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”
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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”
December 5th, Some last thoughts about Luang Prabang…we enjoyed this town which has charm, historic attractions, activities and some very good eateries….we did not try any of the upscale establishments which I am sure would have been great experiences. The closest we came was two fer Lao Cocktails on the deck of our hotel. Many…Continue Reading “Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng…..and onwards to Vientiane”
December 3rd We wake up quite excited, as today is when we are going on an excursion to meet up with some elephants at the Mandalao Elephant Sanctuary. We are told to wear clothes that we won’t mind getting wet and muddy and the outfitter provides optional footwear (rubber shoes/knee-high boots) for guests that are designed specifically…Continue Reading “Luang Prabang……MandaLao > into the wild”
December 1st to 3rd A bit of a longish post….the internet has not been stellar so it has been a bit of a struggle. We are staying at My Dream Resort which is situated across the Nam Phan River from the older area of Luang Prabang…..A nice hotel with super helpful staff and an excellent…Continue Reading “Luang Prabang……..an echo of French colonialism”