Blogs from Siem Reap, North, Cambodia, Asia - page 193

After finally getting back to Thailand and enjoying some much needed beach time after suffering the cold of North America, Jas, James and I have finally left Thailand after over two months of fun in the sun. While I enjoyed Thailand very much and seeing everyone there I was excited to get back on the road and see some new sights. So after arriving back in Bangkok we quickly booked an 18 hour bus trip to Siem Reap. As soon as you cross the boarder the fact that Cambodia is a less developed country becomes quickly apparent: there's garbage everywhere, a higher number of motorcycles as few people can afford cars and an even larger number of pedestrian traffic. In fact much of Cambodia has reminded me of my time in Africa. The roads so far ... read more

Hello everyone, This is just a real quick blog to say that we have arrived safe and sound in Cambodia - Siem Reap to be more specific... we are uncontactable via the phone so I thought I would just drop a quick blog for those concerned (MUM!) so they know that we werent kidnapped by any Khmer Rouge or Beggars! We got off to a late start this morning thanks to my blonde hair! We were meant to get up by 5am to get the 6am bus but when setting the alarm Reety put in 5.45am instead of 4.45am! doh! We got the 7am bus however so all was not lost and we appeared to make it to the border well ahead of any of the scam buses.... The bus trip was long (although we are ... read more

We visited 2 orphanages today, one of them has a lot of donation support and is sort of sponsored by the guesthouse that we are staying at called the Earthwalkers. The other orphanage was run by 2 very nice people who just want to keep kids off the streets and they have almost no financial support. Our friend Diane who has visited them before sent some money for us to give to them, we also left them some clothes and some more money. The kids at both places were SO cute!! They performed for us, sang some songs and danced. Cambodian people are very genuine, you can smile at virtually anyone and receive a giant grin in return, especially the kids. They don't see a lot of Americans here, mostly european and other asian tourists so ... read more

We'd left the best until last and on Jan 02 we flew from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Siem Reap itself was odd, in the nicest way. Great restaurants, including the fabulous Blue Pumpkin, where you could eat while rerclining on huge white sofa-beds, art galleries, shopping and bars - and glittery hotels which seemed slightly at odds with Cambodia as a whole. We stayed at the Angkor Village Resort - just a little out of town, with beautiful open air eating and cocktails, and the best swimming pool we've ever seen! It was like a river, winding its way though the grounds of the hotel, under bridges and around corners so that whereever your room was, you could step outside and into the pool as it passed - and swim for a good 10 mins ... read more

Edellisen paivan pienimuotoisten vastoinkaymisten ei voinut antaa haitata liian kauaa, joten jo seuraavana aamuna lahdimme heti seitseman jalkeen vaantamaan itsellemme paivaksi moottoripyorariksaa eli suomeksi sanottua skootteria, jonka peraan on kiinnitetty kahdella tai neljalla istuimella varustettu pieni katettu perakarry. Ensiksi kysyimme hintaa eraan hotellin edessa seisoneelta riksa-kuskiryhmalta, joiden hinta oli 15 USD. Kun hieman naureskelimme hintaa, niin kuskit innoissaan nayttamaan ajoneuvoihinsa kiinnitettyja laminoituja taskuja sanoen "fixed price" eli suomeksi: ala tinkaa. No me emme tinganneet vaan lahdimme hymyillen jatkamaan matkaamme...kaveltyamme noin sata metria ajoi yksi aiemman porukan kuskeista peraamme huutaen 10 USD....se niista kiinteista hinnoista. Olemme matkallamme jo paljon aiemmin ottaneet tavaksemme, etta annamme rahat mieluummin jollekin noyralle yks... read more