Trip Report-Gpanda
Dec 29th, 2005, 08:04 PM
#41
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the drive from the marriott is 35-45 minutes....
anxious to see how you like SR...or should i say angkor wat as SR is not all that nice in and of itself...
if you had said that you knew both gloria and kathie then you would have gotten a 25% discount at least...
anxious to see how you like SR...or should i say angkor wat as SR is not all that nice in and of itself...
if you had said that you knew both gloria and kathie then you would have gotten a 25% discount at least...
Dec 29th, 2005, 09:43 PM
#43
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Da knows Gloria. I don't know who was there the day you went, but Da has always been there when I've gone by there. They are supposed to be deliviering my 13 garments, to my apartment, on Jan 04th. I'll be happy to see how things turned out. I told Da to just use her imagination and be creative, since I didn't exactly have a straight forward job to be done. I gave her a general concept. I took in all of my own fabric which all had patterns on it, so patterns need to match at the seams, but she pulled it off just fine back in August, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Happy Travels!
Also hopes she lowers the price for me.
Dec 30th, 2005, 05:34 AM
#45
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After I mentioned Gloria's name, I was offered a 25% discount and then when I mentioned Bob's, the discount was reduced to 20%.
12/29/05-up at 4:00 a.m. to catch an early flight to Siem Riep. I had coordinated S and S's W Chiang Mai flight to be about the same time. We all took a van provided by Julie's Taxi for 1000 Baht. The driver was prompt. I asked him to pick us all up upon our return to BKK on 1/5/06. We'll see.
On our arrival at the tiny SR airport, we had to get a Visa. We were in the front of the plane and therefore the front of the line. It took only about 10-15 minutes. It looked as if those in the rear of the plane would be there for up to 1/2 hour.
We were met by Larra, Ponheary's brother. I immediately suspected a take-off of the previously mentioned Ratt and switch ( again, my S and S's W loved Tony, the replacement driver).
However, Larra had just dropped off agroup at the airport and he took us to Ponheary who was waiting at our hotel, the Prince D'Angkor. Ponheary had booked this hotel for us for $90 per night. I knew nothing about the hotel and went on faith derived from previous Fodorite recommendations of Ponheary's work. The hotel was good. The deluxe rooms are comfortable and reasonably well appointed. The lobby is pretty and restful. The pool is great it's salt water and a nice length and configuration. Given the outrageous prices for some of the other hotels, this was a great bargain. Ponheary booked through a travel agent friend of hers. I strongly recommend that anyone using Ponheary or a relative (sometimes she's already reserved) get her to book a hotel. I think I recall that Craig has used her to book at a better rate for one of the fancier hotels.
We dropped our stuff in our rooms and proceeded to Angkor Wat directly. Ponheary said it's much better to go to AW in the morning when its less crowded.' I'm not going to try to descrbe the temples. Suffice it to say that they are spectacular and tremendously moving. The small detail and enormous scale are staggering.
We ate lunch at a place recommended by Ponheary. A relatively typical tourist stop. She's much better on hotels than restaurants.
Back to the hotel. Shower is an absolute must after every temple excursion.
In the afternoon, we went to Ta Proehm(sp?). This has many trees interwoven into the walls. You've all seen the pictures, but seeing it in real life is amazing.
Back to the hotel. We were pooped and settled for the restaurant at the hotel. A mistake. It was mediocre as atested to by the fact that we were one of only three couples in the joint. I do note that breakfast the next morning was very solid. I suspect that the level of attendance is directly proportional to the quality of the meal.
This is as good a place as any to admit that Bob was right. Siem Riep is not to be missed. The temples are superb and the feel of the city at night is actually interesting. The reports of SR as a complete dump are inaccurate. There are some decent places as will be reported later.
12/29/05-up at 4:00 a.m. to catch an early flight to Siem Riep. I had coordinated S and S's W Chiang Mai flight to be about the same time. We all took a van provided by Julie's Taxi for 1000 Baht. The driver was prompt. I asked him to pick us all up upon our return to BKK on 1/5/06. We'll see.
On our arrival at the tiny SR airport, we had to get a Visa. We were in the front of the plane and therefore the front of the line. It took only about 10-15 minutes. It looked as if those in the rear of the plane would be there for up to 1/2 hour.
We were met by Larra, Ponheary's brother. I immediately suspected a take-off of the previously mentioned Ratt and switch ( again, my S and S's W loved Tony, the replacement driver).
However, Larra had just dropped off agroup at the airport and he took us to Ponheary who was waiting at our hotel, the Prince D'Angkor. Ponheary had booked this hotel for us for $90 per night. I knew nothing about the hotel and went on faith derived from previous Fodorite recommendations of Ponheary's work. The hotel was good. The deluxe rooms are comfortable and reasonably well appointed. The lobby is pretty and restful. The pool is great it's salt water and a nice length and configuration. Given the outrageous prices for some of the other hotels, this was a great bargain. Ponheary booked through a travel agent friend of hers. I strongly recommend that anyone using Ponheary or a relative (sometimes she's already reserved) get her to book a hotel. I think I recall that Craig has used her to book at a better rate for one of the fancier hotels.
We dropped our stuff in our rooms and proceeded to Angkor Wat directly. Ponheary said it's much better to go to AW in the morning when its less crowded.' I'm not going to try to descrbe the temples. Suffice it to say that they are spectacular and tremendously moving. The small detail and enormous scale are staggering.
We ate lunch at a place recommended by Ponheary. A relatively typical tourist stop. She's much better on hotels than restaurants.
Back to the hotel. Shower is an absolute must after every temple excursion.
In the afternoon, we went to Ta Proehm(sp?). This has many trees interwoven into the walls. You've all seen the pictures, but seeing it in real life is amazing.
Back to the hotel. We were pooped and settled for the restaurant at the hotel. A mistake. It was mediocre as atested to by the fact that we were one of only three couples in the joint. I do note that breakfast the next morning was very solid. I suspect that the level of attendance is directly proportional to the quality of the meal.
This is as good a place as any to admit that Bob was right. Siem Riep is not to be missed. The temples are superb and the feel of the city at night is actually interesting. The reports of SR as a complete dump are inaccurate. There are some decent places as will be reported later.
Dec 30th, 2005, 05:36 AM
#46
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Gloria-First of all, thanks for lending me your good name. Secondly, I could tell she was the owner by the way the staff did a 180 degree turn after Reed began chatting with me in a friendly fashion. Even Bob's name did not seem to deter her.
Dec 30th, 2005, 02:11 PM
#49
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Up early and went to the lobby to see if I could get on the internet. Originally, the night manager said no, but when I began reading in the lobby, he took pity and let me on.
As noted above, breakfast that came with our booking was quite good. There was a sweet sausage in the asian section that was so good that I skipped bacon (a treat I only allow myself on vacation).
Smooth 8:00 a.m. pick up in a Toyota camry. The first day we were in one of the ubiquitous (Bob?) mini vans and there was not enough leg room for Giant Pandas. The Camry was much better. Off to Banta Srei. This small temple is marvelous. The pink sandstone is quite different. Ponheary provided her usual very informative narrative. There's a fine line between looking and listening that she seems to have grasped. Not an information overload.
We had the driver drop us off at the Old Market. This was ionteresting. Almost all commerce was between Cambodians. Only on the edges was there tourist stalls.
Wasndered the nearby area for some shops. Kokoon andSenteurs de Cambodia got a little of our custom. Lunch at the Blue Pumpkin.
Tuk tuk back to the hotel. Out to the pool, Again this was very nice and relaxful.
3:00 pick up fot trip to Angkor Thom. Beth was quite taken with the four-faced towers. Many pictures. The bas relief was my favorite.
Back to the hotel. Dropped off some laundry and a Tuk tuk to the Red Piano. We sat upstairs on the balcony (where else would a balcony be, the basement?) overlooking a side street. Very scenic. WE had Amok Fish and stir-fried prawns with black pepper sauce. Both were very good.
After dinner we wandered and bought some items at Rajanna. Had ice cream at the Blue Pumpkin. The Star Anise is extraordinary. We went into the photo gallery of William McDermott. His stuff is sensational. So much so that Beth bought a 2005 Calendar. There is no 2006 Calendar, so she settled for one that would be out of date in two days. The photos are stunning. Tuk tuk back to the hotel.
Bob, it was this very pleasant evening in SR that leads me to believe that it is becoming more tourist friendly. A stroll after dinner was quite enjoyable.
As noted above, breakfast that came with our booking was quite good. There was a sweet sausage in the asian section that was so good that I skipped bacon (a treat I only allow myself on vacation).
Smooth 8:00 a.m. pick up in a Toyota camry. The first day we were in one of the ubiquitous (Bob?) mini vans and there was not enough leg room for Giant Pandas. The Camry was much better. Off to Banta Srei. This small temple is marvelous. The pink sandstone is quite different. Ponheary provided her usual very informative narrative. There's a fine line between looking and listening that she seems to have grasped. Not an information overload.
We had the driver drop us off at the Old Market. This was ionteresting. Almost all commerce was between Cambodians. Only on the edges was there tourist stalls.
Wasndered the nearby area for some shops. Kokoon andSenteurs de Cambodia got a little of our custom. Lunch at the Blue Pumpkin.
Tuk tuk back to the hotel. Out to the pool, Again this was very nice and relaxful.
3:00 pick up fot trip to Angkor Thom. Beth was quite taken with the four-faced towers. Many pictures. The bas relief was my favorite.
Back to the hotel. Dropped off some laundry and a Tuk tuk to the Red Piano. We sat upstairs on the balcony (where else would a balcony be, the basement?) overlooking a side street. Very scenic. WE had Amok Fish and stir-fried prawns with black pepper sauce. Both were very good.
After dinner we wandered and bought some items at Rajanna. Had ice cream at the Blue Pumpkin. The Star Anise is extraordinary. We went into the photo gallery of William McDermott. His stuff is sensational. So much so that Beth bought a 2005 Calendar. There is no 2006 Calendar, so she settled for one that would be out of date in two days. The photos are stunning. Tuk tuk back to the hotel.
Bob, it was this very pleasant evening in SR that leads me to believe that it is becoming more tourist friendly. A stroll after dinner was quite enjoyable.
Dec 30th, 2005, 08:18 PM
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good to hear....we only walked around the area near the market which was under tarps---almost like old army tents...the roads were all dirt and very dusty....
we went twice but decided it was not worth our time...
hopefully it has changed...
guess you will be stuck in 2005 for another year...
brad is looking for you in bkk...see his first ever posting...
enjopy...
B&K
we went twice but decided it was not worth our time...
hopefully it has changed...
guess you will be stuck in 2005 for another year...
brad is looking for you in bkk...see his first ever posting...
enjopy...
B&K
Dec 31st, 2005, 02:51 AM
#51
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Good breakfast. 8:00 a.m. pick up for trip to Tonle Sap. This was sort of interesting, but not riveting. It did not hold the same power as the temple visits, but it was a useful break. I guess I would recommend that one should skip this. Beth, the infidel mentioned that we should have followed Bob's advice and visited a village near the reservoir. We then went to the Artisan's School for carving. This was very good. B, the I, actually uttered the phrase Obi-wan-Kimball. I'm not speaking to her.
I had a one hour Khmer massage at the hotel.With coupon, it was $15. The massage was more physical than Thai massage. More bending, twisting and hard squeezing. It was not as restful. However, I was miuch looser afterwards.
Lunch at the FCC. Decent, but not extraordinary. vegetable curry was the highpoint. The duch cakes were overly fried and the Shrimp tempura overly breaded.
3:00 p.m. pick up for Pra Kahn (sp?). This is a temple in the Bayon style by Jayavarman 7. It was very interesting.
Some idle comments about Siem Riep. Before kvetching, I note for the record that the trip here was special. The temples are not to be missed. They are truly fantastic. Also as noted above, there are some interesting things to do at night.
The town itself is squalid. There are a lot of very poor people. Many children selling useless items around the temples. There also were a number of land mine victims, begging and playing in bands near the temples. There's an obvious chasm between the welthy tourists and the vast majority of the people. It's somewhat troubling.
Also, there are a number of streets with trash lining the sides. This is partially ameliorized by the constantly burning small piles of trash that can be smelled at all hours of the day.
I also noticed a peculiar phenomenon at the hotel. When I would walk past an employee, he/she would stop and bow and let me completely pass before going on his/her way.
Tonight, thew "Gala New Year Eve's [sic] Dinner".
Tomorrow, we have a tight connection in BKK. A 10:20 a.m. arrival on BKK Air from SR and a 12:30 Thai Air flight to Krabi. Also, we are meeting Sand S's W at BKK airport. They have a 9:30 arrival from CM on Thai Air. We'll see.
I had a one hour Khmer massage at the hotel.With coupon, it was $15. The massage was more physical than Thai massage. More bending, twisting and hard squeezing. It was not as restful. However, I was miuch looser afterwards.
Lunch at the FCC. Decent, but not extraordinary. vegetable curry was the highpoint. The duch cakes were overly fried and the Shrimp tempura overly breaded.
3:00 p.m. pick up for Pra Kahn (sp?). This is a temple in the Bayon style by Jayavarman 7. It was very interesting.
Some idle comments about Siem Riep. Before kvetching, I note for the record that the trip here was special. The temples are not to be missed. They are truly fantastic. Also as noted above, there are some interesting things to do at night.
The town itself is squalid. There are a lot of very poor people. Many children selling useless items around the temples. There also were a number of land mine victims, begging and playing in bands near the temples. There's an obvious chasm between the welthy tourists and the vast majority of the people. It's somewhat troubling.
Also, there are a number of streets with trash lining the sides. This is partially ameliorized by the constantly burning small piles of trash that can be smelled at all hours of the day.
I also noticed a peculiar phenomenon at the hotel. When I would walk past an employee, he/she would stop and bow and let me completely pass before going on his/her way.
Tonight, thew "Gala New Year Eve's [sic] Dinner".
Tomorrow, we have a tight connection in BKK. A 10:20 a.m. arrival on BKK Air from SR and a 12:30 Thai Air flight to Krabi. Also, we are meeting Sand S's W at BKK airport. They have a 9:30 arrival from CM on Thai Air. We'll see.
Dec 31st, 2005, 03:05 AM
#52
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Andy, did Ponheary suggest your itinerary or did you tell her what temples you wanted to see? It seems you hit most of the major ones. Why was Tonle Sap disappointing? What is the village near the reservoir?
Hope you make your connection...
Hope you make your connection...
Dec 31st, 2005, 06:22 AM
#53
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karen is anxious to hear about gala dinner...
you never learn do you....follow exactly what i duggest with no diviations....those in the know do...
the lake....we skipped it for its mixed reviews in the past...many do love it however...
the village near the resevoir....not really a village....there is a wonderful market on the resevoir road...nearby we travelled along a local road through an area where locals lived...i would not really call it a village....craig...ask me when we have lunch next week or so...the drive was 2nd only to the ruins imo....
you never learn do you....follow exactly what i duggest with no diviations....those in the know do...
the lake....we skipped it for its mixed reviews in the past...many do love it however...
the village near the resevoir....not really a village....there is a wonderful market on the resevoir road...nearby we travelled along a local road through an area where locals lived...i would not really call it a village....craig...ask me when we have lunch next week or so...the drive was 2nd only to the ruins imo....
Dec 31st, 2005, 07:47 AM
#54
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The temples really are stunning, aren't they?
Gpanda, can you give more more of a sense of the other temples you saw? You've just mentioned one templ per half day, but I'm sure you saw more... I have a friend planing a trip who is not interested in the marathaaon temples-fest I did (6 days of all the major and most of the minor temples). I'm trying to figure out whether an itinerary like yours would meet her needs.
Gpanda, can you give more more of a sense of the other temples you saw? You've just mentioned one templ per half day, but I'm sure you saw more... I have a friend planing a trip who is not interested in the marathaaon temples-fest I did (6 days of all the major and most of the minor temples). I'm trying to figure out whether an itinerary like yours would meet her needs.
Dec 31st, 2005, 10:30 AM
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Another question, Andy: How was the view of the temple complex from your plane going in and leaving? What side did you sit on? One of the things we are considering, if it is still available, is the 10 minute balloon ride that gives a bird's eye view of the complex - did you see anyone doing this?
Dec 31st, 2005, 03:48 PM
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Craig - I went up in the balloon a couple of years ago. I wasn't sure a first but I'm glad I did - you got a good overview around the area. We went up late afternoon when we had basically finished our temple round for the day. We had Ponheary as a guide and we just looked out for decent clear weather and went then - the first couple of days were too cloudy. We had to wait awhile as the first trip up filled up with a coach but then our trip was much less full - cost about $11 I think.
Also we flew in at lunch time and got a pretty good view of Angkor Wat - sitting on the left side but I think the plane turned enough to see a bit from the other side too - I guess it depends on the weather.
Kathie - I still have a list of the temples we visited on each day with Ponheary during our 3 day pass. I can list them for you (for your friend) if you want so you can see what she would normally take people too. It was a fairly full on itineray but we liked it a lot.
Also we flew in at lunch time and got a pretty good view of Angkor Wat - sitting on the left side but I think the plane turned enough to see a bit from the other side too - I guess it depends on the weather.
Kathie - I still have a list of the temples we visited on each day with Ponheary during our 3 day pass. I can list them for you (for your friend) if you want so you can see what she would normally take people too. It was a fairly full on itineray but we liked it a lot.
Dec 31st, 2005, 03:55 PM
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Kathie-we elected to spend most of the time on the major temples. I had read Dawn Rooney's book and concluded that there was more "bang for the buck" in devoting maximum time to the major sites and skipping the minor ones.
Craig-Ponheary suggested the temples and the order that we would see the temples. She included all of what I had considered "must see" so went along. She inquired whether we wanted to see the Lake and after waffling
(see Bob's comments concerning mixed reviews) we decided to see it. I would not say it was disappointing, merely not as exciting as the temples.
On to the Gala Dinner.
There was a delay in getting the tickets for the dinner. I asked 3 times and eventually they had them by 4:00 p.m. for a 7:00 p.m. start.
At 7:15 (fashionably late ) we went down to a a downpour. They had made no provision for this and they were serving food to dedicated guests at a buffet. The guests were getting soaked. We went into the lobby and snared the last two seats. The rest were taken by guests with plates of dfood in their laps.
We then followed a procession into the dining roon where they were hastily setting up for dinner. We stood around for a while and then watched as the staff began to "un-set-up". Apparently it had stopped raining.
We went outside and stood around while the staff put dry napkins on the wet chairs.
After this we scarfed two seats and proceeded into the buffet line. This was already decimated. There was food, but getting near the end. They did replenish, but not very quickly. The food itself was mediocre and mostly dishes for the Asian palate. I found enough to eat, but it was sad really. There was no dessert to speak of, so we slinked back to the room. The festivities continued for the diehards, but they were not too loud. As I suspected, the compulsory Gala dinner was essentially an extotionary device to make sure that the hotel guests did not spend their money at the better restaurants. This was essentially confirmed by Ponheary.
I forgot to mention that the person providing my massage was called the massage officer. Given her firm touch, this was entirely appropriate.
Craig-I forgot and did not look out the window coming in. Also, I saw only only one balloon.
Off to Krabi and the tight connection.
Craig-Ponheary suggested the temples and the order that we would see the temples. She included all of what I had considered "must see" so went along. She inquired whether we wanted to see the Lake and after waffling
(see Bob's comments concerning mixed reviews) we decided to see it. I would not say it was disappointing, merely not as exciting as the temples.
On to the Gala Dinner.
There was a delay in getting the tickets for the dinner. I asked 3 times and eventually they had them by 4:00 p.m. for a 7:00 p.m. start.
At 7:15 (fashionably late ) we went down to a a downpour. They had made no provision for this and they were serving food to dedicated guests at a buffet. The guests were getting soaked. We went into the lobby and snared the last two seats. The rest were taken by guests with plates of dfood in their laps.
We then followed a procession into the dining roon where they were hastily setting up for dinner. We stood around for a while and then watched as the staff began to "un-set-up". Apparently it had stopped raining.
We went outside and stood around while the staff put dry napkins on the wet chairs.
After this we scarfed two seats and proceeded into the buffet line. This was already decimated. There was food, but getting near the end. They did replenish, but not very quickly. The food itself was mediocre and mostly dishes for the Asian palate. I found enough to eat, but it was sad really. There was no dessert to speak of, so we slinked back to the room. The festivities continued for the diehards, but they were not too loud. As I suspected, the compulsory Gala dinner was essentially an extotionary device to make sure that the hotel guests did not spend their money at the better restaurants. This was essentially confirmed by Ponheary.
I forgot to mention that the person providing my massage was called the massage officer. Given her firm touch, this was entirely appropriate.
Craig-I forgot and did not look out the window coming in. Also, I saw only only one balloon.
Off to Krabi and the tight connection.
Dec 31st, 2005, 04:17 PM
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craig...sorry i have it wrong i guess....i did read last year some time that the price was $300, so i said to karen now i know why we didn't do that....
also is it a real free floating balloon or is it a tethered balloon...??
sell another bond on monday and go!!
also is it a real free floating balloon or is it a tethered balloon...??
sell another bond on monday and go!!
