TRAVEL | Markets in Phnom Penh

Central Market
A 1930s Art Deco covered market near the Riverfront (Sisowath Quay) district. The market is well set out, and sells everything from flowers to video games. A typical market place for locals

Sorya Mall
Phnom Penh's main Western-style mall has air conditioning and contains a range of cheap fast food outlets. You can find inside the Lucky Supermarket, the only super market chain in Cambodia I believe

Russian Markets
A plase to buy real designer clothes at a huge discount price. A lot of major brand clothes sold here are deemed unfit to be shipped abroad due to very small fault in the clothing, therefore they are sold here at the Russian market.

There is also a huge western mall which opened recently called the city mall, near the olympic stadium. Can't wait to check all these out!

TRAVEL | Bhutan

While reading my daily feed of aircraft porn, I came across Bhutan, a small nation in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains, between Tibet and India. Bhutan, or the Land of the Thunder Dragon, used to be one of the most isolated nations in the world, but it is increasingly modernised with the introduction of international flights and mobile networks in the country. It is here where the world's most dangerous airport runway is located, and there are only 8 pilots in the world who are qualified to make this landing (Apparently).

Besides the stunning natural scenery, Bhutan has a very strong sense of culture and tradition that differentiates it from its bigger neighbours. It is the only Vajrayana Buddhist nation in the world, and the profound teachings of this tradition remain well preserved and exert a strong influence in all aspects of life.

Due to its pristine environment and harmonious society, the tiny Kingdom of Bhutan has been called "The Last Shangri la."

Taktsang Monastery (Tiger's Nest)

Located in Paro, this is one of the most important Buddhist sites in the world.

Bhutan, surrounded by the mighty Himalayas

Bhutan is a popular place for trekking, though the walks are generally quite tough.

Another place I would love to visit while I'm still fit!

TRAVEL | Hiking from Jinshanling to Simatai

If you are looking for breathtaking views in relative isolation combined with some exercise on the Great Wall, then the hike between Jinshanling(金山嶺) and Simatai(司馬台) is perfect for you, giving you a truly "authentic" wall experience. This section of the wall is further away from Beijing than other more popular parts such as Badaling(八達嶺) and Juyongguan(居庸關) , making it considerably less crowded with tourists.

Located about 125 km northeast of Beijing, the JinShanling section of the Great Wall wonders through fantastic natural scenery and connects to the Simatai Great Wall to the east.

The hike from the east Jinshanling Great Wall to the west Simatai Great Wall takes about 4 hours with a total length of 12 km. The route will span over 30 towers (15 towers in East Jinshanling and 15 on west Simatai). It's a perfect day trip outside of Beijing with some of the best scenery of the Great Wall.

Jinshanling Section

Jinshanling Section

Jinshanling Section

Some of the terrain we will need to be covering

TRAVEL | Phnom Bakheng

Another Hindu temple at the site of Angkor, Phnom Bakheng was one of the first temple mountains to be built in Angkor, two centuries before its neighbour the Angkor Wat. Situated atop a hill, it is nowadays a popular tourist spot for sunset views of the Angkor region, offering a view of the Tonle Sap Lake and a distant Angkor Wat in the jungle.

The temple is usually overcrowded at sunset, sometimes even completely overrun by tourists, making Phnom Bakheng one of the most threatened monuments of Angkor

Angkor Wat from Phnom Bakheng hill at sunset.

TRAVEL | Robot Building

Another building we must check out while we're in Bangkok is the Robot Building, which was originally built for the Bank of Asia but now owned by the United Overseas Bank. This building is best viewed on the platform at the Surasak Sky Train platform.

Built by the Thai architect Sumet Jumsai during the 80's, the building is one of the last examples of modern architecture in Bangkok.

TRAVEL | Chatuchak Weekend Market

The Chatuchak market is the larget market in Thailand and possibly the largest in the world! It is probably no joke to say that this market sells practically everything under the sun, from the smallest nails, to foods, trendy fashions, antiques intricate wooden carvings, masks from far-off lands, adorable fluffy dogs, colorful fish of every hue and singing birds.

With about 200,000 to 300,000 visitors to the market each day, visitors must be prepared to be crowded in the narrow passageways lined with merchandise with no air-conditioning. Beware of extreme claustrophobia while inside, so I suggest we go really early in the morning!

Cute puppies, gold fish! You can find almost anything at the world's biggest flea market







Near the Chatuchak market is the Elephant Building, one of the most famous buildings in Bangkok.

TRAVEL | Wat Arun

The famous Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of the Dawn, is one of the most striking riverside landmark of Thailand and one of the most published images of Bangkok. It is on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river, on the opposite bank of the Grand Palace in Ko Ratanakosin. Like many Khmer styled temples, the central prang represents Mount Meru, a sacrad mountain in buddhist cosmology, home of the gods. The four smaller prangs symbolize the four winds. High up on the four smaller towers, you can see a statue of Pai, god of the winds, on his horse.

Despite the name, the most spectacular view of the monument can be seen from the east side of the river at sunset, when the spires of Wat Arun make an impressive silhouette against the skyline.

Chinese ships used to come to Bangkok carrying tons of old ceramics as ballast. A lot of them can be found decorating the temple like this one

TRAVEL | Putrajaya

On our way to Phnom Penh this year, we'll be making a brief layover at Kuala Lumpur for about 8 hours. I think it may be a bit rushed to commute all the way into the KL city centre with 2 hours + travel time depending on the traffic, so I think it might be better to spend our time at Putrajaya, a planned city that serves as the federal administrative centre of Malaysia, about 30 minutes from LCCT where we'll be landing.

Planned as the garden and intelligent city, 38% of the area is reserved for green areas by emphasizing the enhancement of natural landscape.

Putra Mosque

The principal mosque of Putrajaya with a capacity of 15,000 worshippers and its 116-meter minaret is the tallest in Southeast Asia

Perdana Putra

A building complex in Putrajaya which houses the Malaysian Prime Minister office complex

Putrajaya Landmark

The first landmark in Putrajaya where the site of federal administrative centre was established here in 1995

Seri Wawasan Bridge

One of the main bridges in Putrajaya with a futuristic sail ship appearance

This area seems to be the centre of a construction boom, with a lot of new buildings planned or under construction. Can't wait to see this city in person! Look at this artist's render of the waterfront project planned for Putrajaya!

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TRAVEL | Bangkok - Banglamphu

Banglamphu is a district home to a very lively travelers scene, due to the mass numbers of budget accommodation located along Khao San Road. Here, one can find an extensive market selling a huge range of goods, ranging from cheap clothes to Thai handicrafts, a perfect place for souvenirs. The backstreets here retain a genuinely Thai atmosphere, much more so than Bangkok's other main tourist attractions such as Silom and Sukhumvit, making visiting this neighborhood an interesting experience for travelers.

Just an interesting note, the start to the movie The Beach was set on Khao San Road.

Khao San Road

Developed over the years into probably the most profound worldwide example of a "backpackers' ghetto", with cheap accommodation compared to other areas of central Bangkok.

Khao San Road as well as the adjacent alley-ways are packed with inexpensive clothing, cheap tee-shirts, bootleg CDs, small wooden carvings of animals, hemp clothing, pillows, watches, pins, all the necessary backpacker travel items.

Democracy Monument

A public monument in the centre of Bangkok,built to commemorate the nation's transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy in 1932.

TRAVEL | KLIA Transit

Express Rail Link has launched a shuttle service between the LCCT terminal and Salak Tinggi station, where passengers will be able to board the high speed KLIA TRANSIT towards KL Sentral, from 16 Sept 2009 onwards. Before this was introduced, there were no train services from the budget LCCT terminal in Kuala Lumpur to the city centre without first making your way to the KLIA terminal. With this latest addition, passengers on AirAsia are able to make their way into the city for a mere RM12.50 and in about 35 minutes!

Say goodbye to traffic jams!

TRAVEL | Rooftop bars in Bangkok

To fully enjoy the views of this enormous city, one can head up to the numerous rooftop bars in Bangkok, where you can indulge in fine food/cocktail while having a bird's eye view of this sprawling metropolis. Although drinking or dining at these venues can be expensive by the usual Thai standards, the experience is unique enough to make it a justifiable extravagance for your trip.

Vertigo Grill & Moon Bar

61 floors above ground, this open-air rooftop lounge has views that simple will take your breath away. Situated on top of the Banyan Tree hotel

Sirocco

No night out in Bangkok is complete without a couple cocktails at Sirocco. Located on top of The Dome at State Tower, 64th floors above the streets of Bangkok, this rooftop bar boasts 360 degree views of the city with city lights in every direction, as far as the eye can see.

Baiyoke Sky Hotel

The tallest hotel in Bangkok currently, with 3 restaurants and bars located on its peak, 80+ floors above the streets of Bangkok.

The Long Table

Claimed to have the longest table in the world, the Long Table resides on the 25th floor of the Column Tower, owned by the group who also brought the city the Bed Supperclub.

TRAVEL | Bangkok - Silom/Riverside

Silom, Bangkok's equivalent to New York's Wall street, is one of the city's most important financial districts, with glistening skyscrapers all boasting the names of financial institutions. The infamous Patpong is also situated in this area. The riverside district beside the Phraya River, joining to Silom is home to the city's most exclusive hotels, including the Oriental Hotel and Shangri-La.

Patpong

The internationally known red light district of Bangkok's sex industry

Patpong is also one of the must go night shopping destination

Lumpini Park

Bangkok's oldest and largest park is an inner-city haven of tranquility, fresh air and shade

Joe Louis Puppet Theatre

Located at the Suan Lum Night bazaar, this is a mesmerizing puppet show using traditional Thai small puppets

Silom Soi 2

The center of gay nightlife in Bangkok

Three Sixty

The Three Sixty Bar at the Bangkok Millennium Hilton provides a genuinely spectacular in-the-round vista of Bangkok’s skyline from the banks of the Chao Phraya river



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TRAVEL | Bangkok - Sukhumvit

Since we'll be doing a side trip to Bangkok on our Phnom Penh trip, I decided to dedicate a few posts to attractions in Bangkok, starting with the buzzing Sukhumvit.

Sukhumvit is Bangkok's main shopping strip and, in many ways the center of modern Bangkok. Sukhumvit Road is best described as Bangkok’s leading commercial district. It is one of the four major highways of Thailand and indeed one of the longest roads in the world, stretching all the way to the Cambodian border in the east. Although this area is poor on traditional tourist attractions, the area is rich in of-the-minute shopping, eating and nightlife.

Siam Square

The Times Square of Bangkok

MBK

The most visited mall in Bangkok

Soi Cowboy

The notorious red-light district

With elephants marching up and down the streets!

Siam Ocean World

The biggest aquarium in South East Asia

Thailand Creative & Design Centre (TCDC)

Asia's first design learning and resource facility

The Emporium

Bangkok's first luxury lifestyle mall

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