Gpanda

Pandas skip nothing! Bring on the temples. The flavor of a report is best savored after digesting the entire meal. NB:exceptions are made for Bob's endless drivel.

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SIEM REAP

Day 1 – BKK-SR, Ponheary, Bats in Park, Tuk Tuk to Khmer Kitchen

Day 2 – School Visit, Bantay Srei, Palm Sugar Roadside Stop, Lunch/Swim, Ta Phrom, Bayon, Monkeys, Sunset climb to Behking (our only super-touristy activity, but good exercise), Dead Fish Tower

Day 3- Angkor Wat, Wat Thmey, Tonle Sap Floating Village, Lunch, Swim, Massage, Chess, Shop, Xmas Dinner

Day 4 – Back to Angkor Wat for Sunrise, Shopping, SR-BKK-Chiang Rai

We’re passionate about Cambodia and the Cambodians, who seem to love life despite their tragic history and dire economic situation. Like others, we dream of returning, perhaps for an extended service project. Siem Reap is not traditionally picturesque, but has a certain quirky tropical charm, and seemed clean and efficient compared to many Latin American cities of the same size. But we agree with everyone who says to go now – It looked as if they were building a dozen MBK malls.

Ponheary was unavailable after we changed our dates, but she met us at the airport, took us to our hotel and arranged for our guide (Bunto), driver, donation and school visit. We will never forger her story about being buried alive by the Khmer Rouge at age thirteen, the same age as our younger son.

VICTORIA ANGKOR -
Might be the best hotel in Siem Reap. Vietnamese owned replica of a tropical Indochine colonial inn. So authentic it could have been designed by Jim Thompson – art, artifacts, koi ponds, infinity pools, cage elevator, chic Europeans in safari clothes telling tales of Hanoi at the bar. Around the corner from the iconic Grand Raffles facing the Royal Gardens, the Victoria is less formal than the Raffles, more understated and comfortable. We had two “deluxe” rooms on the third floor with wood floors, balconies, pool views. (Note to other families: No connecting rooms here, but they had some interesting themed suites.) Excellent food. Mandatory Christmas Eve buffet was over the top (in quantity and price - $70 pp), but delicious, and included nifty party favors.

Don’t miss the hundreds of bats descending from the trees in the park at dusk.

OUR GUIDE BUNTO -
Ponheary’s friend, good English, recommended. At first prone to overly detailed descriptions of the ruins. But when we asked for more cultural info, his stories became less rote, more kid-friendly, and we learned a lot about Cambodian history and daily life.

WE VIOLATED THE FODORITE 3-DAY ANGKOR RULE:
We were blown away by the ruins, even more than expected. However it turns out that we are not “Three Day Angkor Wat People.” We must have Temple ADD, because as although we dutifully scheduled 72 hours to see the magnificent ruins of Angkor, we completed our sightseeing in 1.5 days. I’m sure we missed some cool stuff, but we felt we had the right amount of time at each stop. On Day 3, I did return to Angkor Wat for a spectacular sunrise, but if I had gotten it together, could have done that on Day 2.

Having said that, we could have stayed in Cambodia for months, but I do recommend going even if you only have two days to see the temples.

SIEM REAP GREAT MOMENTS:
- Delivering hot breakfast (noodles and juice) to 250 kids and bonuses for the teachers at Ponheary’s school near Bantay Srei. A major trip highlight. Saw a math lesson. Kids sang us a song. Tried to sing them a song, but our boys became mortally embarrassed. Stayed for recess. Could have hung out all day.
- Bayon & Ta Phrom late in the day -- fewer tourists and magical lighting
- Traveling on back roads through rice paddies with water buffalos to meet families making palm sugar candy in their front yards – This was the rural Asia I craved.
- Tonle Sap floating village boat tour (with a fancy floating basketball court courtesy of the Japanese government) - This prompted a provocative dinner conversation with the boys who thought the villagers, though dirt poor, seemed very happy.
- Husband had a $6 massage at Magic Massage near the Royal Park – Said it was "as good as the Peninsula without the atmosphere"
- Wat Prea in the Royal Park – A feast of wacky Buddhist relics and retro posters. Plus they sell turtles outside.
- Wat Thmey - Monastery with colorful stupas and sobering killing field memorial (including skull room). Kids were affected by seeing this more than by hearing stories.
- Land Mine Orchestra at Bantaey Srei, especially the guy playing the leaf - bought their CD

LOWLIGHTS:
- Spent the whole flight from BKK-SR filling out TWELVE Cambodian landing documents, three per family member, because everyone else conveniently fell asleep when the forms were handed out. This Immigration Card Fatigue Syndrome became a pattern that repeated itself throughout the trip.

- Too Many Community Service Opportunities – We know four families who were there during the same period and everyone donated and worked in different schools, orphanages or clinics, all set up by their guide or hotel. Makes you want to abandon your vacation entirely.

BEST MEALS:
- Boray Sourvann - Green papaya salad for lunch (the best we had anywhere) Sit outside in the garden.
- Khmer Kitchen - Amok Fish and Green Curry ($12 for all four of us including French wine.) Best dive of the trip. Lonely Planet said that Mick Jagger ate here.
- Dead fish Tower – Hip teen-friendly, multilevel dining in a surreal setting with low tables, crocodile pit, with gorgeous Apsara dancers (This place is a must-see for the atmosphere rather than the food, which is fine, but not an absolute stand out.)

FAVORITE PURCHASES:
- Pillow covers, Artisans d'Angkor ($35) They look even better once you get them home.
- Gorgeous Khmer silk scarf or table runner, Senteurs d’Angkor ($27)
- Vintage Burmese puppet head on wooden stand, Hanumanalaya Hotel shop ($30)
(BTW – the Hanumanalaya Hotel, a small guesthouse, is a “find” – $50-$85 a night. I didn’t see the rooms, but public spaces have charming, exotic gardens and you can use the Sofitel’s pool and gym.
- Palm sugar candy, road to Bantay Srei (3 for $1)
- Silver and bronze Buddha statues – Old Market ($15-$25) (Befriended a vendor and kept going back just to hear her stories)
- Spices in cool little baskets, Siem Reap airport (under $3) Airport shopping was great in general.

Next: The Golden Triangle, including the Elephant Mishap

cruisinred

Thank you so much for continuing with the report....I loved your descriptions of your children's experiences at the school in Cambodia. My husband and I visited a school with Ponheary in May....I'm trying to convince my husband to take a trip back, along with the 3 kids ages 10-15.

Thanks again

shelleyk

Thanks for your interesting and very entertaining report. We too had enough of the ruins after 2 full days of touring. Loved it the first day and was templed out at the end of the second. Was happy to spend our third day seeing the floating villages on Tonle Sap Lake and doing other things away from the temples.

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cruisinred,
Definitely go back with your kids - It wasn't my kids' absolute favorite part of the trip (that would be Anantara elephants and Tokyo), but they loved climbing on the ruins and seeing the floating villages and the memories will stay with them.

I thought one visit to Angkor would be enough for me, but I want to return and see more of Cambodia.

Just realized that I left out a significant lowlight: My husband developed acrophobia and vertigo halfway up Angkor Wat. (This had happened previously at other ruins, ziplines, etc. but he keeps trying.)

shelleyk,
I've been following your report and can't wait to see what comes next. You get major points for posting so soon after your return. Though I plan to include a detailed description of the Toilet of the Future, I still fear I will face a penalty.

rhkkmk

i did not climb up there either....and way too hot

Kathie

Being at the highest level of Angkor Wat was spectacular - getting up and down was - eeek - and I'm not usually bothered by heights.

Gpanda

CC-you're doing great, the report is very engaging. Your clear crisp prose is a relief from Needhamite nonsense. It will be taken into consideration during the penalty phase. I do note that once begun, the report continues promptly. Perhaps a mitigating factor.

crosscheck

Wow, thanks! Considered embellishing the elephant story, but will stick with the truth and hope for a lenient sentence.

jenskar

Crosscheck -- could not agree with you more about the effect of being around Cambodian people and their ability to transcend their recent history. My trip in 2000 left me humbled, I wanted to sell everything and move to Phnom Penh and work for an NGO, spent the next year promoting land mine clearing programs from here (troublesome being happily married some times).
What a great experience for your kids and for you.

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jenskar,
Thanks - Would love more info about the land mine NGO. Am compliling a list of Cambodian volunteer opportunities.

Anantara installment should be up by the morning.

jenskar

I'd love to see your list. And, eagerly awaiting the elephants !!

The group I supported isn't really a volunteer opportunity -- they had a "click through" sponsorship program where donors gave a certain amount of money per click towards land mine clearing programs. I developed a web site that mimicked a "shock the monkey" type banner ad but showed the impact of land mines on the Cambodian population, the click throughs supported the program. It was pretty widely publicized through several online lit mags in the early 2000's and I drove a lot of traffic in their direction. They're still doing great work: http://www.clearlandmines.com/

hucklecat

Fantastic trip report! I CANNOT wait to experience some of it for myself...just 9 days away!

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GOLDEN TRIANGLE:
Day 1: Travel, Chiang Rai Night Market, Dinner at hotel
Day 2: Elephant Mahout Training/Elephant Baths, Walk to town, Squash
Day 3: Cooking Class, Hall of Opium, Squash
Day 4: Three Countries – Myanmar, Mae Sai, Golden Triangle, Lao Island
Day 5: More elephant baths, Back to Lao Island (left glasses there) CR-BKK-NRT

1-2-GO AIRLINES:
1-2-Go (Thai Orient) Airlines (BKK-Chiang Rai – $50 pp) Not 1-2-Avoid, but for the price, 1-2-Consider. Chose this because the flight arrived in CR at the right time to visit the night market on our way to the Anantara. We had cut Luang Prabang from our itinerary because my husband refused to fly on Lao Airlines, then heard 1-2-Go might be just as scary because they have an ancient fleet. Plane turned out to be fairly modern. Flight was delayed by an hour, otherwise fine. Returned to BKK on Thai, very similar. And 1-2-Go sent us an online holiday card.

CHIANG RAI MARKET:
Arranged to have the Anantara van meet our flight in Chiang Rai and take us to the night market before the one-hour trip to the hotel. Pricier than a regular taxi, but we wanted someone to watch our luggage while we strolled around the market. Other than Japan, this was the only shopping the boys enjoyed (they bought T-shirts with Thai inscriptions which we hope are not “R” rated) Fun, laidback intro to hilltribe culture.

ANANTARA:
This place lives up to the hype. Except for two near-arctic nights and some overpriced services, one of our peak travel experiences ever. It has culture, luxury, adventure, cuisine, museum-quality decor, rice paddies, water buffalos, misty vistas of the Mighty Mehkong, and a teen-friendly fitness center with squash and tennis.

All this plus the Elephant Camp, an absolute highlight – though only the boys did the mahout training, we all rode them bareback. (Reserve in advance!)

Booked a suite directly through the hotel; later discovered the Small Luxury Hotels website which promised an upgrade if you join and book through their SLH Club.
Tried to rebook, but hotel’s cancellation deadline had passed. Subsequently found out upgrade wouldn’t work in our case because all suites were full our week, but SLH Club is a good idea for less-busy periods.

Our spacious suite (Rm 331), full of hip fabrics that I wish were for sale, was in the building next to the lobby with unobstructed Myanmar views. Much sunnier than the rooms on the Laos side of the pool.

Food at hotel is very good to excellent. Shared khao soy, famous northern Thai curry noodles, at every meal. (I know, we do have a thing for noodles). Themed buffets were very appealing, but too much food - we mostly stuck with the reasonable a la carte menu. Dined once in the Italian restaurant, which has a door that closes to protect you from the cold. Tasty, but why have pizza and pasta in Thailand?

We donated and planted a tree near the elephant camp. Kids thought this was hokey, but would be good for younger kids. Also made merit with monks on the road (do this only if you happen to be awake).

Had planned have dinner in town one evening but never managed to tear ourselves away. The Anantara makes you slow down and relax. Could have stayed for a week or more.

THAI PRONUNCIATION OF “ANANTARA”
a-NAHN-ta-ra, with the stress on the second syllable

ANANTARA GREAT MOMENTS:
- The amazing elephants – One-day mahout training for the boys; the trek for us. This was a (if not the) trip highlight for all of us.
- Cooking Class – There were seven of us in the class (from all over), plus the General Manager of the Anantara, who goes out of his way to interact with the guests. He shopped and cooked with our class and used us as kind of a focus group. Class included a visit to the market in Chiang Sean, a stop for wonderful coffee with the locals and a tour of Anantara’s impressive organic garden. Then you go to a dream kitchen where you are presented with a chef’s hat and cookbook. We prepared Pad Thai, green curry and coconut banana dessert, all delicious and fairly easy to duplicate at home. Our 16-year old jock happily participated.
-The Hall of Opium – The history of the entire world as influenced by drugs – fascinating and a perfect heads-up for teens. A must-see before going into Burma; it will provide context.

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OUR CUSTOM 3-COUNTRY TOUR:
Hired Toy and a van with her husband as our driver. She speaks excellent English, understands the nuances of touring with kids, and tells hilarious stories about her childhood in Bangkok. Spending the day with her was like traveling with a smart and funny friend. Left the Anantara at 8 am and were back by 2 pm.

We walked over the Friendship Bridge into Myanmar, which instantly felt like another world. Crossing the border itself was a great adventure for the kids. Had to park our van on the Thai side and leave our passports with a lethargic soldier in a rundown office right out of the ‘50s. Had a choice of hiring two rickshaws or an ancient colorful truck with wooden benches in the back. Chose the truck. Traveled on dusty roads past the local “gas station”, a roadside shack where a woman sold soda bottles full of petrol. (Probably illegal - She wouldn’t let us take photos.)

Spent about three hours visiting:
- a Shan village (friendly people, many watching t.v. or doing laundry in open houses)
- a Mon village (girls selling crafts, no men in sight)
- a golden pagoda (replica of the Schwedagon in Yangon) where we stood at shrines corresponding to the days of the week we were born and released caged birds (More dinner conversation material: Is it okay to catch birds, then charge people to release them?)

Next, back to the Thai border town of Mae Sai, mostly tourist stalls. Toy cleverly kept everyone occupied at a small jade “factory” while I purchased 18k chandelier earrings with tiny sapphires ($130).

Then a fast longboat to the Lao island. Not the real Laos, of course, but kids loved bragging rights of visiting three countries in a morning. Toy timed it so we were the only ones besides the vendors on the island. I acquired some woven cotton/silk table runners ($15) while the men had a meal of Lao noodles and checked out some intriguing items, like Tiger Penis whiskey (which, to my horror, my husband allowed the boys to taste).

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THE ELEPHANT MISHAP:
After a morning of learning elephant commands, our 13-year old son had mastered “turn right”, “turn left”, “kneel down”, but hadn’t yet learned the instruction for “Don’t submerge yourself in a yucky river while I’m barely holding onto your neck”.

As a result, while bathing his elephant, he slipped off and fell into the muddy waters of the Ruak River. He thought this was very funny and so did his elephant, who sprayed him (twice) in glee. The mahouts, also amused, kept his head out of the water. But I was concerned after reading KimJapan’s post about her daughter ending up in the hospital with a serious infection after exposure to a Northern Thai river during a similar elephant incident.

Before the bath, my husband and son, who share the same shoe size, had left their sneakers on a rock next to the river. Freshly bathed, their elephants thumped out of the water and, with their trunks, “handed” the right shoes to the right owners. (And we thought our dog was a genius.)

Arrived back to the room with a drenched child in stinky soaked clothes. Googled “Ruak River.” Found an environmental risk report about the toxic wastewater at the confluence of the Ryak and Mehkong rivers, exactly the site of the elephant incident.

Luckily an insomniac friend happened to be online, a well-traveled expert parent who knows everything, so I instant-messaged her for advice:

CROSSCHECK: r u there?
EXPERTMOM: hey – how’s it going in thailand?
CROSSCHECK: great, except son slid off elephant into filthy river with elephant dung, chinese industrial contaminants and burmese sewage
EXPERTMOM: yikes! give him doxycycline…that’s what the bev hills travel doc recommends for fresh water exposure, can be used to prevent infection
CROSSCHECK: uh-oh.santa monica trav doc didn’t agree, so we don’t have doxy...how about the z-pack? tamiflu? (we are out of cipro)
EXPERTMOM: no, i think it has to be doxycycline
CROSSCHECK: what if I just scrub him down with purell?
EXPERTMOM: you could try…good luck

We ended up using just the fancy green tea Anantara soap. It has now been eight weeks, and so far, no fevers or nasty rashes.

WORSE THAN THE ELEPHANT MISHAP: MISSED GETTING IT ON VIDEOTAPE
Boy, am I lame with a camcorder. Got a decent shot of our son falling into the river, but pressed the “pause” button thinking it was “record” and missed the part when the elephant sprayed him with her trunk.

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ANANTARA RANTS:
-2 (of 4) arctic nights - Many guests wore parkas to breakfast and dinner. A British couple spoke of circulating a petition demanding that the staff close the sliding doors to the open-air restaurant. The pool was freezing as well, but the “hot” tub was ok for kids.
-Tours and cooking school were pricey - Thanks to advice from Fodorites we hired our own guide and driver instead of going on the pre-set 3-country tour. If you’re willing to splurge, though, they now offer a fascinating day trip to the “real Laos”, includes hilltribes and festivals.
-“Aromatic Facial” was truly awful, a harsh 60-minute rub of the face and neck (at first I thought this could have been California spa snobbery on my part, but two Australian guests had the same reaction)
-Several of the concierge staff, though well-meaning, were clueless about the activities. One said it was “too cold” to go on the sunset Akha village trek; other guests later reported that the air temp was ideal for trekking.
- Town of Sop Ruak (worth visiting just for the free tea samples at the Chinese markets) is one mile away, but there’s no free shuttle. If you go in the hotel van, you must hire it for three hours. (But it’s an easy walk and you can find taxis there – Bring your phrasebook)

BOOK RECOMMENDATION:
A quick plug for Amy Tan's "Saving Fish From Drowning": Although it received mixed reviews, this was the perfect read for this portion of the trip because it is a well-researched story about an art tour group kidnapped by a Karen hilltribe in Burma. It does have plot issues, but it is a page turner and a good choice for SE Asia travelers.

Next: Tokyo, including the Toilet

RollTide

My husband and I are going to Thailand in a couple of weeks. Part of our trip will be 5 nights at Anantara. How did you book Toy as your driver? I am very torn over Laos or the GT area. Can Toy take people into Laos or will we have to do the hotel tour? Thanks for all the information!!!

rhkkmk

i think the area that kim japan's daughter was in was far more restricted and thus the water was pretty stagnant....more of a pool type area...

Gpanda

Nice going with the camcorder. You must have taken panda lessons. There was a memorable happenstance at Warwick Castle that is still remarked upon by Mrs. Panda. Thankfully, I have forgotten the entire incident.

Are you planning your next trip yet?