Wednesday, February 11, 2009: Departing New York/JFK
We chose to stay at the JFK Marriott Fairfield Inn on the night prior to our flight because of its Park ‘n Fly rate.
Link to My Review of the JFK Marriott Fairfield Inn
Thursday, February 12, 2009: Cathay Pacific from JFK to Bangkok via Hong Kong
Friday, February 13, 2009: One Night in Bangkok
Suvarnabhumi Bangkok International Airport is a large, well-equipped airport with lots of shopping and food options. It is necessary to pass all food and shopping en route to your gates, which occurs just after immigration and passport control, but before any actual security screening. It is easy to forget that you haven’t been through security while shopping and dining and using the airline clubs, which could mean a crunch at boarding time. It is not possible to bring any liquid beverages on flights because you must pass through security after purchasing them. There are restrooms and smoking rooms in the departure gate areas, but no food or beverages available. There are shower rooms and spa services available at the airport. No visas are necessary for US citizens. You will pass a visa on arrival area when deplaning, but you do not need to stop there.
Link to My Review of the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel
Saturday, February 14, 2009: Bangkok to Siem Reap
Bangkok Air is a so-called boutique airline that allows all customers into its lounges, regardless of whether you’re flying economy or business/first. In my opinion, the lounge in Phnom Penh airport was better than the one in the Bangkok airport: smaller but more comfortable and located closer to the gates. We used this airline to fly from Bangkok to Siem Reap, then again from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, then finally, from Phnom Penh back to Bangkok. Food on the flights was plentiful, and there was some limited entertainment available. It looked like you needed to provide your own headsets, but I can’t say for sure because I didn’t watch the entertainment since my flights were so short. We were NOT able to use the online check-in for ANY of our flights; I think this a new feature and not yet available for all flights/airports. It didn’t matter whether the flight was domestic or international, we still could not use the online check-in.
Siem Reap Angkor International Airport: The international terminal is new as compared to the domestic terminal. I only saw the arrivals area of the international terminal, not the departures area, since I was flying domestic when leaving Siem Reap. We used the e-Visa service, which definitely saved us time and was worth the extra $5 per visa (so we paid $25 in advance instead of $20 on arrival). Baggage claim was easy; I didn’t see any shops or restaurants in the international arrivals area (but as I said, I can’t comment on the departures are).
Link to My Review of the Hotel de la Paix (HDLP)
Frangipani Spa is an affordable option instead of the hotel spas. We had a couples massage and couples facial, and the total bill was about $120. This spa is located near the central market and the Hotel de la Paix. The building is pretty, with several water features in the lobby area and multiple levels for treatments. The couples room was on the top floor, and had two massage tables, a large soaking bathtub, and rooftop relaxation garden with outdoor shower. I’m not sure whether I liked the Thai massage--it was odd to have someone crawling over me while I was lying (undressed but covered with a cloth) on the table. The facial was similar to others I’ve had in the US, but without the heated mittens/booties that I’ve sometimes had on during the treatment.
We took a balloon flight to see Angkor Wat, but it was quite hazy and visibility wasn’t good. We were told that the sunrise and sunset times were the most popular, but then were told by someone else later that the 3pm time slot is the clearest, not sunrise and sunset. (I had also heard that the best spot to stand was near the balloon operator, which turned out to the worst spot to stand. Move as far away from the operator as possible, and you’ll be facing Angkor Wat.) I would take the balloon again if the weather was crystal clear, because you could definitely get some good photos of the temples from a unique vantage point. If it’s a clear day, it’s $15 per person well spent.
Sunday, February 15, 2009:Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom (Bayon, Terrace of Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King) with Ponheary Ly
I can’t rave enough about Ponheary! She is really knowledgeable, personable, and hard-working, and she knows just the right places for you to stand to take great photos! Ponheary was our guide, but she also has her own van/driver, which worked out well, allowing her to concentrate on telling us about the area while someone else took care of the transportation. You can just tell that she’s a kind and caring person who is dedicated to making her part of the world a better place. We booked her for three days: the first day to see Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, the second day to see Banteay Srei and Ta Phrom, and the third day to see the Floating Village and artisan factory (later on the last day, we could have gone back to one of the temples for sunset, but we had a flight to catch). We loved that we toured in the morning from about 8 to 12, then went back to the hotel from 12 to 3 for lunch/naps/poolside relaxing, then back out to tour from 3 to 6. This was the first time that we’ve gotten such a lunchtime respite in our travels, and it’s really the way to do it, especially in the Cambodian heat. I won’t go on and on about how amazing the temples are; you just have to see them to believe them. I will say that while we travelled all that way to see Angkor Wat, I think that I found Angkor Thom even more impressive (I loved all those “face” carvings.)
We had lunch at Cafe Indochine near our hotel on this day, which was excellent (but popular with tour groups), and dinner at Le Malraux, which was also good.
These temples are farther out of town that Angkor Wat and Thom, but the drive is interesting because you get to see the local countryside and life. We passed two groups of monks receiving alms from local women, which were great photo ops. Banteay Srei had neat carvings, and Ta Phrom is a must see for the way the trees have grown in through the temples (part of Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider movie was filmed here).
We had lunch at the Red Piano near our hotel, which was good and dinner nearby at AHA on Pub Street, which my favorite dinner of the whole trip, serving a Khmer tapas menu (highly recommended!); the Meric dinner at HDLP was a close second for my favorite meal.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009:Floating Village and Artisans d’Angkor workshop with Ponheary Ly, Then Siem Reap to Phnom Penh
Originally, we had planned to take the Izabella speedboat to travel from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh (run by Compagnie de Fluviale), but one month before our trip, they announced that they were discontinuing their 1-day runs from REP to PNP and back. So we quickly booked two one way tickets to Phnom Penh on Bangkok Air as Plan B. (The Izabella was the only luxury boat option available; all other boats were more “local” or “commuter” types.) We also booked Ponheary for the third day to the floating village. Having seen it previously on TV’s Amazing Race, I really wasn’t that impressed by what we saw. But in all fairness, the weather was not good on this day; it was the only rain we had during our trip, and even though it only lasted an hour, it was a cold trip out to the village. We stopped at a Cambodian handicraft factory on the way back to town, which I would normally avoid. (We just aren’t interested in shopping.) But it turned out to be very interesting and informative. It was good to see people actually making the kinds of souvenirs that we had seen; to attach a living and breathing person to the object for sale. We had lunch at the Soup Dragon, enjoying the overhead vantage point of Pub Street. We hung out at the hotel in the afternoon, both at the pool and then in the cool lobby (we had a late checkout). Then it was time to leave for Phnom Penh.
The domestic terminal of the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport is tiny, but it does have an outlet of the Blue Pumpkin in the departure area, as well as a small souvenir shop and bookstore. Don’t arrive at the domestic airport too early: the check-in counters won’t be open, and there’s not much to do while you’re waiting. You can only smoke outside of the terminal. I’ve been in smaller and worse airports, so I thought it was cute and serviceable. Domestic arrivals at the Phnom Penh Pochentong Airport are sort of in an open-air area, where you can smoke while waiting for your baggage. I also saw a shop or two in the immediate vicinity of domestic baggage claim.
Phnom Penh: Elephant Bar (February 2009)
Wednesday, February 1, 2009:Phnom Penh City Tour
The Raffles hotel arranged a guide and driver for a tour of the city, including the Tuol Sleng and Genocide Museum (Killing Fields) at a cost of approximately $100 per day ($50 for the guide and $50 for the driver). We had a great guide and felt that the price was worth it, and having a separate driver who can drop you off in one location and then pick you up in another when you are finished touring a sight is really invaluable. We visited the following: Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, National Museum, Wat Phnom, Tuol Sleng Museum (Museum of Genocide), and Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields).
Thursday, February 19, 2009: Phnom Penh to Bangkok
The Phnom Penh Pochentong Airport International Airport departure area was smallish but nice, with a few shops and restaurants. There is a smoking room located in back of the Pub. Bangkok Air has a club lounge for all classes of passengers, which is a comfortable place to wait and have complimentary non-alcoholic drinks and snacks. Don’t forget to pay your $25 international departure tax after checking in for your flight but before going through security.
Link to My Review of the Peninsula Bangkok
We had two activities planned for the night of our arrival through Tour With Tong: muay thai boxing and the Patpong night market. For the muay thai boxing, our guide was Charlie. We paid for the boxing tickets ourselves (not through Ton), and sat ringside. As it turns out, it was the right move, since that’s where all the tourists were sitting, with the locals above us in the stands. It was not the best seating for viewing the match and taking photos, though. An upper position would have afforded a better view, in my opinion. (I’ve never thought that front row was the best seats at any venue--put me a few rows back and I’m much happier.) The fights were interesting. We then took a quick walk through Patpong with Charlie. It wasn’t as seedy as I had imagined.
Friday, February 20: Tour with Tong to Kanchanaburi (Floating Village and Temple Tiger)
High praise for Tour with Tong! We had a tiny problem upon arrival, which she went out of her way to correct with not only an e-mail, but also two phone calls. She truly cares about her customers and the reputation of her business, which isn’t always the case with other companies. I also commend Tong for teaching her employees to always be early! Whether by design or just by hiring conscientious people, our guides and/or drivers were always at least 15 minutes early for our meeting time, which was greatly appreciated by two people who always make it a point to be early as well. We took a full-day tour to Kanchanaburi to see the Floating Market and Temple Tiger, followed by a day tour of the city. Even though we didn’t choose all the options available of the Kanchanaburi tour (for example, we didn’t take the train ride, or the elephant walk/bath, or the monkey feeding), it was difficult to finish in less than 12 hours (and only 8 hours are included in the day rate, so some overtime was necessary; affordable certainly, but necessary). We did spend an extra hour at Temple Tiger feeding and playing with the 6-week old cubs. That cost an extra 1500 Thai Baht per person but was one of the highlights of our entire trip. I guess it’s not always available, though, because there aren’t always cubs. We had the greatest guide for our two full-day trips: Kung. She is so friendly and personable; it is evident that she really cares about her clients and gets enjoyment from seeing them having a good time. She was invaluable to us at the Temple Tiger; knowing just the right places to stand to be first in line to walk with the tigers to the canyon. She was also a gem at the Floating Market; I think it is Tong’s policy to use only non-motorized boats on the waterways there, and Kong reserved a boat for us before we even arrived. Definitely check out this company when you are looking for a Bangkok guide. Tong is very responsive to e-mail and was extremely patient with dealing with my many questions. She takes PayPal as a deposit on the tours, but the balance is paid in Thai Baht on the day of the tour (and the amount can’t be calculated exactly because there might be overtime). We visited Maeklong Market (where a train goes right through the market several times a day, and vendors pack/unpack their awnings and move their wares to let it pass), Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, a local teak factory, Temple Tiger, and the Bridge Over the RIver Kwai. We also had a quick but delicious lunch nearby Temple Tiger.
Link to my review of Tiptara
Saturday, February 21: Tour with Tong of Bangkok City
Kung led us on a tour of Wat Phra Keo (Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha), Vinamnek Palace (teak mansion), Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn) reached by crossing the river on a local ferry boat, had lunch at Rub Ar Roon Cafe (across from Wat Po; yummy and really inexpensive; sit on the sidewalk if there’s a table available), Wat Po, Reclining Buddha, and had some foot reflexology done. We tried to visit Jim Thompson’s house in the late afternoon, but traffic prevented us from getting there, so we got some extra pool time instead, which was well deserved on the last day of our trip. We passed on the option to take an hour-long khlong tour, since we felt like we saw a lot of the river staying at the Peninsula and also rode the local ferry across the river to Wat Arun.
