We made our way from Krabi to the island of Lanta, or Ko Lanta as it is called. Ko means island in Thai. There are two Lanta islands. Ko Lanta Yai and Ko Lanta Noi. There is no tourism on Ko Lanta Noi. It was a 45 minute ride from Krabi to the first ferry that would take us to Ko Lanta Noi. The ferry was only about a ten minute ride. The landscape quickly changed as we got out of Krabi. It became very lush and tropical. We drove a short distance on Lanta Noi to get to the ferry that would take us to Lanta Yai. This ferry ride was barely two minutes. They could easily build a bridge between … [Read more...]
Krabi, Celebrating Songkran Thai New Year
From Bangkok we flew to a small town in southern Thailand called Krabi. It's approximately 1000 km's south and has a population of only 20,000. It was a refreshing change of pace from Bangkok. Krabi is very laid back and the people are extremely friendly. Many travelers just pass through Krabi on their way to the islands. We found it a worthwhile place to spend some time. … [Read more...]
Other Ruins Of Angkor
We have listed the sites below that we visited. A brief description or things of interest have been noted, along with a few pictures. Check out the Siem Reap album in our photo gallery for many more pictures of the temples. There are many more sites further out from the frequently viewed circuit. Some of them are well worth a visit if you have the extra time. The ones listed below along with Angkor Wat took up 4 full days of our viewing time. We probably take a bit longer due to our obsession with photography, but that being said, none of the sites deserve to be rushed through. Ta … [Read more...]
The Wonders Of Angkor
The main reason we came to Siem Reap was to see the temples and ruins of Angkor. They are truly magnificent. Back in its peak the area of Angkor had a population of over a million people when the city of London was a mere 50,000! Getting Your Passes And Arranging Transportation To See The Temples You have to buy passes to see the ruins. Most of the main sites around the Angkor area are included in this pass. There are a few that have a separate entrance fee. The passes come in 1 day, 3 day and 7 days, and are $20, $40 and $60 respectively. They can be purchased at the main area gate to … [Read more...]
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Of Cambodia
The people are known as Khmer and speak the Khmer language. It is not a tonal language like Thai, so it is a bit easier to catch on to. We found instances of it being easier to hold a conversation in English with someone in Cambodia than in Thailand. A lot of Cambodian adults over a certain age speak fluent French. Cambodia was a French colony at one time, there are many fine examples of French colonial architecture here. This would all make sense as to why we saw a lot of French tourists visiting Cambodia. The currency is called Riel, about 3,300 Riel equals one Canadian dollar. The … [Read more...]
To Siem Reap By Expensive Air Or The Scam Bus?
We flew back to Bangkok from Chiang Mai, another short 50 minute flight. We arranged a flight directly from there to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Having heard so much about the ruins we were very excited see them. We were also very nervous, after all this was Cambodia. Or Rambo land as my brother referred to it! It's a quick flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap, it took us only 40 minutes. We were actually served a meal on this short flight. We had just started into the food when the pilot announced we would soon be descending for Siem Reap airport. We barely got to touch it before it got collected. … [Read more...]
Doi Suthep Temple And More Of Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai Is A Place You Might End Up Staying Longer Than Planned We ended up staying another 5 days in Chiang Mai after returning from the Elephant Park. It's just one of those cities you can get caught up in and end up staying longer than you planned. We spent some days just wandering around the city. We took advantage of all the great restaurants here and the great variety of cuisine offered. Wat Doi Suthep We went up to a temple called Doi Suthep. It is situated on a small mountain on the back side of the city. On a clear day you can get a great view of Chiang Mai. … [Read more...]
An Evening of Traditional Thai Dancing And Dinner
We made reservations at the Old Chiang Mai Cultural Center. The price is about $10 per person (320 baht each) This includes return transportation from your hotel in Chiang Mai as well as dinner and an evening of Thai dancing entertainment. You can't beat that price for an evening out. We arrived at the center and checked in our shoes before entering the dining area. It was a large outside area with some tables around the outer edge. Most of the seating is on the ground. You sit crossed legged on mats. Everyone has a small triangle wedge cushion for some back support. Your meal comes out … [Read more...]
Chiang Mai
A Forty Five Minute Flight Versus A Thirteen Hour Train Ride We took a short one hour flight with Thai airways from Bangkok to Chiang Mai which is in northern Thailand. It gets very confusing because there are many provinces that have a city in them with the same name. Like Chiang Mai province and Chiang Mai city. It was only $50 Canadian for the flight as opposed to taking a 13 hour train ride. The scenery is supposed to be very nice on the train, but we decided we wanted to get there the fast route. Hats off to Thai airways! Excellent service, we even got fed a meal on a one hour … [Read more...]
Ayuthaya Ruins And Wats
Our first day out we took a tuk tuk to see a Wat, which is the name for the Thai temples here. You can get watted out in Thailand, they are everywhere. After you have seen a few it can get monotonous. So far we have been viewing ones that have different enough aspects to them that they are still interesting. Wat Phanan Choeng The first one we went to is called Wat Phanan Choeng. It has a massive golden Buddha that sits inside a temple. We were lucky enough to time our visit on the weekend when the monks perform a special ceremony. People come to the temple to pray and be blessed. There is a … [Read more...]