trip report: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia
Aug 9th, 2004, 07:01 PM
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trip report: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia
As a thank you to all those regulars who provided me with such generous and thoughtful information, I offer this trip report.
My family (myself, my husband and my son (15) and daughter (13) spent 5 1/2 weeks in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. We had travelled to Thailand and Malaysia four years ago, so this time we went a bit off the beaten track. Here's how it played out.
1. Bangkok. The more I visit this city, the more I enjoy it. Love the metered taxis, the skytrain and the ferries. For such a large, polluted city, it's easy to get around. We visited the sites at the beginning of the trip and saved the shopping for the end.
We stayed at the Royal Orchid Sheraton and enjoyed the executive suites. We enjoyed the charming 26th floor lounge with great views of the river. We sipped coffee and ate croissants while the kids sent emails on the internet. The cocktail hour in the lounge is also a nice touch.
A trip to the Mandara Spa takes the edge off 15 hours of flying! After the sports massage I smelled of cinnamon, lemongrass and cloves for days...
2. Siem Reap/Angkor. We used the Bangkok Airways pass to make the trip to Siem Reap more reasonable (see airline site for details). The Bangkok Air propeller plane looks like it's dressed for a Hawaiian party.
A quick note on airfares: there are now three discount airlines worth checking out: Orient-Thai, Asia Air and Nok Air. We noted that a flight on Orient-Thai, from Bkk to Chaing Rai, was half the price of our Thai Air ticket, but the timing just didn't work out for us. Lots of new flight options...
In Siem Reap we stayed at a relatively new hotel: the Shinta Mani. It's an 18 room boutique hotel with a small pool, great little spa and friendly staff, but the main reason we chose it is because profits from the hotel go to support an "Institue of Hospitality" located beside the hotel, where at risk young people are being given a free education in the hospitality trade. The program had just begun the month we visited. We visited the school and found the students very sweet and eager to learn. The school is looking for equipment (computers, cooking school equipment, etc. if anyone can help...). They seem to be focusing on the culinary arts at this point, but the program will expand. The students do not work at the hotel; the hotel has its own very charming staff. I was quite taken with the friendly personality of this little hotel. See their web site.
Our family took the advice of some of the Fodor experts and booked Dara Ly as a guide. We found him extremely knowledgable and kind. He has a very subtle, dry sense of humour and we enjoyed his company. The heat was a bit oppressive but the temples were outstanding. My children learned so much about both the temples and the more recent, sad history of Cambodia. We wanted to visit a rural school and Dara accommodated our request. My children were touched by the warm reception we got, and shocked at the basic conditions of the school -- a good lesson for them. They were also shocked by the poverty in town: beggars, amputees, little naked boys tugging at their arms. We soon carried riel notes everywhere so that we had money to give away. At first my son found all this hard to take, but after three days he was bargaining in the marketplace.
Dara's insight into the changes around town (the rising property prices, the poverty that still exists) was fascinating. It is for this reason alone that a guide is worthwhile: you learn as much about the present as about the past.
The manager at the Shinta Mani told me that of all the Asian people he has worked with, he finds the Cambodians the most open, kind and eager to please.
Note: the departure tax from Siem Reap Airport is now $25! I have to say, I think it's a rip off -- especially considering the fact that the airport is not even owned by Cambodia (I'd feel better if the $ was funnelled back into the country). The airport and Angkor Wat are both run by foreign countries/corporations. There's a lot of money being spent on tourism in Siem Reap, but is it reaching those in need?
3. Laos. We flew from Siem Reap to Bkk and then right to Chaing Rai. We didn't get to explore the area because we were using Chaing Rai as a launching spot for Laos. The Chaing Rai night market is small and friendly -- not the same high end shopping that Chaing Mai offers. Can't beat Chaing Mai's shopping.
We took a rickety bus from Chaing Rai to the Thai/Laos border of Chong Hong/HouieSay. The bus ride is just over 2 hours. I have been on one worse bus in China, in 1985. The windows and doors in this Thai bus didn't work, but the driver drove at a safe speed and it was an easy ride.
We took a short tuk-tuk from the bus stop to the border crossing and then, after the usual endless paperwork, we took a one-minute longtail boat across the Mekong River to the Lao town of HouieSai. It's just a one-street town with a few guesthouses and restaurants. The Tasweesin Guesthouse had air-con, and my husband actually mangaed to catch the Federer/Roddick Wimbleton finals from our little hotel room.
The reason we were in HouieSay was to catch the 2-day LuangSay cruise down the Mekong River. But you will have to wait for this next installment because I'm visiting family in Toronto now and everyone wants to get going...
If I don't get back to this for a few days or week, don't worry... I will continue!
My family (myself, my husband and my son (15) and daughter (13) spent 5 1/2 weeks in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. We had travelled to Thailand and Malaysia four years ago, so this time we went a bit off the beaten track. Here's how it played out.
1. Bangkok. The more I visit this city, the more I enjoy it. Love the metered taxis, the skytrain and the ferries. For such a large, polluted city, it's easy to get around. We visited the sites at the beginning of the trip and saved the shopping for the end.
We stayed at the Royal Orchid Sheraton and enjoyed the executive suites. We enjoyed the charming 26th floor lounge with great views of the river. We sipped coffee and ate croissants while the kids sent emails on the internet. The cocktail hour in the lounge is also a nice touch.
A trip to the Mandara Spa takes the edge off 15 hours of flying! After the sports massage I smelled of cinnamon, lemongrass and cloves for days...
2. Siem Reap/Angkor. We used the Bangkok Airways pass to make the trip to Siem Reap more reasonable (see airline site for details). The Bangkok Air propeller plane looks like it's dressed for a Hawaiian party.
A quick note on airfares: there are now three discount airlines worth checking out: Orient-Thai, Asia Air and Nok Air. We noted that a flight on Orient-Thai, from Bkk to Chaing Rai, was half the price of our Thai Air ticket, but the timing just didn't work out for us. Lots of new flight options...
In Siem Reap we stayed at a relatively new hotel: the Shinta Mani. It's an 18 room boutique hotel with a small pool, great little spa and friendly staff, but the main reason we chose it is because profits from the hotel go to support an "Institue of Hospitality" located beside the hotel, where at risk young people are being given a free education in the hospitality trade. The program had just begun the month we visited. We visited the school and found the students very sweet and eager to learn. The school is looking for equipment (computers, cooking school equipment, etc. if anyone can help...). They seem to be focusing on the culinary arts at this point, but the program will expand. The students do not work at the hotel; the hotel has its own very charming staff. I was quite taken with the friendly personality of this little hotel. See their web site.
Our family took the advice of some of the Fodor experts and booked Dara Ly as a guide. We found him extremely knowledgable and kind. He has a very subtle, dry sense of humour and we enjoyed his company. The heat was a bit oppressive but the temples were outstanding. My children learned so much about both the temples and the more recent, sad history of Cambodia. We wanted to visit a rural school and Dara accommodated our request. My children were touched by the warm reception we got, and shocked at the basic conditions of the school -- a good lesson for them. They were also shocked by the poverty in town: beggars, amputees, little naked boys tugging at their arms. We soon carried riel notes everywhere so that we had money to give away. At first my son found all this hard to take, but after three days he was bargaining in the marketplace.
Dara's insight into the changes around town (the rising property prices, the poverty that still exists) was fascinating. It is for this reason alone that a guide is worthwhile: you learn as much about the present as about the past.
The manager at the Shinta Mani told me that of all the Asian people he has worked with, he finds the Cambodians the most open, kind and eager to please.
Note: the departure tax from Siem Reap Airport is now $25! I have to say, I think it's a rip off -- especially considering the fact that the airport is not even owned by Cambodia (I'd feel better if the $ was funnelled back into the country). The airport and Angkor Wat are both run by foreign countries/corporations. There's a lot of money being spent on tourism in Siem Reap, but is it reaching those in need?
3. Laos. We flew from Siem Reap to Bkk and then right to Chaing Rai. We didn't get to explore the area because we were using Chaing Rai as a launching spot for Laos. The Chaing Rai night market is small and friendly -- not the same high end shopping that Chaing Mai offers. Can't beat Chaing Mai's shopping.
We took a rickety bus from Chaing Rai to the Thai/Laos border of Chong Hong/HouieSay. The bus ride is just over 2 hours. I have been on one worse bus in China, in 1985. The windows and doors in this Thai bus didn't work, but the driver drove at a safe speed and it was an easy ride.
We took a short tuk-tuk from the bus stop to the border crossing and then, after the usual endless paperwork, we took a one-minute longtail boat across the Mekong River to the Lao town of HouieSai. It's just a one-street town with a few guesthouses and restaurants. The Tasweesin Guesthouse had air-con, and my husband actually mangaed to catch the Federer/Roddick Wimbleton finals from our little hotel room.
The reason we were in HouieSay was to catch the 2-day LuangSay cruise down the Mekong River. But you will have to wait for this next installment because I'm visiting family in Toronto now and everyone wants to get going...
If I don't get back to this for a few days or week, don't worry... I will continue!
Aug 9th, 2004, 08:00 PM
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Great report, I look forward to more.
Just a footnote: There seems to be a persistent rumor that the Angkor Wat is owned by or run by a foreign corporation. Indeed, it is NOT, It is a Cambodian company that collects the monies and funnels the monies back into guards and upkeep at the temples. I can't comment on the airport (though I suspect it's the same situation).
Just a footnote: There seems to be a persistent rumor that the Angkor Wat is owned by or run by a foreign corporation. Indeed, it is NOT, It is a Cambodian company that collects the monies and funnels the monies back into guards and upkeep at the temples. I can't comment on the airport (though I suspect it's the same situation).
Aug 9th, 2004, 10:42 PM
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We stayed at the Shinta Mani as well in Feb 2004. On an earlier visit to SR in 2003 I had stayed at the Pansea. I posted about the Shinta Mani on this site as we loved it - and esp their "spa cuisine" which is just right for a light lunch meal so your stomach is not too full for you to enjoy the temples in the afternoon! I am glad you enjoyed it as well.
Aug 10th, 2004, 05:33 AM
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Great report. I was in Siem Reap in 1992 and the changes I read about are incredible. When I was there I saw a total of 4 other tourists the entire 4 days I was there! And my hotel room was never without an inch of water.
Gloria
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Aug 10th, 2004, 06:27 AM
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GBL, can't wait for the rest of the report, as we are planning a similar trip for the same time next year. Please include details of how you arranged the river trip to Luang Prabrang. Looking forward to it!
Aug 10th, 2004, 10:06 AM
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Your report is great. Do you have contact info for Dara Ly, and do you mind sharing how much you paid for his services? We will be in Siem Riep for 4 nights/3 days in November and are looking to hire a guide for at least one of those days. How far in advance did you contact him? Thanks.
Aug 10th, 2004, 10:12 AM
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lisa---the guide we had who strangely enough contacted me yesterday was panha...he is contacted at [email protected] had him 2 years ago and he was $20 per day and we paid an additional $20 per day for the car and driver...well worth the money...i'm sure there has been some infaltion
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