Drinking through Phnom Penh, Cambodia

1_IMG_2674After three days exploring Siem Reap and with our flight to Hong Kong only two weeks away, it was time to continue on to Vietnam. We booked a bus to Phnom Penh to break up the trip and find a couple breweries. We lucked out because we got the last two seats which happened to be on the nicest bus since Malaysia (and it still only cost $15 pp). We even arrived on time in the afternoon! This gave us time to find transportation to Vietnam for the next morning. The rest of the day was dedicated to brewery hunting. Continue reading

Expedition through Angkor Wat, Cambodia

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Before we left on this world trip, I had a very short list of places I really wanted to see. Angkor Wat in Cambodia was at the top of the list. From the 4000 Islands in Laos, we booked travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia where Angkor Wat is located. Even though it was only 225km (140 miles), the trip took 13 hours! We took a ferry off Don Det, a minibus to the Laos border, walked across the border, took big bus to the next town in Cambodia, another minibus to Siem Reap, in between there was lots of waiting, and many dirt roads. Luckily we have become used to the travel taking much longer then the travel agents promise. There are always a few fellow travelers that are angry at the conditions of busses and the various delays. But thinking about it, I don’t know what they expect when living on $30USD per day!

Angkor Wat is a ancient complex consisting of Continue reading

Kayaking the 4000 islands in Laos

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While in Vang Vieng, we interpreted some information wrong about where the largest waterfall in Asia is located. We thought it was right near Pakse, Laos so we hopped on a bus and reserved a hotel. Turns out, the waterfall is a couple hours further south in the 4000 Islands region. The bus to Pakse was not typical because it was actually a “sleeping” bus. I’m not sure who invented this concept but it is a terrible idea especially in Laos where most roads are unpaved dirt tracks. Simply put, there was a mattress instead of seat. You shared this mattress with whoever was next to you so if you weren’t traveling with a companion you would be sleeping with a stranger. On top of that, all night long you are being bounced around so no matter how you sleep you are bound to be rolling around. And there are no seatbelts.

Pakse was an interesting city. Continue reading

Exploring the Countryside in Vang Vieng, Laos

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The only option we found to get from Chiang Mai to Vang Vieng, Laos was a overnight mini bus to Vientiane then a bus for the rest of the journey. The mini bus was essentially a 16 person van packed full of bags and people. The roads through Thailand were paved and pretty well maintained but they were very windy. Plus we had a dare-devil driver who Continue reading