TravelBio

I thought it would be helpful to post a few suggestions for any interested visitor of Angkor Wat; in the last post I put up more info on the temple itself and my experience there.  Here I just wanted to do a quick post with tips. 1. Angkor Wat is only the tip of the iceberg Angkor Wat may be the most well known temple in Cambodia, but the area around it contains hundreds of other impressive structures.  Yes, spend time at Angkor, but leave more for the other attractions; there are many more sites worth a visit as well.  Ta Prohm, with massive trees invading and growing over the temple compound, was probably my favorite.  Even though there is so much to see... Here is a map of the central grounds:as you can see Angkor Wat is hardly the only temple 2. Don't try and overdo it You can't conquer it all in one day! Mike and I saw a hell of a lot of temples in one day (and we didn't even make it for dawn, as many do).  Impressive as they may be, temple si

  The flight from Vientiane to Siem Reap was not too eventful, and that's what I wanted.  I could truly appreciate it after the trip from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang.  The extra cost for the flight was definitely worth foregoing on a two day bus ride.  We left Vientaine early in the morning and arrived in Siem Reap that same morning, no small feat in Southeast Asia. Siem Reap (here spelled Siemreab) is in northwest Cambodia, only a few kilometers from Angkor Wat Siem Reap is the town closest to Angkor Wat, a temple complex that is visited by half of all visitors to Cambodia.  I didn't find out how many visitors have come recently, but in 2004 and 2005 the numbers were 561,000 and 677,000 foreigners, respectively   That number has continued to grow and I'd be very surprised if it is less than a million today.  It wasn't even high season and the temples were still busy with visitors. Angkor Wat was originally a Hindu temple but then became Buddhist when

After four nights of shenanigans in Vang Vieng it was time to head down south to the capital, Vientiane.  I doubt you have heard of the capital before; no biggie.  Well Vientiane is not big either - only a few hundred thousand in the city, maybe closer to 700,000 in the metro.  Our 8 man (and women) crew was due to split; the Welsh guys and English gals going on to Vietnam while Mike and I went to Cambodia. Streets of Vientiane Mike and I spent two nights there, the others only one.  The second evening they left for a lovely 22 hour bus ride to Hanoi!  At least they were supposed to have beds on board.  Computers and ipods can make the journey more bearable.  Popping a few sleeping pills certainly helps. As for Mike and I, we were headed to the town of Siem Reap, Cambodia, near the famous Angkor Wat temple complex.  Mike's time was limited as he had a flight to catch in a week.  The bus option took two whole days travel!  Even with a stopover the plane journey was 3 hours

What to say about Vang Vieng?  The place has become infamous among backpacker circles in SE Asia, but many 'normal' people may have no clue about it.  For those who have never heard of the place, here is the run-down: Small town with idyllic river, caves, and mountains goes touristy.  Caters to backpackers as a party town, bars open up all along the river.  Party-goers rent tractor-sized inter tubes and float down the river, stopping at bars to indulge along the way.  Atmosphere goes overboard, quaint town turned gap year backpacker drunk fest.  Tourists start to die due mainly to stupidity - jumping off cliffs or trees into rocky water, drowning in the river, falling off zip-lines over shallow water - and of course alcohol and various other substances play a role.  27 foreigners die last year alone.  Under pressure the authorities finally crack down, close most of the bars along the river. the scene before the bars were shut down So was the story when I arrived.

Luang Prabang is one of Laos most important "cities."  I put quotes around that word because the population is about 50,000, just a town in most places.  But the entire population of Laos is only 6.5 million and a majority live in rural areas.  Additionally it is one of the most visited places in the country.  Luang Prabang used to be the capital (until it was moved to Vientiane in 1975) and remains a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Luang Prabang is centrally located in Laos What I had read and we soon found to actually be true was the existence of an 11:30 pm curfew for bars.  Why couldn't they just bribe the cops like Thailand!  It definitely seemed like our nights out would be short.  On the first night Mike and I walked around the old town with two British girls who had been on our trip from Chiang Mai, and everything was closing down early. But sure enough there was a loophole.  A bowling alley outside of town is open until after 2 am and continues to se

These were our options for the trip from Chiang Mai to Laos (specifically the town of Luang Prabang): 1. A one hour flight 2. By bus: leave Chiang Mai in the morning, cross into Laos later that day, and drive all through the night to arrive in Luang Prabang the following day.  Total 2 days' travel 3. Bus boat combo #1: Drive the same bus route to the border, stay overnight in a hotel, and the following morning take a two day slow boat from the border town to Luang Prabang (with a stop at a hotel halfway).  Total of three days' travel. 4. Bus boat combo #2: Drive the same bus route to the border, stay overnight in a hotel, and take a speed boat the following morning, arriving in Luang Prabang that afternoon.  Total 2 days' travel. 5. Bus boat combo #3: Take the bus to a different border crossing, stay at a hotel that night, and catch up with the slow boat at the halfway point the next day.  Total 2 days' travel. Now keep in mind that Chiang Mai and Luang Pr