After some much needed down time after the Angkor Wat morning yesterday (where I can’t describe the level of humidity cause that would be whinging…), we headed back out for a 3 hour vespa tour of the countryside in the afternoon with 8 others from the group. We got about 5 minutes into the ride when the rain started smashing down. So with raincoats donned we rode on…. Despite this, we had so much fun. Our first stop was to…
It was a super early start for a sunrise experience this morning at Angkor Wat. We left the hotel at 450am for the 15 minute drive and 15 minute walk into to Angkor Wat area. Our Siem Reap Guide, Park, is a photographer so he was keen to give us a great Angkor Wat sunrise experience. He got us a spot on the rock wall looking across the moat to the gates and temple of Angkor Wat, and helped Kerri…
Today far exceeded my expectations. First stop was the Tonle Om Gate which is the South Gate of Angkor Thom. This gate is dated to the 12th century at the height of the Khmer empire and has a long causeway with 54 stone giants guarding the entrance to Angkor Thom over the 100m moat. Each side of the approach had giants representing either good or evil. I didn’t do much research about this place in advance but I found it…
After our afternoon of swimming yesterday, today we said goodbye to some of our travelling group and left the river cruise to relocate to Siem Reap by bus. It was about a 4 hour transfer on variable quality roads. We had a few stops, the most significant being the Napa bridge that dates back to 1200. We arrived at the hotel after another 7 course meal in Siem Reap. The afternoon was spent having a look around the hotel, doing…
This morning we finally acted on the fact we have been eating and drinking far more than at home and exercising less and Bob and I went for a walk around the track on the top deck of the boat before breakfast. Too little, too late….. Our last tour on the cruise this morning was to Angkor Ban. We moved to shore in the boat and rafted up to another cruise ship. Then a fun walk through it to get…
OK so the humidity is really kicking in now. If I was going to whinge I’d say I’m fully melting, but seeing as I’m not whinging, the weather is warming up beautifully 🙂 . This morning we went back into the city and went for a tour of the Royal Palace. Lots of gold, diamonds and silver floor tiles! Cambodia’s king was not in residence today. He has not had a coronation as he is not married. He is the…
This morning the Cambodian authorities boarded our boat and we all had to file past them where they checked our faces against our passport photos. They then took our passports with them and will stamp and bring back (we understand 🙂 ). We met our new Cambodian tour guide this morning. A lovely young lady called Ling Er. She talked us through our 2 tours this morning with some very personal perspectives on the genocide that occurred within our lifetime….
** Incoming photo spam alert ** What an incredible day! We boarded the Sampan at 830 this morning. The weather was overcast but not looking threatening. Bob grabbed a golf umbrella off the boat before he boarded the Sampan and I did comment that it did seem like overkill. As it turns out I did live to regret that one…. First stop was a bustling town/city called Tan Chau where we all had an individual ride in a rickshaw. Lots…
Today was our first day since we left home that was unplanned and spent entirely on the boat. So of course I woke up early and watched the colourful sunrise. Once awake, Bob and I headed out to the pool deck at 630 for a half hour stretching class. The day was filled with swimming, reading, eating, towel folding class (for Sandra and Glenn – we were too into our books to go to that one – Sandra very kindly…
Today we only had one tour and it was planned for the morning (before afternoon downpour time). We were fortunate and had no rain for the 3 hour trip. We headed to Gieng Island and were transported around the villages by Tuk Tuks to visit local families that work in a variety of industries. First up we stopped at the oldest Catholic Church in Vietnam. As we head further up the Mekong into Cambodia, Buddhism will become the predominant religion….