The Fortune Teller in Siem Reap – Photo Credit: Anna Baldwin
We are thrilled to announce Journeys Within’s new Siem Reap Spiritual Tour, which will give you a brief glimpse into Cambodia’s deeply spiritual culture. Fortune Tellers, alongside monks, are deeply respected in the community and are frequently visited for advice about life, and to ask guidance from the spirits. On the Journeys Within Spiritual Tour, you will begin with visit to a local fortune teller for a session. As he does a reading for you, the Journeys Within guide will translate his words into English.
Afterwards, you will move on to visit the pagodas of Siem Reap – Wat Bo, Wat Preah Prom Rath and Wat Damnak. Most Khmers (Cambodians) visit their local pagoda (also known as wats or temples) regularly to receive blessings and give alms to the spirit world – a very important part of the Buddhist religion, and pagodas become extremely busy around religious holidays, especially Khmer New Year and Pchum Benh. You will receive a blessing performed by a monk from the pagoda to cleanse your spirit from which you will take away a small red ribbon tied around your wrist to protect you for the rest of your travels.
Note:If Spiritual Readings interest you, you may also be interested in meeting with Sophie Ferry. Sophie originally hails from France but was trained in the healing arts in Laos before moving to Siem Reap. She specializes in moving energy, and works with expats, travelers, locals and animals to heal both mind and body. While not part of our Spiritual Tour, if you are interested in meeting with Sophie, let the Journeys Within team know, and we can help arrange this for you.
Follow our journey for updates and travel tips on some of our key locations and tours throughout this spring, and get inspired for your own next adventure.
For travelers who seek to acquaint themselves with highlights of Siem Reap, these Journeys Within tours are ideal:
Day 1: Angkor National Museum, Quad Bike Tour, and Phare Circus
Day 2: Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom Temple Tours
Day 3: Banteay Srei and Beng Mealea Temple Tours
Day 4: Village Tour and Artisan Angkor Silk Farm
These tours are customizable to the guest’s preferences and schedules, though Journeys Within can make recommendations on the best timing to schedule certain tours and activities to beat crowds and the sun on hot days.
Day 1: Angkor National Museum, Quad Bike Tour, and Phare Circus
The ideal introduction to people visiting Siem Reap is a visit to Angkor National Museum. Visitors have the option of a guided tour using head phone with recordings available in a number of different languages. Guests may also tour the museum without head phones, however, the headphones are recommended as the narration provides greater detail in addition to signage provided by the museum. Photos are not allowed inside of the museum, but click here for more information.
Angkor National Museum consists of five galleries, starting with details about Buddhist worship, Buddhist and Hindu iconography collections, details about the history of Khmer civilization, a multimedia presentation about Angkor Wat, and finally, extensive galleries dedicated to Siem Reap’s temples with informative details about the temples’ art and architecture.
For example, the type of material a Buddha statue is made from (stone, gold, bronze, marble, copper, or wood) indicates the time period and other historical factors that impacted how statues were produced. The postures of Buddha explain the unique individual purposes for each statue, which correspond to significant moments throughout the life of Buddha.
Further, the sculptures are more than artifacts, but passageways to Buddha himself and to receive his teachings. This can help visitors to understand why the image of Buddha is treated with utmost respect throughout Buddhism practicing countries. The museum also provides insight to how the practice of Buddhism has developed over hundreds of years as a method of worship that focuses on letting go of strife in order to gain peace of mind. Stylistic changes not only in the Buddha statue but also in temple architecture and ornamentation indicate the integration of different styles and religious ideologies as empires merged throughout the civilization’s history.
This experience provides visitors a foundation and context to Khmer history and culture. A visit to the Angkor National Museum will ideally be done prior to visiting temples in and around Siem Reap so visitors may have an established understanding of the culture before visiting the area’s main points of interest. Insider tip: Beautiful batik artwork by local artists and celebrated professionals is for sale inside the museum.
After a morning at Angkor National Museum, guests enjoy the opportunity to go on a quad bike tour around the rural villages and outskirts of Siem Reap. This experience gives visitors a look at rural Siem Reap and the lives of farmers. People and children wave and greet visitors as they pass by, which conveys the warm nature of these kind people. The quad bike tour stops along the way at a modern temple, where visitors may see monks and nuns going about their daily lives. The tour concludes with a view of the sunset over Siem Reap. Insider tip: This tour is a great opportunity to bring a Go-Pro for unique video footage of Siem Reap. The guide also makes several stops along the way to film guests with their smart phones.
Kena (left), and Naida (right) on the quad bike tour in Siem Reap.
Another favorite of our guests as an introduction to Siem Reap is the Phare Circus. The circus is located near the heart of Siem Reap under the ‘big top’. It is a world-class act of acrobatics and by local signature artists as well as international traveling ensembles. The shows include light-hearted and comedic entertainment and poignant performance art interpretations of the profound impact of war on Khmer people. Performances are scheduled every night of the week.
Local acrobats of Sokrias (Eclipse) at Siem Reap’s Phare Circus.
Insider tip 1: Look up the performances you will see in advance and seek out a little background on the topics of each story for context. Visitors will get more from the shows if they have an understanding of the show’s influence.
Insider tip 2: There is a small gift shop located just outside of the tent that features unique handcrafts from local artisans that make for great souvenirs.
What to wear for this tour:
Comfortable, breathable clothes
Sneakers for the quad bike tour
Hat for the quad bike tour
Sunscreen and insect repellant for the quad bike tour
Bring a beverage inside the tent so you have something to drink throughout the show, as guests are not allowed back into the tent if they leave mid-show.
Day 2: Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom Temple Tours
Tours of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are great adventures following a visit to Angkor National Museum, as the museum tour concludes with information and exhibits that relate to Siem Reap’s nearby temples.
Angkor Wat is an iconic symbol of Cambodia and tours are offered throughout the day, including options for sunrise and sunset. Journeys Within tour guides stay on top of the best times to arrive, changes in location of where to obtain tickets and entrance, and how to beat the crowds using little known access points. Insider tip: There are two pools located in front of Angkor Wat, and the majority of visitors inexplicably choose to view the temples from the pool on the right side. The pool on the left side is always far less crowded.
Angkor Wat has become more strict this year about dress code and behavior while visiting the temple sites. It is important the visitors of temple sites respect temples by abiding by a recently established code of conduct, particularly dress code. View the Angkor Visitor Code of Conduct for more details. Visitors who do not abide by the code of conduct risk the potential of having their temple passes revoked.
Visitors have the opportunity to explore inside most temple areas, and exploring includes climbing some steep stair cases. Visitors should assess their ability to climb these stair cases. The temples located atop steep staircases are closed to pregnant women and small children for safety purposes.
Angkor Thom is a temple complex that houses Bayon, Ta Prohm, and Bantey Kdei. Bayon is known for its many massive three-dimensional faces carved into the temple walls. Ta Prohm is known for the trees that have overgrown around the temple over the centuries and make for unique photo opportunities. Ta Prohm is also sometimes referred to as the “Tomb Raider” temple, where the feature film was shot in 2001. Bantey Kdei is a fun temple to explore with many fallen temple stones.
Faces of Bayon, housed on the temple complex of Angkor Thom.
Siem Reap’s temple tours can be coordinated as the guest desires, with additional temple tour options making the trek a half-day or all day experience.
What to wear for this tour:
Appropriate attire for visiting temple sites, with the legs and shoulders covered
Hat or umbrella, but ideally a hat as umbrellas take up more space and may obstruct the views of other visitors
Sunscreen and insect repellant
Walking shoes – no sandals. Some of the temple areas are uneven or require climbing and it’s best to have the feet covered
Day 3: Banteay Srei and Beng Mealea Temple Tours
Banteay Srei and Beng Mealea are located about an hour and a half outside of Siem Reap. Visitors stop along the way at an ancient sandstone quarry in Kulan to see where the stone was once sourced for all of Siem Reap and how stones were cut.
In fact, Beng Mealea is a Hindu temple built over 1000 years ago for quarry workers. The sandstone quarry was too far from Angkor Wat for workers to visit to worship, so Beng Mealea was built to provide quarry workers a place of worship within a close enough distance to the quarry site. Beng Mealea is a fun temple for trekking, with many different areas to climb and explore. Visitors at this temple should be careful to watch their footing on uneven areas, with many fallen stones to climb. There are also many low archways, so watch your head!
Fallen temple stones at Beng Mealea.
Banteay Srei was built in 967 CE, and is unique to the other temples in the area because it is carved from red sandstone, so the temple appears to have a pink hue. Local people also say that the temple must have been carved by women, due to the intricacy of the carvings. For these reasons, the temple it also sometimes referred to as the “Lady Temple” or “Pink Temple”. These characteristics make the temple special, and it is also one of the oldest temples in the area. Banteay Srei’s ornate design, color, and attention to detail make it a site well worth the trek outside of Siem reap.
Banteay Srei, a temple carved from red sandstone, located outside of Siem Reap.
Insider tip: Visitors may also opt to see the Banteay Srei Butterfly Centre and the Cambodia Landmine Museum, both located on the way to Banteay Srei.
What to wear for this tour:
Appropriate attire for visiting temple sites, with the legs and shoulders covered
Hat or umbrella, but ideally a hat as umbrellas take up more space and may obstruct the views of other visitors
Sunscreen and insect repellant
Walking shoes – no sandals. Some of the temple areas are uneven or require climbing and it’s best to have the feet covered
Day 4: Village Tour and Artisan Angkor Silk Farm
On this tour day we visited Kok Tnout Village, which translates to ‘palm tree’. This is the home village of the guide for this tour, Mr. Sotay.
This tour gives visitors a glimpse into the rural village lives of people on the outskirts of Siem Reap. Kok Tnout is comprised of 800 families, or roughly 1000 people. Mr. Sotay, like most Cambodian families of his generation, comes from a family of 11. Mr. Sotay says that while many Cambodians have large families in order to help farm, new families have begun to have less children, perhaps about 5 children per family.
My guide, Mr. Sotay, stands at the end of a bridge leading us into the village of Kok Tnout.
Fifty percent of the villagers work jobs in Siem Reap, while the other half make a living as construction workers, farmers, and artisans of sorts. We passed Mr. Sotay’s mother in the village as she was on her way to sell rice noodles, which she makes herself every day and sells to people in town and passersby. We passed by a man who makes rice wine at his home and once the rice has been used in the process he feeds it to his pigs, which he raises and also sells in town.
In regard to infrastructure, the village of Kok Tnout still does not entirely have electricity, so some families use car batteries, kerosene lamps, and candles to have light in the night time. The village chief collects $15 dollars from every family to maintain the main village road.
This is a walking tour, and Mr. Sotay offers many details about Kok Tnout and its villagers’ way of life.
Once back in Siem reap, we visited Artisan d’Angkor, a silk farm and textile workshop that employs young women of Siem Reap, providing an opportunity for gainful employment and to preserve silk production and weaving as an artform.
Visitors get to see silk production from the very beginning of the process with a private tour from an Artisan d’Angkor guide. Exhibits show silkworms feeding on mulberry leaves, silkworms spinning their cocoons, the harvesting and cleaning process of the silk, the silk dyeing process, and various weaves of silk in textiles. Insider tip: Don’t forget to tip your guide!
Dyed and raw silk at Artisan D’Angkor.
The gift shop located on the farm is an ideal place to purchase beautiful souvenirs offering annual collections of home decor, clothing, accessories, stone, lacquerware, polychrome, wood, silver plating, painting, ceramics, and jewelry by local artisans.
What to wear for this tour:
Comfortable, breathable clothes
Sneakers or sandals
Hat for visiting the village
Sunscreen and insect repellant for visiting the village
See more photos of this spring’s journey throughout Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia on our Instagram account. Stay tuned to get an insider account of more of our tours throughout Southeast Asia!
Additionally, some of the Journeys Within team will be attending this year’s Thailand Travel Mart (TTM) this week! TTM works in cooperation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Thai tourism industry, making TTM the largest business-to-business event in Thailand. Journeys Within proudly participates in this event to stay in-the-know and aid in the promotion of tourism in Thailand and its Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) counterparts.
Follow us on Instagram during our experiences at TTM and stay tuned for new travel information and industry updates!
Standing in the visa line in Siem Reap after arriving in a swathe of sunshine and tourism, I knew Cambodia was going to be very different from my previous country of residence, Bangladesh. Having traveled through Cambodia before, I knew a little about the country’s history and culture; and as the nostalgia pulsed through my veins in the immigration queue and my passport was being stamped, I was very much ready to make Siem Reap my home and take on a new challenge.
I was excited.
Let me provide some context: Siem Reap is a town built upon tourism. The temple complex of Angkor Wat draws in visitors from around the world to come and view its spectacle. This is great for the local economy, bringing in what I imagine is millions of dollars, which in turn should have a positive impact on the socio-economic development of those living in and around it. However, given that Cambodia is a developing country, we know that is not always the case.
Those who have visited Siem Reap know that as well as the five-star hotels and resorts, there is still visible poverty and inequality amongst many Cambodians who are looking to benefit from a portion of the millions available.
This is where Journeys Within Our Community (JWOC) comes in, providing a range of services and programs in and around Siem Reap, to make sure local residents can improve their quality of life. Through innovative programs based in the heart of the community (Scholarships, Free Classes and Community Support), JWOC has managed to create a rapport and understanding within the community beyond any traditional NGO.
Knowing this, I was still quite nervous on my first day (as most of us are); however, after walking into the community center for the first time, all my nervousness quickly subsided. Students were playing tag. What could be more natural? Phew!
This initial experience perfectly sums up JWOC and the aura that exists here – the enthusiasm and professionalism of the scholarship students and staff we have is exemplary and clear to see by all involved. I was lucky enough to arrive in Cambodia just in time to ride with the students on the 30 km “Race 4 Change” Angkor Bike Ride and to then celebrate their achievements at the graduation party. I have since experienced their fieldwork in villages, their classroom teaching and witnessed JWOC’s ability to transfer such enthusiasm and work ethos into the programs.
You may walk into JWOC with a frown, but nobody walks out with one!
From the first day at JWOC up until now I have found myself engaged in every aspect of an exciting and vibrant organization filled with youth enthusiasm and spirit; and, with the 10th anniversary of the organization coming up next year, a celebratory mood.
As the Communications and Fundraising manager, I have the responsibility of highlighting and showcasing JWOC in the best way possible, both outside and inside our walls. And as far as I can tell, JWOC is already doing this for me!
So as the nostalgia in my veins runs out, I find it being replaced with optimism and anticipation for the coming months.
Dan and Monica at the New York Society for Ethical Culture.
On Sunday, April 19, 2015, Journeys Within travelers Dan Hanson and Monica Weiss gave a Sunday Platform presentation to the members of the New York Society for Ethical Culture all about their “voluntourism” travels through Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, and their involvement with the non-profit Journeys Within Our Communities in January of 2015.
With an itinerary that began in Bangkok and continued through Chiang Mai (including the Elephant Nature Park), Luang Prabang, Vientiane, the Mekong River and Siem Reap, the Hansons were able to speak to their unforgettable experiences and the impact they were able to have while in this special part of the world.
While in Siem Reap, they participated in the JWOC Clean Water Program which provides rural villages with a holistic clean water solution by installing and repairing wells, providing hygiene training and distributing water filters and hygiene kits, all of which you can see in their presentation below.
Video slideshow of their talk (skip to 15:27 into the video):
The Journeys Within Boutique Hotel is becoming the Unique Boutique.
It is with both a heavy heart and an excited step that I announce the sale of the Journeys Within Boutique Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
For almost 12 years, Brandon and I poured our hearts and souls and a whole lot of sweat into making this little property something special, both for our staff and for our guests. I honestly believe we succeeded, and short of my children, I don’t think I’m prouder of anything else in my life. From the gardens to the intimately decorated rooms, I believe it’s a special place, with a special heart.
Of course the true strength of Journeys Within Boutique Hotel has always been the people. Our amazing team worked tirelessly and always with a smile, and our guests were some of the most interesting and fun people ever. I feel honored that I got to be on such an incredible team and play host to such wonderful people.
The truth is that running a hotel is both a wonderful and an exhausting experience! When the electricity goes out at 5 p.m. or the dogs next door start barking at 2 a.m., you better believe that hotel owners are up and worrying. It was an incredible adventure, but it is time to pass the adventure along to another family.
The hotel staff was (and will remain) amazing.
I’m excited to not have to worry about hotel TripAdvisor reviews anymore, and Brandon is excited to get out to his farm and be able to focus on bean sprouts and goats. The pressure of running a hotel can be overwhelming and we both felt it was time to move on. It was a bittersweet goodbye.
Now of course the details: We have sold the hotel to a lovely Cambodian couple who are excited to rename it the “Unique Boutique” and to continue working with the amazing team we have assembled. Michelle, our Manager, will stay on as well and I’m sure will keep the service and experience at the level guests have raved about throughout the years.
I’m thrilled that our team has stayed on and I have made a pledge that no matter what happens or where they go, I will continue to support the kids we’ve always supported as they continue their education. For me, seeing my team’s kids grow up and have so many opportunities is incredibly heartwarming and I will continue to support them for as long as they need it.
Journeys Within will continue to support the education of the staff’s children.
The Journeys Within Tour Company is still going strong and we will continue to book our guests into Unique Boutique when it’s a fit for them. I will admit it was fun on my last visit to see the other hotel options around Siem Reap and know that we have so many amazing properties to book. With that said, there’s nothing like home.
Journeys Within Boutique Hotel was a true labor of love and I will miss it. More than that, I will miss my incredible team. There are too many stories that include laughter and tears and always those people that made Journeys Within Boutique Hotel special.
I know it’s not “goodbye” as I continue to support their kids and will see them every chance I get, but I will miss being on their team.
As Holden Caulfield once said, “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.”
