2024 Bali and onwards

Wow, its 2024 how did that happen? Of course the answer is life moves so fast that before you know it its nearly passed you by. Never put off travelling until tomorrow, do what you can do today, remember money is replaceable but time isn’t. The memories of places you see, people you meet, history you discover and time you spend just in awe of the world and each day is irreplaceable. 

Our journey this year begins soon and we are heading to Bali, then onto Cambodia for a bit before flying from Bangkok to Amsterdam and picking up our motorhome. Currently expect to be in Amsterdam mid March, with a quick trip across to the UK for a yearly road check (MOT) then back to Europe and then a long trek down to Turkey where we will spend a couple of months or so exploring the country there. 
 

So our journey has began this year in Sanur, Bali, with 8 weeks of sun and beach, eating out every night and long early morning walks. We always felt it was a bit of a test to see how we would go with 8 weeks in one spot, but time drifted by quite quickly and before you know it we are back on the plane to Cambodia via Singapore. Never having been to Cambodia it was a good detour before we fly to Europe.

   

First impressions of Phnom Penh, its very hot by noon, no one seems to walk anywhere, tuk tuks are everywhere and cheap. We use the App Grab which is like Uber but very cheap and super efficient.

Its Tuesday the 5th of March and we take a ride to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda where for $10 US dollars each we gain entry to view all the gilded roofs and towering spires. The Palace is the official residence of the reigning king but Im not too sure if he stays there, maybe he is mates with the King of Thailand and hangs out in the South of France? Its all very impressive but I think the Silver Pagoda area is the highlight with its long verandah’s showcasing ancient murals and huge “Stupa’s” that house the ashes of past royals.

    

After the palace we attempt a walk along the river promenade, we seem to be the only crazy people walking here so its a quick dash across the main road dodging the traffic and head into the maize of local streets. Man its hot, we are walking from shade to shade and literally dripping in sweat before we succumb and order up a ride back to our hotel and the cool water of the roof top swimming pool for a couple of hours. We enjoy a nice meal at the popular Davids Homemade Noodles and a chat with 2 Dutch girls travelling as they all do.

  

Its Wednesday morning and we are picked up at 7.15am in a tuktuk for our pre-booked bike tour to the countryside. The tour starts with a crash as Vic has to dodge a running child and skids on the wet pavement landing heavily on her side and arm. Nothing broken but she is sore and tender with bruises and lumps. A bit of a rest and she soldiers on as we make our way to the ferry across to Mekong island and then ride on with a stop at a huge Buddhist temple.

  

Further on we stop at a local market, sample a sugar cane juice and watch the locals buy their daily food.

  

 

Next stop is at a primary school that shares the land with the Buddhist temple. We manage to attract a few little ones that are cute and cheeky.

 

From here we head further along the road to a tofu skin factory. This is not your standard factory, it’s a hot hell house under a tin roof with boiling vats of soya where they skim the skin to dry. These guys are working in such a hot space they regularly head to a vat of water to drench their bodies. The end result is an expensive product. 

  

We make our way across to another ferry to silk island. Its warming up as we stop at a silk weaving house and have a bite to eat of local snacks. Our last trek is over rough dirt back roads and its stinking hot, by the time we make it to the ferry after 30km we are cooked. After a few hours cool down, couple of cold beverages and we grab another lovely noodle dish at Davids Noodle House before crashing exhausted. Next morning we head out again on a tuktuk to the Central Market which turns out to be a massive labyrinth of alleys off the central building. If you cant find what you want here its not available. There is also a lovely flower market along one side with amazing orchids. 

  

After a quick cool down back at the hotel we find a small restaurant serving dumplings and soup and its a nice find. The afternoon is spent in a cool swimming pool before dinner at a small Thai restaurant that proves to be another winner, well done Vic!

Today we are off to Siem Reap and a 6 hour bus trip awaits us as we head to the terminal at 7.30am. Its a big bus which we wanted, don’t really trust those guys in the mini buses, might be quicker but they travel too fast, best to go slow and safe. Ok its boring and sore backs and bums are normal but we get there after a long trip, its a short tuktuk trip to the hotel and a swim in the pool. Its another great meal out, really enjoying the Cambodian fare.

Siem Reap is all about Angkor Wat but we decide to wait until Sunday before going. Its just as well as its raining early Saturday morning and may been a disappointment for the early sunrise visit. We take a walk into Siem Reap centre and enjoy a stroll around the market, a visit to the Artisans centre where they are carving stone and wood and have a cheap massage and even cheaper lunch. The afternoon 8s spent relaxing by the pool before we return to the centre for dinner. Its pumping now, the riverside is packed with food trucks and people eating out. The restaurant choice is huge with most being open air style. Beer and cocktails are very cheap with a draught beer being 75c. We enjoy a really nice meal with 3 beers and its $8, cant go wrong there. Plus they have banana pancakes like Thailand, Vics favourite.

  

  

 

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