Paul and Tracy's Main Blog

We woke early, probably as a result of yet another coughing fit, as I try to bring my feet up through my insides and out of my throat. It's just 6.45am, but as we're leaving today and heading back to Bangkok we need to be up early anyway, so I try to soothe my throat with the remaining cold water and get showered and dressed. Breakfast on the 6th floor balcony and we both manage the full American, which demonstrates that no-one at this hotel has ever been there. 2 eggs, sunny-side up and a thin rasher of bacon, slice of grilled tomato and 2 rounds of toast would not even count as an entree in the US, let alone a full breakfast. But in the heat of Cambodia, it's more than enough for us, so we're not complaining. In fact, we both struggle to clear our plates. Wish I could keep this up when I get home, I'd soon get rid of the large belly I seem to have acquired over the last few years...

Breakfasted and check-out we meet up with Andy again and throw the bags in the car so he can drive us through the early-morning madness to the airport. And madness it is this morning, with 2 cars overtaking us in the face of a swarm of oncoming scooters – and for the first time we genuinely thought there was going to be carnage. There wasn't but these speeding idiots can't have claimed that was by design, at least not judging my the last-minute avoiding action the scooter-riders took to avoid them changing from swarming to squashed...

Just outside the airport Andy announces he has to stop to “put something on car” so he can avoid paying fees at the airport, and proceeds to place a “Taxi” sign on the roof and numbered plates on each door, change his shirt for a blue one and get back in with a grin... “now you're a real taxi” I said and he just laughed. Seems there's a few of them “share” the licence... but he's been really good with us and done all we asked, and for no more money than we'd have paid elsewhere (we checked, we've been scammed before...). So we bid him farewell and for posterity took his picture complete with the “taxi”...





At the airport we check-in and pay the “departure tax” of $25 each. So Cambodia cost us $45 each to get in and out again, but it's been worth it – just a pity we don't have time to explore some more, and we're pretty sure that next time we visit Siem Reap it will have changed even more, given the amount of building work going on. Just hope they don't further “restore” the temples, or they'll lose their magic...
The flight to Bangkok was on-time and comfortable, and short. We're both dreading the 12hr flight from Bangkok to Paris tomorrow, given our backsides haven't really recovered from the journey out here, due to the lack of padding on the seats... Arrival, passport control and customs were passed without any problems, as we're now well and truly in the jet-setter groove, knowing exactly where to go and in what order. And the “Where be the ye-llow bag” song helps too, although it did seem to make Tracy walk much slower than me, and on the opposite side of the walkway...

With the ye-llow bag collected we found a taxi to take us to the hotel for 400Baht, and once cleared of the Bangkok traffic and back in the hotel we checked in for 2 nights, even though we will be leaving at 8pm tomorrow. That gives us the room for the day, so we can shower and freshen up before setting off home – with the temperature here, I think our fellow passengers will appreciate the effort. Unless they don't do the same and sit there stinking, of course...

Back in the familiar surroundings of the New World City (Lodge) Hotel it wasn't long before we found ourselves sat outside a bar on the Khao San Road, enjoying a cold Singha and watching the world go by (and go buy – from the endless shops that line this backpacker heaven). We could get very used to this...





For the story of the rest of the afternoon, see last Wednesday (beer and people-watching on the Khao San road). It was very, very, hot sat in the sun, and some of the plastic seats had undesirable side-effects for Tracy, who was wearing some shorts that don't exactly hide the sweaty bits (she's going to kill me for this!):





We did manage to avoid a complete groundhog day, despite the excellent beer and passing entertainment, and went back to the hotel before it became too difficult, in order to get showered (again) changed into some clean(ish) clothes for our last night out. When we were here in 2005 for the Laos trip, we went with our tour group to a riverside restaurant within walking distance of the hotel that served excellent seafood, so we thought we'd see if we could find it. Remarkably, we did, very easily (turn left, right, then left again). And secured a table for two right next to the river with excellent views of the Rama VIII bridge, watching the illuminated boat goes by...





We were feeling adventurous, so ordered some fish balls for starters (cue the joke “I didn't know fish could dance”), followed by breaded fried scallops with dried chillies (bloody hot!), and a fried swimming crab (although it was in no condition to swim when it arrived, as it had been fried and had its legs and claws ripped off). The food was very good, although the crab was a bit too fiddly to eat, as we were sat in almost complete darkness... Tracy did look a little surprised when the crab arrived, though...





But tonight wasn't a night for getting up tight, it was a night for being chilled, despite the fact it was still hot enough to boil a monkey's bum...





Full of crab we walked sideways back to the hotel, where we stopped in the bar opposite for a nightcap, as the hotel we're staying in is now “dry”... and then to bed...