This was probably the longest league of our journey in this entire TransIndochina 2010. We wake up early in the morning and get ourself ready for a long and tiring day. We had our usual breakfast at our hotel restaurant at 7 am sharp and to our amaze our pre-arranged car was already waiting for us. We will move north west to Poipet( Gambling heaven for rich Thai Chinese & Cambodian) in a 2 hours car journey before we could cross over to the town of Aryan, Thailand. From here we will take a bus to Korat for a pit stop before taking another bus from Korat to Udon Thani by pass Khon Kaen with a mind of crossing into Laos on the same day! We did our lunch break at 12pm in the sleepy town of Aryan.....we had some simple fried rice and coffee. We boarded our bus to Korat at 1pm sharp.
Border Crossing in between Cambodia & Thailand
Bus Terminal in Aranyaphet, Thailand
Our bus from Aranyaphet to Korat at the Korat Main Bus Terminal
Nothing much to say about the bus journey as we all try to catch as much sleep as possible realizing that it would be a long day. True enough we arrived at Korat Main bus terminal at about 4.30 pm and staright away we bought another bus ticket to Udon Thani as we understand that we would not be able to cross the border to Laos today........so we choose to make a non schedule pit stop at Udon Thani. Our bus schedule to Udon Thani is 5.30pm and we had our toilet and ciggie break at a small cafe located inside the bus terminal. We departed from Korat as evening fall and our journey to Udon Thani is a far and boring one with the bus making quite a number of stops in between to pick up and drop off some passenger.Our dinner was a quarter of grilled chicken(40 bath) shared among 3 of us.We reached Udon Thani about 10.30pm and check in to a motel opposite the Udon Thani bus terminal 1. We will rest for a few hours before we take the early morning bus to Vientiane, Laos.
Udon Thani Bus Terminal 1
Our hotel in Udon Thani
Street in Udon Thani at night
We did a quick tour of Udon Thani at night after our dinner(Braised Pork leg Rice@30bath per plate) at a street stall nearby our motel. Udon Thani is quite sleepy at night and the weather is chilling.....we don't even need to open our fan at our room.We called it a day at about 12.30 am as we need to board the earliest bus tomorrow at 8 am to the capital city of Laos, Vientiane. End of day 7 the longest day in the entire TransIndochina 2010 journey.
Remarks:-Udon Thani is the last city in Northeastern of Thailand before you will reached the Thai/lLaos border. My personal preference is you stay here for 1 or 2 days to discover the city but I don't have the luxury of time during my trip. Drop by here if you are doing the same journey as me.....Udon Thani will surprise you with its charm!
After my Visit to Cambodia in the previous year(2009).....I am back again to Siem Reap again......amid a little bit different this time around because.....I am a backpacker or flashpacker! Well not going into very much details on this stop of my journey as most of the info on this famous place is all over the internet. Therefore I think it would be much better if I share with you what I have seen in Siem Reap myself. Basically I am a veteran in Siem Reap having been here for the past 5 years and each time with different group of people. How amazing it was.......:) Without wasting much time and I am much better equipped this time around with my Nikon DSLR and Sigma lens....I am all out to shoot until I drop! Here it goes:-
Faces of Cambodia Part 2
Lotus Flower lake in Siem Reap
Lotus Flower lake in Siem Reap #2
Local boatman in Tonle Sap lake, Siem Reap
Evening at Tonle Sap lake
Evening at Tonle Sap lake #2
Fisherman in Tonle Sap lake
Angkor Wat
3 buddies in Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat In the water
Angkor Bayon faces
Buddha face inside a tree
Kids selling souvenirs
Small kid & Riel
Remarks:-The above photos was taken at Tonle Sap lake and around Angkor Wat complex. These was some of my favorites photo taken during this stop on my Transindochina 2010 journey. Our pit stop in Siem Reap on day 5 & 6 of our journey was mostly spend on visiting interesting & historical places such as the Ex-7 wonders of the world Angkor Wat, the gigantic Tonle Sap, the Angkor night market, the old market and so on.
Day 4.....Morning of valentine's day(14-2-2010)....definitely a great day as we are visiting a local orphanage with my Cambodian friend Ms.Daly and her family members. The orphanage is located outskirt of the city and we took about 30 minutes to reach this place. A brief history of this place.......well started by missionaries from Hungary & French some 30 years back. The place used to be very run down with very little attention & support from Cambodian government but ever since donations started to pour in....the situation gradually improve!
My friend's brother is so kind to send us personally to the orphanage he once used to stay at when he was young. Poverty is a serious problem in Cambodia.......strange enough..... rumors recently that Cambodia government want to built the tallest building in the world....Oh Gosh...must be the biggest joke in 2010!!
The orphans lining up at the waiting hall to welcome us.....some of them is very young ans cute. I felt it when I see them. Trying to hold my tears most of the time and at the same time trying to talk to them even I can't speak Khmer language at all.
One of the bedroom belongs to the orphan at this center. Years back the children here sleep on the floor only.
The children started to wear our specially design T-shirt and eating sweets that we have brought it here together. We also distribute some instant noodle and potato chips to them. They smile like no tomorrow when they receiving their goods. It's good to see them enjoying their sweets and chips.
One of the orphan in this place. She looks cute....isn't she???? I just hope that she is alright!
Some of them is very young here and I just pray & hope that one day these children will eventually found their own world....a world which they preferred! good luck and all the best!
Kelvin In orange colour shirt is distributing the sweets and chips to the children with their eyes focused right to the goodies!
Remarks:- It is a remarkable experience to visit this place and interact with the children. At the end of the day We realized that nothing much we can do.....but at least we do something.........to cheer up and brighten up their day! We decided to pass some money to my friend and she will come here and buy some daily necessities to them. We leave with a very heavy heart knowing that we are indeed very lucky to live in a country where our luxury back home is only a dream to most of them in this part of the world called Cambodia!!
Special Note: I would like to take this opportunity to thanks all the donors who help us make this visit to orphanage happened and on behalf of the children, once again thank you so much for your kind contribution.
Once again we started our day early as we are travelling overland to Cambodia. Everyone wake up early and as usual we had our delicious buffet breakfast at our hotel. We wait at our hotel lobby for our driver to send us to the VIP bus that will bring us all the way to the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Our driver was late but once we see our bus....we are delighted as it was really a huge bus.....and...there was less than 10 person on board. Ticket price is USD 7.50 per person and for that price we have no complain at all! Not going much into the details of this journey.....but the 7 hours plus journey to Phnom Penh is a great but tiring one! Here are some of the photo's taken through the bus journey!
Remarks:- The journey from Saigon, Vietnam to Phnom Penh, Cambodia will bring you to some of the remote & poor town in both countries. The border crossing in Vietnam is called Moc Bai whereas the crossing in Cambodia is called Bavet. Immediately after you step into Cambodia you will witness dozens of Casino and hotels lining up at both left & right hand side of the road. Normally after crossing into Cambodia, you will stop for a lunch at a local restaurant but the foods here sucks & very expensive. Be ready to fork out USD 3.50 for a plain wantan mee or USD 4 for a plate of fried rice. Nevertheless it is an eye opener experience of a life time and this bus journey is the longest yet I"ve tried in my life! The longest bus ride ever in my life.........Cambodia overland to Laos!!
The moment of truth is near....we are just 48 days away from our Transindochina 2010 tour. As final preparation is progressively ongoing....we shall be ready by end of January 2010. Our limited edition t-shirt specially designed by kelvin Lim is about to ready in a week time! I am anxiously waiting to see the final work!
The limited edition (100 pieces worldwide) will be available for good Samaritans that willing to donate RM 100 for the needy,poor,orphan & disable in Laos & Cambodia. So far the response has been good with many closed friend promised to donate! Guys & Gals....I would like to say thank you so much to you guys on the behalf of the beneficiaries!
I promised you guys.....I would take as many good photos as possible as my heartiest souvenir for you guys! I will also write as many updates as possible during my journey.......Life is short....I got to do something before I am old.....to help them is so meaningful to me.........at least I did myself proud as a human being........we travel, we party, we eat.......but "we see, we feel, we care & we help ". This is our motto for this trip.......I am really looking forward for it and hopefully I can make it an annual thing......because at the end of the day......we only need "IT" only when we are living!
Most of the time majority of us the city goers will forgo a delicious & filling breakfast! We are in rush of everything in our daily life! We rush to office, for an appointment, for a date, to catch a movie and so on! How many times do we really sit down, relax our self, free our mind and enjoying a beautiful morning with a sumptuous & delicious breakfast? No I hardly do it......as what we always told our self time is as precious as gold! A good breakfast always makes a perfect start to a beautiful day! What is my ideal breakfast? just have a look at the photos below:-
"there are 2 of them in Cambodia :one in the capital city of Phnom Penh and another one in the majestic Angkor City of Siem Reap"
"FCC Angkor is located at an old colonial house facing the Siem Reap river. Cleverly renovated, intelligent architecture works and very well maintained..... I have no doubt that FCC serve some of the best western & international breakfast in Cambodia!"
" I am gonna miss this breakfast everyday! " Not only looks good but tastes like heaven too! the slices of bread is crispy, egg is well cooked, bacon is yummy and nicely arranged on the plate!
" Yeah.....a cup of perfectly brewed espresso in the early morning makes a good start to a wonderful day!"
" I believe that coffee is one of the reason why I love my life!" I just can't live without it even for a day!
" best ever egg omelette I've ever tried!" Don't believe me...go there and try it yourself! Location:-FCC Phnom Penh@ Sisowath Quay
Remarks:- Try to make yourself free on any one particular morning and have a good breakfast! Look back into your journey of life and be glad with what you have in your life! Treasure what you have and more importantly those people around you. Life is too short even only for happiness! Cheers!
Cambodia or officially known as The Royal Kingdom of Cambodia is bordering Vietnam to the east, Thailand to the west and Laos to the north. The capital PhnomPenh is full of activities......but most of the time tourist come to Cambodia just to see the infamous Angkor Wat in Siem Reap.The nation which gone through several devastating war for decades has finally settled down.
The country is booming again even though poverty is still the nation main priority. Most Cambodian live with an average income of USD 50 per month. Life is hard in the capital city.....poverty is evidenced as you can noticed a lot of beggars some even as young as 4-5 years old. At night homeless people will sleep at the riverside front just a few hundreds meter from the royal palace. You cant miss the S-21 genocide museum if you visit PhnomPenh........the Red khmer or Khmer Rouge tortured and killed hundreds of thousand of innocent Cambodian during their reign from 1975-1979. Most of these victims were later transferred to one of the many killing fields outside of the city. One of the most visited killing fields is the ChoungEuk Genocidal Center about 10 miles out of the city. I feel for those victims of the brutality and inhuman action by the Khmer Rouge.
For those who fancy guns.....do drop by at the Thunder ranch at the outskirt of the city on the way further up from the airport. You can try the Russian made Ak-47, US made M-16 and the German made Heckler & Koch MP-5 9mm submachinegun. Others interesting places aroung the town is watphonm, the royal palace, silver pagoda,national museum, central market, russian market and numerous others off beaten path places for the adventurous one. Gamblers are most welcome in Naga World where you can put your bet on the baccarat table for minimum of USD4! A 5 hours journey up north will bring you to the city of Angkor or nowadays "Siem Reap".
A visit to Angkor Wat complex, Angkor Bayon, Ta Phrom, Bakheng and others temple inside the Angkor Archeology Complex is a breath taking experience. You can spend the whole day walking around inside this huge complex and feel like you are back in the ancient time...even though very touristy nowadays....still worth it to come here and see it with your own eyes one of the old seven wonders of the world! If you have enough time you can pay a visit to the Tonle Sap lake which eventually the largest fresh water lake in the world. Grab a can or bottle of Angkor beer and sip it in one of the many floating restaurant on the lake.
For shoppers you can drop by the old market or the official Angkor night market to grab some souvenirs for your love ones! As the night arrived check out any of the bars in pub street or some of the night clubs scattered around the town. Clubbing in one of the local night clubs proved to be a memorable one! Cambodia is a huge country with many nice and interesting places waiting for those daring one to explore..... From the seaside town of Sihanoukville, Kampot, AnlongVieng......Cambodia is just magnificent and mysterious with some of the nicest people I've ever met through out my journey in this part of the world "Asia"
"sunset in front of the royal palace"
"Sisowath Quay in the early morning...not too busy"
" two young Cambodian girl at the Sisowath Quay"
"BBQ Cambodian style"
"there are steam pork buns everywhere on the street of Phnom Penh....I tried it and it taste good"
"independence monument at night"
"one of the best americano coffee i can find in Phnom Penh" by the coffee maker company
" This fried noodle is simply awesome"created by North Star restaurant in Sotheroas Boulevard in Phnom Penh
"life is harsh in Cambodia......a pedestrian walk way in the morning turned sleeping ground"
" some money please.....I need to buy pen..buy book...go to school"
"infamous S-21 (ToulSeng) genocide museum"
"some of the guns available in Thunder ranch"
"a currency exchange dub cigarettes shop in Siem Reap"
"Breakfast in FCC Angkor Siem Reap"
" FCC Angkor in Siem Reap- an ideal place for breakfast"
"Angkor Wat as what it is today"
" It's simply majestic"
"just sit down, free your mind & have a bottle of iced cool Heineken"
"Life in Tonle Sap lake"
"this cutey was caught in action on the floating restaurant @ Tonle Sap lake"
Remarks:- the writer wants to thank his buddies Ivan & Eddie for some of the well taken photo's.
Cambodia is definitely on my Trans Indochina 2010 tour.... :)
