Thailand, Cambodia 2007

Itinerary

20.07.07

Flight Zurich - Doha - Bangkok with Qatar Airways / Duration: 14h / Departure ZRH: 10 pm / Arrival BKK: 7 pm

21.07.07

Arrival in Bangkok at Suvarnabhumi Airport. We payed 150 THB per person for the airport shuttle to Khaosan road. The trip takes about 1hrs 30min. We booked the triple room at Vieng Tai hotel for 2200 THB on the internet some days before. The hotel is next to Khaosan Road. There's a swimming pool at the 3rd floor. Breakfast buffet is included in the price.

22.07.07

Excursion to Wat Arun on the Chao Phraya river. It is a short walk from Khaosan road to the pier (Phra Athit) from where you can take the passenger boat. One ticket on the orange line costs 13 THB per person. You can travel down to Taksim, from where you can take the skytrain to Sukhumvit and other downtown areas.
Organized bus trip to Ko Chang at a travel agency for 300THB per person.

23.07.07

Trip to Ko Chang. Boarded the bus at Khaosan area at 8 am. Leaving Bangkok we were driving more than an hour on a bridge which has a length of almost 100km. Arrival time at a travel agency and restaurant near the ferry pier at about 4.30 pm. We had to wait for an hour until we got transferred to the ferry pier. Apparently the organizers wanted us to book at their agency. The ferry ride took another hour. At Ko Chang pier we took a pick up for 50 THB per person to white sand beach, which is about half an hours drive. Walking along the beach we found rooms at Rock Sand Bungalow for 300 THB one and 150 THB the other. Arriving at the bungalows at night time and high tide is quite adventurous. You have to walk over cliffs and rough and ready bridges. It was worth the nightly walk. The rooms were cheap, some quite basic, but the ambience at the end of White Sand Beach is fantastic.

24.07.07

Beach day at White Sand. There's some snorkeling opportunities at the end of the beach, but there's no coral reefs and just little fish.
We booked a trip all the way through to Sihanoukville which included stay over night at Koh Kong and the boat trip from Koh Kong to Sihanoukville at Lawun Tour for 1300 THB per person.

25.07.07

We went by pick up to Bang Bao for 70 THB. It takes about one hour to get to the far end of the island. The road goes up and down like a rollercoaster. Bang Bao is built on stilts. The beaches are not very inviting as at low tide the broken reef is above water level. Heading back we stayed for a while at Thanam (or lonely) Beach. There's quite some construction going on and the beach is not that lonely anymore. Travelling back to White Sand, we had to wait a while for a pick up to pass by.
We had dinner at the beach front. After sunset the restaurant owners put their tables to the beach, so people can have dinner with their feet in the sand. This is a common habit in all the beach places in the region.

26.07.07

We travelled to Koh Kong in Cambodia, leaving from Ko Chang at 10 am and arriving at 5 pm in Koh Kong. Koh Kong is a town at the border. There's quite a few expats there. Most of them are living in Thailand and jump over the border for stamps in their passports. Nevertheless at 10 pm the streets are empty and the last tavern closes its doors. We stayed at Savann Angkor Guesthouse which was included in the package. It was quite basic. Our neighbours TV was switched on all night.

27.07.07

We went by boat to Sihanoukville. They operate with riverboats. But the sea was rather calm, so the journey was restful. The boat starts around 8 am and arrives in Sihanoukville shortly after lunch. There is one stop at an island. At the pier we took a taxi to Ochheuteal beach. It cost 7 USD. Motor taxis are cheaper, but as a family we tried to avoid motor taxis. There's also lots of tuk-tuks around. To be mentioned is that the touts were not as agressive as we were told. Ochheuteal is the most visited and touristy beach of Sihanoukville. We stayed at Coasters for 25 USD, a hotel which is right at the beach at Serendipity, the rocky end of Ochheuteal. Regarding accomodation you get quite better quality in Cambodia for the same price compared to Thailand. In fact we had an airconditioned room, balcony, a perfect view over the bay and were at the beach front. We had a seafood barbequeue at one of many beach-front restaurants for 3.50 USD.

28.07.07

The full English breakfast at Coasters was very tasty. We hired a tuk-tuk for 15 USD the whole day and did a city and beach tour. First stop was Weather Station Hill, the Khaosan Road of Sihanoukville. It looked a bit run down. There were two unpaved streets with a few shops, hostels and taverns and some travellers hanging around. The victory beach which is close to Weather Station Hill is quite run down, some abandoned construction sites, some people on the beach. Hawaii beach, which is next to Victory is quite lively. Most of the guests are locals. Some have a beer party. Independence beach is the most scenic. There's some waves. Guests can stay in the straw huts along the beach, just hang in the hammocks and have some drinks. There's only a few tourists around. Sokha beach is supposed to be the most beautiful. Unfortunately there is only a small access for people who are not residents of a 4 star hotel. Back at Ochheuteal beach we enjoyed the busy life in one of the beach sofas having some cold happy hour drinks.

29.07.07

We transefered to the bus station by tuk-tuk in the early morning. From there we travelled by Angkor Express to Phnom Penh. We left Sihanoukville at 7:30 am and arrived at the capital at 1 pm. The bus station is right at the river front. We walked along Sisowath Quay and found a triple room at Mekong Palace Hotel for 32 USD a room with balcony and brilliant view on the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers. Unfortunately it was too hot to stay in the balcony even late at night. Sisowath Quay is where all the restaurants and street coffees are. It's the meeting place of tourists and expats. We visited Wat Ounalom where an old man opened the Chedi to show us Buddha. Visiting the royal palace and the silver pagoda is a must. The entry fee is 6 USD per person.

30.07.07

After breakfast we hired a tuk-tuk for about 8 USD and went to see Toul Sleng and the Killing Fields. Toul Sleng was a university which Pol Pot has converted into a prison. Thousands of Cambodians have been tortured and kept imprisioned under bestial conditions. Wheareas Toul Sleng is absolutely worth visiting, the Killing Fields is not. It's a site with a memorial tower containing hundreds of skulls and some holes which were supposed to be the mass graves. Quite interesting is the journey from Phnom Penh to the Killing Fields, to see the people along the roads, how they live. There's lots of petrol stations where they sell fuel in Coke bottles. In the afternoon we went to see wat Phnom. It's built on top of a hill in the middle of the city. Unfortunately the temple is surrounded by trees, so there's no possibility to enjoy the view over the city. Wat Phnom is famous for its monkeys. They are all everywhere begging for food. The national museum contains a collection of sculptures of the Angkor culture but it's nothing exceptional.

31.07.07

After having checked the prices for the boat trip we decided to travel by bus. The boat cost about 25 USD to Siem Reap. The bus was 8 USD. We left at 7:30 am and arrived at 1 pm. The countryside was completely flat riddled with palm trees. Arriving at Siem Reap bus station touts were attacking the bus. We were told to keep quiet and only accept the offers of porters, guides and drivers with badges of the bus company. So one of the guys gave us a drive on his tuk-tuk to the city center for free. He convinced us to take him as driver for the following day for a temple tour. We didn't find the guest house, which we were looking for. Aparently the driver did not get commission from that guest house. We decided to stay at L.A. guest house which wasn't either in the drivers list. It was at Sivatha street close to Psar Chas and the night live district. A triple room cost 18 USD including breakfast. The owner was very informative. Her English was almost perfect. In general Cambodians speek better English than Thai. The education system of communist countries seems to be better even though Pol Pot wanted to exterminate everybody whose education level was somewhat higher than the one of a rural worker.

01.08.07

We asked the tuk-tuk driver to turn up at 6 am. to see sunrise at Angkor wat. His so called brother turned up and we arrived the gate after about 15 minutes. The 3 day pass cost 40 USD. Children did not have to pay anything. Arriving at Angkor Wat lots of people were already on their way back. Apparently we missed the sunrise. From the entrance the temple was not that impressive at all as we imagined. The corncob shaped towers are too far away. After having breakfast at the guest house we returned starting with Banteay Kdei. The first time we encountered the mystical Lokhesvara face above the gate which reminded at the comic strips of Tin-Tin. The temple is a labyrinth of gateways through various curtain walls having a shrine in the center. The next temple was famous Tah Prohm, famous because it was called the jungle temple. In fact the ruines are overgrown by tall trees. Roots are covering walls and gates like boa constrictors. The temple is the perfect maze, you walk around, end up in rooms, yards with no exit, pass the same spots two or three times. You have to be very observative to find the exit again. After Ta Keo and Thommanom we arrived at Bayon the most famous temple of the Angkor Thom complex, number two after Angkor Wat. It looks like one of these roller coster mountains of disney world, just a pile of stone. Entering the temple you note that the temple is like a forest of Lokesvara faces. You walk up through stairways to the next level of the temple and again all these faces are smiling at you. A short but heavy rainfall bewitched the site even more. After having a noodlesoup at a friendly lady's stall we went Angkor Thom's southgate, the most photographed site after Angkor Wat. In fact, it is the tallest gate of all Angkor sites having its Lokesvara faces on its top. In front of the gate is a bridge equiped with two rows of heads, one row with heads of gods and the other with heads of devils. We ended the tour at Angkor Wat. You need to be free from giddiness to climb the steep stairs up to the top level of the temple. We payed the driver 13 USD and contracted him for the next day again. At night we had dinner and a few drinks at Pub Street and Psar Chas area. It was packed with crowds from all everywhere. You have to recognize that Angkor Wat is one of the worlds most famous sites.

02.08.07

Excursion to Banteay Srei. The temple is probably an hours drive away from Siem Reap. We passed by rice paddies and took several photos of people working, children, buffalos. The temple is quite small but defently number three after Angkor Wat and Bayon. Its stone carvings are unbeatable. There's so many stories sculptured into stone. If you haven't hired a guide so far, do it for Banteay Srei. In the afternoon we went to see the floating villages and Tonle Sap, the lake. At the entrance we had to pay 24 USD for a boat. There was no bargaining possible. From there we drove another 4 or 5 kilometers to the boat pier. It's dry season, therefore the water level is that far out. We boarded the long boat and drove along the floating village consisting of houses built on vessels to a crocodile farm which was in a construction built on stilts. From there you have a view over the lake whose other ends cannot be seen. The roundtrip took about one hour and a half. The floting villages in the Mekong delta are somewhat more spectacular. This time we had to pay 17 USD to the driver.

03.08.07

Before we went back to the temples again, we booked a taxi to Poipet for the next day at our guest house owner. Then we went again to Bayon and did Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Krol Ko, Ta Som, East Mebon, Lolei, Bakong and Preah Ko. Neak Pean is different to the other temples. It is a pond with a prasat in its center and a horse on the ground of the pond. There's no water in the pond by the way. Lolei, Preah Ko and Bakong are temples of the Roluos group which is an hour's drive away from the main temples. They are older and partly in bad condition, especially Lolei. Bakong is the first temple built in the shape of a mountain. It even resembles the Mayan temples of Central America. The excursion of the last day cost us 18 USD.

04.08.07

The taxi driver was there half an hour before planned. He had a Toyota Camry. In front was a lady with kid and in the rear three of us. We started at 8 am. The first 20 km of the road to Sisophon and Poipet were paved but in a bad condition and then it turned into gravel. The driver could keep its average speed of about 60km/h. All in all it felt a bit bumpy but the road was ok, even though it was rainy season. We arrived at Sisaphon at about 10.30 am and got another 45 minutes to reach the border. We payed 20 USD for the back row and headed to the emigration desk. There was no hassle at all to cross the border. On the Thai side we took a tuk-tuk and got for 80 THB to the bus station in Aranyaprathet. From there we took a bus to Bangkok where we arrived after 4hrs at about 5pm. From the northeastern bus terminal we took a taxi to Khaosan road. It cost us 140 THB, the only time we were charged the meter fare (Usually taxi drivers want to negociate with foreigners and charge fixed rates).We stayed in Four Sons Village for 650 THB an airconditioned triple room. The hotel is situated at Soi Chang Songkhram which is a busy street between Khaosan and the river.

05.08.07

We went to see the National museum which is quite big and has some interesting collections. In the afternoon we did some shopping at Siam Square, Silom and Taksim. For excursions in Bangkok we usually take the river boats, which are quick and cheap. It takes about half an hour to get from Banglampoo (Khaosan Rd.) to Taksim (Skytrain to Silom, Sukhumvit) and costs 13 THB.

06.08.07

Chinatown can be reached by boat. Disembark at Ratchavongse pier and walk along Ratchavong street until you get to a small alley called Sampeng Lane. Its one of these narrow alleys where they did motorbike chases in James Bond movies. Truth is that motorbikes are quite common even though there is hardly any space even for pedestrians. For shopping aficionados China town is an El Dorado. You get everything so cheap. For others its hell: heat, motorbike pollution and noise and crowds of people. Wat Traimit is a pagoida hosting the golden buddha. It is at the eastern side of China town close to Hua Lamphong station. For 150 THB we could stay at our hotel until 4 pm. At 6pm we went to the bus for Ko Samui. We could get aboard at Khaosan Road. The journey to the ferry pier at Surat Thani took about 10 hrs.

07.08.07

Arrival at the ferry pier at around 4:30 am. We had to wait until 8 am. The boat took about 4 hrs to get to Ko Samui. We transfered by pick up to Mae Nam beach for 50 THB per person. Mae Nam is at the north coast half an hour away from Nathon. It is quiet and has a 4 km long beach. We found a bungalow for 800 THB at Lolita's which is about 200m left from the main pier. There's about four or five restaurants along the beach where you can have dinner straight on the beach, eat fresh fish and see the lights of Hat Rin at Ko Phangan.

08.08.07

We traveled by pick-up to Ban Na Khai which is on the other side of the island. It cost each of us 100 THB. At Chaweng beach we had to change pick-ups. Na Khai bay is supposed to be one of the most interesting bays of Ko Samui. So we walked along the coast down to Laem Set Inn. It was low tide. The water is very shallow and rocky. It is hardly possible to go into the water for a swim along the coast. Nevertheless there's quite some very posh resorts to be found here. At Laem Set Inn we went snorkeling but it was not big fun, dead coral, milky water and just a few fish. So we walked back all along the coast passing Ban Na Khai which is an islamic fishing village, the only place where we had to leave the beach and walk along the street. After Ban Hua Thanon the coast became rocky. We cut accross a few resorts and arrived at Hinta Hinyai, Grandfather Rock, an enormous phallus. It's quite touristy but there's also an inviting bay for swimming and snorkeling. Behind grandfather and grandmother (the female counterpart is also available) we got to the southern end of 4 km long Lamai beach. It is quite populated but keeps its charm of a tropical beach with its palm trees, white sand and rainforest mountains in the back. When arriving at the northern end of Lamai beach we took a pick-up who gave us a lift for 250 THB nonstop to Mae Nam.

09.08.07

Chaweng beach is the most populated beach in Ko Samui. We walked along to Ban Laem Son which is situated at its northern end. the southern part was packed with people. The zone which was open for swimmers was marked, most of the beach was reserved for water-bikes. You had to make sure not to stand on your neighbours feet. To swim in the northern part of Chaweng beach is nearly impossible. The water is too shallow and it's all covered with reef. Back at the road there was no pick-up passing by. So we took a taxi for 200 THB, actually not much more expensive than travelling by one of those uncomfortable pick-ups.

10.08.07

There is a boat which connects Mae Nam with Hat Rin (Ko Phangan). We left at noon and arrived at the other island after one hour. The trip cost 150 THB per person. At Hat Rin the boat did not stop at a pier so we had to jump into the water which and got wet up to the waist. Hat Rin is the place for techno fans. It's the famous full moon party site. It was quite populated with young people. All beach front hotels were either fully booked or too expensive. We found two shabby rooms at Serenity Bungalow for 800 THB in total. The bungalows are built on the cliffs overlooking the beach. After dinner we went to the beach. It was packed with people watching fire jugglers and listening to techno music. Street vendors were selling buckets with Gin, Mekong Whiskey, Coke, Red Bull and ice for little money. So we bought a bucket, mixed our drink and sat on a plastic chair on the beach. Each bar on the beach tried to attract folks with its Techno sound. The bum, bum, bum, bum followed us to our huts. The walls were trembling and the bed was jumping all night until sunrise. It was not full moon.

11.08.07

In the morning we escaped from the noisy huts and found an airconditioned room at bongo bungalow which was in a back yard but in the center of town and close to the beach for 700 THB. We went to the western beach of Hat Rin. Reef and shallow water prevented us from having a swim. The heat was unbearable and the water close to the beach was boiling so we went back to the eastern beach. In a travel agency we booked our trip back to bangkok. We decided to travel by train and boat of course. It cost us 1000 THB per person travelling in a second class bed compartment. We had dinner at Om Ganesh an Indian restaurant close to the pier at Hat Rin West. The food was very tasty. That night (Saturday night) the beach was quiet, no sound, no people. So there must have been a special event on the previous night.

12.08.07

From Hat Rin they offer half day boat trips along the cost including snorkeling for 500 THB per person. We were a bit disappointed in terms of snorkeling. We didn't find any good snorkeling grounds neither in Ko Chang, nor Sihanoukville, nor Ko Samui. So that day was last chance. Right after lunch the long boat put out to sea. Ko Phangans eastern coast is very scenic. There's quite a few bays which are only accessible by the sea. Our first stop was at Hat Sadet Beach. There's an unpaved road where you can reach the bay from landside. We walked up to a waterfall. It was not a big thing, just time consuming. We had another stop at bottle beach where we had late lunch. Our final destination was Ko Maa but we were late and stopped at the eastern end of Chalok Lam Bay for snorkeling. In fact the coral reefs and different kind of fish were fascinating comparable to Sulawesi and Ko Phi Phi. On the way back we had some Coke and Rhum.

13.08.07

At 10 am we got picked up at the hotel. First transit station was Thong Sala where we took the boat to Surat Thani via Ko Samui. We arrived at main land at about 3 pm. We transfered by bus to the train station which took another 45 minutes. Before entering the train we had dinner at a stall next to the train station. At around 7.30 pm we could board the train. The trip to Bangkok was quite an experience. There were about 30 beds in the compartment. Lights were on all night. When closing the curtain the heat was unbearable because of lack of fresh air from the fans. Once the train was in movement we felt like staying in a roller coaster.

14.08.07

Arriving at Bangkok we didn't close an eye all night. We got into the capital early in the morning. But arriving to the main station took another 2 hours. There's not only traffic jam on the streets, the railway system apparently is involved aswell. From Hua Lamphong Station we went to Sukhumvit by underground. We found a room for 1200 THB at Federal Hotel which is situated at Soi 11 about 500m from Sukhumvit road. The quality of accommodation, food and merchandise is quite some better than at Khaosan area. We had a tasty breakfast at a German restaurant nearby and went to Royal Palace and Wat Phra Keo afterwards before picking up our suitcase at our former hotel. The palace and What Phra Keo are ok, but in fact we were a bit temple sick and the heat was just too paralysing. So we had a swim in the hotel pool in the late afternoon.

15.08.07

This was our last day. We went to the snake farm. There was a snake show at 11 am which was quite interesting, especially to see how they extracted the poison. For lunch we had sushi at a department store. For sunset we were about to go to Bayoke II tower, the currently highest building in Bangkok. We payed 200 THB per person which included transport to the so called sky deck and a drink at the sky bar. Unfortunately we were too late for sunset, the traffic didn't make it possible. To see that enormous city at night from the bird's eye is probably even more breathtaking than at any other time of the day. Sitting in the sky lounge on the 80th floor, having a cold drink and watching the light lines below us is something we can recommend to everyone. After that delightful excursion we went back to Sukhumvit and had dinner at famous Cabbages and Condoms restaurant at Soi 12. It has changed from original to commercial. Food was expensive and service unfriendly, we won't repeat going there on our next trip to Bangkok.

16.08.07

Wakeup call was at 5 am. Our flight was at 8 am. The reservation staff asked us to stay at the airport 3 hrs before departure. We got a lift by the receptionist of our hotel for 600 THB. Guess it was the night guard earning some extra money. Without any traffic jams at that time in the morning we got to Suvarnabhumi airport after about 45 minutes. The Quatar Airlines flight was about 3 hrs late. Luckily we did not lose connection at Doha and got into Zurich on time at about 7:30 pm.