Tourist activities in Cambodia

A vacation is defined as leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure.   Vacation to some is to surrender oneself to total freedom and travel in search of pristine beaches in some exotic destinations.  Yet to others, a vacation is when you would want to explore new exotic territories or to adventure into something you had always wanted to do but didn't find the time to. Whatever your desires may be, recreational opportunities abound in Cambodia.
The pristine beaches of Cambodia are described to be amongst the best in the world and what other place is there where one can be mystified by the grandeur and charms of an ancient city such as the Angkor or be romanced by the culture of a populace that was once recognised as one of the most powerful in the continent of Asia.  Cambodia - A World of Wonder awaits you.
Here are some recommended activities to entertain you during your visit to Cambodia.  Click on them for details.

Cultural Tourism: 

• Visit the magnificent Angkor Wat, a heritage of humanity and world wonder
• Explore other ancient Khmer temples such as those in Siem Reap, Preah Vihear, Kandal, Takeo, etc
• Tracing frescos and murals of the ancient temples.
• Visit Buddhist pagodas and museums in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh
• Visit monuments in Phnom Penh, e.g. the Independence Monument
• Watch kites flying in Phnom Penh; a tradition dating back many centuries.
• Join and observe the Royal Ploughing Ceremony
• Watch Buffalo Races during Pchum Ben Festival
• Watch boat racing in Phnom Penh & Siem Reap during Water Festival
• Participate in Khmer traditional games and dancing during festivals such as the Khmer New Year, etc
• Visit the indigenous people of the rural areas.

Eco Tourism:

• Visit floating villages of the Kampong Phluk Commune in Siem Reap Province
• Bird-watching is a popular recreation at the Prèk Toal habitats in Siem Reap Province
• Visit wildlife sanctuaries in the Provinces
• Take boat rides on the Tonlé Sap Lake and along the mighty Mekong River
• Watch fishing activities on the Tonlé Sap Lake and the mighty Mekong River
• Kayak through the Mangroves in Koh Kong
• Explore and take a hike through the jungles of the Angkor area
• Rent a bicycle and cycle around the countryside of Siem Reap
• Explore mountain caves/ caverns in Kampot Province
• Trek on elephant back through the jungles of Mondulkiri or Rattanak Kiri
• Explore and relax on the Tonsay Island in Kèp City
• Enjoy the pristine beaches of Rong Island in Sihanouk Ville
• Visit the waterfalls in Kampot Province and Kampong Speu Province
• Swimming and scuba-diving in Sihanouk Ville, Koh Kong Province, and Kèp City
• Explore coral reefs at the bottom of the sea of Sihanouk Ville
• Boat ride through the mangrove forest at the Ream National Park in Sihanouk Ville
• Spot sea dolphins at the Ream National Park in Sihanouk Ville
• Go sailing and paragliding in Sihanouk Ville
• Island hopping; discover the many islands of Koh Kong Province
• Hike to the Chambok Waterfalls at Kirirom National Park in Kampong Speu Province
• Cruising down the river from the Andong Toek to the Village Chi Phat in the southern Mountain Range of the Cardamom
• Trek the jungles of the Mountain Range of the Cardamom
• Go Camping in the jungles of the Mountain Range of the Cardamom
• Visit the Pong Roul Waterfall on the Srè Ambel River
• Visit the Ramsar wetland in Stung Treng
• Cruise down the Mekong River from Stung Treng to Kratie
• Spot and observe the Mekong River dolphins at the Kampi resort in Kratie
• Trek the Virachey National Park in Rattanak Kiri
• Swim in the crystal clear waters of the Yeak Laom Lake, Rattanak Kiri
• Visit the Bousra Waterfalls in Mondul Kiri
• Visit the Srè Pok Wilderness Area in Mondul Kiri
• Elephant riding in Rattanak Kiri and Mondul Kiri
• Meet the indigenous people of Rattanak Kiri and Mondul Kiri provinces
• Discover the trails of the mighty Mekong River.

When Night Falls

• Watch cultural performances over dinner
• Visit the Casinos in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Pailin and Bavet
• Visit the pubs, karaoke bars and night club
• Take a night cruise up the mighty Mekong River
• Go to the Night Markets in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap

Raffles Properties in Cambodia get Refurbishment

Opened in 1929 and 1932 respectively, these are the only luxury hotels in Cambodia that pre-date the civil war and the Khmer Rouge era.  They were brought into the Raffles portfolio in 1997 after thorough and sensitive modernization.    The hotels were the work of French architect Ernest Hébrard based in Hanoi, who was responsible for the design of many buildings constructed in French Indochina in the early 20th century.  So it is appropriate that French interior designers based in Ho Chi Min City should be playing a starring role in the next chapter of their lives.

Over the next few months both hotels will be given the investment, attention and creativity they deserve.  The design company NOOR (www.noorvn.com) was given the brief to breathe new vitality, elegance and comfort into the interiors by subtly updating the hotels’ much-loved French Colonial, Art Deco and Khmer style and ambiance.

John Johnston, President, Raffles Hotels & Resorts, said:

“Raffles Hotel Le Royal and Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor are without doubt the hotels in Cambodia with the most heritage, character and atmosphere.    In the last year, we have introduced the legendary Raffles Butlers at both hotels, to give our guests truly personalized service 24-hours a day.    This refurbishment is the next chapter:  it will reinstate the hotels’ original exotic glamour and take them up to the next level of comfort and luxury - for real 5-star service and style.”

The design thread comes from the hotels themselves, as they are so distinctive and bursting with character.  After researching the Indochine era, NOOR has brilliantly incorporated the original French Colonial and Art Deco elements into the new architectural detail, textures and colours.

Khmer artwork, both original and newly commissioned, has been sourced from local artists – from silverwork and wood carving, to lacquers, boxes and sculptures.  Luxurious Cambodian silks, the use of Khmer patterns and Art Deco colours will add another layer to the rich new schemes, which include:

At both hotels
- upgrading and refreshing the State Rooms (double rooms) - giving them gleaming new wooden floors using dark, sustainable local woods, seductive Jim Thompson fabrics and local Cambodian silks, for a luxurious, authentic, romantic colonial feel.  Further rooms will be refurbished in 2012.

At Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh
- In addition to the staterooms, above, there will be two new Balcony Suites overlooking the gardens.

- The famous airy Lobby and the Conservatory Bar are being discreetly transformed and brought up to date.  The layout will be cleverly re-configured, the lighting updated, the best furniture restored and new pieces commissioned.

- Meeting rooms and the Ballroom will be refurbished, with new colour schemes, sound and light systems.  Raffles Hotel Le Royal offers meeting spaces for up to 300 guests for bespoke private events.


At Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, Siem Reap
- the total refurbishment and upgrading of the two enormous private villas in the hotel’s lush tropical gardens, to create the most distinctive, impressive and private accommodation in Siem Reap  - for families, friends and couples on romantic travels.    For over 75 years, a visit to the ancient temples of Angkor has been synonymous with a stay at Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor – and there could be nowhere more atmospheric than its villas.  Each villa has two spacious bedrooms, an enormous drawing room and dining area, a kitchen and wine cellar and private terraces. 

- Villa Uma will be contemporary colonial, with a glamorous new plunge pool, decking, daybeds and landscaping, sleek, modern colonial furniture and new wooden flooring throughout.  In contrast, Villa Kama will retain its traditional colonial feel with teak furniture, decorative Khmer touches, rich carpets, Deco style furniture and new lighting.  Outside, updated landscaping will be complemented by rattan furniture and new planting. 

The refurbishment will be complete by November 2011 – making Raffles Hotel Le Royal and Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor amongst the very best hotels in this beautiful, fascinating country.

Source - hotelnewsresource

Raffles Le Royal, Phnom Penh

Raffles Grand D'Angkor hotel, Siem Reap

Yoga at a temple impresses uptight expats

Joel Altman stretches out with a guest in front of Bakong temple

A new yoga and meditation retreat in Siem Reap’s countryside is quickly gaining a reputation as the weekend destination of choice for expats wanting to enjoy some personal time.

And the retreat owner, Joel Altman, said that’s just the beginning of what he has planned for stressed-out Siem Reapers.

The Hariharalaya Retreat Centre is named after the ancient capital of Cambodia, which originally encompassed the land around the Roluos group of temples.

Checking in at the retreat involves a twenty minute drive out of Siem Reap, and a 1,200 year journey into the past, according to Altman, who claims that guests meditating at the retreat can tap into the “mystical energies” of the nearby Bakong and Preah Ko temples.

“The temples here particularly are powerful temples,” he said. “The Bakong temple in particular is built like Mount Meru which is the mystical mountain of the Hindus, so the energy of the temple with its sacred geometry is a great aid to meditation.”

The retreat has seven bedrooms, priced from $13 to $23 dollars a night including meals, and bookings have been solid among tourists and expats alike since it opened in January.

Housed in an airy two-storey mansion on the outskirts of Roluos Village, and within walking distance of Bakong and Preah Ko, the retreat provides guests with the choice of structured yoga and meditation classes, or the option of doing their own thing and enjoying the sauna, music room, creative arts space and volleyball court.

Kundalini yoga classes and Tai-Chi classes are also available.

Altman, who trained as a linguist and translator in Quebec, said he ditched his studies in lexicography, (the science of compiling dictionaries), for thirteen years on the road as a travelling yoga teacher and student, with several stints in Indian ashrams.

And he says the thousand-year-old meditation techniques he learnt there can be applied to any frazzled denizens of modern Siem Reap.

“What we basically practice here is the traditional Hatha yoga set in the morning, the traditional methods that have been taught in India. It works through different breathing, standing, and sitting postures, and it’s about going inside, feeling the energy circulate, and working not only with the physical body but with what they call the body’s magnetic field.

“The idea is that our bodies are emanating electric energy, and by strengthening this field of energy we become more healthy, and we’re protected from disease.”

For those more interested in caring for their stomachs than their souls, Hariharalaya also has a range of $20 weekend cooking courses, which include yoga beforehand to prepare students for the six hour culinary marathon ahead.

“It’s about healthy cooking options,” Altman said.  “We focus on Cambodian cooking, what’s available, where can you find it in season, where you can find it in the market, how you say it in Khmer.

“So far we’ve had an Indian cooking class on dips and dressings, and the next class is healthy deserts.” 

With an upcoming calendar of classes by guest yogis and meditation teachers, as well as the release of a brand of Hariharalaya health snacks, Altman says he hopes the retreat will continue to develop.


(Source:phnompenhpost)

Birds Seen In Cambodia

The forests and floodplains of Cambodia form refuges for many threatened bird species that have been extirpated from much of their former range. These include critically endangered waterbirds like giant and white-shouldered ibis as well as three species of critically endangered vultures. Great opportunity for bird-watching.

The Masked Finfoot is globally endangered, with estimates of less than 2,500 left globally, due to human disturbance and habitat loss. This mysterious fellow is seen in Cambodia.

(Source: MOT)