We woke up very early in Don Det, Laos, took a boat to the next island and then boarded a bus. One of the coolest parts of the trip was when leaving Laos and entering Cambodia we had to literally walk across the border. The bus stopped one one side, we walked into Cambodia, got our visas, then got back onto the bus. This is a shot looking into Cambodia.
This is one, looking back at Laos.
We were supposed to go straight to Siem Reap, Cambodia (Location of Angkor Wat Temples), but after the 12 hour journey we landed in the capital city of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We were told the bus does not go any further and we would have to connect the next day. That was a very long day of busing. These are some photos I took on the bus ride.
We ended up staying in a hotel which was located directly above a kitchen and the heat was brutal. We went out that evening and found a big night market.
The next day, we woke up early and jumped on another bus ride to make it to Siem Reap.
The bus stations were so hot, they had water spraying from above to cool people down.
We ended up getting on a really bad bus, which was a 6 hour ride and had no Air Conditioning. It was another sticky brutal ride. Fresh pineapple available at rest stops, was always good.
We arrived in Siem Reap, found a place to stay and just relaxed for the evening.
In Don Det, Sebastien and I met a guy traveling alone from Australia named Darren, so we traveled with him through Cambodia. Meanwhile, Jacob was with Curtis, still in Vientiane, Laos waiting for his passport. It would be days before he got it and they decided they would skip Cambodia. After another night of no air conditioning in our room, we decided it was vital to have some.
We found a new hotel which gave us a room for $5 each. The room was absolutely deluxe. It was a proper hotel with amazing air conditioning and real mattresses.
That evening we went to watch the sunset at one of the spots in Angkor Wat. It was quite an amazing site, even though there were lots of people.
That night we hit the town and just relaxed. There is this huge area called Pub St. in Siem Reap which is just full of tourists. I could not believe the scene I was in, in the middle of Cambodia.
The next day we visited the main temple, Angkor Wat and it was an amazing site to see. The pictures cannot do justice to the ruins which are over 800 years old.
At the same time, the weather was on a whole new level. I believe it was over 40 degrees and very humid; which was very hot at times. I have never sweat so much water in my life.
We stumbled upon this market, which was pretty cool. It was full of locals and busy at all times. It had to be covered very well because of the heat. I got a nice Versace belt out of there. Definitely genuine.
The next day we visited Ta Pronh which was amazing. It is the temple which has roots growing out of it. The pictures describe it all.
That night, we found a luxurious $100/night hotel and snuck into the roof-top salt water swimming pool. Being westerners, the clerks assumed we were guests. The pool was gorgeous.
The next day we decided to do nothing and just relax. This trip has actually gotten me into reading, so I ended up reading Angels and Demons within a span of a few days. It was good to relax. That night we decided to eat well and do a Cambodia BBQ. We got our own BBQ and ate all different types of meat. Chicken, Beef, Squid, Crocodile, Snake and Kangaroo (for our Aussie friend). It was super delicious.
The next morning, we woke up at 5 am, hopped a bus back to Phnom Penh and then hopped a plane to Bangkok.
On the way, we stopped at a rest stop and I met a kid who was trying to sell me bananas. His language skills of English were impeccable and his selling were even better. He could have sold American mortgage backed securities during the recession.
This is one of my favorite shots of Sebastien and I on our way to the airport in a tuk-tuk.
We had to fly to Bangkok in order to receive a 30 day Visa. It was more pricey than usual, but had to be done to stay in the country of Thailand. After about 14 hours, we finally reunited with Jacob and Curtis and stayed right off Khoa San Rd. Anyone who has been to Thailand, knows it is where all the backpackers go.
Most Valuable Buds
The Most Valuable Buds of this leg of the trip is Darren Bonehill.
He is doing his own one year world tour and was a great guy to travel with. He is a real estate agent in Brisbane, Australia so he gave us a crash course on how to sell property anywhere.
Thats unreal that you ate Crocodile and Kangaroo
ReplyDeleteSad though, I always liked the movie 'Joey'