Two Sore Backs

Our SE Asia trip is inspired by our invite to Chris and Carlee’s Koh Chang destination wedding. Arriving Koh Chang, Thailand is next door to Cambodia so the logistics from Rainbow Lodge are straightforward. First, the familiar long tail boat to Tatai dock. Then a 40 minute Tuk tuk ride to Koh Kong city. Pat…

The road from Battembang to Rainbow Lodge takes you through the  gorgeous Cardamom Mountains. We had learned about the Lodge and the Cardamoms from our daughter Cara’s friends Kate and Taylor, @unpavedleave on Instagram, and we had seen an amazing photo display of the region at The Factory Phnom Penh.  We were excited. The private…

Battambang seemed to make sense as a stopover between Siem Reap and our next major stop, which was Rainbow Lodge in southern Cambodia, near Tatai.  We didn’t do much research, so the original attraction was actually a highly rated cooking class that I thought might be fun. The hotel we were staying at offered free…

Our final morning in Siem Reap is for rest. We chill out at the pool before checking out. Angkor National Museum The museum is across the street from the hotel so we take the audio tour. One piece of advice we read too late; start with the museum tour as it provides some background to…

Day two at the temples. Are you templed out yet? We have one more day in us. We head out just before 8am. Possibly an earlier start at 7am would have given us an hour in slightly cooler weather as it is going to be very warm today. Instead, we enjoy the hotel breakfast and…

We leave our hotel at 5:00am to be two of thousands to witness the sunrise at Angkor Wat. (Now that we know tourism hasn’t returned to pre Covid numbers it is hard to imagine twice as many tourists arriving for the sunrise.) Angkor Wat The meaning is city or capital of temples. Got that right!…

I’ll start with trip logistics to Siem Reap and the temples. (Angkor Wat is the most famous but there are many others.) The bus trip is exceptional. Why? We have very comfortable seats, great air-con and a nice lunch is provided. There is only one rest stop but there is a bathroom on board. Four…

Pronounced p-nom-pen We have enough time for coffee and a street breakfast before our bus departs for Phnom Penh. This is our first bus trip and it is smooth sailing across the border into Cambodia.(There is the part where passengers surrender their passports to the bus company employee at the Cambodian border who disappears while…

“If we are talking, we say Saigon. If we are writing, we use Ho Chi Minh City”. We heard this from a few people, even some from the north,  but let’s go with Saigon anyway. Saigon seems to have a reputation for being super crowded and fast paced. It’s definitely busier than Da Nang, but…

We’ve never had a bad experience with a food tour. But this one was great.  What better way to experience authentic food “from the hood” than by motorbike? I rode with Tony, Val went with Bell. They are both incredibly good.  It was a zen experience – no scary moments at all. First stop was…