Just a very quick update before bed. We met in the lobby a bit after 6:30 (it seems someone is always late) and then we walked along the river into the tourist area of Siem Riep called "Pub Street". It was a pleasant walk, it seems the rain has cooled things off a bit. The town is very touristy, of course, but it is still quite small and it was pretty along the river with all the lights (it was dark during the walk). We noticed some very nice hotels on the drive in earlier today. Sowann pointed out the various markets and then we went for a group dinner to "The Corner" restaurant where we both had Amok (the Cambodian national dish I think). I had fish and Susan had chicken. It was really delicious. ... read more

Another awesome day in Bangkok! But first I wanted to mention yesterday's tour company, Asian Trails. It is a great company. We booked the tour easily online, and they left a message with the hotel to remind us of the pick up time the day before. Our tour guide and driver were both excellent, and the vehicle was very comfortable. We were kept supplied with cold bottled water and cold towelettes. Great service. Oh, and a correction to yesterdays's entry: the tree the Buddha head is entwined in in Ayutthaya is a banyan tree, not a bodhi tree (I don't think there is actually such a tree). So, on to today. We met Gof from Intepid Urban Adventures at 8:30 this morning, along with another member of our Best of Cambodia and Vietnam tour, Sondra (from ... read more

We've arrived in Bangkok! It's just before 1 pm and we have checked into the Viengtai Hotel for our three nights here. Basic room but spacious and has a fridge which is handy. Susan is in the shower now and the water pressure is good. We had arranged transfer from the airport to the hotel with Intrepid and the driver was waiting as arranged. We went through immigration quickly. We got to the hotel before normal check in time so we had a short wait for our room - 5 minutes only but we decided to have a quick beer - I like Chang beer best so far ... Oh did I mention it is HOT here. As soon as we left the A/C of the airport the heat and the humidity just smacked into us. ... read more

Well, we're on the countdown now. Two weeks to go. We are getting very excited! I am practicing with the iPad mini keyboard. It's so small it's a bit hard to get used to. This is just a practice entry to make sure this blogging thing will work. I've never done it before. I took a couple of pictures on our camera, used the new cable to transfer them to the ipad, now I'll see if I can attach them to this entry. We've got the necessary visas, and booked various tours before and after the tour. In case you didn't know, we are on Intrepid Adventures 18 day tour "Best of Cambodia and Vietnam". We start in Bangkok, where we have a couple of extra days. The tour ends in Hanoi, where we have one ... read more

We went to the British Museum today and I saw the Rosetta Stone! Yay! I've wanted to see it for ages. It was pretty amazing. It's in a protective case so you can't touch it, but it was so great to finally see it. I remember seeing an exhibit at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria several years ago called "Treasures from the British Museum", and there it was, the Rosetta Stone! I practically sprinted over to it, only to find that it was a replica. I guess the British Museum wasn't letting the real thing out on tour. Anyway, now I have seen it! :) We saw all of the Egyptian exhibits, some of the Greek exhibits (Parthenon), the Ancient Turkey exhibit, and the Easter Islands statues. We were going to see the "Roman Exhibits ... read more