The Angkor Week

This past month has been incredibly fun, traveling around South East Asia has been a mixture of fun, adventure, new experiences and deep learning of myself. I have made a conscious decision to skip Phnom Penh because I hate all the goriness that is pegged to the city. I would have loved to explore Sihanoukville but 9 hours from Siem reap is something I was not keen on doing.

 So Cambodia is generally a very poor country, and coming from Kenya, I know what poverty is, so when I say its an incredibly beautiful and history rich poor country, i think I know what I mean. The country as a whole have embraced Tourism at all levels from the tuk tuk driver to the highest of levels. They do understand it is one of the major sources of foreign revenue. I am so impressed by how everyone is trying to ensure you have a great stay.

Lets me start by saying Siem reap and Cambodia is heaven for backpackers and flashpackers like myself. My hostel was incredible for US$ 8 per night, I had a lovely 4 bed dorm room, breakfast and swimming pool. The Siem Reap Hostel is a nice cosy nice place to be and has a very good vibe. The staff go out of their way to recommend all the cool stuff to do.

After being on the road solo, we reconnected with Sandra and decided to explore Siem Reap together, this was the best decision ever. We had great times together and even when we split to explore our own individual interests we had great time laughing about our experiences. Why this is so important to me, its coz, I have never really traveled with a companion who I know well, I love to make my choices and do whatever I want. Sandra really opened a whole new world of travelling with a mate. I heart her big time..

I love taking tuk tuks, our driver was awesome and he made our Angkor Wat Temple Tour Incredible. We took the 3 day pass to allow for ample time to live and experience the Angkor vibe. We all have our great expectation of places we've never been to but we don't always get what we expect. For Sandra she was expecting her zen moment at Angkor Wat but got it at Banteay Srei.

 Pre Rup Temple which is very close to Banteay Srei was also pretty cool stop for us.

Angkor Wat is the main attractions which meant us together with 1,000 plus people were up at minutes to 6 waiting for Sunrise at Angkor Wat. We were unlucky as all we got was day break and no sun rise :( I was awed by the external appearance and intricacies of the whole temple but when I was inside the temples it didn't exactly get me. Not a bad thing though

Bayon on the other hand was incredible open and walking through it was a whole different kind of feeling. The design and details in each of the Bayons was like looking at the South East Asia Mona Lisa.. build within a square of Angkor Thom you get to see the Elephant Terrace and other ancient ruins

By far our favorite temple was Ta Prohm, seeing the trees take over the temple was indeed spectacular, there no wonder why the site was used as part of the Tomb Raider movie. You really feel this temple walking through it was a unique feeling for Sandra and I. 

I will be exploring the holiest part of Cambodia and will write about it soon. 

Happy Travels

-L-

The Undiscovered Gem near Burma - Koh Phayam

Koh Phayam is a lovely island near Burma which is perfect spot for complete  relaxation. 

After a month and half of being Thailand and having great days with loads of visitation and meeting great people, it was  time for some quality me time of perfecting the act of doing nothing. This is a very skillful art which we perfected with a friend in Zanzibar. 

Koh Phayam is an island with no cars, limited electricity, no atms or banks. At this island its all about enjoying the clear blue waters, white fine sand, lush forests and perfect sunsets. 

There are very few bars on this island and just as few people. Walks on the beach and seafood is the order of the day. My bamboo cabin was small and cosy and made me feel so removed from reality. 

This was the perfect way to end my Thailand exploration. I practically fell in love with this fine Island. 

Happy Travels

- L - 

Phuket, The Pearl of The Andaman

When you here Phuket you think of the idyllic beaches, blue water and heaven on other.. then you say well Photoshop exists. But seriously Phuket is really the Pearl of the Andaman Sea. Disclaimer, you must however know how to navigate and maximize on the heaven own there:)

Well I will give my 2 cents on how to explore Phuket. Unless you are booking an all inclusive resort most chances are you will land in Patong Beach. When you think of beaches you think sun, sand and sea but i think there so much more to the beach than that. Patong Beach can be a bit too much for some tastes. The beach is overly crowded with thousands of tourists and Bangla street is a never ending go - go bar festival. This is not to say it does not have its own charm..I had some of the best view point while staying at Patong Beach. For all the cool activities at almost no cost, Patong is definitely the place to be.

Having a Thai woman spread fresh aloe vera on your back so you don't get burned was so refreshing. It actually cools you down :)

Bangla road on Patong is madnesss but it was fun:) Think of happy hour from 9.00am to 7.00am everyday. 

So how to enjoy Phuket at its best is by renting a motorbike and cruising through the great landscapes of greenery and beautiful beaches. South of Patong are some lovely beaches:- Karon, Kata and Kata Noi Beaches. These beaches are less crowded and are great to just seek and soak in some sun while listening to the crushing waves. There's also a great view point where you can see the 3 beaches aerial view

 North of Patong there are some great beaches Kamala and Bang Tao. i spent most of the time on Kamala beach, it is much quieter and has really long stretch of the beach. Pinacoladas and pad thai was enough to keep me entertained.

Paradise Beach was a really small beach, barely 150 meters long. It is very quiet and well shaded. There are no activities on this beach. 

While backpacking your accommodation is expected to be anything but fancy haha. I have always wanted to try out the capsule hotel rooms. I was in luck  Capsule Hotel And Sauna opened just 10 days before I got to Phuket. For only THB350 (US$ 10) per night you get a double capsule room, a locker, DIY breakfast and unlimited use to the 3 saunas and ice room. I felt really spoiled. Tha bathrooms have driers and are very modern.. 

Christmas was a lovely day here in Phuket, awesome friends, Korean food, it was a day and night to remember. Yoga on the beach is the best thing ever. Exploring with underwater photography and posing and long lazy beach strolls..

Happy Travels

- L -