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.