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Craig and Efren's travels
Day 1
Our taxi to the Krabi airport arrived at 7:30, and soon we were at the small but modern Krabi airport. Our Thai Airways flight to Bangkok departed on time at 10 am, and the upgrade to business class was a nice touch. At the Bangkok airport we got our Air France boarding pass and had time to grab some soup. Craig's stomach was acting up a bit so he watched Efren slurp down the soup.
The 1 hour flight to Phnom Penh departed on time, and the flight was nearly empty which makes us wonder for how long Air France will service this route. Upon arrival we were glad we purchased e-visas in advance as we didn't have to wait in the long visa line and proceeded right to passport control. Our bags came off the conveyor belt and soon we were in a taxi on our way to the Pavilion Hotel. We've been eagerly anticipating this hotel as the "splurge" of our trip as the room looks fantastic on the website and includes a private pool
The taxi cost $10. In Cambodia they use US dollars, but instead of coins they use the local Cambodian Riel for small change. We arrived at the hotel and the very pleasant Michelle took care of all our needs. The service here is absolutely fabulous. We received a welcome plate of fruit and were shown to our room. The setting for the Pavilion is that of a lush jungle - it is very easy to forget it is located right in the hustle and bustle of urban Phnom Penh. The room is very nice but doesn't quite live up to the pictures we saw on the Internet. Still, it will make a pleasant stay for a couple of nights.
After cleaning up a bit we decided to walk around town. The Royal Palace was only a few blocks away, and although it was closed by now we could still see the majestic spires of the buildings. We'll be sure to check that out tomorrow. We walked along to Mekong riverfront and saw Khmers playing volleyball and badminton. We also saw vendors selling all kinds of snacks including crickets, snails, and grubs. Due to stomach issues we passed and instead opted for some ice cream at the Blue Pumpkin. Prices are actually surprisingly high here - a bit of a shock after the bargain prices in Thailand. We stopped for dinner at the Riverside Bistro as the storm clouds were building. We ordered some Angkor beer and a few snacks and the bill was over $20. The restaurant was comfortable so we lingered for awhile waiting for the rain to stop. It didn't stop, so we decided to take a tuk-tuk back to the hotel for $3. Food isn't cheap, but transportation sure is.
Back at the hotel we arranged our bus tickets to Siem Reap for the following day and Michelle brought us complementary sangria. We decided to make it an early night as Craig's stomach was really acting up. Time for an Imodium! Tomorrow hopefully we'll explore the Royal Palace and some other sights in the city.
Day 2
Woke up and had breakfast at the Pavilion. We paid a visit to the Royal Palace before it got too hot. The grounds are chock full of examples of royal Khmer buildings, the most notable being the Silver Pagoda whose floor is lined with hundreds of silver tiles and contains a beautiful emerald buddha. We watched a short video that documented the history of Cambodia from Angkor times through the recent atrocities of Pol Pot's reign. The recent history of the country is so incredibly sad, but you would never know this from interacting with the people here who always seem to be smiling. Still, it gave us a good background and will help us understand what we will soon see at Angkor Wat.
We visited the National Musuem before heading to the famous Foreign Correspondence Club (FCC) of Cambodia for lunch. This was where the journalists hung out during the recent war. Today the place is a swank restaurant/bar offering delightful views over the Mekong. Sitting here drinking a cold Angkor beer we felt like Simon LeBon from Duran Duran in the "Hungry Like the Wolf" video. We had some more drinks and food but left a bit abruptly as Craig isn't feeling too well. We took a tuk-tuk back to the hotel where Craig got some rest and Efren went for a complementary massage.
A few hours later Craig awoke feeling better, but unfortunately it was a bit too late to head to the Russian Market as planned for shopping. Instead, we headed to Friends Resturant and hadwonderful Khmer style tapas and drinks. Friends helps disadvantaged youth by providing experience in the hospitality industry, so we felt really good about dining there. We did a little shopping after and walked back to the hotel and had some fruit and ice cream at the restaurant. We then swam in our private pool before packing up. Tomorrow am we take a bus to Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat - we can't wait!
Our taxi to the Krabi airport arrived at 7:30, and soon we were at the small but modern Krabi airport. Our Thai Airways flight to Bangkok departed on time at 10 am, and the upgrade to business class was a nice touch. At the Bangkok airport we got our Air France boarding pass and had time to grab some soup. Craig's stomach was acting up a bit so he watched Efren slurp down the soup.
The 1 hour flight to Phnom Penh departed on time, and the flight was nearly empty which makes us wonder for how long Air France will service this route. Upon arrival we were glad we purchased e-visas in advance as we didn't have to wait in the long visa line and proceeded right to passport control. Our bags came off the conveyor belt and soon we were in a taxi on our way to the Pavilion Hotel. We've been eagerly anticipating this hotel as the "splurge" of our trip as the room looks fantastic on the website and includes a private pool
The taxi cost $10. In Cambodia they use US dollars, but instead of coins they use the local Cambodian Riel for small change. We arrived at the hotel and the very pleasant Michelle took care of all our needs. The service here is absolutely fabulous. We received a welcome plate of fruit and were shown to our room. The setting for the Pavilion is that of a lush jungle - it is very easy to forget it is located right in the hustle and bustle of urban Phnom Penh. The room is very nice but doesn't quite live up to the pictures we saw on the Internet. Still, it will make a pleasant stay for a couple of nights.
After cleaning up a bit we decided to walk around town. The Royal Palace was only a few blocks away, and although it was closed by now we could still see the majestic spires of the buildings. We'll be sure to check that out tomorrow. We walked along to Mekong riverfront and saw Khmers playing volleyball and badminton. We also saw vendors selling all kinds of snacks including crickets, snails, and grubs. Due to stomach issues we passed and instead opted for some ice cream at the Blue Pumpkin. Prices are actually surprisingly high here - a bit of a shock after the bargain prices in Thailand. We stopped for dinner at the Riverside Bistro as the storm clouds were building. We ordered some Angkor beer and a few snacks and the bill was over $20. The restaurant was comfortable so we lingered for awhile waiting for the rain to stop. It didn't stop, so we decided to take a tuk-tuk back to the hotel for $3. Food isn't cheap, but transportation sure is.
Back at the hotel we arranged our bus tickets to Siem Reap for the following day and Michelle brought us complementary sangria. We decided to make it an early night as Craig's stomach was really acting up. Time for an Imodium! Tomorrow hopefully we'll explore the Royal Palace and some other sights in the city.
Day 2
Woke up and had breakfast at the Pavilion. We paid a visit to the Royal Palace before it got too hot. The grounds are chock full of examples of royal Khmer buildings, the most notable being the Silver Pagoda whose floor is lined with hundreds of silver tiles and contains a beautiful emerald buddha. We watched a short video that documented the history of Cambodia from Angkor times through the recent atrocities of Pol Pot's reign. The recent history of the country is so incredibly sad, but you would never know this from interacting with the people here who always seem to be smiling. Still, it gave us a good background and will help us understand what we will soon see at Angkor Wat.
We visited the National Musuem before heading to the famous Foreign Correspondence Club (FCC) of Cambodia for lunch. This was where the journalists hung out during the recent war. Today the place is a swank restaurant/bar offering delightful views over the Mekong. Sitting here drinking a cold Angkor beer we felt like Simon LeBon from Duran Duran in the "Hungry Like the Wolf" video. We had some more drinks and food but left a bit abruptly as Craig isn't feeling too well. We took a tuk-tuk back to the hotel where Craig got some rest and Efren went for a complementary massage.
A few hours later Craig awoke feeling better, but unfortunately it was a bit too late to head to the Russian Market as planned for shopping. Instead, we headed to Friends Resturant and hadwonderful Khmer style tapas and drinks. Friends helps disadvantaged youth by providing experience in the hospitality industry, so we felt really good about dining there. We did a little shopping after and walked back to the hotel and had some fruit and ice cream at the restaurant. We then swam in our private pool before packing up. Tomorrow am we take a bus to Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat - we can't wait!
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