Camping in the Wilderness ( Incredible India Part 2.1)

After a few hours of savoring the urban chicness of Aman New Delhi, I am off to the Delhi Hazrat Nizamuddin Station to catch the Augustkranti Train for my railway journey to Rajasthan’s Ranthambore National Park. I almost missed the train because I was busy chatting with D.W!

 

The driver and the porter taking care of my luggage and picnic bag: 

 The train ride will take about 4 hrs so my personal batman (or butler) prepared my "suite": 

 The train departed at 16:55 and arrived at 20:36 in Sawai Madhopur Junction in Rajasthan where I was greeted by the jeep driver with warm towel & warm cup of tea. Here's the beautiful train station:

Upon arrival at Aman-I-khas I was welcomed by the musician serenading the guests around the campfire. 

L.P. was in our tent already waiting for me. 

A few minutes later our butler escorted us to the Dining Tent and we had a hearty thali set meal. 

Later that evening we rested in our beautiful tent:

I slept like a baby that night. I never knew camping in the wilderness was this fun.Of course, we were in an accommodation suited for princesses in a tent fashioned like a palace.

Incredible India (Part 1)

Traveling to India has this arresting effect to your senses. It heightens your sense of sight for colors, sense if smell for the spices lingering scent in the air, sense of taste for the sumptuous feast laid on the table so generously, sense of touch for the finest cotton & sense of hearing from the honks of Delhi's traffic to the eerie silence of the ancient forts. Thinking about the experience now brought memories so vivid because India is unforgettable like that.

Because I decided last minute, I arrived a day later than my dearest friend L.P. This travel was different from all my other adventures as this was one of those rare occasion after marriage that I traveled without my family. In a way the trip was a breather for me but I come to think of it as a reward of all the hard work I've done that year. Besides, it was our pleasure to visit the home country of my respected boss and such honor to meet his wonderful family. =)

Here's the arrival hall at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

and here's my ride classic Indian car, the Ambassador: 

 
Here's my New Delhi traffic sighting: 

 and the scenic drive via the Parliament House to Lodhi, where Aman New Delhi is located: 

Although I was only in transit for a couple of hours, my ever favorite sales guru & dear friend D.W. surprised me with a wash & change room in one of the pool suites...

First few hours in India and I am in Love. But never a second past that I did not wish, V.P. & Mini V.P. were there to discover the country that introduces itself so loudly yet so gracefully at the same time.

Best Kep Secret

It's the weekend and naturally my mind is in between finishing my Hitlist and Holidaying. Often this image comes to mind as this is what we love to do when doing nothing:

Then there's the thought of "backpacking" across Cambodia and revisiting Kep. Oh, I love Kep! The city was founded in 1908 during French colonial rule and was originally named Kep-sur-mer (Source: Wikipedia) Most of the villas were left crumbling after the civil war but I am happy that they have now reconstructed it mostly as resorts or private villa.
My memory of Kep from the 2010 visit was it was more of the Hamptons rather than the "French Riviera of the 1920's Cambodia". Here's us in Knai Bang Chatt's sailing club:

I can't wait to come back! Rain or Shine, it was worth spending a day or two at this seaside haven.

Poetry & Artdeli of the Alley West

When the Visual Poet & Fuchsiaboy collaborated in the Art + Fashion store POETRY, it gave spice to the little Alley West road near the Old Market area. Then came the Art Deli, another fab collaboration of the V.P. with his Canadian Friend Jam & Mr. Sol. Now this area is known for the quirky & artsy stores, cafe, boutiques & restaurants that lined up both sides of the alley.

POETRY

ARTDELI & THE ALLEY WEST

 When shopping in Siem Reap, most likely you will find the same same not so different products in Psa Chas, all the night markets that mushroomed everywhere and even souvenir shops that dotted every passages and lanes in the town. Only in Alley West you can find unique, quirky & artsy items that will be fun to take home and remember Angkor. 

Home

From the time we were married and moved to Angkor,  we had moved for at least 5 times. It's not that we don't like where we live, I think we just like redecorating our house and make it our home!

Our Shoebox Apartment in Boni, Mandaluyong, Philippines:

 

Our First House in Angkor: 

Our Traditional Khmer Blue House

The Villa: 

Our 60's Khmer House:

and my favorite part: The Bookshelf which VP made especially for me!!!

We are still dreaming about our own home. We have not decided where that will be as right now we are enjoying the life here in the kingdom.

Travel Tips 101: Tourist Visa

One of the best thing about traveling to Cambodia as a tourist is that you can apply your tourist visa online! Here is the link to the Kingdom of Wonder's Ministry of Tourism Website.

Noted that Tourist Visa is also available at Siem Reap Internation Airport. Other popular gateway from Thailand is the Poipet Border. Three Things to remember: 

• All visitors arriving to Cambodia must have a passport valid for more than 6 months.
• Tourist visa costs US$20 per person and one passport size photograph is required.
• Tourists from ASEAN countries has 21 days free visa  

For lists of countries needed Visa before arrival, you can visit the Ministry of Foreign Affair's website.

PS: That's Moi & group of university friends who visited last December. (Yup, no connection to the Visa post. We just had tons of fun exploring Angkor Hehe)

24 Provinces in 6 days

So VP twitted me today that we're "backpacking" and doing the road trip of 23 Provinces in 3 days in the Kingdom. Quoting the twit: "U, Me & 2 green pantone chairs". Sounds Exciting!

I am up all night trying to figure out how we're going to do this. I am scared just because I don't like my husband driving around Cambodia. Over the years I had developed an irrational fear of Motorcycles zigzagging along the road especially in intersections. I only like road trips only when there's another driver (Because I can't drive and will not drive. Again irrational fear...). 

Pushing my fears aside and being me, I am of course researching about our itinerary.

Map Credit: www.canbypublications.com

I assume that our itinerary will be the following despite the fact that I don't know if there's existing roads going through this provinces (Google Maps can't find the unknown roads!) or if this can be done in 3 days. Now after chatting with VP (who is currently in PP for new projects!) we're making it 6 days so we can stay overnight in some of the provinces and visit 24 provinces! We might skip Preah Vihear because of the temple dispute but lets see.... 

Day 1:

• Siem Reap (1. Siem Reap) - Anlong Veng (2.Odar Meanchey) - Tbeng Meanchey (3. Preah Vihear) 
• Kampong Thom (5.Kampong Thom) -  Kampong Cham (6. Kampong Cham) - Kratie (7.Kratie) 

Day 2:

• Stung Treng ( 8. Stung Treng) - Banlung (9. Ratanakiri) - Sen Monorom ( 10. Mondulkiri)

Day 3:

• Prey Veng ( 11. Prey Veng ) - Svay Rieng (12.Svay Rieng) - Takhmau (13. Kandal ) - Phnom Penh 

Day 4:

•   Takeo ( 14. Takeo) - Kep ( 15. Kep ) - Kampot ( 16. Kampot) - Sihanoukville ( 17. Sihanoukville) - Koh Kong ( 18. Koh Kong ) 

Day 5:

• Kampong Speu (19. Kampong Speu) - Kampong Chnnang (20. Kampong Chnnang) - Pursat (21. Pursat) - Battambang ( 22. Battambang) - Pailin ( 23. Pailin )

Day 6:

• Sisophon (24. Odar Meanchey Province) - Back to Siem Reap!

 We're planning in doing this on April. I have 2 months to prepare. I don't want to over research but I am definitely looking forward to this trip! =)

PS: There's a lot of !!! in this post. Yup, I am that excited XOXO

Planes (Part Two)

We're still talking about flights... so where were we?.. Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and now lets more on to:

1. Seoul - If you're from the US or flying to US cities, this is the best connection to take. There's a Korean Air flight that connects with Delta Airlines. I think it's a code share flight. You can look at this flight in two ways: (+) you will have the full day to explore the city or the temples as your flight will not be leaving until 22:00 or 23:00. (-) is that you have to book the extra night for wash & change prior to flight as standard check out time is at 12:00. Most hotels offer 50% charge for late check out until 18:00 but will charge 100% of the room rate if you check out after this. Anyways, there is always the option of checking out at 12:00, explore the town, have a massage/spa treatment, shower at the spa, have dinner and then off to the airport! Plus you have extra time to do your shopping at the night market. 
2.  Shanghai - I am still skeptical about this flight as I have heard rumors that this flight always gets cancelled when there are not enough passengers and apparently only available to tour operators because it's a charter flight.
3. Ho Chi Minh & Hanoi - Siem Reap as a destination really started to boom as an extension to Vietnam or Thailand Itineraries. I myself first travel to Siem Reap via SGN. Nothing much has changed since a lot of tourists will still travel to Vietnam then to Cambodia during their trip to Indochina. Both Saigon & Hanoi offers great connections to other international cities. My personal advise: Be prepared! Vietnam Airlines is known for delayed & cancelled flights in these routes especially the evening flights.
4. Yangon, Pakse, Luang Prabang, Danang, Guangzhou, Kunming, Vientiane - These ancient cities are fabulous destinations before or after your Angkor holiday. You can explore UNESCO World Heritage Sites, learn about ancient tales and legendary heroes who once roamed these lands and immerse yourself in another culture. Remember, airlines flying these destinations are smaller aircrafts &. chances are it maybe an ATR..
5. Domestic Flights: Phnom Penh & Sihanoukville - If you are from Hong Kong, there is a direct flight to Phnom Penh via Dragon Air. The flight times varies but there is a timing that can connect to a Cambodia Angkor Air flight to Siem Reap. The flight is only for 45 Minutes. Note that if you take the car or bus this may take from 5 - 6 hrs. PNH also has flights from Paris via Air France with a quick stopover in Bangkok. The capital city has more choices on the airlines including Thai Airways and Eva Air. Newly opened Sihanoukville Airport is the gateway to the Southern Coast of Cambodia. OK, KOS is an old airport but was temporarily closed for renovations. Now, one can take the 50 min flight  & experience the white sand beaches of Cambodia.. wait, this is not in Sihanoukville! Charter a boat & explore the paradise islands off coast Sihanoukville or Kep. I haven't been to these islands and can't wait to experience the private island to which I am invited to experience soon.

For complete timings and airlines, here's the website for Siem Reap International Airport (REP).

Now book yourself a ticket or call your travel concierge and grab your Lonely Planet or Luxe Guide. Angkor is waiting for you to take it's photo be it sunrise or sunset. =)

Planes+Buses+Automobiles+Tuk Tuk + Moto

There are different ways to get to Angkor and different ways to move around this ancient city. 

Planes: (Part 1)

Depending on which part of the world you are coming from, here are the following cities with direct flights to Siem Reap International Airport: 

1. Bangkok - There is only 1 airline that services this route: Bangkok Airways. For a 55 minutes flight you will spend  approximately THB 7,865  ( USD 249 ) oneway. That's an expensive short airplane ride! No time of a power nap or read the inflight magazine from cover to cover. No time for duty free shopping either... hehehe Earliest flight from BKK is P903 that arrives in REP at 9:00 am. If you want to make the most of your time, then this is the best early flight otherwise PG905 is the perfect flight to take. It arrives by 12:35, in time for a quick lunch and check in in your hotel (Standard Check in time is at 14:00). Now just because Bangkok Airways offers daily flights which flies several times per day doesn't mean you can fly in and out of Siem Reap. Accordingly to the law, you must stay at least 1 night in Siem Reap. This law helps in preventing "day visitors" to Siem Reap and boost hotel occupancy. I mean what can you see in a day? Nothing! that's barely scratching the surface of the beauty of the temples =) FYI: Average length of stay in Siem Reap is at least 3 nights.
2. Kuala Lumpur - I haven't tried Malaysian Airlines as yet. But friends who did said that the service and connecting flight times to other destinations are reasons enough worth spending reasonable money for the ticket. I had traveled Air Asia on the other hand and I can't complaint about the service. The make up + hair of the cabin crew deserves a blog post on its own but they give ok service so I am quite satisfied with my experience flying with Air Asia. Last we fly in via in this airline, the Visual Artist bought all the Krispe Creme they were selling on board.... and a word of warning though, last time use this airline for flying out of Siem Reap, we obviously landed at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal in KUL & we had to walk for 20 mins from the time we disembark from the plane to the time we reach the Arrival Terminal. Calories burned = to 12 sun salutations. Being a low cost airline, this would mean you will be departing KUL LCCT at  6:50 AM and arrive in REP at 7:50 AM. It's actually a 2 hrs flight with 1 hr time difference because KUL is ahead of 1 hr from REP.
3. Singapore - Flying in from Singapore means you are probably relaxed because you boarded from Changi Airport. Doesn't really matter if your flight has been delayed for reasonable 3 hours. That means you can shop more at the Changi Mall! Errr I mean Airport =) I heart Changi. My husband knows how much I love SIN airport thus that we take most of our flights from there... Well, there are 2 airlines that services this route: Singapore Airlines/Silk Air (code share) and Jetstar Asia. If you are traveling luxury travel by Singapore Airlines/Silk Air. If you are traveling on a budget, travel Jetstar Asia. As a family, we always take Jetstar, its a cheap and cheerful alternative when you don't want to splurge in airfare and would rather save that money in shopping! =)  Timing is not so bad, departing SIN at 14:50 and arrival at 16:00 at REP. Again, SIN is an hr ahead of REP making this a 2 hr flight. Tip: On arrival ask your driver to drive past the Angkor road instead of Route #6 to town. You can see glimpse of Angkor at Sunset during this time. 

So that's Part 1. Need to stop writing as  VP will be heading to Phnom Penh via the Midnight bus. XOXO

Day 01: Must get this blogging started

This is not my first blog. =) I am not sure how many times I have log in to blogspot, created one and only to delete it because I never updated it. Life & Facebook got in the way.

Lets make things clear. I am not a writer. I am more of a talker which is why my writing "sounds"like I am talking. With the encouragement of dear hubby, I joined him for a creative writing class which I attended only once. My spirit is willing to attend more workshops but then again Work got in the way....

Speaking of work, I write emails & answers telephone calls for a living in the hospitality industry. I make unforgettable and meaningful holidays and experiences for others which is why I make sure at least once.. ok sometimes thrice a year... ok, ok, sometimes lots of times in a year we go for awesome adventures here in the kingdom or anywhere our soles will take us.

Here's us 7 years ago:

Here's us now: