Blogs from South, Cambodia, Asia - page 2

We were up on the sun deck this morning just after 7.00am so that the immigration official could check our faces against our passports. The officer checking our faces actually had a sense of humour which is a most unusual trait amongst immigration officials! He looked at me, looked at my passport and announced ‘very beautiful’. Given that he also said this to Steve, he may not have been very discerning in regard to the standard of western feminine beauty, ha, ha, ha?? Anyhow, all of us were verified and cleared for entry to Cambodia. After breakfast we boarded cyclos for our ‘smoke free’ tour of Phnom Penh City and set off into the city with our Cambodian guide, Leng. Spelled Leng, but he pronounced his name as ‘Ling’ to my ear. Our itinerary said that ... read more

Arrived back in Phnom Penh Wednesday night after a 7hr bus ride....quite good watching the countryside pass by. Our last 4 days here have been very relaxing, staying at the Lavanya Hotel which is a lovely little boutique hotel right in the centre of the city, $54 a night with a really nice breaky, .....so we hardly had to get a tuk tuk for our last few days....we could walk everywhere. Mornings were spent exploring and afternoons by the pool was in order. We walked by the anti corruption commission and found we were not allowed to take photos we really wanted to as you see this grand building on one side and their carpark over the road is full of Bentleys, Range Rovers, Mercedes and even a Rolla......we were very amused by that! We revisited ... read more

Alexander, nearly 5, is a rock hunter. He and his magnifying glass are rarely separated as he moves around searching for new and interesting rocks. He proudly showed us his collection in his treasure chest in his bedroom. Carried around in his pocket is a slice of rock with a fossil in it. He lives with his parents, Sean and Agata and little brother Elliot, in Les Jardins du Bassac in Phnom Penh. Not far from where they were previously as we recognised their old street and the small shopping centre with supermarket and cafe. And aircon. We hadn't seen them since we were in Poland in June 2018 when Elliot was born so it was lovely to see them again and get to know Elliot. He has a very good vocabulary for a 20 month ... read more

We spent the first half of the day Chasin' Waterfalls (Songs in your head innit?), then commenced on the 4-5hr drive to Kampot. Shortly before we get into town, Vanny announces that there's been an issue with our hotel. Another url=https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50676917/search-and-rescue-operations-end-at-kep-building-collapse-siteHotel in town (7 stories high) collapsed, killing 36 people and injuring 26. Some the the police/rescuers/investigators ended up taking the rooms allocated for us, so our hotel moved us to another hotel instead. Given the tragedy that had occurred, the reasoning seemed ok. Vanny assured us it was a new hotel, so it didn't seem all bad. Boy were we wrong. We get into the hotel, it definitely doesn't look new, but hey, maybe he just meant new in ownership and it was just a misinterpretation of English. Get up to my room, open the ... read more

We awoke this morning excited for a full day of sightseeing in Phnom Penh. Breakfast this morning was buffet style on the rooftop terrace where we enjoyed the typical western style breakfast items coupled with a wide variety of tropical fruits. It was a great way to start the day as we enjoyed a relaxing breakfast, enjoyed the fresh morning air, and soaked in the views overlooking the Tonle Sap River. After breakfast we set out for our full day around the city beginning with the nearby Royal Palace. Spread out over a large well manicured area, the grounds of the Royal Palace seemed a world away from the urban chaos of the streets of Phnom Penh. We walked around and admired the breathtaking Khmer architectural style and I was amazed by the elegant opulence of ... read more