• Andrew Jerome
mars – avr. 2023

Vietnam and Cambodia

Une aventure de 22 jours par Andrew Jerome En savoir plus
  • Début du voyage
    11 mars 2023

    Day 1

    11 mars 2023, Australie

    Today, the first day of our (hopefully!) stress free holiday begins! After having trouble with staff travel on our last trip, we decided to purchase full fare tickets for this trip, rather than have the anxiety of flying standby. Ted had found a well-priced airfare to Asia in business class on Philippine Airlines to help make this holiday an overall easier experience.

    We woke at 6am to get ready, before making our way to Adelaide airport for our connecting flight to Melbourne. We had already dropped Snoopy off at doggy day care yesterday, so his morning was basically just eating breakfast, turning off the appliances, and locking up the house. Our neighbour Gerry had offered to drive us to the airport which was greatly appreciated. Ted suggested we get dropped off near the Atura hotel, which ended up being naughty since it isn’t allowed, and the kerbside attendant advised us not to do it again!

    After checking in our bag and buying a coffee, we chilled out until our flight to Melbourne in business class. Even though it was premium class, they still didn’t have a vegetarian breakfast option! So I had to push the bacon and sausages aside to enjoy the corn fritters. When we arrived in Melbourne, we were a bit taken aback at the cost of the Uber to our apartment, but since a taxi was the same price, realised it was unavoidable.

    The apartment in South Yarra was very nice and suitable, although it’s interesting to see how many apartment buildings there are in close proximity. After leaving our bags, we quickly made our way to the Oriental Teahouse to see our former housemate Gudron, whom we haven’t seen in over a year (over two years for Ted), as well as her boyfriend Tom. The food was very good, and Gudron and I shared the vegetarian options whilst Ted and Tom were the carnivores. Tom even kindly paid for the meal which was completely unexpected.

    We chilled in our apartment afterwards before going out for dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant called Caffe y Cucina. Ted and I don’t usually eat at pricey restaurants but we had been gifted a Gourmet Restaurant card from our neighbours so we felt we could justify it. Saying that, the food was very good (we both had pasta) as was the wine. It was definitely an authentic venue too, with a lot of history and atmosphere.

    Since we have an early start tomorrow, we decided to stay in and watch “Mrs. Doubtfire” as opposed to going out partying all night.
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  • Day 2

    12 mars 2023, Thaïlande ⋅ 🌧 34 °C

    We woke early again today after a so-so sleep, giving us time to pack up before going to Melbourne airport. The Uber fare quote for today was even more expensive than yesterday, so we settled on a taxi fare which was slightly cheaper. It ended up being a maxi taxi so at least there was plenty of room for ourselves and our luggage.

    Since we’d purchased business class fares, we had the advantage of a smaller check-in queue before heading to the Marhaba Lounge, which is complimentary to business class passengers with Philippine Airways. We have been here before after purchasing lounge passes - it is definitely not the same quality as a Qantas lounge, but it’s still good to be in a private area with complimentary food and drinks. Our boarding ended up being later than expected, but the process was easy and hassle free.

    We haven’t flown Philippine Airways before, and the business class was a delight. Each seat is a pod like on the Qantas A330, and the service is amazing. Personally, we both thought it was better than business class on Qantas. The meal service we received was great too - since we aren’t flying standby for once, I was able to pre-order an ovo-lacto vegetarian meal instead of just hoping they’d have an option available. The best thing was the amount offered - for the first time in a long time, I had to refuse any more!

    I settled in and watched the new "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" movie and spoke briefly to the crew, who were trying to avoid an exceedingly drunk elderly man who kept coming into the galley. I don’t think they have the same RSA regulations as we do back home! I also watched “DC League of Super Pets” which was pretty fun and more enjoyable than the other movie.

    I continued my tradition of getting a photo with the cabin crew who kindly gave us some snacks to enjoy after leaving the flight. I ended up taking the onboard blanket with me, in case we may need it for the overnight train journey through Vietnam. After arriving into Manila, we made our way to the transfer area for our next flight to Bangkok. As we had three hours until our departure, we could use the Mabuhay Lounge here as well, for some extra comfort and food.

    Whilst in the queue for the transfer passengers, we met a couple from Victoria, John and Fiona, who accompanied us to the lounge. The four of us got along extremely well, particularly since John and Ted were taking advantage of the free bourbon! Time flew quickly and, before we knew it, it was time to walk the short distance to our next gate, which was already in the process of boarding.

    The seats on this flight were different from the last flight but actually more comfortable, similar to the business class seats on Lufthansa. We needed to wait a while onboard for the final passengers before we could depart and be on our way. We certainly can’t complain about being hungry either - for a short flight, we were again served a two course meal which we loved.

    Since we are still on Melbourne time, I took advantage of the fully flat bed to meditate and get some sleep. The arrival into Bangkok was slightly bumpy but it was otherwise another amazing flight with Philippine Airlines. At the airport baggage collection though, one of our bags came through quickly with about nine others, then the others didn’t come for another 15 minutes!

    We bade farewell to John and Fiona before catching a taxi to our hotel nearby. The hotel is beautiful, but since it was close to 11pm, we didn’t really get a chance to see much. Tomorrow we continue our travels on to Vietnam.
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  • Day 3

    13 mars 2023, Vietnam

    We both had a mediocre sleep last night due to a combination of slight jet lag and a storm last night. The jet lag also meant we woke slightly early, both of us still being on Australian time. Ted was more enthusiastic than me, going to the hotel gym whilst I stayed in the room and relaxed. The breakfast at the hotel was amazing though, many choices in a beautiful dining room.

    Ted used the app Grab (similar to Uber) to get us a ride to the airport for our next flight this morning. The airport was crazy busy (like Bangkok city itself), but we arrived in time just before the check in counters were open. The check in process was pretty easy and we even considered upgrading ourselves to business class, having enjoyed it immensely on Philippine Airlines. The extra cost didn’t seem worn it for a two hour flight though.

    After going through security and immigration, we each went to get a sandwich from Zurich Bread, as we were unsure if the flight included a meal. Clearly we weren’t the only ones who thought that way, as a lot of other Westerners were sitting in the boarding lounge eating similar foods. As it turned out, we were pleasantly surprised to get not only a meal, but a hot one as well (chicken or fish, so I chose the latter). The rest of the flight was pleasant enough too, although the FAs struggled with saying their announcements in English. Since the flight was so quick, I didn’t hassle the crew for a photo this time!

    When we arrived in Hanoi, we were both surprised to see how low key the airport was from the tarmac. It reminded me of arriving into Beijing in the 1990s. One interesting thing was how the arrival PA advised passengers not to open the exits themselves! We disembarked via the tarmac and took buses to the terminal instead of using aerobridges.

    Both the immigration process and baggage collection were quick, although I found it odd how the lady at passport control didn’t ask to see my visa which I’d printed out. Once outside, we went to the pick up area and waited for our transfer driver. After ten minutes of waiting, I called the hotel who advised us they would contact the driver. Another driver advised us to wait, before our driver arrived in a very fancy car for the 45 minute drive to the hotel.

    Our accommodation is very close to the Old Quarter district, which is basically the heart of Hanoi. The hotel is very fancy, and the check in process seemed very formal and sophisticated (we felt somewhat embarrassed wearing just shorts and T-shirts)! I had mentioned in the booking that Ted had celebrated a birthday recently, and our beds were decorated with rose petals spelling out “HPBD”!

    We had a quick look at the hotel gym and rooftop bar before going out to explore. The area is very busy, although more low-key than Ho Chi Minh City. I noticed that Train Street was very close to the hotel and was hoping to see it, but was surprised how security guards prevented anyone from entering. I read later that this is now a restricted area and guests can only enter when escorted by a business owner (taking away the option of choosing where to sit and eat).

    Whilst walking back through the city, I made the mistake of accepting a donut from a street side seller (thinking it was a free sample) before realising she had quickly filled a plastic bag of them which she expected me to buy (which I politely declined). We saw an ad for a hop-on hop-off bus service so we thought we might try that tomorrow.

    After spending some time in the Old Quarter, Ted was keen to try some pho, so we walked around for a while before finding a restaurant that served it. It was very well priced, and they offered plenty of options for both the meat-eater and vegetarian alike.

    We considered a late night but are both exhausted from the flight and long day today. A full day of sightseeing tomorrow!
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  • Day 4

    14 mars 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Even though our room is very quiet (and somewhat dark due to a lack of natural light) we both woke up early this morning. Breakfast wasn’t served until 6.30am so we relaxed until then and ended up being the first people at breakfast. The breakfast wasn’t too bad although there weren't a lot of options for juices or vegetarians. After Ted left to go to the gym during breakfast, I noticed my phone was missing and thought Ted may have picked it up accidentally before leaving. As it turned out, he had sat back at the wrong table during breakfast (which I hadn’t noticed either) meaning all our belongings were still sitting idly on a table nearby!

    Clearly Ted’s lack of direction continued because he then went back to the wrong room (606 instead of 306), and woke us some poor Chinese man who was wondering who was ringing his doorbell! After getting ready, we walked down to the departure stop for the bus which, according to its itinerary, visited most of the places we wanted to see. Since we had some time before departure, we crossed the bridge across Hoàn Kiếm Lake to the Ngoc Son Temple, which has a tower and pavilions dedicated to the national hero.

    The bus tour was very handy, although the audio commentary was inaccurate sometimes, as it often didn’t match the place where you were. Either way, we still got a great overview of the city. We did the complete round trip first before disembarking back at the original stop to do the tour again, this time leaving the bus at the stops which looked most interesting. Rather than sit on the bus waiting for it to depart again, we walked across the street to Highland Coffee which was located in a high rise building right in the city square. The coffee was plain, but the view was great.

    We first decided to stop at St. Joseph Cathedral, although it wasn’t visible from the bus route. We found out later we should’ve headed right instead of left as we spent a good amount of time trying to find it! Even though most of the locals couldn’t speak English, Ted was able to use the photo from the brochure to ask, and ultimately find, the cathedral (including asking at a nearby hotel).

    Whilst in the area, we decided to have lunch at a nearby restaurant, so we settled on a Vietnamese restaurant named Vivienne which had a direct view of the cathedral (slightly painful when the bells tolled on the hour)! Clearly we paid for location though as the cost of the lunch was more than twice of the pho we had last night. It wasn’t until later that I saw it has the dubious distinction of being ranked #2487 of the 2490 restaurants in Hanoi.

    After re boarding the bus, we went to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum which covered a huge area of land which we needed to walk around just to reach the entrance. The grounds were interesting but not particularly amazing, although I thought the mausoleum itself was impressive. We weren’t able to get close enough to the Presidential Palace to get a good photo as the security guard shooed us away, so the best we could do was one from a distance. We saw the Changing of the Guard ceremony too before rejoining our bus tour.

    We disembarked next at the Chùa Trấn Quốc Pagoda, which is located on a busy highway. If we thought that crossing the street in downtown Hanoi was terrifying enough, crossing this highway felt like suicide. We made the mistake of wearing shorts today which meant we couldn’t enter the pagoda, but all was not lost. There was a pub across the road so we had a lukewarm beer and soft drink whilst waiting for the next tour bus to arrive.

    After the pagoda we returned to the original embarkation point and our hotel room to relax, before deciding to treat ourselves to a massage at a nearby business who often tried to get us in when we would walk past. To be honest the massage was a bit unusual! Most of it was enjoyable, but towards the end they did some weird jerking movements which included cracking Ted’s neck and twisting my back. They also brought a complete stranger into our room for a massage whilst we were still getting ours!

    For dinner, we weren’t feeling like Asian food so we found a Mexican restaurant which was simple and very nice. The bus ticket we’d bought entitled us to a nighttime tour of the city but when we boarded the bus, I realised I’d left the ticket back in the room. I was very disappointed until Ted went to the nearby ticket office and asked the lady for another ticket, providing proof that we had purchased one that morning. She gave us each a spare ticket and we were on our way!

    We didn’t disembark the whole tour, mainly because most the sights were closed and it was just wonderful seeing the city at night. I did make sure I sat lower in my seat this time though as a tree branch nearly decapitated me on the previous tour! When we arrived back to the original stop, we looked through some clothing shops before coming back to our hotel. Another day in Hanoi tomorrow!
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  • Day 5

    15 mars 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Today we had planned to see some more of the sights we’d experienced yesterday however, the weather had other ideas as it rained or drizzled consistently throughout the day. Ted woke up early to use the hotel gym and came back later so we could go to breakfast together. The breakfast here is reasonable, however it’s not easy trying to determine what’s vegetarian and what isn’t!

    Since the coffee in the hotel is just the standard American type, we went out first for a Vietnamese coffee. We’ve had it before in Ho Chi Minh City and loved it and sure enough, it didn’t disappoint. It’s a very strong coffee served with condensed milk and is the best coffee I’ve had since starting this holiday.

    I had considered visiting the Vietnamese military museum hoping it would be a good representation of the history of the Vietnam War, but most reviews I read said it was more a display of weaponry which I’m not so interested in. We decided to make today a relaxing day instead meaning we would take it easy.

    When the weather was rainy, we stayed inside and watched Australian Survivor via YouTube, and then went for pho again for lunch. When the weather was dry, we browsed through clothing shops where Ted and I both bought some wet weather jackets, and then had a much needed foot massage, providing some relief from all the walking we did yesterday. When we’d checked into the hotel, they gave us drinks vouchers for the rooftop bar, so we enjoyed the view of the city despite the drizzling rain.

    Our dinner wasn’t so original as we went to the same Mexican restaurant we went to last night but considering that we both liked it, it was a nice change from Asian food. Tomorrow we leave Hanoi to do our cruise of Halong Bay, so this evening we packed our bags back up and watched some comedy clips of Fast Forward on YouTube. Hanoi has been good albeit somewhat busy, so I’m looking forward to seeing some of the more peaceful places in Vietnam as our travels continue.
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  • Day 6

    16 mars 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today we bade farewell to Hanoi, as we finished packing up and had breakfast before being picked up for our 2 hour drive to Halong Bay. It’s a good thing we’re organised because the driver came before 8am as expected. After driving around and collecting two more couples, we left the craziness of Hanoi before reaching the outskirts, and then the open countryside of Vietnam.

    The drive was mostly uneventful but just before reaching the port area, all the drivers made a stop at a pearl outlet (cleverly referenced to as a toilet stop). The toilet stop wasn’t even necessary considering we were only seven minutes from the port! We obviously didn’t buy any pearls, so we joined the tourists from the other 30+ buses in the organised chaos until we continued on.

    Once at the port, we were dropped off at the Genesis cruise desk to check in and pay for the cruise. We needed to wait about half an hour before taking a boat out to our cruise, so I walked to a pop-up shop nearby which was selling drinks and snacks. Since there weren’t any great options, I bought some peanuts to tie us over until lunchtime.

    The transfer boat was an experience, as we all donned life jackets for the half hour journey to our cruise. The ships director Sunny provided some commentary regarding Halong Bay (a UNESCO protected sight) as well as the cruise itself. Upon arrival we were each given a welcome juice before making our way to our cabins. The cruise has two levels of cabins, complete with a dining room and deck on top with a bar.

    We like our cabin a lot, with a king size bed, huge bathtub and good sized bathroom. The balcony is also great, which can be seen through the panorama window while lying in bed. Whilst enjoying the view, we noticed a huge pole that seemed to be coming from the cabin next to us going down towards the water. We assumed they weren’t fishing from over their balcony, but got a surprise when we saw a Vietnamese couple in a speedboat selling snacks over the side of the boat! The long stick was so money and items could be transferred to the cruise passengers. They asked if we would like anything, but apart from being amused, we politely declined.

    After settling in, we went upstairs to the dining room for lunch. Since this cruise only takes about 40 people, the dining room was small but elegant. We were seated next to a Dutch couple, Simone and Robin, who are similarly doing a tour throughout Vietnam. The lunch was amazing as there were so many different courses delivered. Since I’m pescatarian, they replaced the other meat options I had with calamari and fish. And with Vietnamese coffee too!

    After lunch, we tried to have a nap in our room, but a PA, phone call and door knocking reminded us that there was going to be an excursion to see nearby caves via rowboat. We joined about half of the other passengers and were transferred to a nearby pier where we were separated into boats of 8. We loved the cruise - the guide was funny and we saw the limestone cliffs and even monkeys. The tour was even more complete by the Vietnamese hats we wore during the excursion.

    Upon arrival back onto the cruise, we showered and changed before going to the top deck for happy hour. The weather has been a bit hazy but I think it’s a nice change from stifling heat anyway! I didn’t drink much at happy hour, but just being able to enjoy the scenery and company whilst cruising Halong Bay was wonderful.

    Just like lunch, dinner did not disappoint as there were at least five courses of food. Some of the dishes I had included lobster and two types of fish, so I definitely got my fill of seafood. This cruise has definitely been a highlight so far, so I’m hoping we have many more like this.
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  • Day 7

    17 mars 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Today was definitely not how we had expected but it was interesting nonetheless. The sleep on our cruise was very relaxing and mostly quiet, although you could sometimes hear coughing in the cabins next door. I had seriously considered doing sunrise tai chi this morning but didn’t end up waking as early as I’d planned. I did however do my morning stretches up on the top deck. According to Simone, she had been on the deck earlier and no one else did the tai chi either!

    Breakfast this morning ended up being a buffet instead of table service but was still enjoyable. The main activity this morning was kayaking but since the weather wasn’t the greatest, Ted and I decided to stay behind and relax on the top deck and enjoy the serenity. Apparently the kayaking was more physical than most had anticipated so relaxing in the quiet Halong Bay still sounded like the better option to us.

    We needed to have our bags outside the cabin and check out by 9am, but since this cruise loves to spoil us with food, they offered us a “lunch” at 10:30am! It was actually somewhat difficult eating again so soon but a free lunch is a free lunch. I felt bad though when I ordered a Vietnamese coffee and when the waitress said she didn’t have sufficient change, I said “that’s okay” but she thought I meant that she could keep all the change! I felt embarrassed about the confusion and left a tip!

    We then all boarded a tender to take us back to the cruise port. I spoke to one of the waitresses on the tender back who was returning home who asked us about our itinerary and travels. Google translate was a huge help in and it reminded me to use it more frequently to avoid any future confusion. Back at port we bade farewell to the crew, as well as Robin and Simone, and caught a Grab to our next accommodation here in Ha Long.

    When I originally booked this holiday, the area where we were staying in Ha Long looked like a beautiful modern resort-type area. As our car came closer to the hotel, we were somewhat confused by the huge hotels, casinos and restaurants…and no people. It was even more obvious when we pulled onto the street where our hotel is located which was lined with empty restaurants and sidewalks. Somewhat confused, we entered the hotel to check in.

    As we’d suspected, this area has been hit very hard by Covid. We were beginning to regret coming here, but when the receptionist told us about how all the nearby business had been abandoned, and the area was struggling with only 10-20% occupancy, we felt bad about this, and grateful that we could offer our small contribution to help.

    After a short wait, we were taken to our room which is small but beautiful. We were unsure about what to do with our time, as Ted had also spoken to someone on the cruise who had mentioned there was nothing open here in Ha Long. We walked down to the nearby beach area which was quite sad to see, due to the amount of work done and huge potential for this area, which was now devoid of people.

    We decided to walk two kilometres towards the nearby town as we had seen what looked like some business open. Most of them, that were only frequented by locals, didn’t seem very appealing although we did have lunch at a boutique style pasta restaurant where we were the only customers. Google translate has been so helpful in telling the locals that I’m vegetarian because trying to use diagrams and hand signals doesn’t seem to be quite working! We also went to a shoe store to buy myself some new shoes (mine are wearing thin) but the largest size they had was only size 8!

    We took a taxi back to the hotel (no seat-belts!) before relaxing…a lot. We are still in two minds about having come here. Whilst it was good to come and support local businesses, the lack of activities has made it dull. I’m trying to convince myself that this is a good, quiet change of scenery after Hanoi.

    We walked to a nearby corner restaurant for a simple dinner (the owner was very appreciative) before taking a walk along the beachfront. Strangely there were a lot of beach parties still running, with only a small handful of people in each.

    Tomorrow night we head off on our overnight train to Hue and, with all due respect to Ha Long, we will be grateful to move on.
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  • Day 8

    18 mars 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Today was definitely not an enjoyable one, but I guess it has to happen occasionally. The beds in this hotel were very comfortable, but sleeping wasn’t as easy as we’d hoped due to the noise of someone talking in the room next door, and the elevator bell ringing every time someone arrived on our floor! Breakfast wasn’t served until 7.30am, and was table service as opposed to buffet. They offered us two breakfasts for the price of one, and I think they were grateful for the business.

    Ted walked down to the beach to do some exercise, whilst I continued writing this blog. When he returned, he suggested we go for a walk but this time we turned right at the end of the street not left, like yesterday.

    Well it turned out there was a whole tourist area we had no knowledge of! To be fair, the receptionist at our hotel hadn’t told us anything about it, there was nothing highlighted on Tripadvisor, and Ted had spoken to someone on our cruise who had similarly said there was nothing to see. Whilst it wasn’t exactly Disneyland, it was still a collection of restaurants and cafes, with a small amusement park and cable car as well (not the same amusement park with the huge Ferris wheel which is still closed). Whilst we were disappointed we only discovered this on the same day we’re leaving, at least it was better than not seeing it at all.

    We ate lunch at this new area (I was craving something healthy like broccoli) before taking a taxi back to the hotel to pack up and wait for our transfer to Hanoi. Unfortunately this didn’t turn out as planned - when our limousine bus I’d ordered didn’t turn up within ten minutes, I asked the hotel receptionist if she could check with the car company if it was still coming. As it turned out, they had forgotten to collect us, and was already on the way to Hanoi!

    After my shocked face prompted a response, the receptionist also said that another vehicle was coming to collect us as it was the responsibility of the car company. We relaxed slightly although we were advised we just needed to wait another half an hour. Well the wait certainly wasn’t worth it. Instead of the limousine I’d ordered, a 30 seat tourist bus turned up 50 minutes late instead.

    When we boarded, we realised there were literally only two seats left (not together) and whilst I have travelled on some poor transportation before, this was undoubtedly the most uncomfortable vehicle I have ever travelled on. The seat was so small there was no room to move, with no legroom either. And we would have to be on it for 3 hours!

    Within ten minutes my back was badly hurting and I tried to move around in the small space I had. We had a comfort stop halfway and I asked some of the other passengers if the bus had needed to turn back just to collect us. Luckily it hadn’t, otherwise it would’ve meant that we had inconvenienced everyone.

    I managed to get through the rest of the trip by crossing my arms over the seat in front and resting my head on my arms, trying to watch a Harry Potter movie to distract myself. We were the last passengers to be dropped off, made difficult due to the Hanoi traffic, but at least it was right out front of the train station.

    We were still a few hours early to check in for our train journey so we walked across the street to have some dinner at a local eatery. Ted walked to a nearby convenience store to buy some snacks for our trip before going back to the hotel across the street where the check in for the train journey was.

    We booked the Laman Express carriage for this journey, which has the high-end 2 berth cabins. When it was time to board, the attendant collected the passengers from the hotel waiting room and walked us all directly to our cabins, which are quite nice, with snacks, water and a packed breakfast included.

    We settled into our cabin before the train departed about 20 minutes later. To be honest, the train is quite noisy so we’ll definitely need ear plugs tonight. It was pretty cool seeing the city at night from the train and once we were on the outskirts of town, got ourselves ready for a night in.
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  • Day 9

    19 mars 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Ugh, last night was not a good night's sleep due to a number of reasons. For starters, the train is horribly noisy so, even with ear plugs, it wasn’t easy to relax and get some sleep. Also, the air conditioning is very sporadic, going from cold to warm, back to cold again, meaning you woke constantly to either remove or pull on your blanket. It’s slightly disappointing because this has always been a rail journey I’ve wanted to do but, even in the higher class Laman Express, it wasn’t as enjoyable as I’d hoped.

    We were both up by about 6am, and watched the passing scenery as we ate our modest breakfast of a croissant and banana. There was a lady who also did a food/drink service with a trolley, although I only bought a Vietnamese coffee which I’ve become addicted to. Very strong and sweet, but definitely a heart starter. Reviews of this train warned travellers about the state of the bathroom but after experiencing the train through Russia, it was better than I’d expected. One thing we did find amusing was how the attendant didn’t change the blankets or pillows after we left - she merely refolded them again for the passengers who would be joining the train. Ugh!

    We arrived at Huế at about 9am and I’m very grateful that I booked a driver to take us to the hotel because it meant we didn’t have to wrangle a taxi fare whilst we were half asleep. The driver had very good English and told us a bit about the town and some of the sights worth seeing. Already Huế has impressed us - much quieter than Hanoi with tree lined streets and the beautiful Perfume River waterfront.

    The hotel we have picked is great too, with beautiful gardens and a swimming pool at the rear of the building. Even though we’d arrived at the hotel before the check in time, we only had to wait half an hour before being able to go to our room. Even though it took a while to find, it was worth it - we have a huge room with a balcony which overlooks the city. The bathroom is similarly large and beautiful. We wasted no time in showering and changing clothes to try and make ourselves feel human again after last night's train ride!

    We decided to explore the Imperial City tomorrow and just enjoy the city today, but first bundled up all the laundry we’ve accumulated over the last few days and walked to a nearby laundry. Not only would they wash our clothes for us, but also deliver them back to our hotel for an extra 10000 đồng (about $0.63). Such a good deal!

    One thing we’ve noticed since arriving here in Huế is the change in temperature as it’s more humid than Hanoi, however there is also much less traffic, is less hectic, and also cleaner. We went to a corner cafe selling street food for lunch and I tried my hardest to ask for something vegetarian. When my meal came, it was an egg on the left, with mince and bolognese on the right. Not quite the vegetarian experience I was after!

    The lack of sleep from last night really caught up with us, so we went back to our room for a quick nap before heading across the Perfume River to the markets. I have been keen on buying some new shoes since my current ones are falling apart, but the markets weren’t quite what we were expecting as they were more about food and clothing materials. Whilst walking back across the bridge we saw a strange sight on the other side of the road, as there was money flying about in the wind. We couldn’t cross the busy road to collect any of it, as it ended up blowing into the river!

    We were both feeling the heat by this stage (me especially!) so Ted suggested we stop for a drink before going back to the hotel. I had seen signs advertising the Vietnamese egg coffee, so I thought I would try the iced version. It was wonderful, although I think anything involving Vietnamese coffee is a winner. Before returning to our hotel, we tried another shoe shop to look for shoes and, after trying on a few pairs, finally found some I really like (although the sizes seem different to what we have back home!).

    Since arriving in Huế, I have been writing to the booking company in regards to the bus debacle that happened back in Ha Long, and the response from the bus company is that we received the bus we requested! I’ve provided copies of the receipts so we’ll see what happens next. This evening we went for dinner to nearby Walking Street which was recommended by our transfer driver. We loved it! It was a restaurant and pub district with a nice relaxed feel, popular with both tourists and locals. We have seen eating areas like this in other cities, but not this casual and pleasant.

    We went to a street side Mexican restaurant for dinner which was wonderful and, most importantly, healthy too! I usually have a pescatarian diet but after the seafood overload on the recent cruise, am going to go vegetarian for a while. We loved the atmosphere of Walking Street - already I like Huế more than Hanoi.

    As much as we would’ve loved partying all night (not!), we are going to settle on an early night to catch up on sleep.
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  • Day 10

    20 mars 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The bed and pillows in this hotel are wonderful, as we both had the best sleep we’ve had in a while. Equally impressive is the breakfast buffet offered, which is about twice the size of the buffet at the Hanoi hotel. One thing that has been consistent though is the Vietnamese service - always polite and very happy to please.

    We headed off just after 8am towards the Imperial City, which is the jewel in the crown of Huế. My intentions in starting early were mainly to beat the crowds and the heat, and whilst we did beat the crowds, the heat was still oppressive! The Imperial City was huge, with the options of seeing the tombs of various emperors, as well as (this tempted me) getting photographed on the Royal throne in regal garb and flanked by two servants!

    There was plenty to see such as gardens and temples but there was also a collection of rabbits which we were unsure of the purpose of! We were also both mobbed by groups of school children, asking us to write our names on a piece on paper and where we were from (for a school project?). The Imperial City seemed to have a special significance to the Vietnamese people too as some people came adorned in formal attire.

    After leaving the City, we caught a taxi back to our hotel to cool down, as the heat was really stifling. Since we had enjoyed Walking Street so much last night, we went back there for lunch. The atmosphere was not as good, mainly because more than half the businesses are closed during the day, but we did settle on an Indian restaurant. It did not disappoint - both the food options we ordered were tasty and absolutely huge, and I felt guilty not eating it all.

    Ted was keen to get another foot massage so we found a place nearby which we weren’t too thrilled with - it was like being massaged by some disinterested millennials who sent text messages in the middle of the massage! We should have read the reviews first as a lot of people wrote similar sentiments about the place. But a bad massage is still cheaper than back home!

    We relaxed back in the room, whilst wondering and hoping if the laundry we’d dropped off yesterday was going to get delivered at 6pm as promised! Rather than sit around wondering what to do if it didn’t arrive, I suggested we grab some dinner back at Walking Street. After the huge lunch we'd had, I was barely hungry so I just had a vegetarian pancake at a westernised restaurant, which was not as healthy as I'd expected, since it was basically just tofu covered in a deep fried batter!

    At Walking Street, there were several women selling Vietnamese greeting cards which we had always politely declined, but after seeing one lady drop her whole tray of cards, I felt bad and bought one from her (they are only about $1 each). When we returned to our hotel, lo and behold, there was our laundry waiting for us, although the receptionist did ask if we had taken a bathrobe from the room as apparently one was missing (we didn’t!).

    Tomorrow we are back on the train for the trip to Hội An, via Da Nang, but fortunately it’s a day train this time not an overnight one! We have loved Huế
    and can definitely see why it was recommended to us.
    En savoir plus

  • Day 11

    21 mars 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Today we continued on our journey towards the town of Da Nang. I have fallen in love with the Vietnamese coffee which is very strong and sweet, and I was obliged to have two this morning after the waiter at breakfast misjudged my “no” for a “yes”!

    We arrived too early at the nearby train station for our next train trip but to be fair, we weren’t totally convinced that the printed sheet we’d received was a legitimate train ticket to ride. When we were driving towards the station, we saw a huge park we’d noticed when we’d arrived and had forgotten to explore, so Ted went and got some photos whilst I looked after the bags in the station.

    During boarding, we found our carriage easily and we ended up with a sleeper cabin for just the two of us. It was somewhat dirty but it was otherwise fine for the two of us. Our journey was about 2.5 hours long and unlike the last train, gave us a good opportunity to see the scenery. The only really tricky part is trying to stand and use the bathroom whilst navigating the movement of the train!

    When we arrived in Da Nang, there was the usual assortment of drivers asking if we needed a taxi, but like most places here, we’d arranged a pick-up before leaving Australia. I still can’t get used to seeing drivers who both drive and send text messages, whilst dodging motorcyclists at the same time! We only saw a few sights of Da Nang, such as the dragon bridge, as we’re actually staying in nearby Hội An instead.

    The outskirts of Hội An weren’t that appealing and to be honest, the place wasn’t what I was imagining (Ted said it was what he was imagining). At check in, the receptionist asked if we would mind changing to a smaller room for a lower price. To be honest, we think she may have overbooked but we took the smaller room which was located on the very top floor (4th). The receptionist also tried to promote some tours to nearby sites which we didn’t commit to, but said we would think about!

    After leaving our bags, we headed into the Old Town to get some lunch. There weren’t a lot of people about which was probably due to the heat - it was stifling! We found a street front Asian restaurant which had amazing food and which Ted said was one of the best meals he’d had so far. Whilst sitting out the front though, we were bombarded by plenty of locals trying to sell us everything from paintings to nuts. One good thing is that they aren’t overly pushy or persistent here.

    We then wandered through the Old Town to look at the shops but, being the middle of the day, it was unbelievably hot. I was suffering big time and despite Ted’s best efforts to help by buying me a fan and hydrating water, I was fading very quickly! It was a massive relief when we finally reached our room where we could shower and relax again.

    When evening rolled around, we headed out to have dinner. Once we reached the centre of town, it was easy to see why Hội An is on the list of “must see places”. The town was absolutely magical, lit up by lanterns that were either on the buildings, or attached to the small boats sailing down the river. The population of the town seemed to quadruple too, as tourists were everywhere. It didn’t distract from the appeal of the town though, as the sight was amazing.

    We stopped for a beer at a street-side bar with an Aussie couple, and just enjoyed the sights. We have been eating so much Asian food lately that for dinner we settled on a very simple Italian meal, at a restaurant outside of the tourist area. The food was mediocre, but it was cheap and we didn’t mind supporting a family business,

    We went to the town’s local, the Woop Woop bar for a drink, which is actually the first time we’ve gone drinking since this holiday started! We befriended an English couple and a Mexican guy who are holidaying here. The English couple actually live in Siem Reap, which is our next destination, so they were able to give some good pointers about the town, and what to see whilst there.

    We got back to our room at about 11:45pm, which is our latest night we've had since this holiday started! So far we love Hội An, but tomorrow we will spend more time exploring.
    En savoir plus

  • Day 12

    22 mars 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Fortunately today wasn’t as difficult as yesterday, heat wise, although we still made sure we spent the day doing something! After going to bed later last night, we treated ourselves to a sleep in, and headed downstairs for breakfast. One thing I’ve learned is that pancakes are not the same here - unlike the soft, fluffy variety we have at home, these pancakes are more like a deep fried crust. In other words, I won’t be ordering it again for breakfast tomorrow!

    Ted and I had been wondering most of the morning what we would do today. There were many options we considered, including the Marble Mountains in Da Nang, the My Son Sanctuary, Sunworld in the Ba Na Hills and the Bay Mau Coconut Forest, but since all them involved travelling distances and enduring the oppressive heat, I had a better option - going to a day spa! Ted certainly didn’t argue since he liked the idea too so at least there wasn’t much discussion on it.

    After checking out some of the options available, we found one across town which was also kind enough to come and collect us from our villa. Like a lot of businesses we’ve encountered here, the staff expressed their sincere thanks that we chose their service, which makes us grateful that we did it.

    The spa package included a massage, facial and body wrap, although we both paid extra to get the “anti-aging facial”! We were both taken into a private room for our body scrub which was a mysterious orange-coffee combination. Even though we looked like we’d been mud wrestling afterwards, our skin was glowing!

    After scrubbing all the exfoliant off our bodies, we both received a wonderful massage which were undoubtedly, a much better experience than any of the previous massages we’ve had on this holiday. This was followed by our wonderful facials, which I can’t really describe well since we couldn’t see the process involved. It was however cooling and we looked so much younger afterwards :-)

    After our spa date, we wandered back through the Old Town which fortunately, was not as stifling as yesterday. We went to a nearby bánh mì shop (a Vietnamese baguette) for lunch, which was recommended by one of the ladies at the spa. I didn’t have one, but Ted did and loved it. Once we got back to our accommodation, we showered and changed before going to enjoy the Old Town again.

    We went to an Irish pub which had the advantage of position, as our table was on a balcony overlooking all the action. One of the English guys messaged us asking if we’d like to catch up again that evening, which was quite funny because we could see him sending the message below as they walked past the pub, not knowing we were there. They came up for a drink, before we bade farewell and headed back to our accommodation.

    Tomorrow we head off to a new country - Cambodia! We aren’t having a late night like last night, since we can’t keep doing it like we did before!
    En savoir plus

  • Day 13

    23 mars 2023, Cambodge ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    It seems appropriate that today is Day 13 of the holiday, because today I woke up feeling really ill. I hadn’t slept well during the night, and by morning I felt really lousy - no appetite whatsoever, nausea and a pain in the stomach. We went down for breakfast but I asked only for toast. As it turned out, I couldn’t even get that down, so the owner made me a ginger tea instead. She gave me a cheese sandwich to take away, which actually ended up being the only thing I ate all day.

    The whole day involved navigating different waves of nausea, as I either felt lousy or worse. I’m wondering if it might be a combination of dehydration, something I ate or maybe a bug I’ve picked up. The thought of it being Covid did cross our minds, but fortunately my self test came back negative.

    We made some changes to our holiday after some discussions with the English guys last night in an effort to try make this trip less difficult. We have now extended our time in Siem Reap by one day whilst reducing our time in Phnom Penh, and instead of taking a six hour bus ride between the two cities, we’re taking a one hour aeroplane ride instead!

    We stayed in our room until midday (our check out time) meaning we had to stay in the villa reception area until our airport transfer came about 2.5 hours later. I actually fell asleep on the lounge chair as I was feeling run down. Our transfer was in a small bus which was still more comfortable than that bus from Ha Long Bay! There wasn’t much traffic to worry about in Da Nang, and we ended up being the first customers at the Cambodia Angkor Air counter. Ever since our flight over on Philippine Airways, Ted has been considering the better seat options, and paid $10 for “extra legroom seats” on the flight!

    We went through security and immigration and waited in an airport Burger King before heading to our boarding gate. Ted had bought me a Bánh Mì for lunch before we headed to the airport but unfortunately I had to throw it out, as the thought of food still nauseated me. When the flight was ready for boarding, we were bussed to the nearby aeroplane which was an ATR.

    The boarding process was different, as we boarded from the rear of the aircraft instead. Our extra legroom seats weren’t any better than a regular aeroplane seat, so the ones without extra legroom would’ve been more difficult! The illness I had was really knocking me about, so I put my head against the wall and tried to sleep. Since the cabin service was only a bottle of water, I didn’t miss much.

    When we arrived in Siem Reap we were among the first to disembark, since our seats were actually in the rear in the aircraft. The airport is beautiful, looking like a traditional Cambodian temple, although it was very empty and quiet inside. The immigration process was easy, even though our visas got wet somehow during our travels, and we quickly located our transfer driver Sok.

    Sok was very knowledgeable, showing us the different bowing Cambodian people use for different classes of people. Like Vietnam, Cambodia tourism was hit very heavily by Covid, as the number of passengers dropped to below 10%. When we arrived at our hotel, we were very pleasantly surprised - we have a huge apartment with a separate living room and kitchen with two balconies. They even supplied us with a small fruit basket, although the fruits here aren’t quite like the ones we get back home. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to appreciate the apartment yet as I was feeling so nauseous, and Ted kindly slept on the couch so I could get better. Hoping tomorrow I feel better!
    En savoir plus

  • Day 14

    24 mars 2023, Cambodge ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C

    Fortunately today was not half as difficult as yesterday. Even though I’m not 100%, it’s a marked improvement on yesterday. I was very grateful that Ted let me have the bedroom to myself, but unfortunately he didn’t sleep so well on the couch as the air conditioner is somewhat noisy, and he could hear people shouting last night.

    We went downstairs for the breakfast buffet which was similarly wonderful to the other places where we have stayed. I didn’t have much of an appetite but still ate more than I did yesterday! I think part if it is also craving more westernised food options again as we’ve been eating a lot of Asian food lately. The Cambodian people are very similar to the Vietnamese - so warm and friendly. I feel a touch embarrassed and undeserving of their wonderful service.

    We are meant to be doing the sunrise tour of Angkor Wat tomorrow, but I’ve changed the tour date to the day after, just in case either of us are under the weather tomorrow. Ted has been feeling a little bit seedy too so maybe a combination of the change in diet, the heat and the different living conditions are catching up with us.

    After breakfast, we went for a quick wander around the neighbourhood. We’ve noticed that Cambodia is cleaner than Vietnam although we are in a nicer area too. We saw the nearby Royal Residence which is a very beautiful and understated building. Directly in front were the Royal Independence Gardens which are in direct view of the Raffles hotel. It’s wonderful to see how well kept this city is, compared to many other cities we have seen around the world.

    Even though it was about 8:30am, the heat was already starting to creep in so we returned to the hotel. Ted and I have adopted a new philosophy for our holidays - if we need to take a time out, we shouldn’t feel guilty about it. We’ve often felt like we should be rushing about seeing as much as possible, but after falling ill yesterday, decided that a day like today of just relaxing by the pool is essential too.

    The pool area of this hotel is wonderful, and it was not a difficult area to relax in! We were however the only guests in the whole pool area, so we’re assuming either the hotel isn’t at full capacity, or everyone was out exploring tombs or the city. This hotel also has a very nice restaurant so we went there for lunch, although I chose a tuna salad which wasn’t what I wanted but was probably healthy!

    Ted went for a walk around the neighbourhood to try and find nearby Pub Street but to no avail, so in the evening we both dressed up to go and find it for dinner. It ended up being about ten minutes away, and it was very similar to Walking Street in Huế - a lot of restaurants, pubs, tourists and locals all mixed together in a welcoming, friendly atmosphere.

    We found a nice corner restaurant which was under a fan because, even though it was mid evening, there was still little respite from the heat. I’m still not feeling the greatest, so pumpkin soup was all I could manage. Ted was interested in checking out the local venue, but when we walked by the place was completely deserted!

    We aren’t totally sure of our plans for tomorrow but if Siem Reap is anything to go by, we love it so far. We have no doubt there are plenty of options to do here to keep us busy.
    En savoir plus

  • Day 15

    25 mars 2023, Cambodge ⋅ ⛅ 36 °C

    Today we did something very different as we wandered outside of our usual comfort zone. When travelling before, we have always been very wary of accepting any offers on the street, such as tours, souvenirs or massages (our past trips to Egypt and Cuba probably heightened our world wariness). We did however see a video on YouTube last night of a vlogger who recommended hiring a tuk tuk for the day, as it is a unique and cheap way to explore the city. Therefore, today seemed to be as good a day as any to try!

    After breakfast, Ted spoke to the receptionist about hiring a tuk tuk, and she promptly went outside and spoke to one of the drivers waiting out the front of the hotel. We didn’t really have any set itinerary, so she suggested a few places and the driver said we could do it in about 2 hours for $10, or we could have the whole day for $20. We couldn’t really see ourselves wanting to go all day in the heat, so we decided just to try the first option.

    Being in the tuk tuk was better than we’d expected, mainly because the movement meant there was always a steady flow of air. Our first stop was a service one - we had a full bag of laundry we wanted to drop off at a nearby laundromat! We were a bit early though as grandma was still eating her breakfast with the kids, whilst a man looked like he’d just stepped out of the shower to serve us! They weren’t that perturbed though, and we were very grateful they took our dirty washing to clean.

    The driver Mun then took us to the nearby Royal Residence, where we got some better photos of the palace and gardens. Mun suggested taking us to the War Museum, which was definitely not what we’d expected. We half imagined we would be visiting some huge, grandiose building in the middle of the city, so when he drove us to what resembled a rural farm on the outskirts of town, we were a bit confused.

    The entry fee was $5 which seemed a bit steep, but the museum was more interesting than I thought it would be. It was essentially one big garden filled with machinery, guns, and vehicles from the war complete with ex-soldiers as guides. There are also two planes, which were obviously our favourite things to see. One sad part was the section on landmines, which spoke about the heavy toll they have played on the people of Cambodia. This was not a traditional museum in any sense, but either way, I am glad that we saw it.

    Ted had previously shown interest in seeing a nearby floating village, so when he asked Mun how far it would be (he indicated about an hour), we decided to explore it. Even though the day was getting warmer, travelling in the tuk tuk made it pleasant…until we left the sealed roads! There was plenty of dust blown about but we figured it was just all part of the experience.

    We first needed to buy tickets to enter the village at a ticket booth, where I bought some drinks and used (surprisingly) very Westernised toilets! We then drove through a rural village where there were also other tourists about exploring the local markets and shops. It was definitely an opportunity to see the real Cambodian people as opposed to the area we’ve been staying in Siem Reap.

    When we came to an area with a low river and many old, rickety boats lying around, Ted surmised that it might have been a boat graveyard. Our prediction wasn’t quite true though, when Mun pulled over to the side of the road, and a boat operator motioned for us to come onboard! We then realised this was going to be the next part of our transport to visit the floating village.

    The Kampong Pluk floating village was nothing short of an experience. For starters because it is dry season, most of the houses were on very high stilts and not so close to water level. It was interesting to see how the people of this community lived while simultaneously being very grateful for what we have in life. Some of the sights and smells we encountered weren’t so appealing, and one of them included people swimming and working in the unclean water we were sailing through.

    Our boat driver then sailed out to the open water of Tonlé Sap (the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia) until we arrived at a two-story floating platform in the middle of the lake. It was very much geared up for tourists, as it sold drinks and souvenirs, as well as a display of live crocodiles (I kid you not). We only bought a couple of drinks but after talking to the operator, she mentioned how they also sold school supplies to a local school for extra money.

    When the amount of everything climbed to $US20 (the amount seemed to change every time), I became really PO’d because I was starting to doubt the intentions of the operator as it was appearing more and more like a tout to take tourism dollars (reviews on TripAdvisor have similarly expressed this concern). By the time we left, I was still annoyed but our boat operator did say he had the school supplies and we would be delivering them to the school on our return.

    My doubts were allayed somewhat when, sure enough, we stopped at the shore back in the town and our boat operator pointed out the school, giving us the bag of school supplies. We disembarked and trekked up some stairs before reaching the school building. We were both unsure where to go but when we found the classroom it was like they had been expecting us.

    The kids and teacher were so welcoming! We couldn’t understand fully what the kids were saying but the teacher seemed to be asking them to express their gratitude which they all did in unison. It was definitely a heartwarming moment. I think we both would have liked to spend more time with the students to learn more about their daily life and routine, but we were unsure if we were able to do this with our boat operator waiting for us, so we bade farewell to the school and continued back.

    After about twenty minutes more of sailing, we were returned to our original embarkation point, but with no sign of Mun anywhere! We weren’t necessarily bothered as our boat operator called someone and assured us he would be there soon. The heat however was unbearable, but fortunately there were some locals who offered us to join them at a roadside shop covered by a sheet to avoid the blazing heat. As the minutes continued I was getting concerned but fortunately after about 15 minutes, Mun came back!

    By this time, Ted and I had had enough excitement for one day, and asked if we could return to our hotel. It was the middle of the day so it was the perfect time to call it quits and head back. The return trip took about an hour but by that time we were tired, dirty and satisfied, and looking to relax. After showering and changing, we ate at the hotel restaurant for lunch again - after the heat of the day, we weren’t exactly motivated to trudge around town and find another venue.

    Ted went for a walk around the shops and discovered a well priced clothing store. We aren’t sure how genuine the articles are, but Ted made some purchases of T-shirts, shorts and boxer shorts which were pretty great. One pair of shorts came as a necessity for Ted, as we need to have knees covered for our visit to Angkor Wat tomorrow. We thought we would only need to purchase the cost of the tour, but we are now expected to buy temple entry tickets which are about $US37 each.

    For dinner, Ted had found a Japanese restaurant during his walk so we thought we might give it a try for something different. It didn’t quite work for me as there were only a couple of vegetarian options but truthfully, it was still enough for me after lunch. We have our 4am wake up tomorrow so, it will be an early night for us tonight!
    En savoir plus

  • Day 16

    26 mars 2023, Cambodge ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C

    Neither of us slept well last night, due to kids running around in the room above us! When the 4am alarm sounded we both dutifully got up, got dressed, and got ready for the day ahead. Since the buffet breakfast wouldn’t have commenced until 6am, we’d arranged for a breakfast box to take with us on the tour, and were pleasantly surprised at the wonderful offering the hotel provided, which consisted of fruit, eggs and pastries. We felt bad through as the poor staff were sleeping behind their desks when we came down and we didn’t realise until we walked in,

    Our pick up came on time, and transferred us to another bus with other tourists. Our guides name was Bun, and he was a very kind and happy elder Cambodian man. We were first driven to the entrance where our temple passes were checked before disembarking and walking through the dark. We crossed a floating bridge before being brought to the edge of a pond in complete darkness.

    Bun told us we were in the perfect spot to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat before the sun rose (quite true considering the number of tourists who turned up behind us) but there sure was a lot of waiting! I took at least fifty photos, each with different hues and varying degrees of light (I ended up keeping less than five pics!) but everyone else was doing the same.

    Once the sun rose, the novelty was starting to wear off so Ted and I wandered around and got some different pics before our group of about 12 rejoined and Bun led us around the temple. It was impressive, although since ancient history has never been my favourite subject, a lot of the information was probably lost on me. I did however love the bas-relief carvings which were very intricate, as well as the architecture. The towers were the most impressive features of the structure.

    In the centre were the “Stairs to Heaven” which was an extremely steep staircase leading towards one of the higher temples. Ted wasn’t keen but I braved them for the view over Angkor Wat. I hadn’t been feeling the heat until then! One thing Bun speaks about regularly is Angelina Jolie and Tomb Raider, the former having established a non-profit charity organization dedicated to environmental security and improving health; and the latter which has promoted Cambodia as a popular tourist destination.

    We were then taken to a local Cambodian restaurant where we could eat our breakfast boxes or purchase food. The food the hotel gave us was plentiful, so I only ordered an iced coffee to try and beat the heat. We spoke to a British couple on their honeymoon who are doing a similar holiday to us, only in reverse. They also said staying in Siem Reap longer was preferable to too much time in Phnom Penh.

    We next visited the Southern Gate of Angkor Thom, flanked by a row of 54 stone figures on each side - gods to the left and demons to the right – and the fortified city of Angkor Thom. At the 12th century Bayon temple, we saw its beautifully crafted central towers, covered in more than 200 enormous faces.

    The most famous temple of the tour was the jungle-covered Ta Prohm, mainly because it’s the one people remember from the “Tomb Raider” movie. This was probably the temple we enjoyed the most - very atmospheric and it was a real example of what happens when the jungle reclaims a man made structure.

    All of the tourists were struggling by this stage because, even though the tour driver handed our regular water and cool towels, the midday heat was oppressive. Fortunately the tour had finished by this stage so we were returned to our hotels, giving us an opportunity to see more of the city - we are definitely staying in the nicest part.

    We walked to a local restaurant for lunch which was wonderfully cool, and with amazing food. The real great thing about Cambodia is the kind and friendly service of the people too. After lunch, we exchanged some of the clothes that Ted bought yesterday (more hassle than it should have been!), as well as collecting our much needed laundry before heading back to our hotel.

    For dinner, we headed back down to Pub Street, where we ate at a westernised restaurant, mainly because it had fans and air conditioning! There was even a dog that wandered into the restaurant. We then had a walk around the street which fortunately had a cool breeze blowing at this stage. I donated some money to a group of amputees who were victims of land mines - we had also seen them at one of the temples, and they play music in a band to encourage people to donate money.

    I bought some ice cream rolls for dessert which are made on the street, before Ted suggested we should go to the local Rendezvous Bar again. It was definitely more popular than last time, although it did feel a tad awkward sitting in seats in everyone’s view! We only spoke to one American who introduced himself but we didn’t stay long since Ted was being ogled by the locals for wearing shorty shorts. Tomorrow we head to a new destination - Phnom Penh!
    En savoir plus

  • Day 17

    27 mars 2023, Cambodge ⋅ ⛅ 36 °C

    We could definitely not call today a day where time went quickly mainly due to all the waiting we needed to do! When we booked today’s flight to take us to Phnom Penh, we purchased the latest one as it was the cheapest but it also meant we needed to wait all day to take it. Since our hotel’s check out is at 12pm, we spent a lot of time sitting!

    We spent the morning in our room, packing up and watching YouTube, before having to leave. We had considered paying for a day room but the hotel is booked out (staff told us it is a diplomat visiting, which seems correct as there is extra security around). We had considered laying by the pool all day but after that became too hot, I went back inside to a side area where I typed up this blog and enjoyed the air conditioning.

    For lunch, we walked to the shopping centre across the street to try a local pizzeria. I wasn’t keen on going to a large franchise like Domino’s so we went to a smaller place instead. The shopping centre has been very handy as it also has a convenience store there. I bought a coffee mocha frappe at Café Amazon before heading back to the hotel.

    After a while we got tired of waiting at the hotel, and decided to head to the airport early instead. Ted got a Grab to take us there and it ended up we didn’t have to wait too long to check in anyway. Whilst waiting for our flight, we ate at a Coffee Club but there were very limited items on the menu as the airport has only been operating at half capacity, so I just had a croissant and French fries for dinner.

    Our flight ended up leaving late due to the late arrival of the aircraft, but it was the same type of aircraft that we had caught previously. I spoke to the crew during the flight and even had a crewfie with them, as per tradition. Our short flight ended up taking a lot longer than expected, mainly due to the aircraft circling at least six times. The captain advised us it was for a VIP arrival which we later found out was the Malaysian Prime Minister.

    Getting through the airport was easy since it was a domestic flight, but getting to our hotel was much harder! Since Grab doesn’t have a designated pickup area, we needed to find a quiet place outside the airport where we could order a car. Easier said than done though, as the tuk tuk and taxi drivers here are much more pushy and insistent. Unlike Siem Reap, merely saying “no thanks” once doesn’t quite do the trick. We were getting frustrated as we couldn’t find a good place to stand, so we ended up crossing the busy road to find a side street where we could wait. Fortunately we didn’t have to wait long, and our driver took us the half hour ride to our hotel.

    Phnom Penh is of course, much busier than Siem Reap but once we left the airport, we could see a real charm to the city. Our hotel though - wow! It is located across the street from the Royal Palace (hence the name “Palace Gate Hotel”) and everything about it looks regal and royal, whether it was the decor, or the portraits of the King and Queen on the walls. Our room is not as large as the last hotel, but the furnishings are more grandiose.

    Tomorrow we’re hoping to see a bit of the city, although there doesn’t seem to be as much to see as Siem Reap.
    En savoir plus

  • Day 18

    28 mars 2023, Cambodge ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Today we took it easy - and didn’t feel guilty about it! We had every intention of going out exploring but, as we’re on the tail end of our holiday, feel like we’ve done a lot of sightseeing already.

    We both slept very well as the beds and pillows here are so comfortable. Breakfast was quite a grand affair with a lot on offer in a formal dining room, but there were so many tourists and employees walking about, it was difficult to get food while trying to avoid people!

    Our hotel is perfectly situated across the road from the Royal Palace so we headed out to take some photos. We had the opportunity of seeing Phnom Penh in a much better light today as we’d arrived quite late last night. The area near the palace is spacious and beautiful, and we walked through Royal Palace Park, across from the Tonle Sap River. It wasn’t as peaceful as we would’ve liked though, as the tuk tuk drivers here continue to harass you for a ride. Most of the time it was easier just to walk away.

    One of the saddest things we’ve seen since coming to Cambodia is how a lot of their past history, including the Killing Fields, have become a tourist attraction. Whilst we mean no disrespect to the Cambodian people, we both agreed that we would only see sights that involved their happy history, as opposed to a very sad time in their past. Cambodian people should be remembered for much more than just the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot, and we’d like to show our appreciation for their hospitality in other ways.

    The morning became very hot, and we contemplated how much of the city we wanted to see. Ted suggested getting an iced coffee which was a great idea, so we found a nice coffee house to chill out in and recover from the awful humidity. There weren’t a lot of sights that we wanted to see after the Royal Palace, so we went back to the hotel and enjoyed a day in the beautiful pool instead.

    Our lunch was in the restaurant next to the pool, where we also had some relaxing drinks. Happy hour was happening too which made it even more enjoyable. We met an American lady who now lives in Phnom Penh - it was somewhat eye opening hearing about life in Cambodia and how different it is from ours. It has made us both very grateful for what we have in life.

    We spent the evening having a look over the city from the Organic Sky Bar, which is on the top floor of our hotel. Dinner was in the elegant restaurant downstairs and again I found myself being overly courteous to the Cambodian employees who work there.

    Tomorrow we fly back to Thailand as we start our journey home. I am very grateful we have come to Cambodia as it has been both eye opening and delightful at the same time.
    En savoir plus

  • Day 19

    29 mars 2023, Thaïlande ⋅ ⛅ 35 °C

    We woke at about 6am this morning to pack up everything and have breakfast before our return to Thailand today. We were a bit early for breakfast but the staff didn’t seem to mind. This has been the most grand hotel that we have stayed in, and it is definitely one we will remember. We organised a Grab to the airport through the busy Phnom Penh traffic, although it’s nothing like Bangkok or Beijing! Our driver was very grateful when we gave him the remainder of our Cambodian money as we will not be needing it from today onwards.

    As it turned out, the time of our flight had changed to twenty minutes later, so we were quite early. Adding to that, they didn’t open the check in counters until about two hours before the flight! This was the only airline where we were required to purchase the cost of checking in a bag beforehand and, even though my bag was over 15kg, they didn’t mention anything about paying extra.

    We had a slight freak out at immigration when the agent couldn’t locate Ted’s Cambodian visa in his passport. We weren’t sure if the check in agent removed it or if it fell out, but Ted provided proof on his phone that we had purchased one and all was fine. I bought a coffee and croissant before the flight since it is an airline where food is optional. The flight itself was actually quite pleasant, mainly due to the crew and the fact that it wasn’t overly full.

    Our arrival in Bangkok was very easy because, as hectic as Bangkok airport is, it also runs quite smoothly. We caught a taxi back to the Park Nine Hotel and settled in before Ted headed into the city for a dental appointment. After he returned, he had mentioned seeing Sizzler near our hotel and, after great memories of the restaurant, thought it would be a good option for dinner.

    After crossing the absolutely crazy street out front to reach the restaurant, the experience sadly wasn’t as good as we remembered. The vegetarian meals apparently weren’t available so I settled for just the salad bar. Even that was disappointing as there were so few options. Ted’s meal took ages to arrive and unfortunately the whole experience didn’t motivate us to come back again.

    We had a look around the local shopping centre too where I bought some shorts, as well as an egg tart from KFC (if they sold them back home, I’d become a regular there). Tomorrow we will continue our journey home via Manila.
    En savoir plus

  • Day 20

    30 mars 2023, Philippines ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C

    I didn’t sleep as well as I would’ve liked due to a sore back, but I still felt like I slept enough. I did need to get up and redirect all the air conditioning vents though as every one of them was blowing directly onto my face!

    Today involved a lot of waiting again, as our flight to Manila wasn’t meant to depart until 6.10pm. As we weren’t required to check out of our hotel until 12pm, our morning was somewhat uneventful! We went down to enjoy the beautiful buffet breakfast which we’d enjoyed at this hotel before, and relaxed in the room until it was time to check out.

    Fortunately the reception area of the hotel is equally beautiful so it was easy to relax there with a decent coffee, which went perfectly with the egg tart I bought at KFC last night. The seating area has a view of the swimming pool which, Ted is convinced, he saw a couple making whoopee in it! We wanted to eat lunch somewhere other than the hotel so we braved crossing the highway of hell to see what was on the other side of the road.

    We are both over Asian food at the moment so going to The Pizza Factory, which was offering two for the price of one, seemed like a good option. We did some more browsing through the shops and bought some clothes for the gym before heading back across the highway to our hotel.

    At about 3pm, we ordered a Grab to take us to the airport. The check in counters hadn’t opened yet but did shortly after. Thank God Ted noticed the tagging on the bags - we have a 20 hour layover in Manila, meaning we have a hotel room for the night - and the check-in agent had tagged our bags all the way to Melbourne! In other words, we would’ve spent the night and morning in Manila with little more than the clothes on our back.

    We were given passes to the Miracle Business Class lounge before the flight which was a nice place to relax beforehand. Our flight ended up being delayed though due to the late arrival of the aircraft, so we ended up spending even more time in the lounge than expected. When it was time to board, it was a long walk from the D gates to the F gates, and when we arrived, they had already began to board the Economy class section.

    Our aeroplane seats were wonderful as always, and I definitely think the Business Class product on Philippine Airways is far superior to a lot of other airlines. The staff and food were both wonderful, and the 3 hour flight seemed to, well, fly. Unfortunately we didn’t arrive into Manila until very late, which was delayed even further by the really long immigration queue.

    Our pick up driver was messaging me whilst we were in the queue so it wasn’t difficult to find him once we were outside the airport. One thing we found surprising was how busy Manila was even around midnight. Our hotel is definitely below the standard of the past hotels we’ve had on this holiday but it was adequate. The booking has caused endless hassle too, as they kept emailing us saying that both our credit cards had been rejected and then after a lot of correspondence with booking.com, told us that it was finally okay. In other words, it wasn’t until we actually arrived that we knew for sure that we had a room for the night.

    The room is definitely not that great either, but since it was already 1am, we didn’t really care that much. We have the whole morning in Manila to explore but to be honest, I’m not that excited about it.
    En savoir plus

  • Day 21

    31 mars 2023, Philippines ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Despite being exhausted when we arrived last night, I really didn’t sleep well. I was still thinking about all the happenings from yesterday, not to mention that this room has a noisy air conditioner. I did manage to get another hour of sleep in, but we also needed to get up before the breakfast time was over.

    One plus about this hotel are the friendly staff, and the breakfast served was pretty good too. We asked the receptionist if we could possibly check out later due to our late arrival last night, but she was only able to give us an extra hour. It was better than nothing, so we thought we would explore Manila before needing to come back and get ready before our flight tonight.

    As it turned out, Manila wasn’t as great as we would’ve liked. For starters, our hotel is not in the nicest area as we noticed quite a few beggars. This was made more difficult when two young girls came up to us and begged for food whilst we were waiting to cross the road by pulling on our clothes.

    We walked towards the waterfront which wasn’t as great as it sounds, as it was more industrial. On the way, we saw a demonstration of fire trucks, complete with sirens blazing. Since it was so near the American embassy we initially thought it was some military emergency! Across the road was Rizal Park, which was a large open space of parks and Chinese gardens. We then headed towards Intramuros, which is the historical walled part of the city.

    To be honest, that wasn’t the greatest either. Anything historical usually interests me, but the area was neither beautiful nor appealing. When Ted suggested returning to the hotel, it seemed like a great idea since the heat was getting worse anyway.

    When we got to the hotel, we showered, changed and packed up before organising a Grab to the airport. That wasn’t the most pleasant experience either, as we saw plenty of shanty housing, as well as a woman with a baby who kept tapping on the car window when we were stopped at the traffic lights. It was certainly an eye opener, and unfortunately not a pleasant one.

    The airport experience wasn’t as easy as we’d expected - when we went to check in, we were told our bags had to be security screened first. Apparently this is a requirement for all flights to Australia, Canada and the United States. After waiting half an hour for screening to open, the process involved opening our bags so they could do an explosives check on the content. After that, we could finally check in our bags, although we did wonder if we would’ve had to go through this process if we had our bags checked all the way to Melbourne yesterday.

    We had about three hours until we needed to board so we went to the Mabuhay Lounge. As far as lounges go, it was not the greatest as the selection of food was poor and the bathrooms weren’t that clean. But it was still a quieter, less hectic place to pass the time. When we went to board, our boarding passes were checked, and we were told we needed to put our bags through security screening (apparently there wasn’t the right stamp on our boarding passes). We tried to explain that we had already done this, but we were still led downstairs to do it again.

    Sure enough, our bags weren’t there and we reiterated again that we had already done it. Fortunately the lady who checked us in was there and confirmed our story so we were taken back upstairs to the boarding gate. When we went to board we were told - again - we couldn’t board as our bags needed to be screened. This time, the same guy who took us downstairs had to tell the boarding staff we had already been checked so, after all the initial hassle, we were finally onboard.

    Business class on Philippine Airways again exceeded our expectations as everything was wonderful. After dinner had finished, I settled down to sleep and managed a good four hours. I started to watch the new Doctor Strange movie during breakfast but didn’t quite get to see the ending before we arrived in Melbourne.

    The differences of being in Australia compared to many other countries was so obvious, as the immigration process was so fast and easy. We did however stand nervously at the baggage carousel wondering if our beloved bags had actually made the flight (they had!).

    As I type this last day entry on our flight home to Adelaide, we are very grateful to be back in Australia. We have seen some beautiful destinations, but the trip has also opened our eyes, and made us again grateful for what we have.
    En savoir plus

    Fin du voyage
    1 avril 2023