The photos are whetting my appetite (as if I needed that). We leave for SEA on March 2 for three weeks and your trip is inspiring. Ponheary wasn't available, so we are being guided by her brother, Dara, when we arrive in Siem Reap. I will definitely ask about spending time at a school. What a lovely thing to do!

Sharon

The whole family is involved with the school donations. Ponheary's mother is actually the one who arranges procurement of the supplies and cuts all the deals. Dara and Marina are also involved.

I'm sure if you send an email to Ponheary voicing your request to visit/donate to the schools, she will arrange it with Dara.

It's a great thing to do and added a whole other dimension to the trip.

Have a pleasant journey!

two bucks....wow....inflation...a few kip would have surficed two years ago....what did you give her?? i hope not $2....although she needs it and she is enterprising....

i think the pic i ment was porheavy in the window -- with a scarf as i remember...soft lighting...

where are you going next...we've got to order bad poisons in the ice in advance of your arrival... to teach you a lesson....hahaha

Yes Bob that is Ponheary in the window wearing the scarf.

And yes, we gave the little girl $2, but only when Ponheary went to the loo for a moment... she would have had a fit! She was quite cute and enterprising as you say....how could we resist?

I'll be going to Venice this fall so I don't know how you can arrange to have me poisoned in that fair city, but if heaven allows I will also be back in Siem Reap this summer and surely there it would be quite easy...here's a tip for you-- the Dead Fish Tower was my favorite place to hang out, and I did enjoy several maitai's there WITH ICE, so that's probably your best bet!

offwego,

Great photos. We also loved the Deadfish Tower. Ate there twice in fact. I am currently reading City of Falling Angels. Have you read it yet? Great Venice book. It is making try to figure out when I can squeeze in another Venice trip. I wanted to give you a Venice restaurant.
Ristorante Cantina Caneletto. It is near St. Marc's square. It is my favorite restaurant in the whole world! They debone your fish for
you at the table. The tiramisu will ruin you for any other tiramisu you will ever have.

The Dead Fish Tower was mentioned in the NY Times Sunday travel section this past weekend - I understand that there is a traditional dance show upstairs and crocodile feeding? downstairs - anymore details?

Here are some photos and info:
http://www.talesofasia.com/cambodia-deadfish.htm
One night when we were there they had an asian rock band - like something from the 80's. It was so fun (and funny) we got the giggles and could hardly eat. Everyone is just so fun and friendly. Food is very good and very cheap. Thai and Khmer for the most part.

Connette

Thanks so much for the Venice restaurant tip. I have never been to Venice (I can never get done with Rome) and am looking forward to it.

In the file it goes.

I am kinda glad it took me this long to finish this report so I could respond to it and put it back at the top of the board!

I have to say, this is probably one of the best trip reports I have read - both in the way it was written and what it contains. The pictures were also fabulous. I absolutely love the one of the two monks at Angkor. The contrast between the grey structures and the bright robes is spectacular.

You are so good at writing reports that I encourage you to sell all your worldly possessions, pack your bag and go on the road as a travel writer! :)

Thanks SLJBK for those kind words.

Who among us wouldn't LOVE to hang it all up and travel the world writing about it? What would be better than that?

Fabulous, schmabulous. The Deliquent Trip Report late penalty is still due. I checked the small print and there is no full waiver for a superalative report.

In this case, the fee is slightly less because you were only 3 days late. You could have begun the report when jet lag woke you up in the middle of the night.

The fee is calculated by taking the cost of a Siem Riep tuk tuk in dollars ($1), adding the number of current NCAA football championships in your home town (1) and muliplying by the total number of estimated miles travelled (18,000). This yields a figure of 36,000. I'm arbitrarily subtracting 373 as a result of your "charitable" activities. This yields 35,627. This is divided by the number of Presidents from your home state (2)(that I can remember) yielding a figure of 17,813 (I rounded down). My son went to graduate school in your "city" (in the east coast, it would be a village), so I'm subtracting 10,000. The total penalty is 7,813 payable in Kip. Again, the Delinquency Fund is located in a basement in Needham, MA. I hope I did the Math right.

hmm...

Well your honor I would have to dispute your count on the presidents; after all Eisenhower and LBJ were both from the great state of Texas. That would have meant YOU OWE ME 1,093 kip, which would be payable to a basement in Crawford.

However, we do not generally claim the Bush's as our own, seeing as how they are born and bred Yankees who got down here fast as you can say "oil bidness".

So that leaves you standing corrected and me still owing you $1.92 worth of kip. I think that's exactly how much money I came home with!

Exactly on GWB. He's from Kennebunkport, Maine. Did I mention that the penalty is forgiven if you attend at least one Boston GTG. My guess is that Bob will plan a disaster for the early fall.

back to the beaches. We saw a lot of them in Thailand but for us it was a little bit disappointing too. Especially Koh Samui changed a lot during the last 25 years. There are nice beaches and areas were tourist normally did not go and you could find your own Samui for yourself. The Thai Government tries to bring the tourist to other regions than Samui, Phuket, Krabi, Hua Hin and Pattaya. But it is still beginning and on the other hand it is fine still there and no mass tourism.

I forget the name of the area. It is Chumphon. You could go by train from Hua Hin or by speedboat from Koh Tao or Koh Phangan. Kilometers of long white beaches with no peoble. You still see peoble laughing about long noses.

I would like to add what a fabulous report. I remembered all the places i had been to and could imagine all the places i haven't. You really should be a travel writer, your style is engaging and informative and quite simply a delight to read.

Smeagol

Thanks for reading Jane

I was wondering, are you in the UK?

Lori

Offwego: Thank you!
Truly enjoyed your traveling style, manners and beautifully written and inspiring report.

Ofwego

Yes i am in the UK.
Where are you going next so i can look out for another fabulous report?
Jane

jane

If heaven allows I will be back in Siem Reap in August to help Ponheary get more kids enrolled in school.

Then Venice in October
Egypt in early 07

Where are you off to next?

Lori

Lori

I was hoping to go back to BKK in May (sans the BF) but i have to go to Europe for a few days with work that week so that trip is off (gutted)

Going to Spain for a long weekend and then somewhere later in the year (just havent decided) i fancy Eygpt the BF is not so keen. With commitments etc this year doesn't look like we can have a "long Haul" but we shall see.....

Am already looking forward to your next trip report. Travel writing is my most favorite to read and seriously you are good (imho)...
Jane

offwego,
i'm new for here, just heard from my friend who recommended this site. I like your report very much, but I wonder about your BKK guide might be the same as mine last month. She was wonderful btw.

KClaudia
Did you tour with Tong? How was it?

offwego - I just heard back from Tong who has sent me a lovely email, thanks for the recommendation :)

offwego,
i'm not sure that she's the same person with yours. I have friends in Thailand and that was my first time to have a tour guide. I did something that I couldn't forget all my life. She took us in a fresh market to buy the fishes getting killed, set them free, she said what I would like to buy for them, their freedom or their lives..they're different.
She's very sincere, I can feel it, she said she's new for being a tour guide, but very informative. She's a very good person, but I've lost her card..that's why i'm not sure that she's the same one with yours.

kclaudia

Sure sounds like Tong. If it wasn't her, it's her twin! Tong is in her early thirties, is short, has long straight black hair. Well, ok I've described every thai woman!

If you really want to satisfy your curiosity, send me your email address and I will send you a picture of her. If it's the same woman, I know she would love to hear from you again.

[email protected]

We enjoyed very much the Buddhist rituals, among them setting the fish and turtles free. Glad you got the same feeling from the experience.

offwego:
Thank you for the wonderful report. Can we hire Tong for other sight seeing correct(not doing the merit). Do you have a contact Phone # for Tong? I guess, she will pick us up with her own car and take us around? Will she join us for lunch or dinner too (of course we are paying)? All that for $45 dollars all day, that is amazing. My husband doesn't believe me. he thinks $45 is just for her and car& gas is extra. Can you plesase let me know. I would love to have her go with us and be our guide. We've been to BK but never had a tour guide. Thank you again.

offwego,
I've sent her an email posted on this board and just heard back from her. Yes,she can remember me..so lovely.. Thanks.
What I wonder was her price wasn't $45. I think it's $65..Do you have any idea?
Clear, I think you should email her directly to make sure.
thanks again offwego.

clear
Yes, Tong does other guide work besides Buddhist rituals. She can take you anywhere you want to go via any means.

We had a heck of a time getting her to eat with us. She thought it was not polite but when we insisted, she did and it was helpful when you want to experiment with food that's unknown to you.

You should email Tong directly to find out about her pricing. Her price to us was $45 a day but we stayed in the city and primarily used public transportation (faster given the traffic). When we went to majke merit early one morning she took us in her car. I know if she takes you out of town (Floating market, etc) she charges more for gas. If there are alot of people in your party requiring a van, it's more, etc.

Contact Tong at
[email protected]