Cambodia...

Well the train was very simple; wooden frame with windows that didnt pull shut and concrete seats covered in a fake leather. We all shared two benches so plenty of room and a overhead rack to store our bags.
However the train was having repairs when we got on , which consistedof one man with a torch and screwdriver knelt under the train !!

Anyway we set off on time but after about half an hour the train stopped at a station and stayed there for at least 30 minutes. We all tried to sleep the 6 hour journey , however the seats became very uncomfortable and more people started to get on and wanting up to move up and it became unbearable!! After about 6 hours into this torment some railway police decided to get on and shouting and prodding people to move about. They had moved everyone from the first carriage to the last and we seemed safe. Then we got asked to move and Luke wasnt very happy and kept asking the police officer why , as we had so many bags to carry and it was impossible to get through all those people witg our bags. Anyway , luckily we had been told not to question the authority as in Thailand this is very disrespectful and can land you in jail !! So i told Luke to zip it and do as the man said, so we all moved to the second carriahe, knocking people out as we went. After all this fuss , we were an hour late , the police officers were annoyed at us and were shouting but had time to take pictures of their accomplishments and send them to their friends. When we did arrive in Aranyaprathet station , there was no point to swap us all around as we all got off at the same time in the same place !!!!!

Anyway, definatley an experience we did not want to repeat !! 2nd worsttrain ride of my life !!

A tuk tuk took us to the border but make sure you know what the real border looks like as they try to take you to a fake !! The tuk tuk should only cost 100 bht. Also make sure you have 20 dollars each and 100 baht for the border otherwise your not getting in , they will want a passport photo too. The 100 baht isnt advertised but you cant get in without it !! Also pull out US dollars before you arrive, otherwise you have to walj quite far to a casino to get your money out and their chatge is$5 below $165 and 5% over.

Allow a few hours for the border as the first part is easy, you then have to queue to get your arrival card stamped and this took forevet , then you myst decide whther you want to bus at $9 each or a taci at $40 for the whole car . The ride is 2 hours by taxi to Siem reap and 3.5 buy bus. By the time you have done 2 hours in the queue , you will want the taxi !!   You get a free bus from the border to the train station.

This whole experience was quite expensive and wouldnt do it again would deffo recommended to fly, we lost alot of time and money this way. Plus when we paid for the taxi to take us to the hotel , however they are sneaky abd try to pass you to a tuk tuk and tell you that he will take you the rest of the way but when you get to your hotel they try to charge you and when you say no they adk if they can take you to the Angkor wat temples the next day which is $15 for one tuk tuk so we said yes.

Anyway our hotel was called Angkor secret garden inn and was located down a back street but it was lovely. We were met by a guy called Lucky and he was THEE nicest person we have ever met. www.angkorsecretgardenhotel.com

Phuket part 2...

The last link i posted (kitesinphuket) is Clive and Bruce's blog but it wouldn't let me write anymore.

So... we went home after a full day of sightseeing and now rain, we chilled by the pool for a while until Andy came home from work and we all went to Friendship beach to meet Sally and Andy's friends whi have decided to move here. They were really nice people who hope to set up a scuba diving business also. Anyway the restaurant was called Friendship beach resort and was thee most gorgeous food ever. We recommended the garlic bread - wholemeal fried in pure garlic with optional parmesan cheese to sprinkle, the star burger - burger inside this garlic bread , juicy and tender with nice chips. Then i had the brownie pud which was massive with ice cream - scrumdiddlyumptious !! Also if your a resident and have a card you recieve 15% off!! The restaurant is situated around the pool and is right on the beach with great views.

We then returned home and got a taxi the next day to Phuket airport to travel onto Bangkok where we will meet Leigh. The taxi only cost 700 so quite cheap in comparison to what we paid coming down !! Phuket airport is lovely and is situated on the beach , upstairs is a restaurant which is very cheap and good food. It also has free wifi and wonderful views of the planes and beach.

We flew with Nok air which gave us free water and a caramel cookie even though we only paid 20 pounds - ryanair are you listening ?? We then landed at the Bangkok don M and got a metered taxi to meet Leigh at Siem Star hotel right next door to Baiyoke tower that we had all agreed to go up together. At one of the tallest buildings in Bangkok , it a must see. Our hotel was next door and was good value for money. It was quiet and clean but the bathroom had no real window so could let mozis in .

Baiyoke tower is 400 baht to go in but includes a free drink on the 83rd floor and if you pick a cocktail then its great value for money as these are quite strong !!
The tower is great fun and has lots of info and picture opportunities. It has a lot of areas with examples of typically Thai cultures. You can go right to the top to access the revolving outdoor floor where you can get some great photos. You can stay up here as long as you like. We did this for a few hours then went to find some dinner.

We only went to a back street diner for dinner, we had to walk through night market with people selling jellyfish and fried bugs etc. The curries we had here were soooo spicy that we couldn't eat some of it and when we asked for some coconut milk to cool it down , they didn't know what we were talking about and therefore we just had to leave it. Ordered the papaya salad i had had on the beachfront a few days before but this one was sooo spicy that it burnt me. Luckily a Chinese man overheard and told me to get some warm water and it cooled my mouth down instantly , it really did work !!!

We then had street pancakes which were lovely and went back to our room , we had an early night as we had to be up early for our train to Cambodia.

We were up at half four to get a taxi to the train station , this took around 30-40 minutes and was 100 baht. The train station was simple and easy to understand, there is a huge main screen which tells you which train to get to where and what platform . We then got our tickets at the counter and it only cost 48 bht each to get to Cambodia !! There were plenty of seats to sit and wait for our train in the main area.

.....

Phuket...

So we got our flight to Phuket and as soon as you walk out there is a taxi rank with a sign that tells you how much your taxi will be. It said 1000 baht to Rawai , Sally (a family friend in which we are staying with) told us it would only be 800 bht. We found out later we should have asked asked for one with a meter and it would have been only 800.

So we got the bus which at 1230 , were told it would set off at 1.30 and was 140 bht and took us to Patong beach, we thought a taxi would be cheap from here as its 40 minutes to Rawai. The bus didn't set off until 215 then after 5 mins we had to all squish onto a minivan and then it took 3.5 hrs to get to patong then a taxi ended up costing us 500 bht so no cheaper really and ate up half our day. We have learnt that the Thai are not rigid with their timings, at all!! Your food will come out when its ready and not all at the same time. They seem to apply this to life too !!

Sally met us near hers in Rawai and we both jumped in the side cart of her motorcycle. It was five minutes to hers and we loved the ride. We then got to meet her gorgeous babies (dogs) Sambo, Toffee and Goldie. They were all so lovely and friendly, Goldie a little shy at first but became our friend soon enough. We were shown around their lovely home then had a chang with sally on their patio and waited for Andy to come home from diving. He is the best scuba diving instructor and does photos and videos for you and is very good !! Andy's scuba website Check him out, hes rated highly on trip advisor !!

That night we had veggie burgers and homemade wedges and they were lovely , just like real burgers , soo scrummy , so i am considering changing to quorn when we get home.

The next morning was Andys day off so we all just relaxed by the pool and enjoyed each others company, it was nice. We had Thai curry for lunch from the shop nearby. It was sooo good and only cost 220 for us both. It was a corner shack and was called king burger or something but was delicious !!! Then Luke and Andy were off to play football so Sally and I tagged along. On the way we met one of Andys scuba friends named Brem and his girlfriend and the O2 bar on the beach , which is a hotel bar , lovely setting with a great view and not too expensive for drinks. It's right by the pier to get any diving boats. However whilst we were there , a monsoon came but it was great to see as we were under shelter. www.o2beachclub.com click to see their website.

Then we may our way to football , where Andy arranges a game every week and quite a few people show. Luke had a great time and said the pitch was lovely. It was 150 baht per person and worth every penny. Sally and I drank cava and gossiped and got merry. A great night all round.

The next morning , Sally took us to the Big Bhudda . It was free but we were given sarongs to cover out shoulders and knees. It was great to go to and offered some great viewpoints. You could buy pieces of marble to write on and stick on the Bhudda which supposedly brings you good luck. We stopped for a fresh young coconut water on the way down and we had a great view behind us. The drinks came to 170 bht which was good , then we made our way to a viewpoint which overlooked monk island. It was beautiful , here i bought a lovely day dress too for around 4 pounds which we bartered for - well sally did !!

We then met up with Sallys friends for lunch at Naat bar on the seafront. Here we had pad Thai and spring rolls for 85 bht , Clive let me try some of his papaya salad which was gorgeous. All the food was great and Clive and his husband Bruce were lovely. Bruce has experience in the design of prisons mainly in Canada but has researched around the world first hand and was really interesting to listen to. I just wish we had met whilst i was writing my dissertation. We all chatted and had drinks on the seafront before we all made our way home. www.kitesfromphuket.blogspot.com

Bangkok...

So we had a great flight with some great food which was Thai red fish curry or green chicken , scrummy !!  We watched some great films too ; Blended with Adam Sandler ( very funny ) , Saving mr banks (really great film) and a thriller with a guy who could memory travel ( if i remember the name i,ll post back but it was really good too !! )

At Dubai airport we used our last dhms to get mcdonalds then changed the rest to Thai baht and got the equivalent to ten pounds at a good rate too. So defiantly worth doing.

When we landed we got a taxi to our hotel - Grand Mandarin Residence , which i wouldn't stay again , it was clean and ok for the price but since staying at nicer for the same price, it was really noisy with people coming in and out and you could always hear the lift. However we walked ten minutes up the road and got a steak with veg for 85 bht and it was lovely setting with waterfall and live music.

In the morning we were told to get a taxi 3 hours early to the airport as the traffic is really bad , but we got there after an hour and it was only 300 dhms. We had krispy kreme doughnuts for 35 bht each at don muang airport and when we got through we had mcdonalds breakfast with free refills which we had never seen before. The flight to Phuket was with Airasia and we had paid an extra pound to get pancakes and syrup which was well worth it, you got four with butter and syrup - hot and very tasty.

GOTTA GO , S&L xx

Atlantis waterpark....

So we got up early to get the metro to Dubai internet city. I don't need to tell you how good the metro is again , but everytime we needed to top up we would just go to the information desk and they do it straight away and tell you if you need a new card if your doing more than one zone.

We got to Dubai internet city and from there we paid 20 dhms in a taxi to get the palm monorail. We had a Dubai entertainer voucher so it was buy one get one free. So it worked out at 30 dhms return for both of us. The monorail is fantastic, so quick and direct but you get some great photos of Atlantis too. It drops you off at Atlantis' entrance and if you walk through straight to the middle with the bigfish dome on the ceiling then turn left , you'll find the area to purchase your tickets and enter the park. The tickets are 300dhms each and lockers & towel combo , 50 dhms , these were on the entertainer vouchers too.

The lockers were straight on the left and easy to use. You can't bring your own food & drink and they do check your bags so bring lots of cash as it was 70 dhms each for burger , chips and a drink !!

It's worth bearing in mind that there are waterproof go pros to rent and they allow you on rides with your camera phone in a waterproof bag. Alot of the rides use rubber rings which you can get from any of the pools. The 'temple' at the far side with rides, doesn't use rings so you will be told to discard them once you hit the beach. Most the rides can be linked with each other using the lazy river which is a plus. We wore waterproof diving shoes which they allowed on all the rides.

This was a great day out and we went on a Monday and it was practically empty. We stayed here until closing and went on every ride and throughly enjoyed it. We had some piz buin bracelets that hold suncream which were reallt useful when your suncream is starting to wash off you can reapply without going back to your locker. Plus it was only a pound from poundland, bargain !!

We got the monorail back around half six , they come every twenty mins and at half six the sun set and the buildings have lights on and we got some great pictures.

From the monorail we walked along the seafrony to gst some great photos, we did walk a while towards the buildings , so far that we ended up walking to the Nakheel metro station so we managed to save some money and had our scrummy pizzas from Spinneys for 10dhms and they are so lovely !!

Early morning start for our flight which we will get the metro for as its so much cheaper.

Love and hugs from S&L xx

Arabian nights Dubai safari

So another day of chilling around the pool whilst our room gets cleaned and pots get washed etc !!!

We had to ring Arabian nights , the night before, to confirm our attendance and give them our room number. We asked the reception to do it and they were more than happy to oblige. Arabian nights told us to wait in our hotel lobby for 4pm with our Dubai entertainer voucher and 300dhms. We were picked up around half 4pm and were introduced to the others in the car. One was from Boston USA and the other was from Brazil. They were both very nice people and have exchanged contact details. I gave them our business cards and hope to keep in touch.

Anyway , the Dubai safari was easily THE best activity we have ever done. It took around an hour and twenty to get to the dunes but on the way they stop at a street shop so you can go to the toilet as your next chance will be at the camp after dune bashing.

This shop will try to get you to buy everything in there but to be fair a sandstorm had started so we did all buy head scarves to keep the sand from our mouths and face. Don't pay anymore than 20dhms and tell them you want your change before you give them the money. A guy on our trip kept getting short changed and they denied all knowledge.

Anyway the sandstorm finished about five minutes later and we set off to the dune bashing. This was amazing and you do get a good 20 mins of being thrown around over really high dunes whilst the sand kicks out from the car. The guide pointed out points of interest along the way and stopped so you could take pictures. Then he stopped for us to get out to take pictures of the sunset. We had a good ten minutes to do this but make sure you wear closed shoes as the sand is very hot !!

Then you drive to the Sharjah border and drive along side for more dune bashing and arrive at the camp. The camp was great as it was only open to people doing the Arabian nights tour, so it wasn't heaving. A man speaks on the tannoy to tell you all the info you need. There is unlimited free soft drinks , Bbq - which consists of starters, main and two desserts. The henna tattoo is great for women and men. The men can get a scorpian. I had a flower on my leg but make sure yiy get this first as it needs to dry and a lot of people smudged theirs. I got mine done after the camels and sand boarding.

The camel ride only lasts two minutes and you just go around in a circle  and the sandboarding was literally  some sandboards on top of a sand dune that you judt had to throw yourself off and hope for ths best !!

The entertainment was fab and the free sheeshas were good too. The night ended around 9pm and we did a bit of dune bashing on the way back and then were offered to be dropped off at Dubai mall but we were all so tired , we got dropped off at our hotels. We said bye to our new friends and went straight to bed , ready to be up nice and early for Atlantis waterpark.

Love S&L xxx

Dubai Marina...

Another day by the pool, but at 2pm we went to leave to get the metro to the Dubai mall.

We were going to do the bus tour that is owned by the 'at the top' and kiosk is downstairs at the end nearest the Burj Khalifa. It is only 10 dhms a person and is valid 12 hours. However, after shopping in the mall for a while and grabbing a shawarma for dinner, we decided we wanted to go to Dubai marina instead. So we walked across the bridge from the mall , its a ten minute walk but all air con and has great views of the burj. We then got the metro to Dubai marina station and it was a short walk around the corner. We got there for around 6pm so we got photos in the day, sunset and evening. It was alot cooler down there and plenty to see and do. Last year i went here for a night out on a tuesday which is ladies night so ladies drink free in most of the hotels. Plus the Dubai entertainer has buffer vouchers for these hotels. However we were full and wanted a drink and had a voucher for Tim Hortons. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants around to suit anyones budget. Its a brill thing to do , you get some great pics and wonderful views and food. We then went back to the hotel for an early night for our full day of Dubai safari.


Love S&L xxx

Dubai aquarium ...

So today we got up really early as we planned to go to aquaventure , however when we got to the Al Fahidi station , it was closed until 1.16pm as over here , Fri & Sat is their weekend. This was really annoying as we had geared ourselves up and were all packed to go to the waterpark. Anyway, we decided we would have to do aquaventure on Monday as it would probably be quieter and it meant we could have an early night ready for our flight on Tuesday early morning.So really this had worked out for the best !!

So we went to the pool and decided we would do the Dubai aquarium in the evening. We had the Dubai entertainer voucher so it worked out at £12 for both of us. And we really got our moneys worth !! We started with getting the metro from Al Fahidi to Burjuman and changing to Dubai mall , this only cost us 9dhms together !!

Dubai mall is really easy to work your way around and has interactive maps everywhere. Once we found the aquarium , we were told we could spend as long as we wanted looking around. So all in all we spent nearly three hours , we did buy the combo ticket which meant we had access to the desert animals too!!

This activity is great and a must do , even if your paying full price it is worth it !! You can pay extra to do the glass bottom boat , feed the fish or shark dives but we just did the combo entrance and still had the best time. Yes you can see the tank without paying but you can't get up close like you can when you pay. Also once you have walked around the outside you can enter the tunnel to see the fish from underneath or have your photo next to a shark !! We must have spent easily three hours here. They had just recently acquired a croc from Aus who was found wandering around in a public lake. He then doesnt get many options as his memory will allow him to return to this lake no matter how far away he is !! He was built a special tank and although pretty small for his size - 5m , he has a girlfriend and seemed happy. This add on to the aquarium is on the upper floor , hed by two escalators on your right once you exit the aquarium. When purchasing your tix , ask for the combo tix which is the aquarium and zoo. The animals in here are very interesting too and very well set out , the fish tanks were open topped. Plenty for children to do. There were a range of animals from turtles , crocs, jellyfish, (i got to stroke a starfish) , penguins , gerbils, lizards and owls. Informative signs and videos on flatscreen HD tvs made the whole experience. We left feeling very satisfied and tired out as we had spent our whole evening there but would do it all over again !!

We did then use our vouchers to get something from the food court , wethought we would use Charleys subs as they looked really good and they were once we had recieved them 45 mins after ordering and they still got it completly wrong. One was cold as it had waited so long for the rest to be made , it seemed like everyone had the same issue , so please don't waste your time or money here. It was not worth it !!!

Then it was 11pm by the time we had finished so we came straight home :)

Lots of love , S&L xxx

Atlantis ...

So we decided if we were to go to the waterpark we had better work out how to get there beforehand as we would have to set off early morning. So as per , we spent the morning up at the pool then got ready to go outabout 5pm as it's slightly cooler then. (marginally)

Once we had set off we got the metro from al fahidi to burjuman (burjuman is one of the interchange stations) then burjuman to Dubai internet city. This cost 9dhms return , which was really reasonable. Then when we got off , it was too far to walk to the palm to get the monorail , so there was plenty of taxis. We jumped in one and he told us that the traffic at that time of night was so heavy that he would only take us straight to atlantis, in matter of fact he was right !!! The taxi only cost 25 dhms.

We had a walk around and took many photos which was lovely with the sunset !!! We took a walk inside Atlantis then decided it was time to go back. We only had a return entertainer voucher for the monorail and the man at the monorail station said returns had to be bought for the same day. So we asked how much a single was and he said 15 dhms each , so we decided it was best to get the taxi back and at least that will take us to the metro station too and we could do the return monorail when we go to aquaventure.

We then got the metro to the mall of the emirates and had a shawarma (meat and salad rolled into a wrap and grilled) - gorgeous !! We then had entertainer vouchers for krispy kreme and baskin robbins , we got 40 donuts for 36 dhms and two ice cream , brownie and hot fudge drinks for 20 dhms. Bargain !! Apart from this , we didn't do a great deal in the mall as it is just shops and not a patch on the Dubai mall.

We then came home and had throughly enjoyed our day !!


Love S&L xxxx

Dubai heritage ...

Another morning of sitting by the pool with Leigh and lunch back in the room. After our lunch Luke and I returned back to the pool as we wanted to do the Dubai creek but we didn't want to do it when it was so hot.Our hotel is situated near the creek so we google mapped it and saw that it was after the al fahidi metro so we couldn't get the metro to it so we decided to walk. It was only a twenty minute walk but we were drenched with sweat by the time we got there.

However it was a straight walk down past the metro which is a straight road anyway. Walk straight over the roundabout and your at the Dubai heritage village. This is a great place with traditional buildings that all house different historic information or shops or restaurants. Some you can walk in and go up to the top floor and get a great view of the village and creek.

We then walked down the road to the left of the roubdabout as you arrive, Go past the shops and follow the road round and you'll see the Dubai museum. We didn't go in as the sun was setting and we wanted to get accross the creek before sundown . However i have been in before and it's a must see. It's very cleverly done and very interesting tosee Dubai how it was compared to now. It's cheap too so you deffo get value for money.

After the museum is the courts , if you follow the road around , you'll see the tourist souk , walk through here , sellers will try their hardest to get you to go in their shops but hold your head high and carry on straight through and you'll see the creek and you'll see the Abra's (boats -small wooden ones) these are 1dhm each and will take you accross the creek.

Once accross walk left down the road until you come to a bend and you'll see another souk , this is the spice souk . It's well worth a walk down. If you return back to this bend then walk away fron tge creek into the heart of this area, you will see the gold souk, this place is amazing and holds the guiness world record biggest gold ring!! When your ready to return accross the creek , go back to your original abra drop off placeas the ones on the corner are round trip ones.

We then walked back to the village and the first restaurant is called local house restaurant  it's set in a traditional Dubai building and has traditional seating and fabric but the best bit is , they do camel burgers. Now we had never had one but my grandad said they were supern so we had the one with caramelised onions and spicy mushrooms. , they come with potato wedges which are lovely . They are 45 dhms each buteow, well worth the money, my mouth is watering just still thinking about them. They were chewy but tasted like a steak burger and best bit us , they are healthy. We also had traditional mutabrak (meat cooked in bread) for starter and was really impressed. Our bill cane to 149 dhms for everything inc two cokes and it was worth every penny , woukd return every night if we could !!

Having a great time , missing you all

Love S&L xxx