Unesco

16th May 2010 We had arranged with our new tuk-tuk driver to set off around 9am this morning and head out to explore some of the ancient temples of Angkor. Angkor is a region of Cambodia that served as the seat of the Khmer empire, which flourished from approximately the ninth century to the thirteenth century. The ruins of Angkor are located amid forests and farmland to the north of the Great Lake (Tonle Sap) and south of the Kulen Hills, near modern-day Siem Reap, and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temples of the Angkor area number over one thousand, ranging in scale from nondescript piles of brick rubble scattered through rice fields to the magnificent Angkor Wat, said to be the world’s largest single religious monument. ...

3rd May 2010 We began our morning with a breakfast of eggs overlooking the beach and watching the local vilagers collect seaweed on the incoming tide. It was then back on the bikes for the next leg of our trip. We started through similar scenery to yesterday, rice paddies on all sides, busy with the harvest followed by forested areas and rubber plantations. ...

27th April 2010 In contrast to yesterday’s relaxed pace, this morning we were up before the sun. We had booked an early morning tour to see the Cham Temples at My Son (pronounced Me Sun). My Son is sometimes known as Vietnam’s Angkor Wat, but in actual matter of fact contains far fewer temples which are much more ruined over a vastly smaller area than those in Cambodia. However, it is the most extensive of Vietnam’s Cham remains. ...

17th April 2010 Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s most famous natural tourist attractions. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, there are literally hundreds of boats visiting it everyday and there are a myriad of tours available from Hanoi. Karen had recommended the trip which we booked two and a half weeks ago in Saigon. As we’ve become accustomed to, we had very little information about the tour’s itinerary besides it being three days and two nights. One night would be spent about a boat in Halong Bay and one night in a beach hut on Monkey Island. However, we weren’t worried since Karen had already done this trip with her parents, and enjoyed it. ...