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Discovering the Hidden Temples of Angkor

Posted by Andrea on  |  Leave a comment

By: Anna Baldwin, Operations Manager- Cambodia

What a wonderful Directors’ Week we’ve had! Everyone got together from all over the world – the US, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and of course, Cambodia. It was wonderful to get the team together, throw ideas around and generally just have fun. The fun, of course, included getting to explore the local area in and around Siem Reap, and here is some info on one adventure I particularly enjoyed.

One early morning, I was lucky enough to venture out with Nicole, our Laos Director, and Santhou, one of our top guides here in Siem Reap, to go in search of the Hidden Temples. Although incredibly beautiful, the bigger, more well-known temples can sometimes get a little overcrowded depending on the time of year. It’s no wonder that our Hidden Temples tour is becoming more and more popular, allowing you to escape the crowds and really immerse yourself in the atmosphere of this magical place. The photos below provide a bit of an insight into our little secret adventure but to find out more you’ll just have to book our tour!

The road to...?
The only other explorer we came across
Spot the hidden temple!
We had the whole place to ourselves
Our wonderful guide Santhou explaining some of the history of the temples and their unique carvings
The busy weaver ants building their leaf-ball home
Even something this majestic can still be kept a secret...
And provides more than a day’s workout as Nicole soon found out!
One of the entrance gates to Angkor Thom which most visitors rarely get to see
Our only other companion was a young boy selling postcards

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Southeast Asia 2011: Cambodia!

Posted by Andrea on  |  Leave a comment

For the final stop on our SE Asia tour, we asked Narla and Brandon about their favorite things in Cambodia. Keep checking back for the next few days to see all of the things they love about this country, and what’s happening here in 2011!

What are your top five places and things to do in 2011 in your country?

1. The temples. It’s the main reason people come to Cambodia and once you see them you will understand why. No matter how many times I see them I am still amazed at their size and the quality of the work that went into them. Anyone visiting Siem Reap needs to see Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom (Bayon), and Ta Prohm. While these temples can be rushed through in a single day, it’s best to get the three-day temple pass and spend the time to really see the temples. The more you look the more you will see how much effort individual people must have put in so many years ago. Note that each Apsara in Angkor has a slightly different look, and that in the bas relief you can see scenes of war with Champa as well as people playing board games and a woman giving birth.

The intricate details of an Apsara at Angkor Wat
A tree takes over at Ta Prohm

2. Talking with people. People here are very open and they love to laugh and will smile at anyone. They are also very open to tell you about their lives and what they went through in the years of wars and how the country has rebuilt itself. From the guides that can teach you the country’s history, to the driver learning English and wanting to tell you about his family, they are all great to talk with and learn from.

One of the best ways to meet locals, volunteer in the JWOC Conversation Class and help students practice their English as you learn more about them and their culture

3. A trip down to Kep lets you see a quiet town by the sea and the French Colonial buildings that still stand. Kep is growing, but right now it is still not on most people’s must-see list, making it a good place to visit before it gets too busy. Also, Koh Kong is another great place that you need to see.

Seaside breakfast in Kep

4. Do you know how to grow rice? You should by the time you leave, as 85% of the country grows rice and most of the others have done so at some point in their life. Cambodians don’t ask if you have had breakfast or lunch, they ask if you have “had rice”, because they can not believe a meal could be had without it. On the way to a far off temple stop along the side of the road and watch the people planting or cutting rice. If you have time, set up a tour to go see a local village that lives off the rice trade. You don’t need to go far from downtown Siem Reap to visit a real farming village. During the time of Angkor, rice was the currency, and to this day rice isn’t just a food, it’s what shapes the culture of this country.

Some of the many rice fields in Cambodia

5. Visiting a local village is an experience that you will never forget. Cambodians love to wave at you when you are walking by their house or village. You get to see their life style and the real communities in Cambodia.

Visiting a village is a great way to see the traditional Khmer way of life

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The Circus Comes to Town

Posted by Andrea on (Updated: )  |  Leave a comment

Last weekend (sorry, I wrote this awhile ago and have had trouble with uploading, it is more like last month…) we visited Koh Ker, a rural area about 3 hours from Siem Reap were we proudly own 22 hectares of farmland. Brandon wanted to go out to check on his land so I thought he would enjoy having the kids and I tag along and have an adventure. My cousin Tom and his cousin Iona were also visiting so we all loaded up and headed out. Koh Ker is starting to become a tourist attraction because of the pre-Angkorian temples there. I love visiting these temples because they are always empty of tourists and because my magic man is there. The magic man is a legend in Cambodia. Covered in tattoos the story is that he has been blessed and can now repel bullets and mines. He will show you the scars where bullets have burned him, but then bounced off and he will tell you in his own words how he has stepped on land mines twice, both times with those around him dying and him walking away without a scratch. He attributes this to the magic tattoos he has all over his body that protect him. I love seeing him and hearing his stories. Now the head of police in Koh Ker you can usually find him in a hammock outside the main temple where his wife runs a noodle soup shop.

After visiting him and the temples we headed into town. Imagine if Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, David Beckham and Mr. Ed showed up in your town, together. That’s what it’s like showing up in Koh Ker. We took some rooms at the local guesthouse where we were briefed on the 6 to 9 electricity rule. They have electricity from 6 at night to 9 at night, most nights. I took the kids for a walk and let the locals get an eyeful. Most of the kids ran away when they saw us coming, but a few paused on their bikes to watch…they looked ready to pedal like hell if we made any sudden moves. My kids take it all in stride, even lunch and dinner at the town’s “best” restaurant, where the choices were rice or noodles didn’t seem to phase them.

We had a fun night four-across in the bed. We kept the windows opened so when the fan stopped at 9 we had some fresh air, but at about 4 in the morning when the rooster started crowing I actually opened my eyes to make sure he wasn’t in the bed with us! Even Callie rolled over and muttered something about Old McDonald. In the morning we drove out to visit our land and meet the nice family squatting on it. My kids commandeered their kids toys while the Cambodian kids hid. That night we got back to Siem Reap and celebrated with a little AC and our own beds!

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The Idea Guy

Posted by April on  |  Leave a comment

My husband is an ADDtrepreneur. This is an entrepreneur with ADD. He is always looking for new ideas and often has several going at a time. Journeys Within, the B&B, JWOC, Nikaya, all of this came from Brandon’s head. Now I’m not saying he makes all of these ideas come to fruition, he is also smart enough to surround himself with hard working people who can take his many ideas and make them happen, but still, the ideas are his. The interesting thing about Brandon is that he has very little ego attached to his ideas. Other people can steal them and call them their own and Brandon just rolls with it. I generally take full credit for the tour company and he never bats an eye! It is actually really fun to be around him because you can always see him appraising things – researching ideas, listening to people talk, keeping an eye out for new projects. Most of our staff, Khmer and Western alike, think he’s crazy, I don’t necessarily disagree entirely, but I also think he’s brilliant, he’s the reason my life is so interesting! Here are some of his projects:

 Journeys Within. We now have offices in the US, Bangkok, Cambodia and one coming in Laos, we also have people working for us in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar and it all started when we met a moto driver in Siem Reap 6 years ago whom Brandon wanted to hire.

 Journeys Within B&B. I liked this big house and Brandon said, “why don’t we turn it into a B&B, I bet that would cover the rent.” Our team has grown a bit!

 

 A Crocodile Farm. So I didn’t say all his ideas were brilliant! It does make for cool stories though!

 JWOC. Brandon started helping a small classroom near our house in Siem Reap. Now, three years later it runs two schools, has installed hundreds of wells, is providing college educations to underprivileged students and has brought many families out of poverty with the micro lending division.

 Tire Repair. Really the Michelin Man of Cambodia this deserves its own post. Maybe the best Valentine’s Day present ever, definitely the most creative.

 Koh Ker. We are now the proud owners of 22 hectares of farm land in Koh Ker. Brandon is working with a land management NGO to determine the best crops to grow. Most of his ideas I am able to make happen, for this one he’s on his own, I draw the line at farming!

 

Nikaya. From when we first moved to Cambodia Brandon has talked about marketing some of the beautiful products you can get here to the world. This year he hired a director and we started Nikaya, a fair trade company that will offer Cambodian made products to individuals and retailers in the US. Look from some awesome purses and beautiful home décor coming to our website this summer!

 I think there are some smaller projects I am missing, but there are the ones that come to mind. It does mean my life is a bit busy, but, always, always, interesting! I advise anyone bored with life to find themselves an ADDtrepreneur.

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