One hundred days, but who's counting?

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One hundred days from now, Jaz and I will fly out of Burlington on a 6:00 am JetBlue flight to JFK, where we will then check in for a 1:55 pm Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong. Landing in Hong Kong 16 hours later (at 7:05 pm the next day) we will connect to another flight that will bring us to Bangkok, landing just before midnight.

We know what awaits us then: a hot, humid night; a line-up for the taxi stand and some confusion about the fare; a 30-minute drive in a bright pink taxi into the city of Bangkok, past billboards reminding us of the Thai people's joyful reverence for their king. We will be sitting in the taxi, grinning ear-to-ear in amazement that our adventure has truly begun. (OK, Jaz might actually be asleep in the back seat, as she has an unrivaled ability to sleep anywhere when she wants to, and who knows how tired we may be.)

At this point, our plan is to spend 2-3 days in Bangkok, adjusting to the time change and to the heat, visiting some sites we missed last time, and generally wandering. Jaz is disappointed in my choice of hotel for this stay. We discussed two possibilities, and I chose the more luxurious $35/night room rather than the more spartan $20/night option. She pointed out that the $15/night we could save by staying at the cheaper hotel could go a long way in Cambodia. She's right, of course, but I hold to my position that a little more comfort in our first days will help ease the transition, and I'm middle-aged enough to need a little transitional comfort!

After a few days in Bangkok, we will head for Siem Reap, Cambodia. Last winter, we made this trip by plane: the Bangkok Airways flight was quick and easy, but not cheap. This year, with more time and less money available, we will go for the cheaper and more adventurous option: 550 kilometers of overland travel by bus/train/taxi. It will take us somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10 hours if all goes smoothly, and will cost us somewhere around $40 each (instead of $200+ for flights.) The border crossing into Cambodia at the town of Poipet has a reputation of being a bit of a Wild West adventure, which should be interesting. I am fairly certain that all the online reports about the "mafia taxis" and immigration officials demanding bribes are grossly exaggerated!

Our arrival in Siem Reap will mark the beginning of our volunteer experience - which is still only vaguely defined. This is unusual in the face of my usual travel and planning style: I'm a planner and a list-maker and a "let's be clear about exactly what we're doing" kind of person. This will be a new experience for me in that I have chosen to make a leap of faith - the plane tickets were bought in the belief that we will make it work, even if that means figuring out how it's going to work sometime later. The need is there, and we bring some skills and a willingness to do whatever could be helpful. I have been assured there will be work to do.

More on all that in another post.

I am cross-posting for now on another site: On The Road To Cambodia. I am still playing around with whether I will post here, there, or in both places. I am guessing that over time I may post travel reports only on this page, and possibly post travel reports as well as general ruminations and editorial commentary about our preparations and experience on the other site. Feel free to check out both and decide which suits you better.

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