You know you’re in a really special place when you find yourself thankful for the novelty of each day. The past 5 days have been full of one-of-a-kind adventures which we will never forget.
It started with a morning bus from Siem Reap to Battambang, Cambodia’s second largest city. Although a bigger city, Battambang has a distinctive small town feeling. We checked into the Royal Hotel one of a few guest houses in town. At a bargain price we were set up with all the comforts including a private balcony, high ceilings, and oversized high-varnish teak furnishings. We spoke to one of the tuk tuk drivers out front and arranged to be picked up in the a.m. We planned to embark on one of the worlds all-time classic rail journeys via the Bamboo Train. We met our driver in the lobby in the morning only to find out that he actually was a moto driver and didn’t have a tuk-tuk. We had been avoiding motos if possible simply because they drive more wildly and for a couple more dollars the two of us can ride comfortably and safely on a tuk-tuk. We were a little put off but he explained how he would drive slowly and that he had many things to show us around the city. Still hesitant, we agreed for him and another driver to take us to some local attractions, ending our day with a trip on the Bamboo Train. Each of us hopped on the back with our newly acquired local guides and bumped along out of town. Our first stop was at a country-side market. Here we acquired some knowledge on local fruit and veg and picked up some bananas and sweet tamarind. Philay stopped at many local farms and villages along the way to show us local growing methods which are often ingeniously simple. Already we were impressed with the care he put into his moto tour. Then we stopped in a small Buddhist village. We were told we could pay one of the local children to guide us to the top of the mountain and through the temple. We agreed it was worth a peak and Duang, became our happily appointed guide. We made our way up the mountain trail passing a monastery and reaching a lovely hilltop pagoda. We then explored down a staircase to find an eerie cave and cage filled with bones. At first you think, this can’t be real but we quickly swallowed the reality of what they call the killing caves of Phnom Sampeau. The Khmer Rouge used these deep caves as mass graves for thousands of victims. Duang even felt comfortable enough to manipulate, even play, with the human bones~maybe partially expecting a reaction on our part. There was a second cave on the grounds which contained a large golden reclining Buddha, another collection of bones, and the site’s official memorial. Outside the cave there was another large Buddha and some great views across the country side. We only encountered 2 other couples visiting the grounds, which kept the mood peaceful and really made the whole afternoon complete. We thanked Duang for our special tour and made her day by giving her a little bonus. We sat in the local restaurant for a bit and Philay shared his personal life history with us. He told us of his many days enslaved by the Khmer Rouge. He explained the conditions the Cambodian people lived in and the political factors which lead to more than 4 million Cambodian deaths. This man had a very hard past as a slave and then for another 10 years in a refugee camp, loosing much family along the way. To hear a personal recount of these trying times made for a first hand story we will always take with us. Our next stop was at a pre-Angkorian temple ruins located at the top of, what must have been, 500 stairs. Once at the top you were surrounded by great views and the sweet smell of Frangipani trees. We descended, were treated to a few Cambodian jokes and a great lunch. Then we partook in the Cambodian National Sport of hammock-snoozing…
One more stop before our train ride, Philay brought us to a temple where the trees were filled with over-sized fruit bats-quite the sight as the bats span a good 2 feet, worthy of a couple shots. We arrived at the "train station" to find our expectations to be way off. The extent of amenities here were 2 bamboo shacks offering bottled drinks. We were surprised when we saw that we were going to have a private train where our 2 motos and drivers would be in the back and we would sit cross legged in front. The "train car" was pretty well just a bamboo mat on wheels…There is only one set of tracks so if you encounter an oncoming "soaring mat" or even a real train, the mat/train with the fewest number of passengers must unload, disassemble the train, and allow the other to pass before rebuilding and reloading. Although the track was misaligned and very rough in sections, the bamboo cart seemed to be a flying carpet as we barreled along. It was a clicking and clacking, short trip offering great sights of the countryside and some refreshing breeze along the way. After a long and VERY rewarding day, we headed back to the Royal Hotel. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we agreed to stay another night and take what Philay and Rich called the "lazy tour", the following morning. After a whole day on the back of a bike out on those dusty roads, we found ourselves painted terracotta from head to toe, termed as "Fresh Cambodian Snow". We were pooped, hungry, and in desperate need of a shower. We hit the market before dinner to pick up some fruits and veggies. Then we watched the sunset from our mellow roof-top resto for dinner.
Day two with Philay started with a trip to a Bamboo-Sticky-Rice village where we watched them prepare and sampled some of the delicious treat. We then strolled through a Rice Paper village where each duo of operators produces more than 3000 springroll papers per day. We watched the two women team who left us speechless with there machine-like speed and accuracy. Although the methods ancient, the production line skills of the workers were amazing. On to more local knowledge…A stinky lesson in famous fish-paste production. The processing at this riverside village was not for the weak stomached, that’s fore sure. We both gasped for breath as we walked through. Surrounded by drying, curing, fermenting fish we viewed women squatting at their stations pounding and processing fish-paste. The smell, as well as the unhygienic facility was enough to turn your stomach, educational nonetheless. After an insightful morning we headed about 50km from town. We witnessed so many beautiful sights along the journey among rice fields, country side, and villages. We arrived at the Kamping Poy just before lunch. The name means killing dam and it is an 8km long dam which was hand dug during the Khmer Rouge era. It is estimated that 10 000 Cambodian lives were lost during the dam’s construction. Today the area serves as a popular lakeside weekend spot among locals. Seeing that it was a Tuesday, only one small home/restaurant was set up for business and the two of us with our drivers were the only people taking-in the blissful views. We planted ourselves in a traditional bamboo, stilt house shelter with hammocks for all. Rich (our second driver) ordered some traditional lakeside eats. We enjoy fried fish, roasted chicken, morning glory with intestine, lemon grass and fish soup, and of course steamed rice. What we couldn’t finish was happily accepted and gobbled up by some local kids and after lunch the 4 of us caught some R&R lounging in our breezy hammocks. After a lazy afternoon we headed back into the city with one final stop where we experience rice wine production. We were thankful for having lucked out with Philay as our guide. He and Rich were personally responsible for giving us two of the best days spent in Cambodia. Philay really understands what many visitors are looking for and he cares that we take something out of it. So for anyone reading this blog who may be inspired to visit Cambodia, we recommend that you go to Battambang, stay at the Royal Hotel, and ask the guys out front for Philay-you won’t regret it.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Kingdom of Wonder...
We arranged to have a tuk-tuk for the 3 days we would be visiting Angkor. The area itself is about 15 km outside of Siem Reap and the complex spans a region of 400 Sqkm…far too big and WAY TOO hot to take everything in on foot. We originally had planned on renting electric bicycles but since this much easier and much less sweaty option came to us, we happily committed for the length of our visit.
Angkor Day 1
Shugree picked us up at 5am. In the darkness of the early morning, we bounced along the route out of town. We stopped at the gate entrance to purchase our passes and carried on towards the main attraction. We were a little early, being eager not to miss anything, so we stopped for (really bad) coffee at a small restaurant by the temple. Sunrise at Angkor was a magical sight to take in despite the crowds of onlookers. We spent the first couple hours of the morning watching the colours develop in the sky and satisfying our sense of wonder as we explored the grounds. Besides the main temple another highlight of the day includes the temple of Bayon. This one is known for its many gigantic face carvings. The famous Ta Prohn was another site which blew us away. This is the area which was basically swallowed by the jungle. On and around the entire property are monstrous trees, roots, and stems which seem to devour it. We saw so much this day, basically taking in the designated “mini-tour”. Shortly afternoon we decided we were pooped for the day and headed back to the city to get cleaned up and fed. Before dropping us off at the hotel, Shugree suggested we see the traditional Cambodian dance of Apsara. He picked us up in the evening and drove us to a nice hotel which offered dinner and a traditional show. The music and dancing were both lovely and it was nice to eat buffet style for the first time in many meals.
Angkor Day 2
We decided to start in the afternoon for day two since we wanted to catch sunset and spending the entire day in the heat seemed very unlikely. Shugree picked us up at 1 and we headed to amore distant and older group of temples including Pre Rup, Preah Khan, and many more. These locations were much further away from the main attractions making for a more private and enjoyable walk-about. We ended our day with sunset at Phnom Pakheng, mountain temple. This is a classic sunset destination but unfortunately for us the clouds were heavy that afternoon. Still an amazing hill-top view nonetheless. We finished off our day with a trip through the old market and the night market and some dinner at the nearby Khmer Taste.
Angkor Day 3
Last night some celestial bodies aligned as we sat in our hotel room watching the National Geographic Channel. As fate would have it we were introduced to a program, Riddles of the dead, which was focused on the mysteries of Angkor Wat. We were thrilled as we were about to start our last day there in the morning. We stayed up until nearly 2am watching the program but it was incredible to learn more historical details and view everything in the program which we had just taken in with our own eyes over the past 2 days. It still almost seems like a dream…
Cambodia managed to strike another beautiful cord with the two of us today. We woke early, around 430am, to catch sunrise on our third and final day visiting the temples at Angkor. Shugree picked us up at 5 in order to travel the 10km outside of town to Bakong Temple. The sunrise at Angkor was striking but totally over-run by tourists so we hoped to find something peaceful this morning. We encountered some different sites as the city set up for a busy Saturday. Many streets, once clear for traffic, were down to a third of the size with all the market vendors sprawling the wide dusty roads. Baskets and totes filled with various produce, specialties, and goods, as far as your can see. As we motored along in our tuk-tuk, the morning breeze actually made us feel a chill, maybe the first in the past month and a half. We drove out of the city, down unlit roads, and through villages along the way. Shugree explained to us that no tourists, or anyone for that matter, would be at Bakong for sunrise*fingers crossed. In the black dark we hopped out and walked in, even arriving before the park guards. Guided by the light of our trustee maglites, we scrambled through the temple in awe of the silence and the almost eerie sense of emptiness. A nearby Monastery had begun its morning prayers which echoed in the hallow ruins. We took the root around the temple rather than through (we could hear the many, many bats within the darkness of the walls). The only other person we encountered along the way was a Buddhist monk who was enjoying the tranquility while he performed his prayers. We tackled the stairs to the top and scouted for the ultimate sunrise viewpoint. The peace here was heavy and truly amazing. The sun coming up wasn’t much to see or record but the experience was exactly what we were looking for. After the sun began to light the day, the village came to life around us. Children in their white dress shirts and blue bottoms (skirts for girls and shorts/pants for boys) seemed to be popping out of every corner. We saw children doing chores in the few minutes before starting their day in the classroom. Today there seemed to be an added bounce in their steps as they filed through the streets. Saturday is the last day of the school week so I am sure the kids look forward to Sunday and Monday as their “weekend”.
On our way to the next temple, Banteay Srei, we travelled about 20 km. We passed rice paddies, small villages, and life existing almost independent of the tourism impact on the country…So many beautiful things to take in. One unfortunate thing about much of the rural area is the overwhelming amount of loose trash which is pretty well everywhere. Perhaps many of the locals lack education on the subject or maybe they have an expectation that it will go away on its own, perhaps the mess doesn’t bother them. It is definitely a reflection of the economical state of many of the regions. There is no dependable waste management and therefore trash seems to filter down to the very poor. Anyway, coming from Canada, it is an obvious problem which we both can’t ignore.
As for the temples we saw today, many of the carvings stood out due to their immaculate condition and great detail. We rounded out our morning with a sobering visit to the Cambodian Landmine Museum. This is an organization (in partnership with Canada) which was started by a man who set landmine fields during his time in the war, claims he laid thousands per day. After his service in the army he witnessed the devastation many of these unexploded weapons, were causing to children and members of so many communities. Landmines aren’t designed to kill you, but more so meant to blow off an appendage. Well, this organization probes and clears fields as an attempt to reduce the number of victims of these ticking time bombs. Educational and reflection-provoking experience that’s forsure. We picked up some souvenirs and donated in support of a good cause, worthy of a visit.
After a great morning, we headed back to the city for a late lunch. We ate at our favorite local place, Khmer Taste, for lunch AND dinner, and relaxed in our hotel room after a stroll around the city. We agreed that we are both very fond of Siem Reap. We hit the sheets at a reasonable hour as our day w0uld start with a 730am bus to Battambang.
Angkor Day 1
Shugree picked us up at 5am. In the darkness of the early morning, we bounced along the route out of town. We stopped at the gate entrance to purchase our passes and carried on towards the main attraction. We were a little early, being eager not to miss anything, so we stopped for (really bad) coffee at a small restaurant by the temple. Sunrise at Angkor was a magical sight to take in despite the crowds of onlookers. We spent the first couple hours of the morning watching the colours develop in the sky and satisfying our sense of wonder as we explored the grounds. Besides the main temple another highlight of the day includes the temple of Bayon. This one is known for its many gigantic face carvings. The famous Ta Prohn was another site which blew us away. This is the area which was basically swallowed by the jungle. On and around the entire property are monstrous trees, roots, and stems which seem to devour it. We saw so much this day, basically taking in the designated “mini-tour”. Shortly afternoon we decided we were pooped for the day and headed back to the city to get cleaned up and fed. Before dropping us off at the hotel, Shugree suggested we see the traditional Cambodian dance of Apsara. He picked us up in the evening and drove us to a nice hotel which offered dinner and a traditional show. The music and dancing were both lovely and it was nice to eat buffet style for the first time in many meals.
Angkor Day 2
We decided to start in the afternoon for day two since we wanted to catch sunset and spending the entire day in the heat seemed very unlikely. Shugree picked us up at 1 and we headed to amore distant and older group of temples including Pre Rup, Preah Khan, and many more. These locations were much further away from the main attractions making for a more private and enjoyable walk-about. We ended our day with sunset at Phnom Pakheng, mountain temple. This is a classic sunset destination but unfortunately for us the clouds were heavy that afternoon. Still an amazing hill-top view nonetheless. We finished off our day with a trip through the old market and the night market and some dinner at the nearby Khmer Taste.
Angkor Day 3
Last night some celestial bodies aligned as we sat in our hotel room watching the National Geographic Channel. As fate would have it we were introduced to a program, Riddles of the dead, which was focused on the mysteries of Angkor Wat. We were thrilled as we were about to start our last day there in the morning. We stayed up until nearly 2am watching the program but it was incredible to learn more historical details and view everything in the program which we had just taken in with our own eyes over the past 2 days. It still almost seems like a dream…
Cambodia managed to strike another beautiful cord with the two of us today. We woke early, around 430am, to catch sunrise on our third and final day visiting the temples at Angkor. Shugree picked us up at 5 in order to travel the 10km outside of town to Bakong Temple. The sunrise at Angkor was striking but totally over-run by tourists so we hoped to find something peaceful this morning. We encountered some different sites as the city set up for a busy Saturday. Many streets, once clear for traffic, were down to a third of the size with all the market vendors sprawling the wide dusty roads. Baskets and totes filled with various produce, specialties, and goods, as far as your can see. As we motored along in our tuk-tuk, the morning breeze actually made us feel a chill, maybe the first in the past month and a half. We drove out of the city, down unlit roads, and through villages along the way. Shugree explained to us that no tourists, or anyone for that matter, would be at Bakong for sunrise*fingers crossed. In the black dark we hopped out and walked in, even arriving before the park guards. Guided by the light of our trustee maglites, we scrambled through the temple in awe of the silence and the almost eerie sense of emptiness. A nearby Monastery had begun its morning prayers which echoed in the hallow ruins. We took the root around the temple rather than through (we could hear the many, many bats within the darkness of the walls). The only other person we encountered along the way was a Buddhist monk who was enjoying the tranquility while he performed his prayers. We tackled the stairs to the top and scouted for the ultimate sunrise viewpoint. The peace here was heavy and truly amazing. The sun coming up wasn’t much to see or record but the experience was exactly what we were looking for. After the sun began to light the day, the village came to life around us. Children in their white dress shirts and blue bottoms (skirts for girls and shorts/pants for boys) seemed to be popping out of every corner. We saw children doing chores in the few minutes before starting their day in the classroom. Today there seemed to be an added bounce in their steps as they filed through the streets. Saturday is the last day of the school week so I am sure the kids look forward to Sunday and Monday as their “weekend”.
On our way to the next temple, Banteay Srei, we travelled about 20 km. We passed rice paddies, small villages, and life existing almost independent of the tourism impact on the country…So many beautiful things to take in. One unfortunate thing about much of the rural area is the overwhelming amount of loose trash which is pretty well everywhere. Perhaps many of the locals lack education on the subject or maybe they have an expectation that it will go away on its own, perhaps the mess doesn’t bother them. It is definitely a reflection of the economical state of many of the regions. There is no dependable waste management and therefore trash seems to filter down to the very poor. Anyway, coming from Canada, it is an obvious problem which we both can’t ignore.
As for the temples we saw today, many of the carvings stood out due to their immaculate condition and great detail. We rounded out our morning with a sobering visit to the Cambodian Landmine Museum. This is an organization (in partnership with Canada) which was started by a man who set landmine fields during his time in the war, claims he laid thousands per day. After his service in the army he witnessed the devastation many of these unexploded weapons, were causing to children and members of so many communities. Landmines aren’t designed to kill you, but more so meant to blow off an appendage. Well, this organization probes and clears fields as an attempt to reduce the number of victims of these ticking time bombs. Educational and reflection-provoking experience that’s forsure. We picked up some souvenirs and donated in support of a good cause, worthy of a visit.
After a great morning, we headed back to the city for a late lunch. We ate at our favorite local place, Khmer Taste, for lunch AND dinner, and relaxed in our hotel room after a stroll around the city. We agreed that we are both very fond of Siem Reap. We hit the sheets at a reasonable hour as our day w0uld start with a 730am bus to Battambang.
March 7, 2009-Welcome Cambodia
We started our day in Kuala Lumpur, said goodbye to the fair city and headed to the airport shortly after lunch. We experienced a short delay as a huge storm rolled in, socking in the airport and drowning the run-way. After a little clean up, we boarded our flight. Just 1 hour and 45 minutes later we were flying over the vastness of Cambodia. Through the airport without any issues, we found a taxi (well they furiously found us), and headed into Phnom Penh city. As we drove into town, we immediately noticed a difference here compared to the other places we have visited on our journey. There is a slower, more relaxed pace of life here but also an obvious and saddening level of poverty. We chose to avoid “backpacker row” and checked into a much less tourist dominated neighborhood. For 28USD we have 2 nights in a hotel room with 2 double beds, hot shower, western toilet*, 70 channel TV, Air-conditioning, Fridge, in addition to friendly staff and security. Following a little freshening-up we hit the streets to find some dinner…
We found ourselves walking around the area blindly without any travel books or city maps to help guide us. *Now, we had done so much research and planning into Thailand and Malaysia before our arrival and everything along the way came to us much easier than we expected so maybe because of this we took the whole travelling thing for granted for a minute. Regardless, we hit the Cambodian Public Bank to pick up some Riel. To our surprise, the bank machine was only offering US denominations for withdrawal…Away we went with American funds in hand looking to scrounge up some food. We noticed some intriguingly bright-lighting in the distance so decided to check it out. We really lucked out as we stumbled upon an official soccer match in the Olympic stadium. As we walked up to the stands we felt more than welcome with countless smiling faces and locals saying hello to us. For 1US dollar (totally overpaying but the smallest cash we had), we grabbed a cold drink and a couple cobs of corn and joined the crowd on the bleachers. The soccer wasn’t the only thing fetching attention at the game. We had a little audience of observers too. An older gentleman finally approached us to ask where we were from. When we answered “Canada” he tried his luck with communicating in French. He basically explained the importance of the soccer match as it had gone into overtime. After the penalty shots and lots of excitement, the home team won 5-2. The friendly gentleman wished us a “Bonsoir” and we soaked up the remainder of the experience as the stadium lights went down for the night. After some more (mainly aimless) wandering we decided to sit down for dinner at “No Problem” bar and restaurant. We were so obviously out of place here that people stood up from their seats to gawk at us from across the room. The only menu the restaurant offered was in Cambodian but luckily one of the hosts spoke some English so he explained that they had rice, noodles, vegetables-to keep things simple we ordered fried noodles with chicken and some fried vegetables. Nearly everyone in the restaurant watched when our food was brought out and we had a crowd of service staff around our table as we began to eat. We felt like we were under a microscope as people were in awe of the 2 foreigners in their Saturday night hotspot providing entertainment for all. Besides the spot light we were in, the service was incredible, the food was great and after a pitcher of draught, a coke, 2 seriously full bellies, and a generous tip, our billed totaled 14USD…unreal. A “Smilemart” (convenience store) was having its grand opening so we wandered in to grab some snacks to take back to our room. The owner was there for the occasion and turns out he is from Ottawa and this is the second store he has opened in the area-*A man with the right idea*. Another shockingly cheap deal there at 9USD for 12 cans of beer, chips, chocolate bar, and a Snapple. Back at our pad we relaxed, watched some tube, and agreed that so far Cambodia has smacked us in the face but also that we are loving EVERY minute.
We found ourselves walking around the area blindly without any travel books or city maps to help guide us. *Now, we had done so much research and planning into Thailand and Malaysia before our arrival and everything along the way came to us much easier than we expected so maybe because of this we took the whole travelling thing for granted for a minute. Regardless, we hit the Cambodian Public Bank to pick up some Riel. To our surprise, the bank machine was only offering US denominations for withdrawal…Away we went with American funds in hand looking to scrounge up some food. We noticed some intriguingly bright-lighting in the distance so decided to check it out. We really lucked out as we stumbled upon an official soccer match in the Olympic stadium. As we walked up to the stands we felt more than welcome with countless smiling faces and locals saying hello to us. For 1US dollar (totally overpaying but the smallest cash we had), we grabbed a cold drink and a couple cobs of corn and joined the crowd on the bleachers. The soccer wasn’t the only thing fetching attention at the game. We had a little audience of observers too. An older gentleman finally approached us to ask where we were from. When we answered “Canada” he tried his luck with communicating in French. He basically explained the importance of the soccer match as it had gone into overtime. After the penalty shots and lots of excitement, the home team won 5-2. The friendly gentleman wished us a “Bonsoir” and we soaked up the remainder of the experience as the stadium lights went down for the night. After some more (mainly aimless) wandering we decided to sit down for dinner at “No Problem” bar and restaurant. We were so obviously out of place here that people stood up from their seats to gawk at us from across the room. The only menu the restaurant offered was in Cambodian but luckily one of the hosts spoke some English so he explained that they had rice, noodles, vegetables-to keep things simple we ordered fried noodles with chicken and some fried vegetables. Nearly everyone in the restaurant watched when our food was brought out and we had a crowd of service staff around our table as we began to eat. We felt like we were under a microscope as people were in awe of the 2 foreigners in their Saturday night hotspot providing entertainment for all. Besides the spot light we were in, the service was incredible, the food was great and after a pitcher of draught, a coke, 2 seriously full bellies, and a generous tip, our billed totaled 14USD…unreal. A “Smilemart” (convenience store) was having its grand opening so we wandered in to grab some snacks to take back to our room. The owner was there for the occasion and turns out he is from Ottawa and this is the second store he has opened in the area-*A man with the right idea*. Another shockingly cheap deal there at 9USD for 12 cans of beer, chips, chocolate bar, and a Snapple. Back at our pad we relaxed, watched some tube, and agreed that so far Cambodia has smacked us in the face but also that we are loving EVERY minute.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Days in KL
After a smooth 30 minute flight from Krabi Airport to Kuala Lumpur, we embraced the change of pace. We flew in at rush hour which was a little frustrating as well as unnerving. Not only was traffic a total mess (city streets + Asian driving rules) but a wicked storm had rolled in. The clouds, lightning, and rainfall intensified the drive however we arrived safely and checked into a cozy little guest house in the Golden Triangle. We were starving so we took the recommendation of the guest house owner and crossed over the street for some Indian cuisine. We really couldn’t understand anything on the menu but we managed to relay an order and hoped for the best. The food was awesome and for the two of us to have a drink each and 4 hefty plates of food it cost us a total of 6CAD, tip included. Honestly the best Indian either of us had ever eaten and at such a great price, how could we go wrong? Our first night in KL we cruised around the city on-foot taking it all in. We strolled over to the Petronas Towers and snapped some night shots-those architectural wonders are even more striking in the evening when they’re all lit up.
We formed quite the agenda for our first full day here. Another gruelingly hot day as we marched our way to some of the attractions. We visited the KL Planetarium which was rather lame but since many of the exhibits were being upgraded and were closed, there was no admission to be paid, so it wasn’t all that disappointing. We rounded the bend from there and began our journey through the WORLD’S LARGEST FREE FLIGHT AVIARY. The bird park was great and we spent the remainder of the afternoon strolling the grounds. The birds were amazing but one of the highlights was the pack of wild monkeys who busted in on the daily feedings. These monkeys were not welcomed in the least as they harassed the birds and the staff tried their best to scare them off (even by throwing rocks at them…more than a little disagreeable). Anyway, we must have watched these adorable furry friends for half an hour. They were all sizes and ages, even tiny little-hairless-mommy-clutching babies. They were SO cute and just as curious about us as we were about them.
We decided to make the most of a rainy afternoon by getting a couple much needed haircuts. A friend of mine HIGHLY recommended a salon when she and I visited KL 2 years ago, so we thought we would give it a shot. It truly was a pampering experience of a lifetime. It started with a 30 minute head/neck/shoulder message and shampooing followed by the most intricate and precise haircuts of our lives. With no doubt, even the most high prices salon in North America don’t compare to the treatment we received for a fraction of the cost.
We formed quite the agenda for our first full day here. Another gruelingly hot day as we marched our way to some of the attractions. We visited the KL Planetarium which was rather lame but since many of the exhibits were being upgraded and were closed, there was no admission to be paid, so it wasn’t all that disappointing. We rounded the bend from there and began our journey through the WORLD’S LARGEST FREE FLIGHT AVIARY. The bird park was great and we spent the remainder of the afternoon strolling the grounds. The birds were amazing but one of the highlights was the pack of wild monkeys who busted in on the daily feedings. These monkeys were not welcomed in the least as they harassed the birds and the staff tried their best to scare them off (even by throwing rocks at them…more than a little disagreeable). Anyway, we must have watched these adorable furry friends for half an hour. They were all sizes and ages, even tiny little-hairless-mommy-clutching babies. They were SO cute and just as curious about us as we were about them.
We decided to make the most of a rainy afternoon by getting a couple much needed haircuts. A friend of mine HIGHLY recommended a salon when she and I visited KL 2 years ago, so we thought we would give it a shot. It truly was a pampering experience of a lifetime. It started with a 30 minute head/neck/shoulder message and shampooing followed by the most intricate and precise haircuts of our lives. With no doubt, even the most high prices salon in North America don’t compare to the treatment we received for a fraction of the cost.
We have now been in Ao Nang an entire week. We spent the week soaking up the sun, picking up a few souvenirs, watching a little HBO (a treat to have TV-and an English channel to bout), basically we have just enjoyed being free of any schedule or stress for 8 days. We have achieved a nice level of bronze on our bodies (no longer standing out as the ghostly-white Canadians) and since our 30-day tourist visas for Thailand are up in a couple days, we will to fly to Kuala Lumpur. We hadn’t planned on travelling to Malaysia on this trip but it seems most logical as Airasia offers very reasonably priced flights and it will save us time and $$ in the long run. We have booked into a guesthouse in China town and will be staying in the city for 4 nights before we fly to Phnom Pehn on the 7th of March.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Exploring the Kingdom of Wonder
Hello followers!
Cambodia is such a splendid country. All aspects (food, people, architecture) are very different from the places and cities we've visited thus far. It is possible that we enjoy seeing the smiles of the people the most. Knowing that these people are simply enjoying every day which given to them allows us to evaluate and truly appreciate the freedoms and opportunities given to us in Canada...it warms our hearts. Internet and international phone-calls are proving to be pretty difficult services to find and because of this our posts & pictures will be updated towards the end of March as we travel closer to Vietnam. The past couple days have been spent in the relaxing and comfortable city of Siem Reap, 7km north of the Angkor Wat temple grounds (400 sq. km area). Again, Cambodia shows the two of us that it stands apart from the hustle & bustle of the world, with the most amazing sights either of us have seen in our lives. Angkor is truly a kingdom of wonder! Towering trees with astounding trunks and root systems, 1200-1500 year old temples covered in intricate and meaningful carvings. Pictures can't relay that youthful "Indiana Jones" sense of discovery waiting for you around every corner. We have a rough idea of our plans for the next couple weeks and once in Vietnam communication opportunities will increase greatly. Thanks for following- peace & love!
Cambodia is such a splendid country. All aspects (food, people, architecture) are very different from the places and cities we've visited thus far. It is possible that we enjoy seeing the smiles of the people the most. Knowing that these people are simply enjoying every day which given to them allows us to evaluate and truly appreciate the freedoms and opportunities given to us in Canada...it warms our hearts. Internet and international phone-calls are proving to be pretty difficult services to find and because of this our posts & pictures will be updated towards the end of March as we travel closer to Vietnam. The past couple days have been spent in the relaxing and comfortable city of Siem Reap, 7km north of the Angkor Wat temple grounds (400 sq. km area). Again, Cambodia shows the two of us that it stands apart from the hustle & bustle of the world, with the most amazing sights either of us have seen in our lives. Angkor is truly a kingdom of wonder! Towering trees with astounding trunks and root systems, 1200-1500 year old temples covered in intricate and meaningful carvings. Pictures can't relay that youthful "Indiana Jones" sense of discovery waiting for you around every corner. We have a rough idea of our plans for the next couple weeks and once in Vietnam communication opportunities will increase greatly. Thanks for following- peace & love!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
On to Ao Nang
We said our goodbyes @ “Our Jungle House” and thanked the great staff and owner. This place was like nowhere else we had been in our lives. Surely it was a little beyond our “nature loving” comfort zones but truly a magical place which we would highly recommend. After 3 nights spent in the ruggedness of a hardcore jungle, we have almost become one with creepy critters-experience and growth that’s for sure. We travelled the 2/3 hour journey from Khao Sok by minibus (14 passenger van), arriving in Ao Nang shortly after noon. Our plan was to search for accommodations upon arrival-Our goal was to find a place with a HOT, or at least warm, shower (those jungle showers were fridged). For a great price we settled on an older little guest house right in the heart of the action. Ao Nang relies HEAVILY on its tourism for survival which is immediately obvious. Due to Thailand’s accessibility to Europe, Ao Nang has become a very popular holiday town. With so many European jet setters on the beaches here, the scene is full of chain restaurants, familiar amenities, and luxury resorts. Normally we enjoy a little more of an authentic experience but this great little beach town offers Thai hospitality, culture, and beauty with many comforts which we take for granted in Europe and North America. Since we are now living cheaply AND living very well, we have decided to stay put for a while and enjoy the relaxation here. In Ao Nang travel is definitely more like holidaying. We are really enjoying experiencing the Thai side of things here too now that the language barrier is nearly non existent. It’s so nice to communicate with the people here. Since many of the locals speak English, it has given us the chance to try different foods and experience customs which would normally be very foreign and much work to understand or make happen. Yesterday we took our first longtail boat off the Ao Nang coast towards a magical island escape. Our first trip took us to Railay beach, stunning white sand surrounded by colossal limestone cliffs and amazing emerald/turquoise water. Railay is far more subdued than the Ao Nang beach strip which inspired us to make a real beach day out of it.
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