Domestic Goddess Travels: 01/01/2008

On our holidays we found our selves visiting Bangkok for two days and Cambodia for three days. Having a holiday somewhere warm I must say was a very nice break away from the cold and pollution.

Bangkok (12th Jan to 15th Jan)

We had heard many reports about Bangkok so having a stop over on the way to Cambodia was a way to get a taste for the place. We arrived quite late to the hotel (Arnoma Hotel) so we went straight to bed so to be ready for exploring the next day.

We headed to a weekend market (Chatuchak Market) by travelling on the Sky train which is the local rail system. Once we worked out how to purchase a ticket we found using this means of transport a great way to get around. After following a number of other tourists to the market we found the market had narrow passageways lined with a range of merchandise, but nothing really stood out that you couldn’t buy elsewhere. It was a very big place and could wonder for hours if we liked. We kept comparing this market to the markets in China. One thing we did enjoy was the icy poles that cooled us down, even if we ended up with blue tongues. It was a bit hard to get used to the heat again coming from -25 to +25, a swim back at the hotel also did the trick of cooling us down. In the late afternoon we decided to visit one of the electric shopping centres to try and locate some items we couldnt get in Mongolia. The range was really good so we shopped around before making our purchases. On the walk back to the hotel we stopped off for a bit to eat by a little place near one of the canals, it was really nice to taste fresh fish again and do some people watching, one thing we never get sick of when visiting different countries.

Picture: Paige & Ben waiting for the Sky train

Picture: Mold for icy poles

Picture: Paige after eating blue icy pole

Picture: Lady cooking food in the market

Picture: Taxis in Bangkok waiting

Our second day (Monday) we caught a ferry down the Chao Phraya River as we wanted to visit the Grand Palace. Travelling along the river we found interesting to see the old and new buildings standing side by side each other along the banks. When traveling things don’t always go to plan and we found that the palace was closed due to the death of the King's sister days before. “Now that was very rude of her to die when we where going to be visiting the country and upsetting our plans that way”. We headed to see a temple where there was a large reclining Buddha, very impressive to see. When travelling we always like to use the local transport, such as tuk-tuks, horse and carts anything that gets us around but in Bangkok one thing that we found was the tuk- tuk drivers wanted to rip the tourists off by charging double the amount of the metered taxis so other then using the Sky Train we travelled using the metered taxis at least they where air conditioned and didn’t want to take us to their friends shops.
After spending two days in Bangkok we found it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I can’t say we would rush back there.

Picture: New & Old buildings along the banks

Picture:Bernadette & Paige on the ferry

Picture: Ben at the reclining Budha

Picture: Street flower sellers

Picture: People praying on the street

Cambodia - (15th Jan to 18th Jan)

Day 1 Siem Reap (Tuesday)

We left Bangkok early in the morning and flew to Phnom Pehn. The Visa on Arrival was an interesting experience in that you form a queue to drop off your passport, paperwork and passport photo then step back and wait. The guy at the other end of the counter then holds up a passport and if it happens to be yours, you rush forward, pay the man and depart with your visa, “Another page down on the passport”. It was such an easy process compared to other countries. While we waited three hours for our domestic connection flight to Siem Reap we met and chatted with a couple of Kiwi backpackers. While chatting we were pretty glad that we weren’t lugging great heavy packs around with us and were going to be staying in some reasonable accommodation that we had already booked rather than trying to find something once we got there. It is amazing how travelling with children you always have to plan ahead.

Picture: The plane to Siem Reap

We grabbed our bags upon arrival in Siem Reap and organised a taxi to the hotel which was quite easy as you had to use the small taxi stand that was just outside the door (taxi charge $5 US). Once in the taxi the driver asked if we had arranged a tour of Angkor Wat and offered his services for $25US for the day. We ummed and ahhed for a bit, then decided to take him up on his offer and arranged for a pickup the day after tomorrow (Thursday). The fee was a standard price to travel to see the area that Angkor Wat is located. It was nice to know that we where not over charged. One thing we found was a little strange was in Cambodia the country has a dual currency system where you can pay in either US dollars equviant of the local currency. All prices are quoted in USD, but any change given usually turns out to be in Cambodian Riels (approx 4000 riels to the dollar). The ATMs dispense USD which was a surprise and once you accumulate enough of the local currency you can pay with that as well but we found that the local currency is mostly good only for tips.

The hotel we stayed at was the Sokha Angkor Hotel & Spa. What a pleasant surprise. Apparently one of the newest hotels in the town, at first glance looked pretty good and we were even more surprised to find that they were expecting us and the room was actually ready. No waiting for housekeeping to bring in the extra bed!, a first for us and worthy of mention. Once we’d settled in we decided that the pool would be our first destination and to compliment that, a Pina Colada and cold local beer “Ah yes…..bliss”. The pool was a little on the chilly side but this didn’t damped Paige’s enthusiasm. She had a ball.

Pictures: Attention to detail, flower petals folded that where displayed in the hotel

Picture: Paige with flower in hair sitting at the pool

Picture: Ben & Paige underwater

Picture: Bernadette & Paige in the pool

Day 2 Siem Reap (Wednesday)

The weather turned out to be perfect. Luckily enough, the hotel was at the top end of the main street so we decided that a walk and a bit of a look around was on the cards with our ultimate destination for the day being the Psar Chaa Market. The market had your usual items, silver ware, silk, wood carvings, stone carvings, tshirts and what surprised me, there was a lot of items that we had seen came from Vietnam.

Picture: Ben, Bernadette & Paige out to dinner at the Soupdragon Resturant

For lunch we ended up at the Soupdragon Restaurant. The food turned out to be fan-effing-tastic. I think our tastebuds have been dulled by our time in Mongolia because every time you travel somewhere other than Mongolia the food always tastes that much better and this was no exception. This restaurant turned out to be the one we visited most often and we highly recommend it if you ever go to Siem Reap. A big meal and a couple of banana daiquiris and beers later it was time to head back for a swim and relax. Getting around town was really easy, we used the local equivalent of the tuk-tuk called remorque-moto which is a motorcycle with a trailer of sorts on the back with a padded bench seat and a roof, they turned out to be quite good especially when compared with our Bangkok experiences. Paige just loved travelling in them and we liked them as they where cheap and the drivers didn’t want to charge us double the going rate. Once we arrived back to the hotel I decided that I would treat myself by having a massage in the spa and a bit of follow up relaxation. Did I mention “Bliss” it kind of felt like a reward for living in Mongolia.

Day 3 Siem Reap (Thursday)

Another perfect day with the weather.
Right on time, the driver turned up and off we went to visit the temples at Angkor.
The temples of Angkor, capital of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer empire. The Cambodian god-kings of old each strove to better their ancestors in size, scale and symmetry, culminating in the world’s largest religious building, Angkor Wat, and one of the world’s weirdest, the Bayon. We found that all the temples where spread out and that you needed a day pass so after stopping and buying a couple of day passes (these are checked at every site so we had to make sure we didnt lose them) our first destination was the southern gate of Angkor Thom, then onto the temple at Bayon, followed by Preah Khan, then onto the temple, made “slightly more famous” by Lara Croft, Ta Prohm. Unfortunately this one was chock-full of tourists like us which slightly spoilt it. Oh well never mind, it was peak season after all. The final destination for the day was Angkor Wat. It was big, impressive, historical and all that, but much of it was closed as there was a joint Japan-Cambodia archaeological project underway so you couldn’t climb up the main tower and get a better view. By the time we’d finished it was after 2pm and we were all “templed-out”. Time for a bit of afternoon slothing beside the pool and then some dinner down the street somewhere. Ahhhhhh……. More bliss.

Picture: Bernadette, Ben & Paige standing at southern gate of Angkor Thom

Picture: Stone carvings at the southern gate of Angkor Thom

Picture: Water lillies near one of the temples

Picture: Stone faces at the temple of Bayon

Picture: Trees over grown at the temple of Ta Prohm

Picture: Boy looking for nuts on the forest floor

Picture: Lady sweeping temple floor

Picture: Bernadette, Ben & Paige standing in front of the Angkor Wat temple

Picture: Pot seller by the side of the road

Day 4 Siem Reap (Friday)

Another perfect day. three days in a row which were around 30 degrees, nearly cloudless with relatively low humidity. We arranged late check out and settled in for our last chance of soaking up the atmosphere, swimming and just generally more slothing. We made a last trip down to the local market for a bit of knick-knack hunting and headed back to our favourite restaurant we had found before finally checking out of the hotel and starting the return journey to the land of cold and pollution. Bugger!

Overall, how would we rate Siem Reap? High! Great food, friendly people, nice hotels, not yet too commercial. That won’t last I’m afraid, so if you’re considering going, don’t wait too long. We recommend it and the hotel we stayed in. The area was pretty dry when we were there so it might be worth seeing the area at a different time of the year, maybe right at the end of the wet season when it’s a bit greener.

Picture: Remorque-moto (tuk-tuk) waiting for fares

Ode to Tuk-Tuks, Bangkok

- by Ben Playford

Tuk-Tuk man you prick
It’s too hot to effing walk
We asked for you to take us there
But you just seem to balk.

You want to take us to this shop
It all seems like a farce
And we don’t want to waste our time
So stick it up your arse

You guys are all the same
The logic doesn’t fit
I’m offering you a decent fare
You all give me the shits.

I’ve had my fill of trying
It starts to hurt my head
I’ve given up, it’s too damn hot
I’ll catch a cab instead

Pictures: Ben, Bernadette & Paige riding in a remorque-moto

Our first day of the year we decided to take a drive and explore an outer area of the city. That was after getting the car jump started. Once again the battery hadn't kept its charge it had to be replaced, that's another tale to be told in another blog.

As we drove around we decided to see where one of the roads went, we ended up on top of a very large hill. We parked the car and walked to the top to get a better view. While walking a number of cows that we had passed down the hill in the car appeared out of no where and walked on by, Paige decided she wanted to know where they were going my answer was "Maybe to get something to eat" she was happy with that. The view would of been a lot better from the top if the smog wasn't hanging over the city. It was kind of amazing to be standing there breathing fresh air compared to what we could see above the city.

I decided to take some photos and was amazed at how cold my fingers became in such a short time. I seem to forget that just a short drive can give you a rest from the dirty, drab, polluted city that we call home for now.

I can honestly say that I am totally over living in Mongolia, well for today anyway. Life wasn't meant to be this hard dealing with day to day living, the cold and the lack of fresh air. I am so glad that at end of next week we are off for a seven day break from Mongolia. I wont say where but to give you a clue, its hot, sunny and I hope not so polluted so you will have to wait for the up and coming blogs to see where we went.