December 24th Christmas Eve dawns hot and muggy, after breakfast we are on our way to Bangkok some 250 kilometers and a world away. Rather than the wooden ferry we arrived on we have opted for a speed boat and speed boat we got… We left at 09:00 on the nose and the previous 40…Continue Reading “Koh Samet to Bangkok ……the Chao Phraya River & Chinatown”
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December 20th – 24th Just 200 kilometers from Bangkok in the Gulf of Thailand, the T-shaped island of Ko Samet is famed for its white sandy beaches, exotic coral and crystal clear waters. Interestingly, Koh Samet developed as a distinctly Thai destination servicing the nearby population of Bangkok. At first the rough accommodations among the trees…Continue Reading “Koh Samet…….sunny skies, white sand, warm water and cold beer !!!”
Ko Chang, one of the largest Thai islands in the Gulf of Thailand, contains dense, steep jungle. Mu Ko Chang National Park, a preserve with hiking trails and waterfalls such as the tiered Klong Plu and some offshore coral reefs. The coast is dotted with beaches and villages including Bang Bao, built on piers. We…Continue Reading “Koh Chang…..island laxing & transfer to Koh Samet”
A couple of pics from around town as we are taking some down time, relaxing by the pool, eating at some excellent restaurants, checking out the local scene and doing some shopping….. There are many markets here: local everything market like a Wal-Mart of the 3rd world, night markets, morning markets and of course farang…Continue Reading “Siem Reap, Cambodia….. and the transfer to Koh Chang, Thailand”
December 14th Another early morning departure, although we have time for breakfast ….Mr. Sam is at the hotel at 07:00 and carrying our snack boxes we depart for Beng Melea Temple a spectacular jungle temple around 70km drive to the northeast of Siem Reap. It is one of the “new” highlights of Cambodia, having only been…Continue Reading “Siem Reap ……finding temples further afield”
Today is our big day and Mr. Sam is waiting in front of the hotel at 04:45, our breakfast boxes in hand we are on our way in the darkness. He delivers us to the parking lot in short order and with some semi clear instructions, flashlights in hand we march off into the darkness….soon…Continue Reading “Siem Reap…….Angor Wat et al..”
December 11 th Another transfer day, the morning is sunny and already quite warm. Good breakfast, cram the gear into a tuk tuk and we are off to the Central Cambodian Post Office to meet the postal minibus which will take us and 13 other passengers to Siem Reap. The journey is supposed to take…Continue Reading “Phnom Penh to Siem Reap…….our first day and a beauty of a sunset”
December 10 th After a nice breakfast we get set to meet Sophroan again….he is the owner of Sophoarn Tuk-Tuk Tours (more on that later). The plan is to spend the day with him visiting various sites (30 USD for us both). He arrives right on time at 08:30 and we are off to the first…Continue Reading “Phnom Penh ……..a city tour and a visit to a veritable chamber of horrors”
December 9th A pretty overcast day as we have breakfast, gather up our gear and head for the airport. This transfer will be the opposite of our mini bus journeys as we opt for a taxi to the airport (10 USD) and a flight to Phnom Penh of 900 kilometers as the crow flies and…Continue Reading “Vientiane, Laos to Phnom Penh, Cambodia…….and then a fight !!!!”
December 7th We are spending a couple of days in the capital of Laos. Vientiane’s name stems from an incorrect French transliteration of “Wiang Jan”, meaning “City of Sandalwood. In 1563, King Setthathirat, the last great king of Lane Xang, moved his capital from Luang Prabang (which suffered from constant attacks by the Burmese) to Vientiane,…Continue Reading “Vientiane, Laos”