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#10 - Cambodian Surprise

Laos to Cambodia


One of the things you learn quickly as you travel to places you have only heard about all of your whole life, is they are nothing like what you expect. And expectations can start right at the airport. 

Hong Kong airport is modern with the easiest transportation into the city. It is not pristine but it definitely represents the city...a bit dirty but easy to get around. Bangkok airport is super big and crazy busy, again just like the city. In Laos, Luang Prabang’s airport is small, not very modern and has bathrooms that, well, let’s say you would rather not use, but the people are friendly and easily speak English. 

Luang Prabang seemed clean compared to Thailand. It felt like a large Mexican town where you stop noticing the broken pavements and get used to how people live as you peer into open doors walking by homes. But what a walkable city. Our hotel was a kilometer from the Night Market and the town stretched out from there another kilometer or so along the Mekong River to the Peninsula ( not the hotel, literally a peninsula ) and another kilometer around winding along another smaller river.  You pass hotels and cafes, shops for tourists and shops for locals, a couple of galleries and one or two boutiques. As soon as you are tired, you hop into a tuk tuk and ride home. 






We had two days of touring the town, it’s Wats and Museums, and a river trip to the Cave of a Thousand Buddha’s. Our riverside picnic was on an island that had only a monastery, a few mangy dogs, a monkey kept on a chain and a monk or two building a new brick wall. Not very scenic or clean, but again, a real slice of life in Luang Prabang. We finally took a day off of touring yesterday to simply walk around and shop, eat and cafe and even relax at the pool with a book. 

Today we set off for Cambodia, to Siem Reap. What to expect? I am guessing it will be much like Laos; after all, there was nothing here only 20 years ago until tourism boomed. We land a bit late and surprise.....this is a beautiful, stylish modern airport. We should have suspected this, since getting an E-Visa for Cambodia was slick, efficient, and fast from our computer in Santa Fe months ago. The bathrooms were high design and spotless.... cleaner and nicer than any U.S. airport! Our adorable little guide Bun was waiting with a nice Toyota SUV, ice cold water and ice cold towels to refresh us. It seems like Cambodia is the slickest place we have been. 
We arrive at our hotel, Viroths. Now, when our agent put our tour together she had suggested a different hotel, one that was ‘up’ one level, probably four star, not three. But I had read such rave reviews of this place that I switched. And we are not disappointed. 
Viroths
This beautiful mid-century style hotel is sleek, our room giant with a huge terrace, plenty of closet for Steve to finally unpack, a gorgeous pool and spa and even decent bathroom lights with a makeup mirror. Who would have thought that Cambodia would outshine Bangkok or Hong Kong?







Tonight we head to Mie Cafe in a tuk tuk, another one of the 
Secret Restaurants of Asia. 

Looking forward to Khmer food tonight and Angkor Wat tomorrow. Though we declined the sunrise tour starting at 4:45 AM because the weather today and tomorrow is cloudy, I still think we will have a wonderful day with Bun and Sok, our driver. I already know we did not plan enough time here.


Although our Asia trip got off to a rough start with illness and weather, we have improved constantly, and this trip just gets better with every stop we make. So whenever anyone else is ready to tackle SE Asia, we will have the perfect plan for you.

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