Day 16 - Phnom Penh

Travel day. Private car to airport. Fly from Phnom Penh to Taipei. Taipei to SFO. BART, Amtrak, Lyft, home.

Day 15 - Phnom Penh

Pretty much a do nothing day before travel.  We got up,went to breakfast, then went back to bed.  I thought about getting another massage.  (Didn't happen.)  We thought about going up to the pool.  (Didn't happen.)  We thought about going  luggage shopping because we may have bought more stuff than would fit in our bags.  (Didn't happen, but that was due ingenious packing on our part.)  However, I did go out to buy snacks for kumi/stop by another bar to have a drink.  (I try to have at least one alcoholic beverage per day while on vacation.)

We did go out that evening.  One of our goals for this trip was to go to Malis Cambodian Restaurant.  There's one in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.  We went to the one in Phnom Penh.  Trip Advisor has it listed as $$$$.  However, while there are some items on the menu that are pricey, there are many other food selections that are much more reasonable.  Everything we had was very good and reasonably priced.  I would go again...  I should probably do a Trip Advisor review.

Day 14 - Phnom Penh

Another tour day.  We started off with a buffet breakfast at the Patio hotel.  After breakfast, we met our driver.  The same service that drove us from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, would also be driving us around today.  The first stop was the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.  The second was the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek Genocidal Center.  We spent three and half hours at Tuol Sleng.  I didn't have the attention span for the Killing Fields so I went back to the hotel.

I got a 90 minute massage back at the hotel.  After which I took a walk around the block.  There is a lot squeezed into this block:  Hotels, bars, restaurants, stores, apartments, etc.  I wonder how many of them do business because they're so hidden away.

I stopped at a restaurant in a hostel, across from our hotel, for lunch.  (I always try to check out restaurants outside of where I am staying.)  It was called Feliz.  It was nice.  Good food and drink.  Reasonable prices.  Good service.  I finished just in time to meet kumi returning from her tour.  Of course, she was hungry, so we went to Feliz...  I had another drink.

Day 13 - Siem Reap/Phnom Penh

Travel day.  We checked out of Anantara Angkor and headed up to Phnom Penh.  We hired a private driver.  This was a convenient and much better way to go.  I think the actual drive from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh takes about 5 hours.  But since we had our own driver, we could make detours.  One stop was the Preah Tis Bridge.  It's one of the few Khmer empire era bridges to haved survived to the modern day.  Another stop was at the Sambor Prei Kuk temples.  They were out of the way, but still interesting.  A few stops and hours later, we arrived in Phnom Penh.

The difference between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh is huge.  Traffic is crazy.  (Stop signs are more of a suggestion than a rule.)  A lot more buildings packed together.  We were staying at the Patio Hotel & Urban Resort.  Although it is in an alley, it is a nice hotel.  Excellent views from the restaurant and pool.  Though if you have a fear of heights, you may not enjoy it as much.

Day 12 - Siem Reap

War museum and Buddhist temple/mini killing fields

Day 11 - Siem Reap

Do nothing day.  Eat, sleep, massage,  sleep, eat, sleep.

Day 10 - Siem Reap

We vegetated most of the day.  We went out when the sun went down.  We got a Tuk Tuk and went to Miss Wong for drinks.  It's a cute place down an alley off of Pub Street.  I really liked the drink I had.  I don't think kumi could say the same about her mocktail.

After drinks, we decided to find a place to eat.  It was a choice between a restaurant called MonSoon and another place.  As it turned out,  MonSoon was about 40 ft from Miss Wong.  So it won out.  It's a very nice place.  Great service.  Excellent staff.  Shout out to Osa!  Very good food and drink.  I really liked the the Signature Fish Curry I had.  I can't spell or pronounce what kumi had, but she said it was good too.

We went to Pub Street from MonSoon.  This seems the place to be for night life.  Bars, restaurants, shops, etc. all here.  There is a wide variety of things to eat, drink, and do.  Night Market is next to Pub Street.  We spent some  time here before getting a Tuk Tuk back to Anantara and calling it a night.

Day 9 - Siem Reap

Today was Angkor Archeological Park day:  Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, etc.  We left the resort at 0500. The plan was to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat.  A quick stop at the ticket center then off we went.  (Interesting note:  They take your picture as part of the park ticket so it can`t be reused by someone else later.)  We did arrive before the sun rose, but unfortunately, it was cloudy and raining.  It was still a nice view though.  The rest of the day we just visited different sites in the Park.  The Park is huge.  There is a lot to see and do.  We spent over 8 hours here and still did not see everything.  But we did manage to get in a rowing boat tour at Angkor Thom.

If someone was only going to do one day at the Park, I recommend starting early in the morning. You would have a chance to see sunrise at Angkor Wat.  There are less people.  The temperature is cooler.  Also, plan accordingly.  Bring backup batteries or portable chargers for phones and cameras.

Day 8 - Siem Reap

This was supposed to be a mellow day.  We started out with the Anantara breakfast buffet.  While at breakfast, the Anantara Angkor social media representative stopped by our table and introduced himself.  He also gave us recommendations for things to do and places to eat.  One of the places he recommended was APOPO.

The APOPO Visitor Center in Siem Reap is an information center highlighting the recent history of conflict in Cambodia, the impact of landmines on local communities, and it gives the opportunity to meet and see the HeroRATs in action...  Yes, rats.  They use well trained rats (trained to the cost of 6000 euros each) to find landmines.  These are big rats, but they don't weigh enough to set off landmines. It was actually very interesting.

After APOPO, we went to the Angkor National Museum.  As far as museums go, this one is very nice.  The layout is well organized with a defined path of which way to go through the museum.  The combination of ancient artifacts displayed with current technology worked well together.  The optional audio tour added a very nice touch.

We decided to have an early dinner after the museum.  We got a Tuk Tuk outside the museum and had the driver take us to Jungle Burger.  I normally never eat burgers while traveling because there is so much other stuff to eat.  But this place was recommended by Anantara social media guy, so we went.  It was great.  Gourmet burger, fries or potato wedges, and a beer (I don't drink beer so I opted for something else) for around $7.00.  I had the Mushroom and Creamy Black Pepper Sauce Burger.  kumi had the Blue Cheese and Bacon Burger.  BTW, the Bob Marley Burger is no longer on the menu.

Our Tuk Tuk driver was waiting for us when we were done.  We had him take us back to Anantara just in time to get my complimentary happy hour drink.

Day 7 - Koh Samui/Siem Reap

Travel day.  Packed bags.  Had breakfast at the buffet.  Checked out.  Off to the airport.  The flight from Koh Samui to Bangkok is short.  The flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap seemed surprisingly shorter.  Immigration and customs were relatively quick... if you did e-visa beforehand.  We did.  Others who didn't spent a little more time in immigration.  The Anantara driver was waiting for us after baggage claim.  A short ride later and we were at Anantara Angkor Resort.  Painless check-in.  Good welcoming drink.  Room upgrade.  This was a good travel day.

One thing of note that we didn't know before we got here:  Cambodia accepts US currency.  I went to an ATM and it gave me US money.  Convenient.

Day 6 - Koh Samui

Tour day.  We scheduled a private van tour around the island.  We slept in late.  (Late for us anyway.)  Went to breakfast at Anantara Lawana Ocean Kiss  restaurant.  (Have I mentioned how awesome Anantara breakfast buffets are?)  After breakfast, we went on the tour.  Since it was just us, we went where we wanted and were on our own schedule.  I can't name the places we went,  but I did take photos.

We returned to the resort after the tour.  kumi returned to our suite, I walked around the resort to take more photos. The resort staff were having some kind of sports day.  I wasn't there for all of it so I wasn't too clear on what was going on.  But what little I saw was entertaining.

Later, pool bar, more plunge pool,  sleeping by plunge pool, sleeping in bed, then dinner at Ocean Kiss.

Day 5 - Koh Samui

We went diving again.  This time with Discovery Dive Centre. The main reason for diving with them was they could get us inside  Ang Thong National Marine Park.  The dive sites, in my opinion, were not good.  The boat was good.  The dive staff were great.  Poor visibility at both dive sites.  kumi, on the other hand, liked the dive sites.

After diving, we returned to the resort.  This time however, instead of doing our usual siesta and order room service, we actually walked to the restaurant for dinner.

Day 4 - Koh Samui

I slept in.  kumi went diving.  Lazy day for me.  I got up and had a late breakfast at one of the Anantara Lawana restaurants, Ocean Kiss.

As far as breakfast buffets are concerned, Anantara has my favorite.  There is a good variety of cuisine and large selection of food.  Ocean Kiss also has a very nice beachfront view.

After breakfast, I stopped by the spa to schedule a massage for the afternoon.  I went for the traditional Thai massage, 90 minutes.  It'sa dry massage, no oils, a lot of stretching.  I, surprisingly, was not as stiff as I thought I was.  The massage was great.

After the massage, I returned to our suite.  kumi had just returned from her dives.  We, of course, vegetated until dinner, at which time we did in-villa dining again.

Day 3 - Koh Samui

More diving.  Silent Divers again.  2 tank dive, both were very good.

We returned to Anantara after diving.  The plan was for me to stop by the spa to schedule a massage for the next day, and kumi would go back to the suite.  Both of us ended up going which resulted in us getting a couples massage within the following hour.  Neither of us particularly care for a couples massage, but it worked out well.  The massage was very good.  We were done for the rest of the day.  We ended up doing in-villa dining again.  Have I mentioned in-villa dining is awesome.

Day 2 - Koh Samui

We went diving.  We dove with Silent Divers.  They were great.  They picked us up from the resort.  All our gear was setup and waiting for us on the boat.  The boat itself held a surprisingly large number of people, both divers and snorkelers.  When it came time for our dive (we did 2), they helped us with our gear.  Between dives, they prepared an awesome lunch.

The dives themselves were ok.  The first one would have been good except there was a strong current.  The second one was good.

After the dives, we returned to the resort.  We had to decide whether to make the 100 meter walk to the restaurant for lunch, or return to our suite and do in-villa dining.  In-villa dining won out.  It was a great choice.  So much so that we did it again for dinner...  Laziness may have also influenced our decision.

Traveling Again

@kumimonster and I are traveling again in southeast Asia. Specifically, Thailand and Cambodia. We had an eventful time getting here. Lyft and Amtrak were good. BART had some issues with maintenance, bus transfer, train transfer, and a “security incident” at SFO BART. (Mental note: Probably not a good idea to be standing behind a cop with his gun drawn if the person he’s pointing his gun at also has a gun drawn.) The BART ride which should have been about an hour, took about 2 hours. Still plenty of time to catch the flight though. kumi was already there. Quick check-in, quick boarding.

The 13 hour flight to Taipei seemed short. Probably because I had a window row all to myself. I slept most of the flight. Long layover in Taipei, then off to Bangkok.

We arrived in Bangkok to find Bangkok Airways agents waiting for me. Seems I had a very short layover in Bangkok and they wanted to make sure I made the flight. We also found out that we had been put on different flights for the 3rd flight. kumi’s flight was an hour after mine. Minor inconvenience, but still ok.

I caught the flight and arrived in Koh Samui without issue. Anantara Lawana was there waiting for me. Since the resort close to the airport, the driver convinced me to drop off my bag, check-in, then we could come back to the airport to pickup kumi. That worked for me. Checked-in, welcoming drink. Got a free upgrade on our room to one with a plunge pool. Went back to the airport to pickup kumi. Returned. She got her welcoming drink. Then off to our suite. After more than 25 hours of travel, we made immediate use of the plunge pool.

Day 23 - Return

We didn't have any issues getting to the airport.  Traffic wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. Bandaranaike International Airport does something I haven't seen before in other airports.  They allow people who aren't flying to airport passes to get inside the airport.  Some airports I have been in (mainly US) allow people in, but they don't get past the security checkpoint without a boarding pass.  Others won't let you in the door without an itinerary.  At Bandaranaike, you get checked the door for an itinerary or pass.  Then you go to another checkpoint where your luggage is checked.  After that, you can go to airline counter to get boarding passes and to check your bag.  Next, immigration.   Then one more security checkpoint to enter the gate.  Boarded the plane, over 5 hour flight to Hong Kong.

At Hong Kong immigration is waiting at the gate performing random passport checks.  We also had to go through another security check for transferring flights.  We had a long layover in Hong Kong,  so we decided to spend it in Plaza Premium Lounge.  Food, shower, massage, etc., nice place.  Eventually,  we went to the gate.  Another security checkpoint.  From there we went to the gate where they took our boarding passes. 12 hour flight to SFO.

Landed in SFO.  kumi used "Mobile Passport."  I used Global Entry.  Both of us avoided the incredibly long line for immigration.  Found out there's a Global Entry line for customs too.  (Woohoo!)  After that, BART, Amtrak, Lyft, home.

Day 22 - Sri Lanka

Do nothing, travel day.  Our flight left at 0025 the next day.  So rather than staying one night then trying to waste time for 8 hours until our flight (that's a 1400 late check-out), we paid for 2 nights...  We pretty much slept, ate, and posted stuff until it was time to go to the airport.

Day 21 - Sri Lanka

We spent one night in Ella, then got up to head back to Colombo.  The original plan was to spend another night in Ella, then leave for Colombo the next day to catch our flight.  Our driver mentioned that the drive from Ella to Colombo is approximately 5 and a half hours... with good traffic.  He said it would be better to spend the night in Colombo, then go to the airport from there.  So we did a quick walk-by of the 9 Arches Bridge, decided not to do Little Adam's Peak, then left for Colombo.

We did a few stops along the way, another tea factory, gas station, view point.  Eventually we realized leaving early was a good idea.  Traffic was not good.  It was a 2 lane road all the way from Ella to Colombo. The rain and the 4 vehicle accident didn't help either.  By the time we got to Colombo it was dark.  I think we arrived at the hotel a little after 1900.

We were staying at the Cinnamon Red.  Upon entering, you immediately realize they have a red theme going on.  I think they cater to business travelers.  But families can stay here too.  It's a very nice, very modern hotel.

Day 20 - Sri Lanka

Spent one night in Kandy.  The next morning we were off to Nuwara Eliya to catch a train.  Nuwara Eliya is about 60 km from Kandy.  But it takes about 2 hours to get there because the route is a single lane, curvy road through the  mountains.  The heavy rain might have added more time to the trip too.

On the way, we stopped at Ramboda falls.  It's a viewing point for the falls.  It's an obvious stopping point for tourists.  There's a nice souvenir shop there too.  (Yeah, we bought some.)  If you want a better view of the falls, you can visit Ramboda Falls hotel.  It's close by at the bottom of a steep hill.  There's a shuttle you can take to the hotel, and an elevator to the view of the falls.  Unless you're a guest of the hotel, they charge for both.  However, if you eat lunch at the hotel, there also isn't a charge.  We ate lunch.

After lunch we drove farther up to Blue Field Tea Factory.  It's a nice place to visit.  They give you a quick tour of the factory.  You're also given hot tea.  And of course, there's a tea shop you can browse through.  The most important thing about the place though is no one is pressuring you to buy anything.  Not that kumi needed any encouragement.  She bought as much tea as she could fit in her bag...  Actually, she probably bought more tea than she could fit in her bag.

From Blue Field Tea Factory, we went to Nuwara Eliya.  We arrived at the train station with over 30 minutes to spare.  We bought to 2nd class tickets for the train to Ella.  1st class was sold out.  1st class has air conditioning and assigned seating.  2nd class doesn't have air conditioning and is open seating.  There is also 3rd class...  Luckily, it wasn't hot so 2nd class was fine.  (Due to the rain, it was actually quite cool.)  We originally planned to take the train from Kandy to Ella, 7 hrs.  Luckily, our driver recommended taking it from Nuwara Eliya, about 2 and a half hours.  Much better idea.  This train is not like Amtrak.  (No where near as nice.) Though it does seem to be the touristy thing to do.  There were a lot of foreigners on this train.  Some of which acted like they have never been on a train before.  (Just because you can hang out the door of a moving train, doesn't mean you should do it for most of the train ride.)

Our driver was waiting for us at Ella.  We hung around for a bit then went to a Bed & Breakfast place, the Ella Gap Panorama.  The rooms are OK, but the view is awesome.  The staff are friendly and very helpful too.  Being a small place, the same guys who unloaded our luggage and took them to our room, are also the same people who cooked and served our dinner.  Which was great BTW.  A point I will make in my TripAdvisor review.