2 days ago: In the morning we went back to the Russian market for some last minute shopping in Cambodia.
But actually after browsing around we ended up just buying some cards...
Then we head to the bus station for our bus back to Ho Chi Minh City. To our surprise the bus did depart on time!
The busride was supposed to take 6 hours. We expected to arrive at the Cambodian border after about 4 hours but after 4 hours there still was no border in sight...2 more hours passed and still didn't arrive at the border. At that point it had gotten dark already and we started wondering whether we were on one of the "famous" scam buses. (which would drive very slowly or wrong direction, arrive at the border by the time the border is closed already and then you are forced to stay at the extremely overpriced hotel they drop you off at). So at that point I did go to the person from the bus company in the front to check the situation. He told me the bus ride was delayed because we stopped for a very long time at the Mekong river.... In fact we only stopped for about 5 minutes during the whole trip until that point.... So I did question him asking what do you mean? We only stopped for a few minutes. But he kept insisting we had stopped for a very long time, all others surrounding me laughed at me like how could I have missed the very long stop... Anyway according to him we would be arriving the border after another 40 minutes more... (really amazing as at that time we should have already been in HCMC; the exact same busride opposite direction did really only take 6 hours). So starting to be suspecting we would really end up in a scam, was pretty relieved that we finally saw a point of recognition which was not too far off from the customs. We did (like on the way there) have a quick break at a restaurant and then passed the customs. At that time it was around 20.00, fortunately the customs were still open!
From there on still took us a while, an hour to cross the customs and another 2 hours bus ride in Vietnam. The bus ride which was supposed to take 6 hours finally ended after 10 hours! Still puzzled about what had caused the delay of 4 hours....But anyway really relieved we didn't have to stay in a "scam" hotel and we did get our passports back without any hassle as well :).
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Quick update
Quick update before we go for our Mekong river day tour.
After the day trip we will be taking the 23.00 train to Hue. 16-17 hour train ride.
After the day trip we will be taking the 23.00 train to Hue. 16-17 hour train ride.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Last day in Cambodia
This morning we went to have Cambodian cooking class. We had made a booking for it the previous evening. It included being picked up from the hotel, so at exactly 9 there was a tuk tuk to pick us up.
Also on the tuk tuk was the chef who would be teaching us. At first we went to the market to buy some of the ingredients. The market itself wasn't very special, quite similair to markets in HK, but they do had a much larger variety of foods.
After buying the ingredients we went to the place where we would do the cooking. It was at a pretty nice place, on a rooftop overlooking the russian embassy. Luckily there still was enough coverage to provide some needed shadow.
The foods we would be making were Cambodian style spring rolls and Amok Fish. We started out with the spring rolls, actually started out making the sweet and sour peanut sauce for the spring rolls. Was quite interesting to really make the sauce, involved chopping up and mashing quite a lot of ingredients.
The spring rolls itself was pretty straight forward.... Should definately be something we can recreate when we are back in HK!
The Amok Fish; once again quite a lot of different herbs involved so more chopping and grinding. Hope we can recreate this one in HK as well, but less certain that we can find all the necassary herbs there...
Afterwards we finally went to visit the royal palace (we actually intended to visit it when we stayed in Phnom Penh before). Really very alike the royal palace in Bangkok...
After we were done there we took the tuk tuk to bring us to the Russian market. Unfortanately quite shortly after we arrived there they started closing down. But Casey still succeeded in buying several scarfs, and we also succeeded in buying a cd of a Cambodian song we have kept hearing during our stay in Cambodia!
Then we went back to the hotel to book our bus tickets for heading back to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. But both buscompanies they have contact with were fully booked until the 14th! We then found out that many Cambodians would be visiting Vietnam as they would have holiday for the Cambodian New Year. We then went to check next door where they sell tickets for a different bus service. Fortunately that one still had a few seats left for departure tomorrow! Not at the time that we would have prefered but still very happy that we succeeded. We will now be departing at 13.30 from Phnom Penh. And should be arriving about 6 hours later in Ho Chi Minh City.
Also on the tuk tuk was the chef who would be teaching us. At first we went to the market to buy some of the ingredients. The market itself wasn't very special, quite similair to markets in HK, but they do had a much larger variety of foods.
After buying the ingredients we went to the place where we would do the cooking. It was at a pretty nice place, on a rooftop overlooking the russian embassy. Luckily there still was enough coverage to provide some needed shadow.
The foods we would be making were Cambodian style spring rolls and Amok Fish. We started out with the spring rolls, actually started out making the sweet and sour peanut sauce for the spring rolls. Was quite interesting to really make the sauce, involved chopping up and mashing quite a lot of ingredients.
The spring rolls itself was pretty straight forward.... Should definately be something we can recreate when we are back in HK!
The Amok Fish; once again quite a lot of different herbs involved so more chopping and grinding. Hope we can recreate this one in HK as well, but less certain that we can find all the necassary herbs there...
Afterwards we finally went to visit the royal palace (we actually intended to visit it when we stayed in Phnom Penh before). Really very alike the royal palace in Bangkok...
After we were done there we took the tuk tuk to bring us to the Russian market. Unfortanately quite shortly after we arrived there they started closing down. But Casey still succeeded in buying several scarfs, and we also succeeded in buying a cd of a Cambodian song we have kept hearing during our stay in Cambodia!
Then we went back to the hotel to book our bus tickets for heading back to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. But both buscompanies they have contact with were fully booked until the 14th! We then found out that many Cambodians would be visiting Vietnam as they would have holiday for the Cambodian New Year. We then went to check next door where they sell tickets for a different bus service. Fortunately that one still had a few seats left for departure tomorrow! Not at the time that we would have prefered but still very happy that we succeeded. We will now be departing at 13.30 from Phnom Penh. And should be arriving about 6 hours later in Ho Chi Minh City.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Back in Phnom Penh
This morning we took the 7.30 bus heading back from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. It was a 7 hours bus ride but it felt like it took ages... Quite uncomfortable seats and also due to me having pretty bad stomach pain :(.
Two days ago we went for another bicycle tour visiting some temples in the Angkor area. One of them the famous Tombraider temple. That one looked really nice as nature really has taken over some parts of the temple complex.
And yesterday we took Tuk Tuk for a daytrip at first we went to Kbal Spean, an area with waterfall and some stone carvings. On the way back the Tuk Tuk broke down... The chain didn't have any grip anymore on the rotorblade. So we wasted a lot of our time on waiting for the Tuk Tuk to be fixed! Therefore we didn't have time anymore to visit some temples we intended, but we did still make a quick stop at the landmine museum. Very tragic to read some stories of innocent landmine victims... And also very tragic that this is still such a huge issue here!
Just before heading back to the hotel we made a booking for a cooking class. So tomorrow morning at around 8.30 we will be picked up from here to learn some traditional khmer cooking. Hope the food prepared by myself will help me to ease some of my stomach pain ;).
Two days ago we went for another bicycle tour visiting some temples in the Angkor area. One of them the famous Tombraider temple. That one looked really nice as nature really has taken over some parts of the temple complex.
And yesterday we took Tuk Tuk for a daytrip at first we went to Kbal Spean, an area with waterfall and some stone carvings. On the way back the Tuk Tuk broke down... The chain didn't have any grip anymore on the rotorblade. So we wasted a lot of our time on waiting for the Tuk Tuk to be fixed! Therefore we didn't have time anymore to visit some temples we intended, but we did still make a quick stop at the landmine museum. Very tragic to read some stories of innocent landmine victims... And also very tragic that this is still such a huge issue here!
Just before heading back to the hotel we made a booking for a cooking class. So tomorrow morning at around 8.30 we will be picked up from here to learn some traditional khmer cooking. Hope the food prepared by myself will help me to ease some of my stomach pain ;).
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Home got broken in...
Yesterday early in the evening we received a SMS informing us our house got broken in! We directly rushed to the reception to call Casey's relatives to find out more. Both of us were extremely concerned that our computer would be gone, as that would mean we would have lost all the digital pictures we made in the past few years!
Fortunatly we soon found out that the computer was still there. What a huge relief! And after checking more it seemed that all the other valuables were still there as well...so seems nothing has been taken. Seems like the burglar(s) were interupted while doing their job?
Initially it did directly think about flying back to Hong Kong to check out the siuation by myself. But now after slept on it and having seen the pictures send to us by email start thinking it might be better to try and still make the best out of this trip. It is kind off a once in a lifetime chance to see Cambodia and Vietnam... Especially as we already seen quite a bit of it it would make it more unlikely for us to return anywhere in the near future. So our short term plan now is to at least finish the 2 remaining days of our Angkor pass and then head back to Phnom Penh. (there are no direct flights back to HK from Siem Reap anyways...).
Before all this happened we did still have another amazing bicycle trip, this time through the Angkor Thom temple complexes. Really enjoyable although in the afternoon it did become quite harsh as started to develop sunburn. Must have been the hottest day we experienced here so far: 42*C at some point.
Fortunatly we soon found out that the computer was still there. What a huge relief! And after checking more it seemed that all the other valuables were still there as well...so seems nothing has been taken. Seems like the burglar(s) were interupted while doing their job?
Initially it did directly think about flying back to Hong Kong to check out the siuation by myself. But now after slept on it and having seen the pictures send to us by email start thinking it might be better to try and still make the best out of this trip. It is kind off a once in a lifetime chance to see Cambodia and Vietnam... Especially as we already seen quite a bit of it it would make it more unlikely for us to return anywhere in the near future. So our short term plan now is to at least finish the 2 remaining days of our Angkor pass and then head back to Phnom Penh. (there are no direct flights back to HK from Siem Reap anyways...).
Before all this happened we did still have another amazing bicycle trip, this time through the Angkor Thom temple complexes. Really enjoyable although in the afternoon it did become quite harsh as started to develop sunburn. Must have been the hottest day we experienced here so far: 42*C at some point.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Angkor Wat
Today, once again, we rented bicycles. This time we went to see Angkor Wat. But before we went to see the temple I did finally go for a haircut! On the way back home yesterday we did pass a hair salon. But when I checked whether they would be able to cut my hair they told me they would only do it during day time... So went back there this morning and had the Beatles style completely shaved off. Now have about 1 cm of hair left, really refreshing in this hot weather!
So afterwards went on towards the temple. The whole temple complex of Angkor Wat is huge. And really amazing to be walking around in it. Unfortunately the main section of the temple is closed off for repair work? That was quite a disappointment! Seems they will only reopen it again when they have made the stairs more safe for the general public. (must agree in many temples so far you really have to pay attention to every step you make on the stairs, very steep and very small and often quite damaged as well).
Althou I think this temple was really amazing still think another temple we visited the day before (Banteay Srey) was even more impressive. That one really has a lot of detailed stone carvings all over the place.
Tomorrow we will be waking up very early if everything goes according to plan as we intend to go see the sunrise at Sram Srei. So goodnight for now ;).
So afterwards went on towards the temple. The whole temple complex of Angkor Wat is huge. And really amazing to be walking around in it. Unfortunately the main section of the temple is closed off for repair work? That was quite a disappointment! Seems they will only reopen it again when they have made the stairs more safe for the general public. (must agree in many temples so far you really have to pay attention to every step you make on the stairs, very steep and very small and often quite damaged as well).
Althou I think this temple was really amazing still think another temple we visited the day before (Banteay Srey) was even more impressive. That one really has a lot of detailed stone carvings all over the place.
Tomorrow we will be waking up very early if everything goes according to plan as we intend to go see the sunrise at Sram Srei. So goodnight for now ;).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
