The Varmans, their sandcastles and the French Colony.

 The Kingdom of Cambodia is little known to many. Terms like Khmer Rouge, Pol pot might sound familiar to some but despite its recent violent history, this nation has so much more to offer. Angkor Wat the world famous ancient Hindu Temple is located near Siem Reap in Cambodia.  Siem Reap is a small city in the North Eastern part of Cambodia and lies north of the Tonle Sap lake; One of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia that spans over 2500sq.km and can span up to 12,000sq.km during the rainy season.

Siem Reap

There is basically only one reason that you would want to visit Siem Reap; Angkor Wat. This is the 12th century ruin of a Hindu temple built by Jeyavarman. History will tell you that the Varmans are basically descendants of the Chola Empire after their conquests in Indonesia, hence the spread of Hinduism. The area has a dozen other such ruins all built around that time period from the 9th century till the 14th century. Below is a list of the notable places and in the order that I visited them. Buy a 3 day pass at 40 USD to make the best use of time. Most of the places below can be visited with the Pass. Tonle Sap Lake and Kulen mountains have separate entry charges.

Day 0 -- (5PM to 7PM)

01 Phom Bakeng(45 mins) - Sunset

Day 1 -- (9 A.M. to 8 P.M.)

01 Preah Khan(1 hour)

02 Neak Pean (15 mins)

03 Ta Som (1 hour)

04 East Mebon( 30 mins)

05 Pre Rup (30 mins)

06 Srah Srang, Banteay Kdei, Prasat Kravan (30 mins)

07 Tonle Sap Lake(3 hours)

Day 2  --  (5 A.M. to 4 P.M.)

01 Angkor wat sunrise

02 Angkor Wat after breakfast(1.5 hours)

03 Angkor Thom (1.5 hours)

04 Ta Prohm (30 mins)

05 Thomannom (30 mins)

06 Chau Say Tevoda (30 mins)

07 Ta Keo (30 mins)

Day 3 -- (9 A.M. – 3 P.M.)

01.Banteay Srei (45 mins)

02 Kulen mountain (1 hour)

03 Banteay Samre (30 mins)

04 Roluos Group (30 mins)

* I’ve mentioned the time that was spent at each place beside it. These are rough figures and include time spent on taking pictures. Does not include travel time.

On day 1 we returned after nightfall as we saw the sunset from the lake. It’s a massive expanse of water and I imagine the sun set would have been spectacular. But dismal weather and the fact that we went during the end of the dry season meant that it was cloudy and the water was murky. The fishing village at the lake is an interesting place to visit. Imagine finding schools, shops, and even a restaurant all on water. Scenes of people cooking and living on water are a sight to see. There isn't much to say about the temples at Siem Reap actually. They are all similar and run down in many cases but magnificent in their architecture and the workmanship. Numerous restorations projects are on-going in an attempt to bring the temples back to their former glory. One thing that will definitely engulf you is that these majestic landmarks were all constructed centuries ago when there was no access to the modern construction technologies that we have today. Be prepared to do some heavy duty climbing if you want to see all the temples. They are worth the climb too. The sunsets and sun rises were much talked about, but we were rather disappointed on those counts. Blame the clouds for that.  Most of the places are a stone’s throw away from each other so getting around is quite easy. Some are really small and just require a quick walk around while some can be quite extensive. For example, this region was supposedly home to almost One Million people during the peak of the reign, so you can imagine the vastness of the area. On days 2 and 3 we returned back to the city by 3-4 in the afternoon. But of course we skipped breaking for lunch and survived on packed food so as to stay on the road continuously. A Lunch break would have definitely extended the itinerary well up to 5PM on both those days.

The town of Siem Reap is busy at night as all the tourists flock in. Pub Street is lined with restaurants and bars to unwind. The layout and architecture of the city is very quaint and has a European feel to it, if you ignore the weather that is. It’s a good place to go shopping and relax as well.

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is a bustling city but does not have much in store for the tourist. It is a great place for shopping as you can get great deals at the Russian markets and central market. Clothes and accessories are damn cheap but you have to haggle really hard. As a rule always start bargaining at 30 percent of the price they quote and finish at 50 percent. By the looks of it, I’d say they make a reasonable profit with that price too, but by our standards it’s a bargain anyway. But if you’re the kind that likes a good bargaining session where the other party gives up all hope in life, by all means, this will be your orgasmic zone!  One ‘to visit’ place is the killing fields south of Phnom Penh. A sad memory of a horrific past, this will open your eyes to a lot of historical events of the 1970’s and 80’s. In addition important attractions would include the Palace and National Museum. There apparently is another Museum at S21 but we decided we had had our fix of visiting sites of death and decided to skip it.

Getting around

Getting around anywhere in Cambodia is relatively easy. You just flag down one of the contraptions known as a Tuk tuk. These are basically motorbikes that have carriage trailers fitted. Rates start at 1 USD but given the size of the cities like Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, you can pretty much get around with that 1 dollar. Full day charges vary from 18 to 25 dollars. Be prepared to haggle though. Moving from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh or anywhere around the country is reasonably easy too. There are numerous bus services that charge around 10 USD per person. If you have a group of 4 or 5, you can hire a car. That would cost around 50- 60USD in total and cut your travel time by an hour or two. I find Cambodians to be a very friendly lot. The people we met at Siem Reap were very polite, humble and hugely friendly. Most people can understand English if at least vaguely and reply in jumbled words. You will have to speak a little slowly though :P.

Money matters

The most interesting part about this country is that everything is quoted in USD. You can forget about going to the moneychanger for Cambodian Riel. Even if you did, be prepared to do some serious counting because the exchange rate is 4000 Cambodian Riel to 1 USD. Yep, no typo there! Everyone deals with USD and if the amount to be dealt with goes below a dollar, out come the 1000/2000/500 Riel notes. One advantage; no heavy currency to lug around.

Eating out in Cambodia

You may be surprised to hear this, but we found it rather easy to pick out vegetarian restaurants in Siem Reap. If you are vegetarian, the places that you should check out are Chamkar, Chusska and Peace Café. Chamkar is a Cambodian style vegetarian restaurant run by a French guy Very unique menu of traditional Cambodian fare. You will find this place located in an alleyway off Pub Street. Chusska is a vegetarian restaurant run by a Pakistani but it serves pretty good South Asian fare. Located near Pub Street as well. Peace Café on the other hand is across the river and away from the busy night crowds and hence exudes an atmosphere similar to Atmos(Coimbatore) or Amethyst(Chennai). Their menu focuses on all things vegetable and has a nice choice of vegetable based juices and snacks. But their food menu is good too. I will put up a separate post on all the restaurants on my ‘dying’ restaurant blog :D. For the foodie who loves good food along with a good drink, Siem Reap is no longer a temple town when dawn falls. It’s a night out haven.

Unfortunately I can’t say the same about Phnom Penh. It’s a larger city and hence one has to travel further. There are lots of Indian restaurants but I spent my dinner at the Pizza Company and came out completely satisfied. Thanks to the generous toppings unlike Pizza Hut in India.

To Wear

I would advise a good pair of sports shoes for the walking and climbing part. Sandals would be good too. Light clothes are best so you will a lot of shorts, short skirts and sun dresses being worn. Most people travel light and buy cheap clothes there.  That is a pretty good idea I’d say. Phnom Penh is a more regular city so seem less touristy, regular casual wear there is good. Again all that can be bought there at really good prices too. I picked up Jeans/pants for 15-20USD and Polo/Round Neck Tees for 4-5 USD. Buy ONLY bottled water. Keep lots of water handy because the sun tends to have an affinity for roasted people.

Tipping is not generally expected in Cambodia, but is most definitely appreciated. One guy looked like he might fall at my feet any moment and that just goes to signify how humble and friendly these folk are. For more info on Cambodia, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, well Google it. :P Or be nice to me and give me a call. For more detailed pictures watch my Facebook photos space. Coming Soon. :D

Eating out in Madraspattinam. - The ones that came to my mind immediately!

One year in Chennai and i've had some gastronomic delights and terrible food choices as well here. Here is a brief on some of the good places to check out if you're ever in Chennai and the places to avoid as well.


P.S. I've been meaning to write this one for ages. Hopefully You are reading this in 2011!! :D


Murugan Idli Shop
This is a Madurai import. Murugan Idli is a decent South Indian vegetarian restaurant. The reason it features on this list is the Special Buffet Dinner available only at it's North Usman Road Branch. For a Hundred and Fourteen Rupees(INclusive of taxes when I last ate there) you get idli, vada, sweet pongal, vennpongal and a variety of dosas like rawa, masala, ghee, uthapams, onion etc. And being a buffet, it's all unlimited. You can end you feast with a complimentary glass of Jigarthanda(Slurp :P). You have to eat it to believe it.  A top tip: Go for weekday dinners as the dosas are relatively larger in size than on weekends. :D


Fruit Shop on Greams Road
A juice place that serves awesome juices and shakes. Try out the ice cream based shakes. I still haven't been able to try out everything on their menu which is reasonably extensive and reasonably priced as well. They have several branches around the city and are a good place to hang out for an after dinner shake.


Texas Fiesta
This is a texmex styled restaurant near Kadher Nawaz Khan Road. It's a good place to eat out with friends and the prices are reasonable by Chennai restaurant standards. Try out the Chicken wings with Raging Buffalo sauce if you want something real spicy. We weren't really impressed with the main course as such but the deserts were interesting The churros with chocolate sauce and fruit quesadilas with ice cream were definitely mouth watering. The salad was also a reasonably decent option. A good choice if you want to try out something different.


Dhaba Express
If you want North Indian, Dhaba Express should meet your needs comfortably. A somewhat reasonably priced menu serving both veg and non veg it has several outlets around the city. They also have an afternoon veg buffet option at their Nungambakkam and Alwarpet branches. At 80 rupees a head, it makes for quite a decent filler.


Zaras
THE place to be for all those party folks who can't get into a pub. :P No disrespect to the place, but it is a great place to hang out with friends and attracts a pretty cool crowd. Getting in on weekends is tough unless you have some clout and can make a reservation ahead. You could walk in but it's a given that you'll get a table only if you have girls in your group and if you walk in before 7.30P.M.. The Tapas bar as it is known, it has good music, really good food and a pretty good crowd. Just the place for a weekend night.


Mathsya
This place serves Udipi Cuisine. I think they have two branches, one in Egmore and the other in T Nagar. Chances are, they may not even be remotely related, but each restaurant has its own catch. The Egmore shop serves good vegetarian fare and is open late at night till even 1 am they say. The T nagar branch is a good place for a vegetarian Buffet Dinner that is reasonably extensive and tastes pretty good as well for the 200 odd Rupees that you will be spending.


Kebab Corner
Chances are you may not have heard of it and may not have seen it either even if you went hunting for it along Greams Road. Hidden around a corner of the block that you will find the Fruit Shop, this places serves pretty good chicken kebabs for reasonable prices. Rs30 for a Chicken Seekh Kebab sounds good? I definitely think it was.


Benjarong
The only time I went to this Thai restaurant was for a dear friend's Birthday treat. Heh. It was a good meal. :D    A somewhat pricey place obviously but it serves Thai cuisine that may not be all that authentic but it's definitely been made palatable to the Indian palate. A good place to visit once in a while. I think Citibank card holders get a 10 percent discount!


Dine
This is the in house restaurant at Escape, the multiplex at Express Avenue. It's a gourmet Restaurant that serves continental fare. The Pizzas and pastas are good and worth a try even if they might seem a tad pricey. Actually by Pizza restaurant(Read Dominos, Pizza Hut etc) standards, it isn't all that expensive and a definite must try. There apparently is a weekend buffet option at Rs200 where you get unlimited Biryani, soft drinks and desert. Might be worth a try too.


Madras
This, is the restaurant at The Raintree, Mount Road. Its a very expensive place that I would suggest you visit if you feel extremely generous or if someone else is paying the bill. My visit was of course because of the latter. They offer a Thali meal for Rs650. Yes. You read that right, but what a meal. The Chicken was like no other chicken, the mutton was tender and the fish just melted in your mouth. The rice was, umm ok, I think I shall cut it short and describe the meal as orgasmic. :D Each dish was so meticulously prepared and served in such a fashion that I for a second felt like the judge at Masterchef. I actually think it was worth it for the one time experience. Thank you Achilles for that wonderful treat!! :D They also have a bar called Madeira which doesn't seem all that happening. I suppose if you wanted to see some activity, The Raintree - Alwarpet might be a better option. Unfortunately I never got to visit it during my stay in Chennai.


I suppose this post shall come to an end here. I've written about the restaurants that I pulled off the top of my mind. I will have quick review on a few more in store which I shall write about at a later date(Ideally this lifetime). Dear Chennai'ites(Or visitors), (if any of you are reading) I hope this is a good quick guide! :)