Thailand and Cambodia

Most normal people would go to Thailand for the sun, beaches and cheap food...but we're not normal.  We went to Thailand because my bud wanted to fly in First Class and it turns out that BKK is the best destination for flying First Class on Star Alliance carriers.

Our Travel plan (for those who are confused - we started at YYZ)

Off we go...

Recognize anything?

 

I'll give you a hint...

First leg done and time to switch planes to...Thai First Class!

The service on this flight was amazing.  I think there was one other couple in the cabin and I kind of felt guilty that I was being waited on hand and food.

They ply you with Dom (2003)...

They feed you caviar and other yummy stuff...

 

You get your PJs...

...and off to sleep you go 

In Bangkok airport you're welcomed with a sign and whisked through the airport on your own little private car, through the diplomatic passport check and out you go to baggage claim.  We had no luggage so it took us less than 10 minutes to get off the plane and out of the airport.  AWESOME!

Welcome to Bangkok!

The Chao Phraya river runs through Bangkok and it is quite busy.  You can take ferries up and down the river to most of the tourist sites, you can rent long boats, there are the hotel boats (to and from the Saphan Taksin sky train station) and of course people using the river for transporting goods.  

The boats are crammed with people in the tourist areas - especially at tourist site closing time - but they are very efficient ways of traveling as road traffic is a nightmare.  We took this tuk tuk back to the hotel as the boats were crammed.  It took a very long time due to all the traffic and construction and cost about 10 times more than the ferry (the ferry is super cheap - not that anything seems that expensive in Thailand...)

Happy Chinese New Year!
They know how to do festivals here, closed streets lined with tons of food. 
(Plus the locals are nice, my bud was given a lucky orange by some random dude!)

Doesn't that look good?

Of course Bangkok has food everywhere.  It's not just a festival thing...this is just a random street corner near the university.

This is a normal place in china town selling fried oysters

There are also juice and fruit stalls everywhere

While all the food looked delicious I must admit we didn't partake in any street food (apart from cold juice).  Bangkok was, in a word, HOT.  I think the Thai's must have some built in resistance to heat.  Here we were walking around in plus 30oC heat and they are standing over hot coals cooking spicy food!  I couldn't even contemplate eating until we found AC.  

Breakfast!  What, you don't have chicken curry for breakfast?

(of course we had Pad Thai in Thailand...but lets move on to other stuff or we'll be on food all day!)


Bangkok (and the rest of Thailand) has numerous temples.

When visiting a temple you must be respectful, you must remove your shoes before you go in and sometimes pictures are limited or banned.  

The major attractions in Bangkok we saw were the Wat's (temples) and the Grand Palace.
This is Grand Palace seen from the top of Wat Arun across the river.

This is Wat Arun.

Wat Arun was guarded by these dudes...would not want to mess with them!

The reclining Buddha lounges in Wat Po (next to the Grand Palace)...

...and has much more relaxed guards

Of course Thailand has a lot of Buddhas...

And a lot of temples...

But we should move on or we'll be here all day!

Welcome to Cambodia!  This is Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat seems to be the most famous temple name from Siem Reap, but it is by no means the biggest temple.
Angkor Wat:

Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Phrom and many others that aren't even shown!

 

Of course one of the problems with actually visiting a site is that the mystique goes away when you are actually there...
It takes away from a site when you see a picture like this:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/07/angkor/stone-text

And then you visit and it looks like this:

 

Or the moment you realize that these thousand year old temples didn't actually survive intact and they need help to look as good as they look now...

Before...

 

After...

But let's pretend anyway...

Angkor Wat

 

 

 Ta Prohm(The Tomb Raider Temple)

 (yes that is a dinosaur...or is it?)

 

Banteay Srei (The Ladies Temple)

Angkor Thom

 

(elephants)

(reclining buddha)

Of course Cambodia is more than just temples.  Another tourist site is the floating village on Tonle Sap Lake not far from Siem Reap.  This lake rises and falls depending on the season and the people that live on the lake live on boats.  They have floating houses, schools, restaurants, police stations and playgrounds - but it really seems to be a haven for poor people and people with out papers.  They can live here and eat the fish and live off the tourist trade.  Visiting a place like this gives you a great appreciation for how lucky you are to live in a place with clean water and electricity.

Siem Reap is the town that is the gateway to the temple complex.  During the day it is almost completely deserted and at night it is packed with western tourists.  Restaurants and bars are hopping and the sidewalks are packed with people getting foot massages for a pittance.  If you want to feel rich come to cambodia.

Back to Thailand...north to Chiang Rai, my favourite stop on this trip.


The city was quiet, the people didn't care that you weren't local.  Heck if you couldn't speak Thai they mostly ignored you.  It was wonderful!  (Pretty much everywhere else we were hounded by hawkers - especially in the temple complex in Cambodia)

The local scenery (Rice in the foreground, corn in the back and pineapples on the hill)

 Paradise! (actually it's a Le Meridien, but close enough)

Chiang Rai weekend market...not the place to buy TSA friendly souvenirs...

 Cricket's anyone?

Local Village

Elephant Ride!

Snack time...yes that is a tree she's eating...

 

Waiting for her bananas

The night market, we loved this place! 

 
Homeward bound and on to the best plane flight of my life.
Welcome to ANA.  
When you start off your flight with champagne and appetizers like this you know it will be good.

They give you a cube - which granted is a bit inconvenient if you are traveling with someone else - but it's like you have your own room on the plane!

Ever had Wagu beef before?  This may just look like a regular steak, but I am confident to say that it was better than the last steak you had, and it was prepared on a plane!  

 It was really hard to leave this flight knowing that I might never do this again.
*sniff*
The service, food and general everything on this flight was the BEST FLIGHT EVER!

Bye Thailand! (what? no blog would be complete without the gratuitous cannon shot!)