Day 8: Island arrival, Ko Phangan

Our morning flight was from Don Meuang airport down to Surat Thani province. This quirky little airport had been our gateway to Phnom Penh. It has a golf course right off the tarmac - odd! It was a quick jump down to Surat Thani city, which is mostly a transportation hub town. We found a bus/ferry combo at the Raja Ferry kiosk and were quickly whisked onto the bus. You have to travel to Donsak pier first to get to any of the islands.

The whole process, while utilizing three separate transport means (air, bus, boat) was actually very easy and enjoyable. And, aside from the gross-out sounds of a woman puking her guts out from seasickness on the ferry, it was a seamless process and we were at our next hotel by early afternoon.

Ko Phangan is the so-called "middle child" island, between Ko Samu and Koh Tao, and also between them in size. With white-sand beaches and waterfalls, it also hosts occasional parties on Haad Rin beach like the famous full-moon party. We had reserved a beach-side bungalow at V-View on the southwest side. It was a dreamy, relaxed atmosphere and really the highlight of the whole island for us. The staff was friendly and the travelers were in full chill mode.

We relaxed in the hammocks and swam in the ocean for a couple hours. Then, perhaps to Nicole's dismay, my restless desire for more activity-based fun soon took hold and I asked to rent a motorbike from the guest-house. Soon, a woman and her two children showed up with two motorbikes. We told her we only wanted one, she charged 200 baht for 24 hours, and made me sign a paper and hand over my passport in exchange. Her little one was cute running around with a helmet.

We were soon on our way to explore the island after putting a couple of liters in the tank. Many little shops by the roadsides in Thailand sell recycled bottles full of gas. But, while getting the feel of the bike and its turning style, I misjudged a turn and went into some sandy, bumpy road. We slid onto the bikes side, scraping the side up and popping a mirror off. My right arm was road-rashed along with my right knee and Nicole's hand. Shaken, we got back on and continued. We tried to make it up through the middle of the island but Nicole didn't like the elevation and curves of the road (she had a point) so we decided to turn back, filling the tank on the way.

note my stubborn determined look

We grabbed some Mexican food and margeritas for dinner at a place called Ando Loco which was excellent and a nice break from Thai food. Relaxing on the beach at night was awesome and we could watch movies playing out on the beach at the place next door to us. We went to bed and, after laughing at some lines from "Tropic Thunder" drifting their way into the bungalow, fell asleep.

- C

Day 4: Bus to Siem Reap

We left Phnom Penh around 8am. The sewage smell emanating from the bathroom of our room expedited our leaving. I am not sure I would stay in this hotel again. The upside was that it was clean, had a nice breakfast, had a good location and was pretty cheap. However, if I were to come back to Phnom Penh I think I would want to stay near the water. It was a little calmer over there.

 We took a little bus from the hotel to the bus depot (the bus tickets to Siem Reap else arranged for us by the hotel) and got on our seven hour treck up north. It was a really interesting ride as we could really see the Cambodian country side. 

Eventually we arrived in Siem Reap. We took a tuk tuk to our guest house (what they call small hotels here). We were getting a lot of pressure from the driver and later from the hotel workers to take their tuk tuks to Angor Wat the next day. We resisted because we wanted to ride bikes there. After we checked in we rested for a little bit, the hotel provided us with fresh fruit shakes, lychees, and bananas. We later saw a lychee tree at the hotel and assumed they came from there. It was all amazing. We then went out to buy bus tickets to Bangkok for Friday. 

We stayed at the Ta Som guest house, which was a pretty basic hotel. It was clean, cheap ($34 for two nights), included breakfast, and was more or less close to town. Walking to the center of town from the hotel took about 12 minutes. If you're down with 'roughing' it a little it's great. Keep in mind we did not have warm water for the shower and we shared our room with little hopping crickets. We enjoyed it!

Here is the tripadvisor link for the guest house:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297390-d1911328-Reviews-Ta_Som-Siem_Reap_Siem_Reap_Province.html

Siem Reap is noticeably more tourist friendly. It is also a little calmer and more approachable than the chaotic bustle of Phnom Penh. I was not as nervous about the possibility of getting hit by a car or motorcycle. We bought the tickets and then decided to walk to the city center, which was not that far. They have a couple of very touristy streets labeled in lights called "pub street," "night market," and "art center night market." The markets, as one would have guessed, sold touristy goods and wares as well as on the street massage parlors and these tanks with fish who nibble on your feet. Pub street had lots of restaurants and bars. It was very pretty and packed with people. We ate at a place called "Khmer Family Restaurant", which was pretty tasty. After dinner we walked through the markets and then walked back to the hotel. Since we had decided that we were going to get up to see the sun rise at the temples we decided to call it an early night.

- N