After a quick lunch we proceeded to the last capital of the Khmer empire, Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom is not a single temple, but an entire city; surrounded by a large moat and an 8m tall stone wall. The city walls are each 3 km long, and enclose a 9 km squared area. Each wall has a fantastic stone entrance which you drive through in order to enter the city. At the centre of the complex is the Bayon temple, a 43 m tall stone temple featuring over 39 enormous stone heads, each with 4 faces, looking in all directions.
Continue Reading »Cambodia. When we arrived we knew little about it, however after the visit today we are both interested in learning more and coming back to explore it in more detail. We had an absolute blast touring the ruins of Angkor Wat and the other temples in the area; it was an incredibly interesting experience that taught us a great deal not just about the ruins, but also about Buddhism, Hinduism, and their somewhat unhappy intersections throughout this part of the world’s history.
Continue Reading »We continued our tour of the major temples in Bangkok by visiting Wat Pho and Wat Arun today. After sleeping in and having a quick swim in the hotel pool after breakfast, we packed up our overnight bags for Cambodia and packed everything else into our suitcases, which the hotel was holding for us until our return the following evening. We checked out of the hotel at noon, with our bags safely stored in the hotel bag area, then we hopped onto the sky train for the quick trip back to the Chao Phraya river and got on a ferry heading upriver.
Continue Reading »Today was our first normal day in Thailand, and I had initially planned on taking a bus to visit Erawan Falls, a 7-tier waterfall located in a national park several hours outside of Bangkok. After we arrived and I looked into the bus schedule in a bit more detail I discovered that I had underestimated the length of the journey. I initially thought that it was going to be a 2 hour bus ride to the falls, and another 2 hour trip to return; however the way the schedule was laid out it would have actually taken closer to 3.
Continue Reading »We made it!! The late arrival and the long day of flying caused us to sleep in; we didn’t get up until late in the morning. We spent the first couple of hours in Bangkok walking in the area around our hotel, just to get our bearings. The hotel was in the Bang Rak neighbourhood, a short walk from the Chong Nonsi metro station. The street our hotel was located on Once we figured out what was available in the neighbourhood, we chose a restaurant and had lunch.
Continue Reading »Today, really a day and a half, was spent entirely on airplanes. Todd and I awoke early, at approximately 3:00 AM ET, quickly getting showered and dressed before getting into my car and making the drive to Pearson. The traffic was light, though it was cold and slightly snowy. We parked at the Park ‘N Fly Valet lot, then took the shuttle to Terminal 1. We checked in, checked our bags, cleared security and then went up to the Air Canada lounge to relax prior to the first flight.
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