Back to the road

Sorting out the last things from the trip and setting the future plans. I guess now this blog can go on hold for a little while till the travelling bag will be packed again... lets see when it will happen.

Meanwhile happy holidays!!!


The very last pics in this blog from the 2008 trip are from the departure from Bangkok. Beginning of Dec the protesters had closed down the Suvarnabhumi international airport and all air companies had to find creative ways of getting the people out from Thailand.

I got moving only 2 days after my initial flight date, by doing a check in Radisson Hotel lobby in Bangkok and flying out from military airport 3h from Bangkok.



Yippie, my flight is leaving. Check-in in Radisson Hotel lobby






Check-in in hotel, sitting on the ground, hundreds of people and piles of passports.





Day in the parking area of the military airport where some 20 buses full of people were lined up. Hours passed waiting for the flight. Finally after 6 in the evening we got in the plane.





Sunbathing.
Finally it took 11h from check-in till take off, but considering that all the papers were processed manually and airport located 3h from Bangkok it went very smooth. After many hours some passengers started to show up signs of impatience... but all in all these circumstances were really not ordinary and it is not common that military airport has to offer services for big passenger jumbo jets.

Bangkok

(This post is posted already from Estonia even though you can see the pictures from Cambodia)

Bangkok was meant to be just the hub for flying out, but due to the protests and shut down of the airport my stay there turned out to be few days longer with an opportunity to see some of the city and experience departing via military airport.





The devil boat man











Crazy Khaosan street - my home for a week

Leaving Cambodia - NO

(This post is posted already from Estonia even though you can see the pictures from Cambodia)

After Angkor temples I was planning to say good bye to Cambodia and enter Thailand. After some 4h taxi drive to Poipet border crossing I went to Thai borderguards to get my Visa on Arrival. Turned out that from this border crossing it was not possible to get it.
After some talking came out that in Battambang (2h by taxi) is Thai consul and I can get the visa there. So it took the taxi, of course in Battambang nobody knew anything about Thai consul.
It started to look I have to visit Phnom Penh for the 3rd time, but before going there decided to look around Battambang for few days.




Boys with snake and crabs near Battambang

Angkor tempels in Cambodia

(This post is posted already from Estonia even though you can see the pictures from Cambodia)

Angkor temples is the main reason for most tourists to visit Cambodia. Ennormous buildings built between 9th-15th of century. And it is big - kilometers of walls in jungles, hug statues... and many tourists, me among them.



Ta Phrom temple, so called jungle temple as many trees have just grown in & on the temple





Old stones and sea shells




Angkor Wat in the morning







Banteay Samre







Banteay Samre








Pillars of Banteay Samre







Monk on old stones








Apsara dance - the art that was only meant for kings. The movement of hands is very important, each position has specific meaning

Kompong Cham

(This post is posted already from Estonia even though you can see the pictures from Cambodia)

From Phnom Penh the road took me further to Kompong Cham town where I wanted to rent a dirt bike and travel to mountains for a week. Even though Kompong Cham is one of the big towns of Cambodia, there were no places to rent dirt bikes. So instead of making many kilometers in mountains I decided to look around in villages in Kompong Cham region.


Room for 3 dollars





Nāga





Monks like to decorate their temples as colourful as possible. Often there are statues of different animals, mythological creatures, Buddhas etc. Sometimes it looks like a theme park for children.





Time for food





Buddha




Crashing a wedding in Kompong Cham. Getting married is a hard work. Ceremony last 2 days, from 5 in the morning till late at night, during the time they wear 20+ different sets of clothes.






Boy and his pet

2nd time in Phnom Penh

(This post is posted already from Estonia even though you can see the pictures from Cambodia)

So I was heading back to Phnom Penh with the idea of switching immediately buses and continuing going north.
But in the bus I got to know that in Phnom Penh is actually happening one of the biggest events of the year - Bonn Om Tuk - annual water festival. So I decided to change my plans and see the big event.


Longboat race on Tonle Sap river






People in Phnom Penh





Festival mood

3 day moto trip around Sihanoukville and Kep in Cambodia

(This post is posted already from Estonia even though you can see the pictures from Cambodia)


At one moment I got enough of beach life and rented a moto to drive around, it turned out to be a 3 day trip that took me almost to Vietnam border. Lunch on the way. Food stall in a tiny village in the middle of rice fields. I was almost left without food, as my international language - pointing with finger to my belly and then pointing my mouth, were not known signs. The lady smiled and said just no. I think she thought I wanted a menu or something like this. But I was there to have their daily dish - rice, pork sauce, spices - and this of course they had.





Fishing on the rice field. The boy is walking in the channel and had some net and a basket.






Sunset in Kep.





Nāga - the ruler and protector of Mekong river. Nāga turned out to be one of my favorite Khmer architecture elements.




Hotel in Kep - old resort town of Cambodia. During the Khmer Rough times (1975-79) most of the houses got damaged. Today Kep is full of ghost villas with bullet holes in walls, no roofs, no doors, no windows.