Khon Kaen - Thailand - Sight seeing

Hi Followers!

I'am back! You know we came from Cambodia, but we have justed travelled 18 hours and are now in Thailand! We find ourselves in Khon Kaen.



It's really beautiful here and there is so much to see and to visit! The first site we visited is Non Mueang Ancient Town. This ancient town is located at Ban Na Pho and legends say the hill, known as Non Mueange, was the location of an ancient town. Archaeologists have found sandstone Sema boundary markers in Dvaravati style in the town and nearby. Potsherds were scattered around and some were even painted in red, others are decorated with incising and cord-marked patterns.

After the ancient town we drove to Tham Pha Phuang Forest Park

Tham Pha Phuang Forest Park is in Ban Dong Lan, Tambon Pha Nok Khao, 123 kilometres from Khon Kaen. Tham Pha Phuang is a huge limestone cave. Inside, is a large chimney-shaped rock and lovely stalagmites and stalactites.

The next day we visited the city center of Khon Kaen. Our first stop was at Sala Mai Thai

Sala Mai Thai is part of the project to celebrate the 60th birthday anniversary of Her Majesty the Queen. The silk centre was established to support Her Majesty the Queens mission to promote silk and silk products from Isan as well as conserve the traditions. The centre feature the silk production process from dyeing to weaving, tools for silk production and rare equipment, and different ancient silk textiles various pattern. The centre also exhibits the world's most expensive Mudmee silk textile woven by the people of Chonnabot people. 

To continue we entered The Khon Kaen National Museum. The museum was opened by His Majesty King Bhumiphol Adulyadej on the 20th of December, 1972. It has a diverse selection of antiques, precious art pieces and archaeological finds from the region.

The more popular tourist destinations in Thailand are Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, and Chiangmai, but these places tend to be overly commercialized. If you want to go to a place where you can experience some of the local people, customs, and traditions, Khon Kaen s the place to be. The real Thailand is outside the popular tourist destinations. Northeast Thailand is often neglected by tourists so what better reason do you need to come!

To end our visit in Khon Kaen we relaxed a couple of hours at Hat Sawan. It is the scenic beach by the lake over Ubolratana Dam and it is an ideal place for recreation among the locals and tourists.

Thanks for your support!

Grtz Klaas




http://www.khonkaenlink.info/eng/#03
http://www.khonkaen.com/

Khon Kaen: Climate

Hi bloggers!

This time our trip took us to Khon Kaen, Thailand. This hot and vivacious city had a lot to offer and so we were blown away yet again. As the weather was magnificent I’ll talk some more about the climate and nature of Thailand.

Khon Kaen has a tropical wet and dry climate. Temperatures are rather high and so it’s never really cold in the city. Temperatures in the city centre are even 2 degrees higher than those outside the city. The highest ever registered temperature is 40.8 degrees and the lowest is 9.9 degrees. Temperatures peak between March and August. The period between November and February is the driest. After this period the humidity level start to raise slowly and reaches a peak in the months April and May. If you want to experience a rainy Bangkok you have to be there between June and October as this is the rainy season.

The reason why people walk around with masks before their mouth can also be explained by the climate. During the dryer periods there is a lot of smog in the air that actually hangs as a brown cloud over the city. Especially people working outside have to wear these masks.

Thailand itself is a very busy city with a lot of buildings but besides that there is also a lot of nature to be found. If you leave the city centre you can discover nature parks and mangrove forests. The city is built on the eastern shore of the river Menam. This is the biggest and most important river in Thailand. This river is so important because of its great trading opportunities it offers.

Thailand was a splendid city and we had a blast! On to the next city!

Celita xxx

Sources:

http://www.travelfish.org/weather/thailand

http://www.thailandtravelplan.co.uk/when-to-travel-to-thailand.htm

Places worth visiting in Cambodja!

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is the vibrant bustling capital of Cambodia. Situated at the confluence of three rivers, the mighty Mekong, the Bassac and the great Tonle Sap, what was once considered the 'Gem' of Indochina. The capital city still maintains considerable charm with plenty to see. It exudes a sort of provincial charm and tranquility with French colonial mansions and tree-lined boulevards amidst monumental Angkorian architecture. Phnom Penh is a veritable oasis compared to the modernity of other Asian capitals. A mixture of Asian exotica, the famous Cambodian hospitality awaits the visitors to the capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Here in the capital, are many interesting touristy sites. Beside the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, the National Museum, the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, the Choeng Ek Killing Fields and Wat Phnom, there are several market places selling carvings, paintings, silk, silver, gems and even antiques. Indeed, an ideal destination for a leisurely day tour. The whole area including the outskirts of Phnom Penh is about 376 square kilometers big. There are currently 2,009,264 people living in Phnom Penh.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu at first, then Buddhist temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world. The temple was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura , the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Breaking from the Shaivism tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, then Buddhist.[citation needed] The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.

Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early Dravidian Architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.

The modern name, Angkor Wat, means "Temple City" or "City of Temples" in Khmer; Angkor, meaning "city" or "capital city", is a vernacular form of the word nokor, which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara. Wat is the Khmer word for "temple grounds", derived from the Pali word "vatta" . Prior to this time the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok, after the posthumous title of its founder.

Sihanoukville and the Beach

Sihanoukville province is a small southern province of Cambodia. The capital sits on a peninsula with beaches and tropical islands around. Sihanoukville (also known as Kampong Som or Kampong Saom) was founded in 1964 to be the only deep-water port in whole Cambodia. It is gradually being redeveloped as a tourist attraction, but despite the promise of massive Malaysian investment - a casino is planned for Naga Island - tourist numbers are still fairly low. Also its nice with sand beaches and several paradise islands have made it popular as a tourist destination.

Thx for reading and see you next week!

Marco

Cambodia- Economy

Hello everyone

This week we are in Cambodia and here in Cambodia there is an open market system and there has been rapid economic progress in the last decade. Cambodia’s two biggest industries are textiles and tourism but the agricultural activities remain the main source of income for many Cambodians. Rice milling is very important to the Cambodian economy. There are a lot of investors here in Cambodia because of its low wages, plentiful labor, proximity to Asian raw materials and favorable tax treatment. Cambodia has received international support to bring basic security, stability and democratic rule to the country.

There are 4 different industries here in Cambodia: Garment industry, tourism, gambling industry and construction.

The garment industry represents the largest portion of Cambodia’s manufacturing sector. The garment industry employs 335,400 workers. The garment industry operates mostly on the final phase of garment production. This turns yarns and fabrics into garments. Cambodia is also the only country where garment factories are monitored and reported according to national and international standards. The minimum wage for a worker in the garment industry is $61 a month.

                                                             Garment industry

Tourism is Cambodia’s second largest industry, cultural heritage tourism ,such as the ancient Hindu temple of Angkor Wat, is very popular in the country. It’s thanks to the development of important transportation infrastructure that the tourism in Cambodia has been perpetuated.

                                                     the ancient Hindu temple of Angkor Wat

The gambling industry supports the tourism industry, which is mostly concentrated around the Siem Reap province. The growth of the gambling industry is due to its proximity to Thailand where gambling is forbidden.

                                                  Titan King Casino

Because of the increase in tourist arrivals the demand for hotels and other forms of accommodation around tourist hotspots keeps growing. Because of this situation there is a construction boom

The agriculture exist out of rice, rubber, corn, vegetables, cashews, tapioca and silk. The industries exist out of tourism, garments, construction, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining and textiles.

So that was it for today

Talk to you soon

Xoxo

Mieke  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Cambodia

Kampong Cham - Cambodia - Climate

Dear friends and followers,

The weather here in Cambodia is amazing. Cambodia has sun almost the entire year, with an average temperature of 27 degrees Celsius. We are now in the hot season which starts in March and ends in May. It is now 32°C

If you visit Cambodia in the winter months (December and January) there could be a minimum temperature of 16 degrees. They are the coolest months during the year. You can expect rain from May till October.

Hope to here from u to!

Greetz Klaas

http://www.tourismcambodia.com/travelguides/provinces/kampong-cham/climate.htm
https://www.google.com/search?q=Kampong+Cham+climat&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.46340616,d.d2k&biw=1366&bih=653&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=nl&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=3-GQUebuMsGl0AXs4oCABw#um=1&hl=nl&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=Kampong+Cham+climate&oq=Kampong+Cham+climate&gs_l=img.3...4810.5761.4.5853.8.8.0.0.0.0.82.405.8.8.0...0.0...1c.1.12.img.1bvnfWRTPTQ&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.46340616,d.d2k&fp=c22b54b48909397&biw=1366&bih=653&imgrc=BsZUo4TCYu-1SM%3A%3Bk1hXESdS_k8cVM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fen.climate-data.org%252Fimages%252Flocation%252F715063%252Fclimate-diagram.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fen.climate-data.org%252Flocation%252F715063%252F%3B567%3B210

Kampong Cham: Culture - Food

Hi everyone!

Next stop on our trip was Kampong Cham in Cambodia! What a lovely city! As usual we made a lot of fun en we’ve seen a lot of places. The thing that impressed me the most was the magnificent food despite the fact that the hygiene in the restaurants wasn’t all that good.

Food is a central point in the culture of Cambodia. It’s a moment of gathering, a moment of social contact and maintaining family ties. In the past there used to be a lot of famine in Cambodia and so food was very important. Now Cambodia knows a lot of prosperity but food still plays an important role in their culture. At noon when it’s time to eat and at six in the evening the city stops moving. Everybody stops his activity to eat together with friends and family.

All senses are important in the culture of Cambodia and all have to be stimulated. Smell as well as taste are important but the eye has to be pleased too. Dishes have to be a feast for the eye and they are decorated with sculptures of radishes, carrots, apples and mangos.

Basic principle within Cambodian food culture is that the ingredients have to create a balance between Yin (negative) and Yang (positive) in the body. Some examples of Yin food: apples, bananas, salt, fish, spinach and some examples of Yang food: potatoes, onions, garlic, pepper,…  In many Cambodian dishes fish and flesh will be combined because this creates a good balance.

Talk to you soon!

Celita

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Cambodia#Cuisine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Cambodia

Week 5: Cambodia

Hello everyone

It’s the 5th week of our roadtrip and I must say that I’m having the best time of my life. Today we go to our new destination Cambodia, we will stay in the city Kampong Cham in the Mittaphead Hotel.

We will travel to Cambodia with some people we met in Vietnam who also had to go to Cambodia so we shared a cab. 4 hours later we arrived at our hotel and we started to unpack. I wonder what we will experience this week.

 

Talk to you soon!

Mieke

Klaas, Marco, Celita and Mieke

http://www.expedia.nl/Kampong-Cham-Hotels-Mittapheap.h2815649.Hotel-Information?chkin=01-06-2013&chkout=03-06-2013&rm1=a2&hashTag=roomsAndRates&hwrqCacheKey=7b656303-04e7-4ca6-ac23-3728e8a1e113HWRQ1366900359524#