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| June 2008 »
Are all these Kompong Cham...Kompong Thom...names driving you crazy? They were us...and I'll never remember where we've been. Not only are all the similarities in names difficult, but it's been one night in each hotel with the exception of a two-nighter in Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh in the beginning.
Today, we had morning choices. A bicycle ride to visit Koh Paen Island, a drive up to Phrom Pros and Phrom Srei (hills with views), or none of the above. Eight of the group decided on the bicycle ride leaving early in the morning while the rest of us went in two tuk-tuks to sightsee. There were quite a few European tour groups staying at the same hotel, along with one from Intrepid Travel, another reasonably priced tour company.
Us tuk-tukers went to visit the "man" temple and "woman" temple. There were long stories about both, totally unimportant and both temples were new. The temples were used by the Khmer as prisons and the fields around as more Killing Fields. That was of importance and the monkeys were of interest.
Continue reading "Kompong Cham and Kompong Thom, Cambodia" »
During our trip through Laos last year, there was also a chance to see the Irrawady Dolphins. After literally sitting on a rock for hours and occasionally seeing a blur in the distance, it really was no big deal. Hopefully, this time would be better.
Only about 15-20 of these rare freshwater Irrawady Dolphins make their home around Kratie. They are not jumpers like their sea relatives and are much shyer. There may only be around 70 left in the world. Most of them were exterminated during Pol Pot's regime (used for oil) and the remainder have gotten caught in fishing nets, and killed by pollution. They are now so inbred that the babies don't live long.
dolphin watching boats
Continue reading "Irrawady Dolphins and Kompong Cham, Cambodia" »
Today, we visited the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda before heading to Kratie. The Royal Palace was only about a three-block walk from Star Royal Hotel. The roads were in the process of being blocked by the military because the King was going to be motoring through this area. A new guide but ex-Marine and I excused ourselves and set off for the Silver Pagoda since we'd explored the Palace thoroughly in 1999.
The Royal Palace gleamed in gold. It is home to His Majesty Preah Bat smdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk (quite a long name). His Majesty is unmarried and supposed to be a very "good dancer." Many different Temples and Stupas within the complex. Photography is permitted outside the enclosed areas only. Fantastic murals that are supposed to be the biggest mural frescos in Southeast Asia...View image..., and the square in front of the Silver Pagoda was calm, serene and very picturesque with the many "spirit houses."
The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh
Continue reading "The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh and Kratie, Cambodia" »
Don't know if Anthony Bourdain has made his way through Cambodia (probably) but there were several foods for sale that we had never seen before.
A fast stop on the way from Phnom Penh to Kampot at the "fried frog" stand. These little frogs are considered a delicacy and some of the group, including intrepid Karen from Perth, Australia gave it a go. I'm rather finicky when it comes to picking a frog out of a platter that everyone else was touching, and had been sitting out in the heat, AND fried in god-knows what. Not for me. Eak thinks they are delicious. Karen said "not bad."
Frogs are also widely eaten for lunch in the country. The farmers look for a big crab hole and poke around with a stick. If they feel a frog, they use another stick with a hook on the end to drag the frog out and make a fast pot of frog soup.
Karen and her frog
Continue reading "Some Unusual Foods in Cambodia" »
A long way back to Phnom Penh on the same bumpy roads with Anne very sick, Gina and Jeremy not feeling great. There would be lots of stops for sick ones to do what they had to do. Eak told us a little about schooling in Cambodia. Not compulsory but free. Most of the time, teachers charge the children a small fee because they only earn around $40 a month and consider themselves underpaid. The Government is trying to stamp this out but very difficult to do. There are two different classes each day. You either attend from 7-11 am, or 1-5 pm. If they can afford it, children then take a second private class. School begins at age 6, private kindergarten at age 4 and some children have to walk more than 10k/6.2 miles a day to school.
On the way back, we stopped at the infamous Killing Fields. Between 1975 and 1978, about 17,000 men, women, children and infants (including nine westerners), were detained and tortured at S-21 prison (now Tuoi Sleng Museum). They were then transported to the Killing Fields for extermination to avoid wasting precious bullets.
Cambodia's genocide memorial
Continue reading "The Killing Fields and Tuoi Sleng (Genocide Museum) of Cambodia" »
Sihanoukville's (also known as Kompong Som) main attractions are offshore islands and beaches around the headlands. The group headed out in a converted fishing boat to spend the day swimming, snorkeling and relaxing around the islands in the Ream National Park. None of the islands have been developed yet.
ex-Marine and I just headed out of the Jasmine Hotel after breakfast for a long walk along the beach to town. The beach was moving and grooving already with many Cambodians enjoying the very warm water, riding banana boats and building castles in the sand. Many lounges and little restaurants along the entire stretch. Drugs can be had freely in this area and it wasn't unusual to see signs for "Happy pizzas" and/or "Happy" anything. The "Happy" is usually marijuana put in baked goods and sprinkled on pizzas. Big warning -- if you do buy drugs, it may be a set-up and prepare to spend years in a Cambodian jail. That is not a "Happy" thought.
Sihanoukville's "happy pizza"
Continue reading "A Day in Sihanoukville, Cambodia" »
Still in Kampot, it was not a good morning. Debilitated from diarrhea, I took a pass on this morning's breakfast and excursion. Jeremy and Stevie also felt ill. ex-Marine and group had breakfast at a little restaurant run by a handicapped association. The staff and employees were primarily deaf (hearing-impaired if I have to be politically correct). Breakfast was wonderful according to him. One of the best omelets he's had in ages. Then he went with off with the group on the tour while my Immodium and I communed in the hotel room.
They traveled by "remorques," an unusual form of transportation. It is based on a tractor-type contraption that looked like a flat-bed. A hot and dusty ride into the countryside. The group stopped in a village and visited several markets...View image....selling fish, chicken, fruit and other miscellaney.
loading up the remorque
Continue reading "From Kampot to Sihanoukville, Cambodia" »
Up early, breakfast and on the bus for the long ride south to Kampot. Eak is our Cambodian guide. Some information given on the bus including an interesting discussion of "Wa's" the traditional greeting in Cambodia. There are many different hand placements depending on whether it is a child-father, monk-king, old-young, young-old greeting. If it's up to the forehead, a greeting to Buddha.
A stop for bread (baguettes) along the road and a supermarket to buy lunch makings for a picnic lunch. Not every town in Cambodia has a bakery and when people visit their families, they always bring bread...a treat. Students, factory workers and everyone else also pulled up on their bicycles to buy a daily baguette.
Eak showing the proper way to "Wa"
Continue reading "To Kampot, Cambodia via Angkor Borei" »
We walked back to Hotel Royal to meet the Explore group. A full tour of 16 people. Five from Australia, the U.K., Isle of Jersey, Edinburgh and us - the token Americans as usual. Karen, Jeremy, Stevie, Graeme, Lynn, Judy, Patrick, Allison, Shehayda, Richard, Kathy, Anna and Gina. Sam (a woman) is our leader and proceeded with today's information. Forms to be filled out and checked, tip kitty paid for and then it was off to Wat Phnom by cyclos.
Cyclos are old traditional bicycle rickshaws. One person to a cyclo and they were all waiting outside the hotel for us to jump in. The cyclo drivers peddled off to Wat Phnom, the lengendary founding place of Phnom Penh. It is said that the first pagoda was built here in 1373. The one and only elephant walking down Sisanouk Quay yesterday was there taking people for elephant rides. Did you ever see an elephant wearing elephant clogs? Well, now you have.
Elephant wearing flip-flops
Continue reading "The Heart of Cambodia Tour Begins" »
Breakfast was served on the 5th floor of the hotel in an open area. Eggs, Chinese food and some of the hottest coffee we've ever had eaten overlooking the Tonle Sap river. There were all kinds of boats docked this morning. They go on short river cruises ranging from 1-1/2 hours on up. One main tourist cruise runs along the riverfront area, across the Tonle Sap and up the Mekong River to visit floating fishing villages.
I had torn out an article from one of my travel magazines about Photo Op extreme makeovers in Phnom Penh. According to this article, you can visit a photo studio on almost any major street. They transform you into an Apsara (or a Cambodian Princess) with their own make up artists, costumes and backdrops. This sounded like fun and we set off on a pilgrimage to find such a studio.
rooftop view from the Star Royal Hotel
Continue reading "Apsara Photos in Phnom Penh, Cambodia" »
A very early morning flight from Bangkok to Phnom Penh on Thai Airlines (two flights every day). Please explain to me how Thai can serve a hot meal on a 50-minute flight and our airlines only throw a bag of nuts at us (if we're lucky) in the same amount of time. On board, Thai distributed Visa On Arrival forms along with regular immigration forms.
Landing, you take the filled out forms to one line. Hand in passport and Visa On Arrival form along with a passport-sized photo. Mill around for the next 10+ minutes until an official holds up a passport and calls out the name. When your name is called, walk up, hand in your $20 (Cash only in American Dollars), and you are done. A Cambodian visa in your passport.
Star Royal Hotel
Continue reading "Arriving in Phnom Penh, Cambodia" »
The planning was easy for "The Heart of Cambodia" since it was a group tour. Did some googling to dig up some of the latest information on Cambodia...always visit the Lonely Planet...Fodor's...Frommers...Cambodia Government site.
Air? We flew Chicago to Bangkok via Tokyo on United (our airline of choice). You have many, many airlines to pick from since almost every major airline flies to Bangkok. From there, it is an easy one-hour flight on Thai Airlines. Some of the other airlines currently flying into Cambodia are: Bangkok Airways, China Southern Airlines, Dragonair, EVA Air, Lao Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Mekong Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Siem Reap Airways International, Silk Air, Royal Phnom Penh Airways, and Vietnam Airlines. There are definitely enough to choose from.
Hotel? The tour didn't start until Sunday but we flew into Bangkok two days earlier. Tip: Always plan on arriving at least one day before your trip starts in case of weather delays, cancelled flights, etc. United lands around 11:30pm...you don't arrive at the hotel until perhaps 1:00am...and we've found it impractical to pay perhaps $200+ for the rest of that night to stay in a luxury hotel. We picked the Grand Mercure Park Royal. Have stayed here before, like the Sukhumvit area, rates are reasonable, they have a wonderful buffet breakfast, and it's near the sky train.
Continue reading "Planning For "The Heart of Cambodia"" »
What comes to mind when you think of Cambodia? Angkor Wat? Pol Pot? Land Mines? Genocide? I'm afraid these are the most common responses. It was ours when we first visited Cambodia over the Millenium. A short two days in Phnom Penh and fast fly-in to the rightfully famous Angkor Wat. This is what most travelers did and still do. However, Cambodia now has much to offer besides Angkor Wat and ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I decided to look for a tour encompassing more of Cambodia's sights.
Voila... Adventure Center (see side bar on page for offerings) had quite a few trips to choose from through their U.K. and Australian tour operaters. Explore, (the U.K. tour organizer we frequently use through Adventure Center) had one that sounded right up our alley. "The Heart of Cambodia," a 16 day/15 night tour, off the beaten path that is definitely becoming more "beaten" every day.
Cambodia country map
Continue reading "The Heart of Cambodia" »
We couldn't have picked a nicer and more beautiful place to end the Pyrenees trip than Hotel Ezeiza, in San Sebastian. Great public transportation, the hotel overlooked Concha Bay and it was only a short walk across the street to the fantastic promenade that followed the entire distance of the beach.
San Sebastian (Donostia, in Basque) is just 30 miles from Biarritz, across the Spanish border. La Concha beach is crescent-shaped and reminded us of a miniature Acapulco, set between mountain headlands. You would have thought we had enough walking by now but, no, dropped the bags and headed out to explore. What a wonderful town for walking. Riverside walks, the long seafront promenades and broad streets. There were even paths to mountain viewpoints but we had definitely had enough of that for a while.
 San Sebastian map
Continue reading "Resting In San Sebastian and A Little Spain Information" »
This was our last Pyrenees hiking day. Not only was it sunny and HOT but also a mere 8-miler. Oh joy of joys... The van dropped us off at almost the same spot we stopped yesterday in Selva de Oza. The trail started by crossing the Rio-Aragon-Subordan and then it climbed steeply up to the Collado de Petraficha (pass). Today, there really were magnificent views of the Castilla de Acher and Bisaurin mountains and, for the first time, we saw other hikers. Groups of hikers spread all over this area.
The group took time walking down, enjoying the wonderful sun, resting now and then, no one in a hurry on this beautiful day. There was a Basque shepherd shearing his sheep in the middle of the sunny meadow, right under a Pyrenees sign, wildflowers, blue sky...what a fantastic way to end the trip...with great memories.
sheep shearing by a trail map
Continue reading "One Last Spanish Pyrenees Hike and Hondarribia" »
The weather has changed only a bit...a light rain on the drive to the trailhead at Formigal.. The trail meandered uphill along a stream to the Ibons (lakes) de Anayet at 7,349'/2,239m. ...View image... A picnic lunch with perfect views of the peaks when it wasn't sleeting or raining on us. Then, a descent to the open pastures of the Valley Canal Roya on a series of switchbacks. Along the valley floor through boxwood and pines to Rio Aragon.
A short drive to Canfranc, an important rest stop in medieval days for pilgrims on the Way of St. James, a Spain section of the long distance pilgrimage route we took through part of France (this section is part of the Arles route). This small market village gave pilgrims their chance to rest after they crossed over the pass of Somport in the Pyrenees. Canfranc was also a command post, protecting the borders and controlling taxes.
 Pyrenees map section
Continue reading "In Canfranc, Spanish Pyrenees" »
An early breakfast, bags downstairs into the van, ready for a long day's hike and transfer to Panticosa.
... View image... A drive to San Nicolas de Bujaruelo, a campsite clustered around the ruins of an old Romanesque church with a medieval bridge.
Wearing shorts, it was actually sunny but not for long. Miguel picked a difficult trail through the valley and we started up towards the pass. First a light rain started...thunder could be heard in the distance...followed by lightening. Miguel kept saying, "don't worry...the storm is too far away"...but I could see the lightning bolts in the distance. The major rule of hiking/trekking during an electrical storm is go down. Not us, we continued climbing.
Continue reading "From Torla to Panticosa In The Spanish Pyrenees" »
It rained all night and was still raining this morning. Miguel telephoned the Refugio de Goriz and was informed there were heavy snow conditions in the mountains. Presented to the group, all decided a two-hour hike in the rain would be more than sufficient and gladly forget the Refugio. With that decision made, the van drove us to a location in the Parque Nacional de Ordesa for an out and back along the Ordesa River. ...View image... Ordesa Park is made up of three separate valleys starting out of Monte Perdido. This area was carved by glaciers, and runs east to west rather than north to south like most valleys.
The forest gave some shelter from most of the heavy rain and was beautiful. Green moss on the rocks, wildflowers peeking up through the snow... Some of the many beautiful alpine shrubs and wildflowers were Edelweiss, Gentians, and Belladonna adding some color to the grey day. The scariest part of the day was crossing over wooden bridges made slippery by the rain. Sometimes, I'd rather just wade through the river than face one of those bridges. After all, we were sopping wet anyhow...
 crossing one of the many rivers
Continue reading "Forget The Refugio, Bring on Torla" »
Gary has rapidly become Steve's (ex-Marine) favorite person in the entire world, because...he manufactures CANDY! And what a supply he's brought with for him and his two sons along with an ample amount for everyone else. ex-Marine is in hog heaven. Gary has also promised to send him candy in the mail. Could life get any better? Gary and his wife (second marriage for both like us) do crazy things...even crazier than what our families think we do. One time, there was some kind of race in California where four people chugged along on the railway tracks pumping one of those old moving "whatever you call them rail cars"...think Blazing Saddles...and the partner galloped along on a horse. Halfway, they changed places... It got to the point where their combined children dreaded Christmas when one of them would get an invitation to accompany said parent on a trip. Never to the Caribbean or Paris...more in the order of hiking the Pyrenees or camping in a very remote area.
Now I just get comments from 40+ year old son like..."Mom, aren't you getting too old for this?"...or "Mom, why are you going to Ethiopia?" And our five adult offspring would rather be hung from the neck until dead than come with us on "adventure trips." Where did I go wrong? Not a bone of adventure in any of them. Oh well, back to today's hike...
 ex-Marine and Gary
Continue reading "Barbaruens To Bielsa In The Spanish Pyrenees" »
At least, today started sunny and we set out from Guells de Joeu. The waters of Barrancs re-emerge from the limestone massif and contrary to most of the region's rivers, they flow north to France from Spain. The path was well-marked (ascending, of course) and Inaki was always in the lead, walking very slowly and using the mountaineers typical "rest step." Take one step...rest on that leg...take another step...rest on that leg...and so on. ...View image... Inaki kept that measured pace and wouldn't let anyone pass while Miguel played shepherd at the rear.
At the top of Port of La Picada (the pass), there was a very impressive panoramic view of the Maladeta glacier. By now, the sun had changed to rain and there was some snow at the top of the pass. This was the end of June and if I hear "unseasonable weather" one more time, I'm going to scream.
 meadow filled with wild flowers
Continue reading "On To Benasque, In The Spanish Pyrenees" »
Please don't tell me today is an indicator of the entire trip. Rain. Lunch divided in our day packs and raingear on, a short van ride brought us to the trailhead. Today's 10-mile/6.2km hike would go from Pont de Rius (5,610'/1,709m), climb to the Col of L'Stany de Mar (8,145'/2,482m) and then descend to the Hospital de Viella (5,379'/1,639m). By the way, a Col is a pass.
I prefer uphills to start off with because you warm up quickly. The rain kept changing to snow and back again. Put on Goretex...took it off...put it on again...leaned against a rock and took the trousers off. There were mountains (Besiberri and Montardo/Montarto - 9,842'/3,000m ) around us, glacial cirqes and beautiful lakes down on the valley floor. Through forests and meadows. Eight long hours later, we were finished. Everyone survived a very tough first day.
 on the trail through the forested area
Continue reading "Hiking in The Pyrenees Over Col L'Stany de Mar" »
The Hotel Regencia Colon is situated in a fantastic location. The old quarter. It was just a few blocks to Las Ramblas and footsteps from Place Catalunya with its massive 13th century Cathedral. Easy to walk down Las Ramblas to the Mediterranean Sea. Las Ramblas is filled with newspaper and flower stands, artists and tourists. You can walk past the old red light district (Barri del Raval), small restaurants and bars, Miro's mosaic and Gau |
