Seeing the ancient temples of Angkor was the highlight of my trip to Cambodia last summer. People from half the world away go to this place to marvel at the accomplishments of early human civilization and I was very excited to also have the chance to see it myself. Angkor was a bustling metropolis built by the Khmer Empire in the 9th to the 15th centuries, it is known as the biggest pre-industrial city in history. Its immensity is comparable to settlements and grand structures built by other civilizations of the ancient world. Although most of the structures are now left in ruins, what remains is still very captivating and leaves any visitor a good grasp of Khmer history and culture.
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A trip to Northern Philippines is part of my itinerary for remaining months of the year. It’ll be one of my most diverse trips in terms of the kinds of attractions I’ll get to visit ranging from man-made infrastructures, churches, museums, heritage sites and other cultural attractions to rivers, lakes, waterfalls, caves, mountainsides, beaches, and surfing spots. It’ll also be one of my longest road trips spanning more than 800 kilometers.
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Art Deli is one really cool place to hangout in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It is an art cafe located along Alley West (the walkway behind Pub Street). Art Deli is filled with a lot of interesting and quirky pieces at every corner creating a light and mood perfect for a relaxing recharge over a cup of coffee or a bottle of beer, especially after a day of touring the temples. It like that Art Deli specializes in selling affordable art. You can already own some of the pieces even with just a few dollars in your pocket.
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With a name like “Pub Street”, there wouldn’t be much effort involved in convincing me to check such a place out. Pub Street can be found at the old market (downtown) area of Siem Reap in Cambodia, you won’t miss it if you’re planning on visiting Angkor Wat and spending some time in the city. It was late afternoon during our arrival in Siem Reap when we first passed by Pub Street, I was instantly drawn to the French colonial buildings still extant lining the whole stretch (actually much of the downtown area). Most of the buildings are now occupied by restaurants, cafes, and bars, thus the name “Pub Street.”
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One of my trips next month will take me to the Bicol, the South Eastern Peninsula of Luzon. I always drooled at iconic photos of Mayon Volcano’s perfect cone and I’m so excited to finally be able to see it for myself. I’ll be spending a week in Bicol allowing me to visit some of its most popular attractions. I’m planning on visiting Albay and it’s capital, Legazpi City, for amazing views of Mayon Volcano, Donsol in Sorsogon town for Whale Shark (Butanding) Watching / Interaction, Naga City for the CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC) and the annual Peñafrancia Festival, Caramoan Islands (also in Camarines Sur) for some island hopping and beach bumming, Daet in Camarines Norte to checkout Bagasbas Beach, and Calagua Group of Islands (also in Cam Norte) for another round of island hopping.
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A few months ago Cebu Pacific announced a very enticing “Wandering Juan” contest for travel bloggers. The goal was to highlight the best posts by travel bloggers under a number of different categories. I wrote a few posts about by recent travels myself and sent them as entries for the “Cebu Pacific “Wandering Juan” contest.
During the August 13, 2010 episode of “Trip na Trip”, a travel show in ABS-CBN, the winners were announced as follows:
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As much as I would love to post daily in Ambot-ah, I’ve oftentimes found it difficult to come up with a full post in a frequent and consistent manner. Creative writing just doesn’t ooze out of my system effortlessly and I end up with a lot of days (even weeks) when I don’t have anything new posted in this blog. So, I decided to do a “daily photo blog” section for Ambot-ah! Travel Blog. It’s going to have higher quality photos I’ve taken during my travels minus the long write-ups and the watermarks :) It’s located at the home page but you can also find an archive of previous daily photos here. I’m hoping I can religiously keep posting everyday for at least one year.
Here’s a little something I wanted to do during my trip to Palawan. I felt during the previous months that I haven’t growing as much as I’d like as a photographer, probably because I’ve shifted my focus on so many distractions. I need to inspire myself again and not succumb to the vacuous feeling I’ve been having lately whenever I get in front of the mirror, click the camera’s shutter, or take that first step out the door before a trip. For my Palawan Photo Series, I’ve stripped down my photos to black and white, back to basics … raw and natural:
Getting there is part of the adventure
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I finally arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Siem Reap is famous for the ancient Angor Wat Temple built by the Khmer Empire. I was so surprised with my first glimpses of Siem Reap! it was so different with the images I had in mind of Cambodia. The roads were excellent, so many large hotels, and a lot of foreigners filling up artsy restaurants and bars. I was expecting more of a small farming community village than a bustling tourist city. What I love about Siem Reap is its unique charming character, it’s not hard to fall in love with the place and be inspired with the brimming dose of culture.
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Overland travel from Thailand to Cambodia was surprisingly easy and convenient (sans the long 9 hour travel time) especially now that the road conditions in the Cambodian side has improved significantly. When I was still planning the trip, I expected to travel from Thailand to Cambodia on my own so I already had an idea how to do it. It was my first time, nevertheless, and even though I’ve thoroughly did my research nothing, in travel amongst most things in life, is better than personal experience. Fortunately, my new travel buddies Kawajan and Bubbles knew their way around Bangkok and Thailand, which made my trip almost glitch free.
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Ambot-ah is a blog about my life as a travel blogger, nurse, and freelance photographer. After graduating in college, I decided to make a living out of blogging and live out my many passions. Join me on my travels around the Philippines and South East Asia. Read my helpful backpacking journals, budget travel trips, do-it-yourself itineraries, blogging pursuits (making money online), and photography tips.
