Bangkok Thailand Flight to Siam Reap Cambodia
10th February 2014
Today we are going to pack but more importantly we are meeting Janette's long standing friend Rex for lunch.
It seems quite incredible that having bought nothing so far, the cases will still not close. The Chakrabongse Villas proved to be a most beautiful hotel with almost total privacy and in a secured area with security. Paul and Mandy are apparently coming back...but they say that a lot !!!
After lots of "faffing about",we headed off to the Anantara Riverside Hotel where Rex had suggested to Janette that we all eat and after an almost ceremonial greeting from various staff members and management, we were then treated to what must have been the most outrageous lunch ever witnessed.
No, none of us had been aware that Teppanyaki is such a theatrical event so cooking involved card tricks, magic with rice, creation of steam trains, Micky Mouse and fireworks not to mention the unbelievable audience participation.
Thank you Rex from us all for providing such fantastic entertainment and an amazing hotel.
Thai taxi drivers are notoriously unpredictable and this was borne out when we wanted to get a taxi from the hotel - we had to wait nearly half an our before we found a taxi that would take us. This in turn made us late for our flight to Cambodia as we raced through the airport only just making it by the skin of our teeth.
The flight to Siem Reap from Bangkok is only about 45 mins but getting off the plane here is like landing in the middle of nowhere with almost total darkness surrounding Siem Reap itself. (Siam Reap means Siamese defeated)
To the hotel, the Anantara, Sien Reap, a little oasis of 5 star luxury in an area that is not famous for anything other than the very famous archaeological site, Angkor which ranks as one of the most significant in the word - the reason we are here.
The airport was small and very communist - lots of additional paperwork, lots of official stamps and duty free shop selling about 12 products but mercifully, Famous Grouse, Jack Daniels and wine were amongst them so our emergency provisions in case all else failed were in place.
Most of us at our age remember Cambodia for all the wrong reasons, the withdrawal of the Americans after the Vietnam war left a power vacuum in Cambodia which was filled by the Khmer Rouge similar to modern day isis which was an extreme terror organisation responsible for killing millions of Cambodians. Most Cambodians remember the difficult time when they were ordered to grow rice to supply the Khmer Rouge and many never came back to their families during the period 1975-1979. If you think that its history is in the past, it was only 1999 that trials began to bring to justice the leaders of the brutal regime. Cambodia is still recovering and there are a few example of old US army trucks around It seem very odd now when you see the TV guide with Khmer TV channels.
Having a really difficult time in Cambodia. They set a table for us all outside on the lawn on our own - maybe they did not want us mixing with other guests (although we never saw any!!).
So a nice fruit based drink for the ladies and for the guys, Cambodian beer followed by Singapore Slings (well maybe?)
Mandy is not eating again
Paul is not drinking again
Steve and Janette have refused to comment.
Tomorrow - Angkor, one of the most important archaeological sites on earth.
10th February 2014
Today we are going to pack but more importantly we are meeting Janette's long standing friend Rex for lunch.
It seems quite incredible that having bought nothing so far, the cases will still not close. The Chakrabongse Villas proved to be a most beautiful hotel with almost total privacy and in a secured area with security. Paul and Mandy are apparently coming back...but they say that a lot !!!
After lots of "faffing about",we headed off to the Anantara Riverside Hotel where Rex had suggested to Janette that we all eat and after an almost ceremonial greeting from various staff members and management, we were then treated to what must have been the most outrageous lunch ever witnessed.
No, none of us had been aware that Teppanyaki is such a theatrical event so cooking involved card tricks, magic with rice, creation of steam trains, Micky Mouse and fireworks not to mention the unbelievable audience participation.
 |
| The "food" show - an amazing chef creating unbelivable effects from food |
Thai taxi drivers are notoriously unpredictable and this was borne out when we wanted to get a taxi from the hotel - we had to wait nearly half an our before we found a taxi that would take us. This in turn made us late for our flight to Cambodia as we raced through the airport only just making it by the skin of our teeth.
The flight to Siem Reap from Bangkok is only about 45 mins but getting off the plane here is like landing in the middle of nowhere with almost total darkness surrounding Siem Reap itself. (Siam Reap means Siamese defeated)
To the hotel, the Anantara, Sien Reap, a little oasis of 5 star luxury in an area that is not famous for anything other than the very famous archaeological site, Angkor which ranks as one of the most significant in the word - the reason we are here.
The airport was small and very communist - lots of additional paperwork, lots of official stamps and duty free shop selling about 12 products but mercifully, Famous Grouse, Jack Daniels and wine were amongst them so our emergency provisions in case all else failed were in place.
Most of us at our age remember Cambodia for all the wrong reasons, the withdrawal of the Americans after the Vietnam war left a power vacuum in Cambodia which was filled by the Khmer Rouge similar to modern day isis which was an extreme terror organisation responsible for killing millions of Cambodians. Most Cambodians remember the difficult time when they were ordered to grow rice to supply the Khmer Rouge and many never came back to their families during the period 1975-1979. If you think that its history is in the past, it was only 1999 that trials began to bring to justice the leaders of the brutal regime. Cambodia is still recovering and there are a few example of old US army trucks around It seem very odd now when you see the TV guide with Khmer TV channels.
Having a really difficult time in Cambodia. They set a table for us all outside on the lawn on our own - maybe they did not want us mixing with other guests (although we never saw any!!).
So a nice fruit based drink for the ladies and for the guys, Cambodian beer followed by Singapore Slings (well maybe?)
Mandy is not eating again
Paul is not drinking again
Steve and Janette have refused to comment.
Tomorrow - Angkor, one of the most important archaeological sites on earth.
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