I began to explore the city on the second day and the cheapest way to do that is by taking bus no. 11 (walking). Armed with a photocopied map from the guest house, I walked for 5 hours and visited 3 main attractions of the city; Wat Si Saket, Patuxai and Pha That Luang.

Am I in Paris?

A brief introduction of Wat Si Saket. Entrance fee is 5,000 kips.

One of the many statues of Buddha in the temple.

More statues.

Wat Si Saket; the oldest temple in Vientiane.

View of Wat Si Saket from outside.

I had my breakfast near Talat Sao market before continue my journey to Patuxai.

My sinfully delicious breakfast; sandwich made of Baguette with pork, ham and meat floss.

Patuxai or Victory Monument is Vientiane’s version of Arc de Triomphe. It is also known as the vertical runway because it was built with cement donated by the USA for the construction of a new airport.

Carvings on Patuxai’s ceiling depicting Hindu mythology.

Stairway leading to the top of Patuxai.

View of Vientiane from the top of Patuxai

View of Vientiane from the other side of Patuxai

This beautiful golden stupa is call Pha That Luang.

Admiring the golden stupa.

Compound surrounding the golden stupa

Unknown monument nearby Pha That Luang

My last meal in Laos before flying back to Malaysia.

This post ends my 2 weeks backpacking adventure across Indochina. Thank you for following this little adventure of mine. Bigger adventure is coming soon. Stay tune!

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“…fit vang vieng into ur route, u have to do the tubing, it’s fun. ”, that is what she said to me.

So here I am, doing the tubing on the second day…

After paying 55,000 kips + 60,000 kips deposit, numbers are written on our hand so that we can get back our deposit later. Dry bag is available for rental as well.

Tuk tuk would drive us up river to the starting point.

The starting point

Tubing alone would not be as fun if you do not try this. There are plenty of makeshift swings, diving platforms, slide and what not put up by the riverside bar owners to attract tourists to stop by at their bars. It was a sinful mini water theme park indeed.

See the video to see how fun it was.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Slowly drift down the river under the sun with icy cold Beerlao in one hand, clumsily maneuver the tube with the other hand and Green Day blasting in the background makes a perfect place to chill out with friends.

Jumping into the river Jesus style from a diving platform.

Chill out in one of the bar

Stopping at another bar.

Enjoying another cold beer with my tubing mate, Danny.

Big water slide.

Enjoying another round of Beerlao in a hut on top of the river.

By 5pm, most part of the river was in the shadow of nearby limestone hill. Even though I was not under the hot sun anymore, the water actually become colder.

I was tempted to stop at this last bar but I had to skip it because it was getting late. Anyone who return the tube after 6pm has to pay extra 20,000 kips.

Came across a group local taking bath in the river.

Finally reached the end point. By the time I was there, I was feeling tipsy from all the beers I had. Even though the guide says it takes only 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete the journey, I took more than 5 hours and 30 minutes. Yes, I was late and I had to pay the extra 20,000 kips.

Here are some images of the town…

The beautiful Vang Vieng town.

The sunset view.

The town.

There are more Caucasians than locals in Vang Vieng.

One thing that I cannot understand in Vang Vieng is why every cafe is playing Friends sitcom. When I asked some of the travelers, none of them are craving for it. To escape from “Friends” infested cafe, I had my meal from roadside stalls such as…

Banana pancake. Almost similar to our roti canai.

Pork porridge

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So I have arrived at Luang Prabang alive. But the problem right now is how the hell am I going to find a place to sleep at 4am? Practically the whole town was sleeping. Together with Antoine, Pierre, Remi and Guillaume, we lunged our backpacks that feel heavier than usual into every corners along the dimly lit empty streets and then knocking on every doors that looks like a guest house only to be ignored or greeted with the standard excuse, “we are full”. Dogs were barking at our presence, breaking the silence of the night. I do feel guilty for every doors I knocked. As the clock ticks away, we were getting wearied and desperate. We even tried one of the many temples in town and to our amusement, we received the same standard excuse, “we are full” from the temple’s caretaker. WTF? How can a temple be full?

We almost gave up until we came to Merry Guest House 2. After a few knocks on the door, we were greeted by the owner. Instead of giving us the same standard excuse, he told us we can check-in in the morning but we were allowed to spend the remaining few hours on the floor of the living room free of charge. We accepted his offer immediately without any hesitation. His mother was kind enough to provide a sleeping mat and a blanket for each of us. We stayed in the guest house until we left Luang Prabang. It only cost me 64,000 kips or RM27.

The reason I made Luang Prabang one of my check point is because it is an UNESCO World Heritage City. Other UNESCO World Heritage sites I have visited are…

• Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca
• Kinabalu Park
• Halong Bay
• Historic Centre of Macao
• Angkor

The town was small enough to walk around. However I was too lazy to walk, so I rented a bicycle at 20,000 kip (RM8.50) a day. These are the photos I took on the first day.

My brunch

Street in Luang Prabang

My rented bicycle

Banana fritters

Choose your flavor of tuk tuk

Wat Ho Prabang, located in the Royal Palace Museum’s compound

Staircase going up pussy Phu Si hill. Entrance fee is 20,000 kips.

Over looking Luang Prabang town and Mekong River on top of Phu Si.

View of the town from the other side.

Chatting with Su In and Hwang Ju from Korea while waiting for the sunset on top of Phu Si.

Sunset…

Tourists taking photo of the sunset on Phu Si.

Hmong Night Market. You can find Lao textiles, handicrafts, jewelery, traditional medicine and other souvenirs there.

Stove for our barbecue dinner

Barbecue dinner, Lao style.

From left: Me, Guillaume, Pierre, Remi and Antoine.

Beerlao. National pride of Laos. You can see them everywhere in Laos.

On the second day, we visited Pak Ou cave and Kuang Si waterfall. Since they are located quite far from town, we had to rent a van to bring us there. Each of us paid 120,000 kips (RM51) for the one day tour. Our first destination was Pak Ou cave.

View of Pak Ou cave from across the river.

Cute little girl

Have to cross to Mekong river by boat to reach the cave

Cam whoring on the boat

Pak Ou cave. Entrance fee is 20,000 kips.

Go to the cave early so that you won’t have to cramp with hordes of tourists that arrive later by boat.

The cave is stuff with all kinds of Buddha’s statues and images

Termite infested carving. Anyone?

Antoine doing his stuff in the background

More statues

Checking out the upper cave. That is right, Pak Ou has two caves. One lower cave and one upper cave.

At upper cave

There are plenty of souvenirs you can buy on the way up such as…

Key chains

Bananas

Some ugly, furry things

Poor little birds

We have to paddle our way back to the shore because the boat’s engine died half way across Mekong river

Motifs on pillar of a temple

Young monk in the village

Along the way, we stopped at one of the village to sample Lao Lao (Lao Whiskey). Shown here are wines with “special” ingredients in it.

More wine with special ingredients. Please note that it is not for decoration. It is for consumption.

Satay Lao style. Taste awful.

One of the stall selling Lao Lao.

Our last destination was Tat Kuang Si or Kuang Si waterfall which is 32km away from town. The entrance fee was 20,000 kips. It was the most beautiful waterfall I have ever seen. It features a wide, multi-tiered waterfall tumbling over limestone formations into a series of cool, turquoise-green pools. See it yourself…

A perfect combination; turquoise-green pool with bikini clad women.

Look at the color of the water. Don’t you feel like swimming in it?

Am I in heaven?

We celebrated our last night in Luang Prabang with cocktails before we part ways on the next morning. Thank you guys. Luang Prabang wouldn’t be as fun if without you guys. As a token of appreciation, here is a little promo for you guys…

Guillaume, Antoine, Pierre and Remi are 4 friends from France who decided to embark on 7 months expedition across the world. They have visited South America, India, Nepal, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and South East Asia. In fact, they are still on the road now. You can follow their wacky adventure in their blog; Tour du Monde. However, the blog is written in French.

Next stop: Vang Vieng…

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After relaxing in Pai, I decided it’s time to continue my journey to Laos. To cross over to Laos from Thailand, first I have to go to Chiang Khong. The only option I have in Pai was by minibus (it looked like a van to me). The ticket price was 750 Baht and it includes a bed to sleep in a dormitory in Chiang Khong. The journey took 6 hours. When I arrived at Chiang Khong, it was already 3 or 4 am. Thank goodness I have a place to sleep in the town because the I could hardly sleep along the journey thanks to the winding road and super cold air-cond. I woke up at the break of dawn and took a short cold shower before being transported to the border checkpoint beside Mekong River.

The place I slept in Chiang Khong.

Going to the border check point on a pickup truck

Buddhist monks

As a Malaysian, I don’t have to apply for Laos visa at the border. Not only it saves me some money, I can skip the long queue at the immigration counter. Once done with all the immigration formalities, I walked toward the bank of Mekong River where hordes of boats already waiting to ferry tourists across the river to Laos.

Queuing for visa. Malaysian don’t have to do visa and I was the only Malaysian at the moment. I felt so privileged. Muahahaha…

Boat to cross Mekong River

Mekong River…

Crossing Mekong River with Antoine, Pierre, Remi and Guillaume

I landed on Huay Xai town in Laos after a short boat ride. Most tourists continued their journey to Luang Prabang by slow boat along Mekong River. Some went for the speed boat, while a few including me opted for local bus. The reason I chose the local bus was because I heard a lot of unfavorable experiences on slow boat from other travelers I met along the way. Most complained about the long journey. It takes 2 days! Speed boat is totally out of questions unless you do not mind become deaf for few hours or end up dead.

Even though the choice was obvious, I did not know what to expect from the bus ride. All I know was the journey would take 14 hours. When I arrived at the bus terminal, I had the feeling that it’s not going to be comfortable. Stood in the middle of the red barren land was a worn down concrete building which turned out to be the bus terminal. Only a couple of bus parked in the compound. The next available bus to Luang Prabang was on 12.30pm. Since I arrived too early, I had to wait in the bus station for at least 2 or 3 hours. When I laid my eyes on the bus that I was going to take, my jaw dropped wide open. The dirt covered bus could be older than me and literally, it carried a whole house on the roof. There were 2 cupboards and 3 queen size mattresses along with other boxes.

Lunch time

My first meal in Laos.

Cow boy town? Around the bus station in Huay Xai

The bus. Notice the cupboards and mattresses on the roof.

I was lucky enough to get a seat. Those who came late had to sit on a plastic chairs that were put up ad hoc along the aisle. The plastic chairs have to share the aisle with bags of rice and other “cargo”. Another thing I have to put up with for 14 hours was limited leg space. It was really cramped and uncomfortable. I imagined it was worse for those Caucasians with longer legs. Some local passengers brought along chickens with them. I could hear clucking sound of a chicken occasionally especially when the bus breaks abruptly.

In the bus

The plastic chairs for latecomers.

Really cramp seat

The journey itself was a torture. Most part of the road was unpaved and winding up and down many hills. If you have week stomach, then take this trip and you will end up with a strong stomach. I was numbed to the winding and bumpy road after awhile. Because the road was unpaved and we couldn’t shut the bus windows, we all have to eat dust whenever there was a big truck or bus in front of us. The only comfort I had during the journey was when the bus stopped for ‘toilet’ break. Everyone got down from the bus and did their ‘business’ at the road side or at dried up padi field. The journey got worse when night falls (around 7pm). The road was dark and the temperature dropped sharply. I had to coil in my seat to keep myself warm because the wind breaker did little help. After a while, I got numbed. I couldn’t see anything from the window except for some camp fires along the road made by the hill tribes and stars in the sky. I kept looking at my phone (I don’t wear watch) hoping the time would past quickly. It doesn’t. It moved even slower.

Toilet break

More toilet breaks

The only comfort throughout the journey

Guillaume and Pierre paying a visit to the “house” on the roof.

A photo before continue the torturing

At the end of the journey everybody including myself was extremely delighted that we had finally reach our destination alive. Despite all the torture I had to endure, another fellow traveler told me it is still better than the slow boat.

Now I have another thing to worry. How do I find a place to sleep at 4am? More on this later.

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Pai is a small town located north of Chiang Mai, on the way to Mae Hong Son. Mae Hong Son is where the long neck women live.

However, I didn’t go there. I only stopped at Pai.

I left Chiang Mai for Pai together with Annie and Monica on a local bus. On the day we went there, most people are already going back to Chiang Mai because the 3-day reggae festival in Pai just finished. At first, I was a bit disappointed because I just missed out on such a happening event. It is not everyday I can see Bob Marley look-alike singing reggae tune in Thailand. However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it means the place was less crowded, easier to get accommodation, prices were back to normal, less noisy and it turned into a very romantic place.

With all the waterfalls, hot springs, canyon, sunset view over the valley, scenic village roads, romantic restaurants along Pai river and the laid back lifestyle, Pai is the perfect place to be with your love one. The best way to discover Pai was with a motorbike (100 Baht a day). If you are a fitness junkie, you can try bicycle. This is also where I had the best accommodation throughout my journey. The bungalow style room with spacious bathroom reminded me of Bali.

Starry night. I know you can’t see clearly. But trust me, it was really a starry night.

Riverside bungalows covered in morning mist

Reggae music with reggae people

Our “bungalow” room

Welcome to Pai

Mor Paeng Waterfall

To swim or not to swim?

Swim!

We found this sunflower field on the way to Mor Paeng Waterfall

Annie visiting a Chinese village

At waterfall

Tha Pai hot spring

Elephant ride in the village

Such an adorable dog. Asking for chips from us.

Sunset view from Wat Phra That Mae Yen Temple

Dinner beside Pai river

What to do after dinner and have nothing better to do? Try different poses for photograph of course.

Releasing our sky lantern into a starry sky.

Enjoying morning coffee at a roadside cafe.

Sunset at Pai Canyon

Group photo before we part ways. On this journey, we have crossed path and you have left footprints in my heart which I will cherish forever.

After relaxing in Pai for 3 days, I embarked on what turned out to be the most grueling and torturing journey for the whole trip.

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After arriving from Bangkok via train, I headed straight to old city of Chiang Mai by red sawngthaew (bigger version of tuk tuk). That is where most of the guesthouses located. The first thing I did after got off from the red sawngthaew was looking for a motorbike to rent. After a short find, I managed to get a motorbike from Tony’s Big Bike. The rental fee was 120 Baht per day, which I think was quite reasonable. I paid for 2 days in advance and I had to leave my passport at the shop. With the motorbike, I toured around the old city looking for guesthouses. After comparing few guesthouses, I decided to stay in Same-same Guesthouse. At 250 Baht a night, the room was pretty basic. It was a fan room with shared bathroom. Luckily it was cold season, so air-conditioning was not necessary. Later, I met up with Annie, Monica, Derick and Michell. We spent the rest of the day together shopping in the night bazaar and had our own “reunion” dinner at a cafe of a guesthouse. The night bazaar was huge and colorful.

Crossing Th Moon Muang near Tha Phae Gate

Tha Phae Gate

Foot massage by the roadside

Street full of bookstores

Beautifully decorated doors at one of the temple

One of the many temples in Chiang Mai

Fresh fruit juice in the night market

Traditional music played by students asking for donation

You can find all kind of food in the night market including the famous chicken embryo egg

The night market kicked into full swing

Camwhoring with Annie

“Reunion” dinner

The atmosphere in Chiang Mai is certainly not as “festive” as in Malaysia. In Malaysia, Chinese New Year songs would play non-stop everywhere you go and fireworks would set off almost simultaneously the moment the clock strike 12 midnight. There was none here. Although I saw some shops set off some firecrackers during day time, but the street was as silent as the grave during midnight.

However, the real celebration was on the next day in Chinatown. I found it accidentally when I was searching for breakfast on my motorbike. Few roads were closed and the area was packed with people. To my delight, Chinese New Year songs were playing loudly, lion dancers danced to the deafening drum beats, smoke from joss sticks filled the air around a Chinese temple, everything was decorated in red, the girls looked elegant in their red cheongsam, traditional dances were performed live on stage and galore of food stalls lined the street. Ah… I felt at home for awhile. I sampled most of the food as my breakfast before going back.

Chinatown

Food stalls

Thai traditional dance

Ladies looking good in red cheong sam

More girls in red cheong sam. I never see so many girls in cheong sam in one place before.

More pretty girls in cheong sam

Dragon dance

Lion dance

Chinese temple

Food stalls lined the street

My breakfast

Grilled seafoods

Grilled sausages

On my way back to my guesthouse, I was stopped by a traffic police. Unfortunately, I couldn’t produce my driving license because I left it in my guesthouse and I was slapped with a fine amounting 200 Baht which I gladly accept. After checked out from my guesthouse, I went to the police station to pay the fine. It was quite an experience to be in the police station. I was the only foreigner in the station and the policeman had trouble pronouncing my name. At least they served with smile. Too bad I was not allow to take any photograph in the station.

After the unexpected short thrill in the police station, I continued my journey on my bike to discover Chiang Mai before I departed to Pai on the afternoon (more on next post). Highly recommended by Conny on the train, I headed to Doi Suthep to visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a temple perched on a panoramic hilltop. The long and winding road leading up to the temple was very scenic. Tree’s shadow casted on the road with cool winter breeze blowing across my face made the journey one heck of a ride. I think everyone should try this when in Chiang Mai.

View of Chiang Mai town on the way up.

Riding up the hill on my rented motorbike

Long flight of steps, lined by ceramic-tailed naga, that leads up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Everyone has to take off their shoe before entering the temple’s compound

Stunning decoration on the temple wall

Golden stupa in the temple

Buddhist devotees seeking blessing from a monk

I left Chiang Mai for Pai not long after that via a local bus. The 4-5 hours bus ride cost 72 Baht. I took the last bus on 4pm at Arcade bus station.

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Girlfriend Wanted

Responsibilities

1. Talk for hours on the telephone
2. Cuddle together on the couch when watching movies
3. Travel to strange places and get lost in the world of our own
4. Sharing dreams and achieving them together
5. Holding hands in the park or in the car
6. Steal kisses in public places
7. Supporting each other during difficult times
8. Do most things together such as sleeping, bathing and eating
9. Laugh at my jokes even though it is not funny

Requirements

1. Applicants must be older than 21 and not more than 29 years old
2. Applicants must be willing to stay in Penang
3. No experience needed
4. Applicants must be attractive with appropriate height and weight
5. Applicants must be willing to work at odd hours
6. Preferred spoken language: English/Hokkien
7. Minimum academic qualification: bachelor degree
8. Good personality, intelligent, kind and understanding
9. Advantage will be given to applicants with additional skills such as cooking, house cleaning and childcare
10. Applicants must enjoy outdoor activities such as sports and traveling

Interested applicants, please submit your resume with your most recent photograph. Successful applicant will be considered for life time contract after 1 or 2 years probation period.

I bet most girl will run away after looking at this. It sounds like the worst job in the world. High responsibilities and demanding requirements without remuneration certainties.

In real life, it doesn’t work that way. No one can put condition for true love because love works in a funny way. I may fall in love with someone older, someone who stay faraway from me, someone who is not considered attractive in public opinion because beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, someone who can only speak in language that I don’t speak, someone who is not highly educated, someone who does not have the skills and quality I’m looking for or someone who is not active because for all I care, she is the right one when…

1. I can’t keep my eyes off her because just looking at her make me feel my life is complete.
2. I like doing things I never enjoyed doing before just because she likes it.
3. I will think of her and wonder is she doing OK whenever she is not around.
4. I feel comfortable being with her.
5. All problems seem solve by itself when she hugs me.
6. I wanted to kiss her every morning when I wake up, every night before I go to sleep or whenever I see her regardless where we are.
7. She can cheer me up just looking at things she does naturally. No effort needed.
8. I feel she is the most important person in my life and life will not be the same without her.
9. and most importantly, she feels the same on me.

I felt all that before. They are my ex-lovers. Life being life, nothing last forever. Even something as beautiful as love has to come to an end one day. However, that is not an excuse for me to avoid love. It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

So on this Valentine’s day, I would like to wish all my ex-lovers…

1. I hope you have found true happiness wherever you are and whatever you do.
2. I hope you will grow old together with your love one and have a happy family.
3. I hope you have moved on and let go of the past just like how I did. Life is too short to dwell in things that have passed.
4. I hope you live the life you are proud of. If you find that you are not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

To those who have found the magic of Valentine’s Day with someone special, appreciate the moment and be thankful because it is just another ordinary day to some people.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

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1. My deepest condolences

I must say the train was the most comfortable transportation I took for the whole 2 weeks trip. I could actually sleep in it. When I first entered the cabin, I quickly put on my jacket because the cabin was fully air-conditioned. It was kind of cold at night. I introduced myself to a couple of tourist from Germany who sat across the alley and engaged in a short chat. However, my bunk mate was still no where in sight. Since I haven’t done my homework, I took out my Lonely Planet to find more information on Chiang Mai. The train moved slowly and hopped from one station to another to picked up more passengers. After a few stations, my bunk mate arrived. Her name was Conny and she was from Holland. She turned out to be a very friendly person who has vast experience in Chiang Mai. I tucked away my Lonely Planet and she became my “guide book” that night I also learned a lot from her life experience. We chatted for hours until it was time to sleep.

Pedi and friend

Conny from Holland

The train attendants would moved from one cabin to another and prepare the bed for every passengers. It was amazing to see them work because they could prepare the bed so fast almost like they could do it with their eyes close. I kept my backpack underneath the bottom bunk and took the valuable stuffs with me. There was a curtain I could pull over to provide some privacy when I slept. Sleeping in the small bunk with the curtain pulled over reminded me of my childhood when I used to play house my brother. The house was built by cardboard and blankets and we would pretend to lived in it. I put on my iPod before falling asleep.

It became a seat when the bed is folded

I slept on the top bunk

I woke up around 7am and was greeted by a beautiful sunrise on a hilly scenery. I went to brush my teeth and washed my face in the common wash room. Then I had my breakfast that I bought at 7-Eleven. Even though food is sold on the train, it is cheaper if I bring my own food. The train finally reached Chiang Mai at around 8 something in the morning and it was time to say goodbye to Pedi and friend from Germany and Conny.

Sunrise as seen from the window

Here is a short video I made for this journey…

Click here to view the embedded video.

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We went to Bangkok’s Chinatown and had a nice seafood meal in a Chinese restaurant. After dinner, I went around Chinatown on foot to look for a place to sleep. I managed to get a room in a hotel just beside Hua Lamphong train station which was great because I planned to travel to Chiang Mai the next day by train. After checked into the hotel, I quickly proceeded to the train station to purchase the ticket just before the counter was closed at 11pm. I paid 791 Baht for a one-way overnight sleeper (top bunk) in Special Express train that departs on 6pm (more on next post).

After that, we took a taxi to Memorial Bridge. I could see a lot of Thai teenagers hung around on the bridge chit chatting. There were barely any foreigners. Very near the bridge is a wholesale market for flower known as Pak Khlong Talaat. The market was very colorful with all sorts of flowers. Also very near the bridge is a lively night market selling all kinds of merchandise from rabbits to lingerie. I shopped for awhile before retired to my room.

At the Memorial Bridge

The night market near Memorial Bridge

Wat Prayun Wongsawat as seen from the bridge

Somewhere around the night market

Walking toward the flower market

Flower market

Flower market

I had my breakfast in Chinatown before met up with Tookie on the next day. The lady that sold me the duck rice was very kind. She took the trouble to recommend her friend’s place to change money which indeed offered the best exchange rate. She even offered to take me there by bike which I politely refused. After changing all my Ringgits to Baht, I returned Tookie the money I borrowed from her.

Later, she brought me around Bangkok for sightseeing. At first, we wanted to visit the Grand Palace, but the entrance fee was too expensive and I felt it wasn’t worth it. On top of that, I did not have enough time for sightseeing in Bangkok and the palace is huge. So we skipped the palace and headed straight to Wat Arun across Chao Phraya river. After spending some time enjoying the scenery on top of Wat Arun, we went to Mahboonkrong shopping mall to buy some stuffs and had my dinner at the food court.

The Grand Palace

Temple in Wat Arun

Temple in Wat Arun

Temple in Wat Arun

Temple in Wat Arun

Wat Arun

View from Wat Arun

Another view from Wat Arun

Weird structure near Mahboonkrong shopping mall

Shopping at Mahboonkrong shopping mall

Fearing traffic jam, we left the shopping mall in haste for the train station. Luckily, the traffic was smooth. Since it was still early, I went to nearby 7-Eleven to buy some snacks and drinking water for the long journey. That was where I met Annie. After a short introduction, I came to know that she was going to Chiang Mai as well, but on a later train. We exchanged phone numbers and said goodbye.

I left Bangkok after saying goodbye to Tookie.

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Charles and friends

Sleeping in a dorm is quite an experience. I had to whisper, tip-toed and use flash light to look for my stuff in my bag so that I don’t wake up other guests.

When I reached the hostel, it was too early to check in. So I hang around at the cafe near the lobby to do some work. The first thing I did after check-in was take a shower to freshen myself up after spending a night in the airport. After that, it was exploration time. Armed with a town map and free bicycle from the hostel, I hunted for my lunch and toured the town looking for places of interest. The town has little interest for me. My ultimate purpose in Seam Reap was to visit Angkor Archaeological Park. I decided to cycle there in hope to catch a glimpse of the magnificent monument before the full exploration on next day.

View from the hostel

My first meal in Siem Reap. Food is quite expensive in Siem Reap. It cost me 12,000 Riel (RM10) at a roadside food stall. Can you believe that?! Damn you bloodsuckers!

Siem Reap town (Old Market)

A place for you to splurge. All kind of pubs and restaurants are here.

It has Swensens!

The journey from the town to Angkor Archaeological Park was further than I expected. Because it was dry season, I huffed and puffed dust into my lung while cycling. Unfortunately, the furthest I could reach was at the ticketing check point. To go further, I had to buy ticket. The entrance ticket is not cheap. The cost of 1-day ticket is US$20, 3-day is US$40 and 7-day is US$60. If I purchase the ticket after 5.00pm, I can use it for the next day. Since it was only 1.40pm, I had no choice but to turn back to the town. When I reached the hostel, my butt was damn sore. That made me think twice about exploring the temples using bicycle tomorrow morning.

Even though the sign says 5.30pm, the actual time for the ticket to valid for the next day is 5pm.

The Angkor map

In the hostel I met my roommate from Japan. Masaki just arrived from Phnom Penh. We decided to visit the temples after 5.00pm to enjoy the sunset in Angkor Wat. We went there by hiring a tuk tuk (27,000 Riel). After getting my photo taken and printed on the ticket at the ticketing booth, we were allowed to venture further. After a distance, I finally laid my eyes on the magnificent temple bathe in golden sunlight. It was quite thrilling to see the temple for the first time. After, immersing myself in the wonder of the temple, we had to leave at 6pm. We just had a short preview of what to come tomorrow.

Yay! My one day pass.

Ah… finally. Angkor Wat, here I come!

The “bridge” leading toward Angkor Wat.

Angkor during sunset

The sunset

We began our 1-day Angkor Archaeological Park exploration on 7.30am also via tuk tuk (US$15). Not being a morning person, we decided to skip the sunrise. Since we have visited Angkor Wat yesterday, we decided to head straight to Angkor Thom; the biggest complex in the archaeological park. That is where the Bayon temple is located. The most distinctive feature of Bayon is the giant four faces stone structure. We spent at least one hour in the temple. Other than Bayon, there are other temples and sites of interest in Angkor Thom. We have visited Baphuon, Phimeanakas, Terrace of the Elephants and North Kleang.

Me, Masaki and our tuk tuk driver

Heading toward South Gate of Angkor Thom

The Bayon temple

Is this really stair?

The four faces of Bayon temple

The linga stand

The Apsara dancers

An artist capturing the beauty of the Bayon faces on canvas

A very long wall of stories

The pathway leading towards Baphuon

Young children peddling souvenirs are everywhere

Phimeanakas

North Kleang

North Kleang

North Kleang

Contemplating on life

Angkor Thom is surrounded by walls at four sides with five gates. On the east side of the wall, there are two gates. One is Victory Gate and the other less known gate is the East Gate a.k.a. the Ghost Gate. The gate that I’m interested the most is the Ghost Gate because it was isolated from all tourist. The only way to access the gate is via a dirt road which are partially hidden in bushes. Initially, the tuk tuk driver was a little bit reluctant to bring us there. Maybe the gate is forbidden or the roads are too bumpy. He didn’t manage to find the road leading to the gate at first. He took the wrong turn and we ended in another hidden monument most probably known as East Prasat Top. We finally found the gate on our second attempt. When we reached the gate, it was eerily quiet. We were the only living being at the gate. Soft breeze with dried leaves falling down from trees only made the gate more mystical. We exited Angkor Thom via Victory Gate not long after that.

The road leading toward the Ghost Gate

The East Gate a.k.a. the Ghost Gate

The Victory Gate

Before we headed for lunch beside Sras Srang reservoir, we stopped by at Thommanom and Chau Say Thevoda just outside the Victory Gate of Angkor Thom. After lunch we continued to another highlight of the Archaeological Park; Ta Prohm. This place is made famous by the big boobs Lara Croft (played by Angelina Jolie) in the movie Tomb Raider. The most distinctive feature of Ta Prohm is the huge roots of fig and silk-cotton trees that looked like swallowing the rock structures. Another temple with similar impressive setting is Banteay Kdei. We continued our journey to Pre Rup.

Thommanom

Chau Say Thevoda

Ta Keo

Ta Prohm

Sorry. No Angelina Jolie. Just me.

Me again.

Still in Ta Prohm

Another big tree trying to swallow the temple in Ta Prohm

Pre Rup

The giant stairs up Pre Rup

Some weird statues on top of Pre Rup

Since we still have plenty of time left, we decided to “rediscover” Angkor Wat and we glad we did. We realized we did not fully discovered Angkor Wat on the sunset visit a day earlier. There were still plenty of things to see. By the time I finished with Angkor Wat, I was temple-overdosed; tired and everything beginning to look almost similar to me. We spent more than 1 hour in the complex before headed back to Siem Reap town.

Inside Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Carving in Angkor Wat

I left Siem Reap for Bangkok the next day. I took a local bus (US$7) from Siem Reap to Poipet, a town at Cambodian side of the border. On the Thai side, the town is call Aranyaprathet. During the trip, most of the road are unpaved. It made the journey slower. But it is better to travel on dry season than on wet season. I heard the journey would be longer and more torturing in wet season. After crossing the border, I took a moto (50 Baht) to the bus station. Initially, I planned to take the train to Bangkok, but because of the stupid bus journey took longer than I expected, I missed the last train to Bangkok. I had no choice but to take the public bus (207 Baht) to Bangkok. The bus journey took almost 5 hours.

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