Andrea and Anna finish their whirl-wind trip around Southeast Asia in Siem Reap and then take in the city’s sights at new heights with the JW guides…
Looking to get reacquaint with old friends and get to know the latest additions to the Journeys Within team, Andrea and our Cambodian guides headed out to one of Siem Reap’s newest attractions: Flight of the Gibbons Angkor. Set inside Angkor park, the zip line adventure offers a unique glimpse of this beautiful forest from above.
Andrea, coming in for a landing.Flight of the Gibbons is a tree-top experience that provides guests a new prospective on the ancient Angkor park.
Narla, zipping in.
After swinging through the trees, the team regrouped by lending a helping hand and planting new trees along the new Korean Ring Road to Banteay Srei.
Narla, Vanith, Sothorn and Kanha help pant Ko Ki trees.A little water helps everything grow.Andrea lends a helping hand.
Capturing the imaginations of want-to-be explorers and archaeologists everywhere, Cambodia has revealed itself to be a land filled with secrets waiting to be revealed.
For the science nerds and research junkies out there — and yes, they do exist — it has been an exciting few weeks in Cambodia.
First, the US National Academy of Sciences revealed the existence of an extensive urban development, one that dates back 700 years and connects to the greater Angkor complex. They found that remote temple cities, like the Koh Ker site Journeys Within guests visit by helicopter, once thought to be isolated outliers were once connected to the greater system. Technological advances to the airborne lasers used to survey the area around Angkor allowed archaeologists to wrap their heads around the bigger picture.
Later in June, a Wildlife Conservation Society researcher snapped the first picture of a previously undocumented bird species. Known as the Cambodian tailorbird (Orthotomus chaktomuk), the red-headed, wren-sized bird was hiding in plain site in the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
One doesn’t have to an ornithologist or an archaeologist to revel in the fact that in a world increasingly focused on all things digital, there are still real-world mysteries to be uncovered and tangible discoveries waiting be made.
We ask travel experts not where we’ll all be going in the future, but where they’re going now. Today we talk to Andrea Ross of Journeys Within.
by Jordan Kisner for Archetypeme.com
The Expert:
Andrea Ross is founder and CEO of Journeys Within, a tour company and boutique hotel based in Siem Reap, Cambodia, that specializes in custom tours in Southeast Asia. An advocate for philanthropic travel, Ross also founded Journeys Within Our Community, a nonprofit devoted to improving the lives of Cambodians. She has divided her time between Cambodia and California for the past decade, and her expertise in the region has earned her inclusion in Condé Nast Traveler’s Top Travel Specialist Collection for the past five years.
The Destination:
Tucked between Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, Cambodia is widely known for the civil war that devastated the country until the mid-’90s and made it largely inhospitable to outside visitors. But the past two decades have seen a marked improvement in Cambodia’s fortune, and infrastructural improvements in the past few years alone have hugely increased its accessibility. There’s a lot to discover: ancient Buddhist temples, lush forests, pristine beaches, and elephant sanctuaries. And according to Ross, now’s the time to do the discovering.
Why and How to Go:
“People have been going to Angkor Wat for years, usually for just a few days tacked on to a larger trip. But now as Cambodia is becoming more accessible it’s a destination in its own right. People are beginning to take full two-week trips there, who are going to get below the surface and see the country in new, exciting ways.
Go visit the Preah Vihear Temple, which is up in the north near the border with Thailand. There was a dispute over it so it’s been closed for years, but it just reopened. I think it’s the prettiest temple in Cambodia, and right now it’s completely overlooked. On the way you can stop to see the temples at Koh Ker, which are pretty spectacular.
I love the beaches in the south, particularly less-traveled seaside towns like Kep and Kampot. Going there is more about the culture and the people and eating crab at the local crab shacks, or taking boat rides out to some of the more remote islands. It’s ideal for people who don’t want the overrun, crowded beaches in Thailand or Vietnam.
Lastly, I’d visit Ratanakiri in the northeast of the country. It really hasn’t been accessible, but now the roads are opening up and I think it’s a great destination. There’s a lot of culture to see: Ratanakiri is where the hill tribes are, so you can see their way of life, and now that Cambodia has started protecting their elephants there are elephant sanctuaries up there. ”
Insider’s Tip:
“I recommend hiring a car and driver. It makes everything so much easier. But more importantly, the trick to Cambodia is patience. The people are so kind and so good. Sometimes there are language barriers, and some visitors arrive expecting to get ripped off, but if you go into it with patience and trust and an open mind and a good attitude, it makes for a really rewarding experience. Cambodians are incredibly warm.”
For the original article see: https://www.archetypeme.com/article/tomorrow%E2%80%99s-trips-today-cambodia
Covering 400 square kilometres, Cambodia’s Angkor park has more to offer than the thousand-year-old temples that attract the visitors by the millions.While the likes of Angkor Wat and Tomb Raider’s Ta Phrom may get all the attention, the 1200 year old site has much more to offer those who are interested in delving a little deeper.
The well known archeological site is located in a stunning geographical area that houses ancient forests, swamps and an impressive array of man-made waterways, not to mention the 114 villages that still inhabit the park.
Two of those villages — Phlong and Leang Dai — have now teamed up to offer a new perspective on their ancient home. The Baray Reach Dak Community Tour is a village-run social enterprise that gives a glimpse of the park’s newly flooded north reservoir and the rural life this baray supports.
Dry for centuries, enough so that nearby villages were able to farm rice there, the North (or Reach Dak) Baray was re-flooded in 2007 after heavy rainfall put pressure on Siem Reap’s hydrological system.
For the past year, two nearby villages have been working to develop a project that would provide training to locals and invite tourists to see lesser known areas while helping supplement the income that was lost when the water was returned to the baray.
Narla, our Cambodian direct0r, operations manager Anna, and I decided to head into the Angkor park to check out this new attraction.
Arriving at the South East entrance of Preah Khan, to the tours newly constructed visitors centre, we were greeted by the new venture’s proud and eager-to-please staff.
The Baray Reach Dak Community Tour employees — administration, guide, boat driver and welcome staff — greet us at their newly constructed Welcome Centre.
Starting at the welcome centre, the new enterprise offers guests the opportunity to take a guided walk through the forest to a nursery where you can learn about rural Cambodian life and the use of their surroundings. The real gem of the tour however, is a boat ride through the North Baray that takes visitors to the Neak Poan temple by boat — the same way the ancient Khmers would have arrived hundreds of years ago.
Guided by Nam, a 25-year-old from the Leang Dai village, Narla, Anna and I headed through the mangroves, boarded our boat and set out on the baray.
Our guide, Nam, and our boatman prepare for us to board.
Despite losing some farm land to the reflooding of the baray, Nam told us that the villages were still able to grow crops on the fields around the waterway. A part-time rice farmer himself, Nam was over joyed to get to show off the beauty of his hometown. As our boatman paddled us through the serene waters, Nam shared stories of playing football, goofing off with his friends and bringing his buffalo to graze on the once-dry reservoir.
As we passed by fishing nets hung in the water, he explained that since the reservoir was refilled, many locals now supplement their diet with fish they catch.
Initially shy, Nam shared more about his life in the village as the afternoon wore on. While he farmed to grow food for his family, he explained that this wasn’t what he wanted to be doing full time.
The natural beauty of the Reach Dak baray.
Recognizing the beauty around him, Nam said he was happy to get the opportunity to guide for his community; it gave him an opportunity to share his amazing surroundings with others while still providing a way for him to take care of his family.
Gliding by a mix low growing shrubs and tall trees, through still waters with enough bird species around to keep all three of the Journeys Within staff pointing into the distance, it was easy to see what made Nam so proud.
The quiet boat ride is a calm getaway from the crowds at Angkors busier locations.
After the calming boat trip we arrived at the Temple of the Entwined Serpent, or Neak Poan. The walkway towards the temple was unexpectedly beautiful, with the mid-day light filtering onto our path, through the tree’s canopy.
There were no other signs of life until we approached the temple and while Anna did raise shrills concerns over the possibility of man-eating spiders, the only critters we crossed were the buzzing cicadas.
The short, canopied walk from the boat to the Neak Poan temple.
Neak Poan can be visited through the park by tuk-tuk or bike, but there we certainly felt like VIPs arriving out of the woods and getting to skip the main entrance. Once at the temple Nam gave us time to look around, while he spoke about the meaning of the four pools and the animals they represent.
If the weather remained dry in the rainy season, this is the temple his village would come to pray at, he noted.
Neak Poan temple in the middle of Reach Dak (North) baray.
Not only a unique and relaxing way to see some of the natural elements within the Angkor Park, the Reach Dak Baray Tour also helps spread the wealth generated by the tourist site to some of the more remote villages. By consulting with and providing education and training for the Phlong and Leang Dai villages, the new venture also works to protect the areas heritage, culture and natural environment.
As we made our way back through the calm waters, I reflected on what a pleasure it was to be part of this local solution, not to mention the splendor of leaving the Angkor crowds behind. While I got to enjoy an unforgettable afternoon, our guide and boatman got to practice the new-found skills that allowed them to leave the fields and pursue work they quite clearly enjoyed.
Our boatman preparing to ferry us home.
All of the money generated by the tour stays within the two villages involved; it is split between employees of the project, tour maintenance costs and a community fund used to benefit local families. This makes the Baray Reach Dak tour perfect for those travelers looking to give back or get off the beaten track.
Not to mention, it was the perfect way to get a glimpse at little seen part of one of the world’s most visited tourist sites.
Tips and info:
This half-day adventure can be combined with a half day of temple viewing. It can be a great way to decompress after view Angkor among the crowds.
The staff is new, so ask questions. Nam was more comfortable chatting once he warmed up to us, and hearing his stories was almost as enjoyable as the boat ride itself. If you have your Journeys Within guide with you, the tour presents a great opportunity for cross cultural exchange.
Feel free to contribute. Know the English name of a bird you see or a tree the guide points out? Let your guide know! They are always looking for ways to improve.
1-3 people per boat.
Feel free to bring water or snacks on the boat – just remember to dispose of your liter responsibly.
By: Heather Van Hull- Booking Coordinator, Cambodia
The Angkor temples, with their intricate carvings and stunning architecture, are mesmerizing and are a must for every visitor to Southeast Asia. Simply wandering around their ancient winding passageways and climbing over bits of jungle-laden rubble is a lifelong memory.
Last month I was given the amazing opportunity to join in on a 30-minute scenic flight with Helistar over Angkor with two of our customers. Words cannot even begin to describe the feeling of seeing these ancient wonders from above, so I will simply share some photos with you that, hopefully, begin to give you a sense of the experience:
Preparing to boardView from takeoffÍnside view from my copilot's seat. So many pretty buttons...A birds-eye view of the Angkor temple complex below.Zooming in on a more remote temple surrounded by jungle.Circling over the lake villages on Tonle SapA hill-top temple and miles of green countryside beyondPassing over a modern temple and monastery on the way back to Siem ReapView of the surrounding countryside as we prepare to land.
Interested in taking on this experience of a lifetime yourself? Visit Helistar Cambodia’s website here for more information: http://helistarcambodia.com/
