is home to a large population of villagers who depend on fishing for a living. Life is hard and poverty is rife. Rithy, the driver, suggested that we purchase candy and some stationery for the large numbers of children who live on the lake. I'm glad we did. It was only a short 20-minute ride to the lake, but that was enough for me to catch a glimpse of the difficult living conditions for most people.

A little tub of joy greets visitors at Tonle Sap

The boat ride started on a narrow inlet of the lake and we saw house boats, supermarket boats, church boats, school boats - an entire community living on the river. One school even had a floating basketball court - how cool! All manner of boats came floating by selling vegetables, drinks and snacks - although the tourist boats sometimes threatened to outnumber the local vessels. A cheeky little boy came floating by in a green tub and started posing for photos - for a princely sum of $1. Isn't that a great photo?

Aunty Jo Jo visiting children at a floating school on Tonle Sap

We chanced upon a Cambodian boat school and were invited to board the vessel by the teachers. The children, who ranged from toddlers to teenagers, were very excited to welcome us. I started distributing the colour pencils and pencils that we had bought in Siem Riep. They were an absolute hit! I wish we had brought even more supplies and books. I am so grateful that the teachers allowed us to interrupt class to visit and take photos. It was definitely the highlight of my trip to Cambodia!

I must admit to a measure of guilt for slinking back to my 5-star boutique hotel when so many kids have so little. Hmmm....there must be an avenue to contribute more.

Ta Phrom

I arrived at Ta Phrom temple close to midday, and found it almost deserted. The canopy of trees provided welcome relief from the relentless sun and heat. As part of the Bayon complex, this temple was founded as a Buddhist monastery and university in the late 12th century. Giant tree roots have since invaded the temple creating a highly romantic atmosphere for visitors.

This impressive backdrop served as the set for Tomb Raider, the movie starring Angelina Jolie, in 2000. My guide, Thuy, proudly disclosed that he had seen her twice and she "was very beautiful". Thanks to the movie, Ta Phrom is known as the "Tomb Raider Temple" and guides are able to provide a blow-by-blow account of Lara Croft's encounter with the monster....or something like that (I haven't seen the movie, fortunately).

Angkor Wat

Aunty Jo Jo's Angkor Wat dream comes true

Every history buff dreams of becoming an archaeologist and I am no different. In many of my "Indiana Jones" moments, I have imagined myself either exploring the lost temples of Angkor in Cambodia or Petra in Jordan. As I gazed on Angkor Wat last Saturday 21 June 2008 at 2:20pm, the first of my dreams had come true.

Angkor Wat is the most majestic of all the temples in Siem Reap. It forms a giant rectangle measuring 1.5km by 1.3km that is surrounded by a moat. Its structure is imposing, its layout is highly symmetrical, its carvings are meticulous and the atmosphere is just...indescribable. And when one pauses to think that all this is 1000 years old and built entirely by hand, the glory of the Khmer (Cambodian) empire is beyond any doubt.

Apsara carvings are featured all over the temple complex

Like most visitors, I too fell under the spell of the beguiling apsara (heavenly nymph) carvings that adorn the walls and columns of Angkor Wat. Every one denotes an individual expression, hairstyle and costume, although I was less fascinated by the bare breasted fashions compared to some of my fellow male tourists :-)

I returned on my last morning to view the expansive bas reliefs that surround the temple and they are truly astonishing. The scenes from the Mahabharata, Suryavarman's army and Churning of the Ocean of Milk have to be seen to be believed.

One day, I hope that you too will have your Angkor dreams come true.

Bayon

Let me start by admitting that the temple I expected to be the creepiest turned out to be my favourite of all the Angkor temples. The Bayon stands in the centre of the city of Angkor Thom and is smaller than the majestic Angkor Wat.

I had imagined 216 giant stone faces of a dead king smiling down on me to be quite scary. But the Bayon temple is far from that - it was a lot of fun to explore.

• The stone faces of King Jayavarman VII have an air of amused benevolence about them
• The carvings of apsaras (dancing nymphs), figurines and bas-reliefs are plentiful and really exquisite
• There are plenty of nooks and crannies to explore including some very steep stairwells
  
• Every corner and framed window holds a surprising view of facial profiles or carvings
• Although the Lonely Planet says the Bayon "looks like a glorified pile of rubble from a distance", I caught a lovely view of it from a pool in the western corner - thanks to my alert guide Thuy
  

There were plenty of opportunities for a great photos, even for a less-skilled "snap & run" tourist like me. All in all, I took 108 shots of the Bayon and here's a modest sample that I'd like to share with you. More photos are available on Facebook.

Found - the best hotel ever

Aunty Jo Jo loves FCC Angkor!

I have just returned from Siem Reap after having one of the best vacations ever - and it's thanks to a little gem of a hotel named FCC Angkor. It is the best hotel I have ever experienced. As a hardened road warrior, I've had my fair share of business hotels, Four Seasons, heritage hotels so this is endorsement is not handed out lightly.

What was so special about this boutique hotel? Well, how about...

• Soriya, my ever-smiling hostess, who planned every last detail and anticipated every move during the stay
  
• Rithy, an affable and hunky driver who loves football and women (in that order)
• service staff who are pleasant, efficient and unintrusive
• beautiful grounds set in the old French quarter
• freshly prepared breakfast of the highest quality e.g. freshly-squeezed orange juice, French pastries with lemon curd, scrambled eggs & smoked bacon on French toast, fruit salad, Vietnamese pho
• superb meals that other tourists come in to enjoy...the dragonfruit pannacotta is to die for!
  
• fantastic fruit juices, wines and beer at half price during Happy Hours
  
• lemongrass-scented bedrooms
• custom-made soaps and bath gels
  
• a luxurious spa on-site

Most of all, it's the fact that I really didn't want to leave and have every intention of going back...SOON!