Cambodia – Travel World Heritage

12Feb201505Feb2015

The Best Temple in Cambodia – Beng Mealea

Julio Moreno Cambodia Ancient Khmer, Temple 0 Comment

If you have been to Cambodia and had the chance to view the magnificent ancient city of Angkor, you probably have one of two impressions. Either you feel as I do that it is one of the most amazing places in the world (as I obviously do), or were completely pestered by the incredible crowds and felt that you became Lara Croft about four decades too late.

Much like watching a movie, places can get over-hyped and we are let down (much like me with the Sydney Opera House). However, without the hype, you might have never even gone in the first place. Catch 22 really. Lucky for you, there is a way to have your cake and eat it too. Let me tell you about a little place named Beng Mealea.

23Nov201429Jun2015

Temple of Preah Vihear

Julio Moreno Cambodia, UNESCO World Heritage Site Buddhism, temples, UNESCO, world heritage site 0 Comment

Location: Preah Vihear Province, Cambodia

Visited: August, 2014

Site Type: Cultural

Inscribed: 2008

Opinion and Background:

It is not every day that UNESCO causes a war, but that is exactly what happened in 2008 with the inclusion of Preah Vihear to the World Heritage List. The history is long and complicated, but in short, reports coming from the UNESCO meeting in Quebec, Canada exacerbated a century long dispute between Thailand and Cambodia about where exactly their border lies. This led to a number of cross border clashes between 2008-2011, making Preah Vihear only recently accessible for tourists to see.

20Dec201318Dec2013

Q & A with Barang Hang, Tuktuk driver in Siem Reap pt.2

Julio Moreno Cambodia, Responsible Tourism barang hang, cambodia, Q&A, responsible tourism, siem reap, tuktuk driver 2 Comments

[This is a follow-up to yesterday’s post, introducing Barang, the best tuktuk driver in the Angkor area of Siem Reap. If you haven’t read that yet, you should check it out here.]

In an effort to get people connected to Barang, I thought it would be interesting to have a Q&A with him. Barang Hang is a tuktuk driver who was born and raised in the Siem Reap area of Cambodia. He has dedicated himself to becoming the most awesome and handsome tuktuk driver in the world. A bit ambitious, I know.

Seriously though, I hope this gives you an insight into not only the services that Barang provides, but the kind of person that he is. He has grown to be a dear friend of mine over the years and I am sure he can be yours too. Shall we begin?

19Dec201318Dec2013

Barang Hang, Your Link to Siem Reap pt.1

Julio Moreno Cambodia, Responsible Tourism angkor, barang, local tourism, responsible tourism, siem reap, tuktuk driver 2 Comments

What is the Meaning of This?

One of the goals I have had for a while with this blog has been to promote companies, organizations, charities, and even individuals which I feel are definitely deserving of your business, without your wallet taking a hit. However, if you have ever clicked on the “Make a Difference” tab above, you will find that they are not as easy to find or promote as you might have hoped. Sometimes it is lack of availability, technology to promote themselves, or nothing more and plain old language barriers that keep us from getting connected to these great people. I am quite picky with what I give my stamp of approval and let me say, my buddy Barang definitely deserves your business. Barang is simply the best driver in Siem Reap.

What is a ‘Barang?’ Read more →

22Sep201312Sep2013

Preah Khan is more than Rubble!

Julio Moreno Cambodia angkor, angkor thom, angkor wat, bayon, cambodia tourism, monkeys, preah khan, ta prohm, temples in cambodia, things to do in cambodia 0 Comment

Yet another wondrous temple built by the great king Jayavarman VII. One day, this king decided to start building temples left and right. He built Ta Prohm to honor his mother, Preah Khan to honor his father, and Bayon to honor the most important person in a man’s life, hi~~s wife~~ ..mself. I have to admit that when I first went to Cambodia, Preah Khan was my least favorite of the four main temples. I originally felt like Read more →