We decided to escape the city & take a trip down to the Mekong Delta for the day, only an organised excursion but at less than £5 each we thought it was worth the gamble. First stop is at a shop selling coconut & bamboo fibre clothing, we were herded into a side room & given a high speed enthusiastic demo of some of the … Continue reading On the Mekong Delta……
Our bus journey & entry into Vietnam went very smoothly. There have been improvements since our last time, the addition of a Duty Free shop just before entering the country was a nice place to cool off & stretch your legs before the final 2 hour leg. One fairly pointless exercise though was having to remove your luggage from the bus at the entry border … Continue reading Happy New Year from Vietnam!!
Tomorrow we are leaving Cambodia, 9:45 and the Giant Ibis bus takes us onto the next leg of our adventure and onto Vietnam. Cambodia has been good to us, a mix of our favourites from last time but also new adventures, experiences and tastes – travel is all about expanding your horizons. Angkor Wat again filled us with wonder…. wondering how they built such magnificent … Continue reading Lea (Goodbye) Cambodia
As we’re nearing the end of our time in Cambodia, we thought we’d share some further observations we’ve come across so far…… The very casual Police force – normally asleep in hammocks or surfing on their phones. Correct uniform seems to be optional, any random combination seems acceptable. Have also noticed how often 24hr police stations appear to be closed. If you want to rent … Continue reading Observations part 2…..
Kep is a small town on the coast famous for it’s crab fishing & small beach. We’ve been here before & choose to stay in the same accommodation, Khmer style bungalows at the foot of the national park. Our initial stroll shows that the town itself hasn’t changed much in the last 3 years, just busier. The beach, which we had pretty much to ourselves … Continue reading At one with nature in Kep
It is our second visit to Kampot, so a ‘blog’ describing the town and excursions available can be found via the menu. Instead we compare from 3 1/2 years ago to now and beyond… The charming sight as dozens of fishing boats returning at sunset still happens each evening – that was probably our lasting memory of our prior visit. Elsewhere changes are obvious. What … Continue reading Kampot then, now & future?
One of our ‘must do’ activities in SEA, after much research, was SUP ( stand up paddle boarding). We knew this was an option whilst in Kampot, so no time like the present. Having done nothing like this before we obviously had numerous questions to ask of our instructors for the afternoon, Tricia & Espen. How difficult is it? Are we likely to fall in? … Continue reading Stand Up Paddle Boarding in Kampot
We’ve been in South East Asia for almost 3 weeks now, and although we’ve been here before we’ve never really taken a lot of notice of ‘the little things’ we come across every day & what they really mean. Here’s just a few…… When booking accommodation take facilities with a pinch of salt, for instance…… 32″ flat screen TV – yes it might be in … Continue reading Observations so far……
It’s a strange city. Reading travel forums all scare stories of muggings & bag snatches, it definitely puts you on edge. The historical side is all grim and having done the Killing Fields and the S21 Genocide Museum on our previous visit we are not spoilt for things to do. More here as a neccesity on route to Kampot & Kep than anything else. What … Continue reading The conundrum that is Phnom Penh
Our time in Battambang is over. We explored in the mornings before the heat of the day took hold, afternoons spent lazily around the pool at the posh partner hotel. Rather than have the bus pick us up from our guesthouse we arrange it from where we can have breakfast, need a coffee at least to start the day. Fortunately we also manage to pick … Continue reading The bus to Phnom Penh
We were looking forward to visiting Battambang again knowing that it was quite a chilled low key town. We have not been disappointed. If anything it seems less busy. Rather than follow the tourists & book organised excursions we have taken to two feet, & map in hand we’ve done our own thing, definitely helps that we’ve been before! Choosing to do do our activities … Continue reading Return to Battambang
We’re collected promptly by tuk tuk to connect with our transport for the 164km journey that will deliver us to our next destination, Battambang. On joining the minibus, it then proceeds to retrace the short journey we’ve just made, oh well! The bus is full after a couple more pick ups but not uncomfortable. Generally a quiet journey, apart from the occasional slapping sound as … Continue reading Onward to Battambang…
Oldest On the Bus 