Day 56 & 57 Airport with Mr Bun
Day 56 was spent last minute gift shopping at the market and lazing by the pool before our final evening meal with Mr Bun and his family. I had been offended by his wearing of Liverpool,Arsenal and Man U football shirts, so as a parting gift we gave him a proper shirt, a sky blue one. It proved lucky as later that evening City thrashed Man U.
An early start and on the road by 6:30 for our 9:50 flight to Bangkok. The airport is 30 miles from Siem Reap and replaces the original airport on the outskirts of the city. It was opened in October and built and paid for by the Chinese. For Mr Bun it is a disaster as when he built his homestay in 2012 it's main attraction was it was close to the old airport. Now he is on the wrong side of the city and it's airport. Many locals are unhappy about the location of the airport.
The road to the airport was virtually empty and the airport itself was similarly empty and left us worrying that we had the wrong time or that the airport had been closed. We cleared in immigration quickly and the only fly in the ointment was in fact a phone and battery pack in my luggage. Check in made me go to the back office and remove the said items and take on board with my cabin bag.
We had so much time on our hands and could easily have had another hour in bed. The airport has slowly filled up as we get nearer to our boarding time. We managed a speedy pan o Chocolat and western latte. Nice but also attached was western prices - a bit of a shock after Kymer prices.
We have had a great time, met many interesting people and enjoyed the warmth, even though at times we struggled with the extreme temperatures. Hard to believe that this evening we'll be in London with our puffer jackets and raincoat! We would fully recommend Vietnam and Cambodia and it is very doable by bike. Lessons learned- We've taken too many clothes and some were never worn. Homestays are a great way of meeting local people and bikes help you keep away from other western tourists and the well worn routes they travel. The food has been delicious,the beer cheap and the people friendly and helpful. Our 8 week vacation we covered 1247 milestone and the all in cost was a startling £2500 each, I think (need to consult the banker). Travelling independently is much easier than you would imagine and doing it this way can save thousands of pounds.
So that is it- thank you for reading this blog, over and out
Pete and Jen
Really enjoyed reading your daily blog and looking at the photos, what a great trip you two have had. Sad you have finished as will miss the daily updates! Safe trip home, see you soon.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Bruce - the blog has been fun, and particularly liked the photos and stories of the people.
ReplyDeleteWell done on completing a fascinating voyage 👍🍻😊
A great odyssey with cheap beer, and wonderfully described, well done you.
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