Liz & John's travels

Thailand Pattaya

nowwhere — Sun, 18 Dec 2016 16:18:00 GMT

We arrived at Laem Chabang about 1pm. We decided to just take a taxi into Pattaya and have a wander around. The taxis waiting just outside the ship are a rip off so we walked to the port gate where some more taxis were waiting. Together with another couple who were from australia we negotiated a price for a round trip it worked out about $30 each so was not too bad. We drove through some very busy traffice to get to pattaya and the driver was crazy but we arrived safetly. We arranged a time to meet him then wandered along the sea front. The beach is just ok our taxi driver told us he does not swim there as it is too dirty. We began to notice caucasion old men with with very young thai girls, it was quite sickening to see them being taken advantage of this way. We went to a bar for a drink and sat at the front watching all manner of carts selling everthing from underwear to food go by, they were frequently stopped to sell things to locals. Sadly the other thing we saw was dirty old men going up the street with young thai girls. After about 10 mins you saw them come back down the street.

We did a little souvenier shopping but it was all tat so never really bought anything. Our taxi driver arrived to pick us up on time for a hair raising trip back to the ship.

Pattaya was not for us, it is seedy and we will not return.

Singapore

nowwhere — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 16:38:00 GMT

We arrived at singapore airport at 9pm. After a quick trip to change some money we then went catch a taxi. After a certain time in the evening you have to pay a surcharge so it was a little over $39. We arrived at our hotel the Hilton on Orchard road very tired so just went straight to bed. We had had a meal on the plane so was not hungry. A nice touch at the hotel was a box of chocolates as a gift which were lovely.

We had Breakfast in the hotel which was a lovely buffet from around the world. Really nice start to the day. I was finding it really difficult to walk so we decided to get the hop on hop off bus. We did 3 routes and saw most of the city this way. We got off near Raffles hotel and went in for a singapore sling. These are really expensive but at least the peanuts are free. We decided to make our way back to the hotel to nap. We slept a while then woke up hungry. It is December and the lights on orchard road were lovely so we decided to walk a little way and get some photos. My knee was really painful and walking was slow going so we decided to call it a day and make our way to a resturant. We chose one very close to the hotel it was just ok. Then we made our way back to the hotel and bed.

The next day we woke early and got a taxi to the zoo. We had breakfast with the oragutans booked. The breakfast was very nice and it was nice to see the orangutans close up and of course we got a photograph with them.

The zoo is lovely well laid out and the animals looked healthy and happy. I am not keen on zoos but this one is worth the visit.

We got the taxi back to the hotel then we checked out and got another taxi to the port to catch our cruise. The taxis all take credit cards so we did not really need to exchange money in singapore.

Boarding the ship was easy and they gave us back our passports to use to get on and off the ship in singapore. By now my knee was really swollen so we decided to stay on the ship and relax.

The next day we woke early again and left the ship after breakfast for gardens by the bay. We took a taxi because it was quite a walk and although my knee was feeling a bit better we did not want to risk it. Gardens by the bay are lovely and we enjoyed eandering around them. Very relaxing. We then walked over to the Marina Sands hotel and went to the viewing station on the top. It is quite expensive and we nearly did not go up but I am so glad we did as the view was amazing.

We had a cocktail in a bar and sat and watched some young musicians playing traditional instruments the sound was lovely. Time to go back to the ship for sail away. This time the ship took our passports. By now my knee was really swollen so I packed it in ice and took a nap. This lead to room service and an early night.

Flight to Siem Reap and Cambodia adventures

nowwhere — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 17:39:00 GMT

We woke early showered and then left the hotel for breakfast in Singapore airport. We thought we would try some local foods and was guided by the waitress. I had chicken noodle with vegetables in a broth and Johns had spam and egg with noodles in a broth. This must be the weirdest breakfast we have had but it was enjoyable. The flight to siem Reap was uneventful and took two hours. We had purchased our visa's before we left so did not need to queue for these.

As we exited the airport our personal assistant from the hotel was there to great us. He introduced us to our driver who would be available to us 24/7 for the next 3 days.

On arrival at the privalidge floor we were greated with a drink that was beautifully presented with a flower adornment. The the manager came and ttwo more that day but John was strold us we had been upgraded to the royal suite. The royal suite was lovely with a huge dining area and jacuzzi bath. A bottle of champagne was on ice for us to enjoy.

We took a much needed nap and then we arranged dinner to be served in our room.

The next morning we were up at 4am to get ready to go and see the sunrise over the temple at Angkor wat. Our driver was waiting for us and told us where to go when we got there. I would advise anyone to brinf a flash light as the route to get to the temple is in darkness with lots of pot holes. The sunrise was just Ok but not really worth getting up so early for.

We went back to the hotel for a lovely breakfast then we met our guide who took us back out to the temples. At first I felt that the guide would be uneeded bur quickly it became apparent that we would not really have know much of what we were looking at without him. We visited three temples and were supposed to visit 2 more but John was struggling with the heat so we decided to return to the hotel. In the afternoon we had a massage in the spa which was really good.. That evening we had the driver take us to the street market and pub street. We enjoyed this and felt quite safe wandering around on our own.

The next day our guide and driver took us to the floating village. The drive up to the port area was an eye opener. The housing and lifestyles of the locals was so interesting. Poverty was very apparent. Our guide was very angry that his people are left to live this way while the people in power just get richer. The boat ride was also very intesting as were the floating homes and villages.

We visited two more temple after this but my knee was getting very painful so we decided to call it a day.

Back at the hotel that night we did the cultral eveing which was pleasant.

The next day we went to the land mine museum although it is such a small museum it is clear the founder was very passionate about what he was doing and he has helped many thousands of cambodians. We bought a number of souveniers here as they were well priced and the proceeds benifit the children.

The journey to and from the museum was through countryside where we saw how the locals lived.

We stopped at a center for the handicapped artizans and purchased a bracelet (which I cannot wear as it brings me out in a rash) . We had the driver take us to a pharmacy to get something for my knee and our guide helped to explain to the pharmacist what the problem was. When we arrived back at the hotel we spent some time at the pool then had a Khemer lunch served in our room which was very nice.

Sadly it was time to leave and take a flight back to Singapore. The airport at siem reap has plenty of shops but things were much cheaper to buy in the town.

The day of departure

nowwhere — Sun, 4 Dec 2016 06:25:00 GMT

Well we boarded our United flight to San Francisco via houston. Flight was uneventful but boring as no entertainment on board and drinks were sparse including water.

We stayed at the Hilton garden inn before checking in for our 17.25 flight on singapore airlines. This airline was great, We flew economy, seat comfortable, entertainment fantastic and food and drinks were good and offered frequently. Loved the fact that they had an unlimited snack bar of sandwiches, fruits chips and nuts which you could have anytime in addition to the meals served. We were also given an amenities pack. The bathrooms were cleaned frequently and stocked with lotion, touth brushes and mouthwash. The last four hours were tough going due to sitting in one place for so long and the need of some sleep.

Totally confused as to what time it is at home as well as what day with the crossing of the date line.

On arrival at singapore airport we made our way to the ambassoder airside hotel which was wonderful with everything you needed to freshen up and get some rest before our next flight to siem reap. Singapore airport is the most relaxing airport I have been to with gardens, displays, movie theaters and restaurants as well as an abundance of shops. We grabbed snacks then headed back to our room for some much needed sleep.

All organized

nowwhere — Sun, 4 Sep 2016 21:44:00 GMT

The trip is booked we leave Orlando December 1st and will return December 29th. We will be visiting Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Macao, Hong Kong and China. A wirlwind tour......Cn't wait.