MY PICTURES
THAILAND/CAMBODIA 2004 Trip Report (brief)
Tony and I took a fantastic trip to South-East Asia in January 2004 in conjunction with Chinese New Year. It was mostly an Indochina trip as we traipsed around Thailand and Cambodia. We started off in Bangkok and then moved on to Chiang Mai and Phuket before heading off to Siem Reap (Cambodia) for the Angkor temples and then back again to Bangkok. After Bangkok, I spent a short and hectic Chinese New Year in Kuala Lumpur before coming home. The day we left, it was snowing in DC and the mercury was plunging into the teens. Well, it stayed that way throughout our entire trip (I kept complaining about the 90+ equatorial heat while DC was frozen under one arctic blast after another) and I came home to a 6-inch blanket of snow and the Potomac completely frozen over!
Our first stop, Chiang Mai, proved to be the highlight of our entire trip. The city itself is not much to shout about but the Four Seasons Resort was truly groundbreaking. Among the many things that made our stay here memorable was the cooking class (left picture) we attended at the resort. We learnt how to make tom yum goong, tom ka gai, chiang mai curry noodles, and pad thai. We had a great time and made some new friends (right picture). The infinity pool (2nd from left picture) at the resort which flowed into the valley of paddy fields was stunning. The setting of the hotel - with the paddy fields, rice terraces and mountains in the background - was so beautiful it brought a tear to my eye (2nd from right picture). All in all, we had a magnificent 3-night stay here and are aching to return as soon as possible.
We also rode an elephant (left picture) which seems to be a popular thing to do in Thailand. I think it's rather silly :)
Our next stop, Phuket, was a little disappointing when compared to our stay at the Four Seasons in Chiang Mai. I would argue that anything at this point would've paled in comparison. But we still had a great time in this tropical paradise. I still think, though, that Phuket was an overpriced dump but one with nice beaches. Our day trip to Phang Nga Bay to see James Bond Island (left picture) was fabulous! We also visited the Muslim Village where Tony got to play with monkeys (center picture) and the tour ended on a private island (right picture) which was picture-perfect idyllic with great snorkeling.
The much anticipated Angkor temples at Siem Reap, Cambodia was our next stop. If you haven't been, call your travel agent and pack your bags right now. You must see it.
"Timeless yet timeworn, grand but intimate, oblivious to the passing centuries even as the jungle devours its huge stone walls, Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and the scores of temples that surround it hint at eternity, only to remind us that nothing is eternal..." - Vic Albormoz Lactaoen in "Angkor Wat, the perfect ruin"
THE FACE OF BAYON AT ANGKOR THOM
Our first glimpse of Angkor was the magical faces of Bayon at Angkor Thom (above and left picture below). These magnificent smiling faces provided a warm welcome to Cambodia and the ancient Khmer civilization itself. The glorious Angkor Wat (middle picture) will move you and take your breath away. The surrounding temple complexes were each magnificent in their own right. Siem Reap is nothing much but a good base to explore the Angkor temples. We mostly took Cambodian tuk-tuks (right picture) around which was an adventure in itself!
Finally, we ended up in Bangkok. We stayed at The Peninsula which was a fabulous hotel across the Chao Phraya River from the Oriental. I would argue that The Pen's location was better and the view of the Bangkok skyline from our room (left picture) was spectacular. We did the typical tourist circuit which included the Grand Palace (center picture) and the Temple of Dawn (right picture). We were pretty much templed out after the first two but Bangkok was a fun and hectic end to our Indochina adventure!
