While pictures can certainly be worth a thousand words, we thought it
was about time to give an update about what we've been up to these last
few days.
On Sunday we travelled to the town of Ratchaburi on the way from Kanchanaburi back to Bangkok. Here we spent the morning exploring the canals of the Damnoensaduak Floating Market by boat. A 30-minute ride in our private boats took us through lush green palm groves, stilted homes, overgrown back "alleyways", and finally to the market with stalls of souvenirs and fruits. A good chance for students to practice their bargaining skills! After the market we motored back to the bus and headed to a wood carving demonstration. Teak wood is commonly used in Thailand to make furniture, as well as intricate wall carvings - up to 15 feet long on one continuous piece of wood. Sunday afternoon was spent touring Phra Pathom Chedi, the temple of King Rama VI. We had a chance to give offerings to Bhudda (incense and gold leaf) and explore the surrounding Bhuddha statues and museums carrying original artifacts. Sunday night found us back in Bangkok, hiring tuk-tuks to take us to the Silom market in Pat Pong for students to get a taste of Bangkok night life (the PG-13 version). Quite the experience!
Monday was a travel day, starting early morning in hopes of beating the infamous Bangkok traffic. A relatively easy drive out of the city led us into a heavy monsoonal rain storm as we ventured through the countryside to the Poi Pet border with Cambodia. Flat, flat, flat. Although we had planned to watch our newly purchased movies from the night market, we all quickly realized they were all in Thai! Crossing the border itself was quite a production. Among many other things, the corrupt government of Cambodia has contributed to a state of confusion at the border, whose surroundings are representative of a true 3rd world country. Dirty and poor, only highlighted by the crowds, humidity, and the rain. Students were the epitome of patience as we stood in line for over an hour in a cramped "waiting" room with minimal ventilation and a slew of touring backpackers from all over the world.
We said goodbye to Anan, our trusted and beloved Thai tour guide, and were warmly welcomed by our Cambodian guide, Savoun, on the other side. Needless to say, after a day of travel, the complicated border crossing, and another 1.5 hour drive after entering Cambodia, it was a treat to arrive to our hotel in Siem Reap - rooftop pool and all. (Please refer to the synchronized swimming photos!)
Tuesday (yesterday) was dedicated to Angkor Wat. As any student might also tell you, it's hard to explain in writing how incredible this experience was. First we visited some of the surrounding temples including Angkor Thom, Baphoun Temple, and Ta Prohm (more recently known for it's use as a setting in the movie "Tomb Raider" starring Angelina Jolie...) We shared a memorable moment getting caught in another rainstorm as we took refuge in the ruins of Ta Prohm, surrounded by overgrown jungle vegetation and tree roots the size of students! Following lunch we toured Angkor Wat itself, climbing the highest towers and learning about the bas carvings and the history of the temple complex. Everyone successfully made it up the steep stairs to reach the top of the center spire - just in time for the sun to appear from behind the clouds.
Today's agenda purposefully allowed us some time to relax following a day filled with temple touring. Savoun led us to Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Cambodia, where we took a boat out to the floating village and markets on structures much like detached houseboats floating in the middle of the (currently still very low) lake. Following a traditional lunch at a local restaurant, we had the opportunity to visit the Killing Fields and learn about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. It was a powerful experience and one that was not originally part of our itinerary.
Tomorrow will be another long day of traveling - our flight from Bangkok to Phuket leaves in the evening, and we'll be ocean-side by dark. And let's all wish Genevieve a happy 16th birthday!
Until next time...
On Sunday we travelled to the town of Ratchaburi on the way from Kanchanaburi back to Bangkok. Here we spent the morning exploring the canals of the Damnoensaduak Floating Market by boat. A 30-minute ride in our private boats took us through lush green palm groves, stilted homes, overgrown back "alleyways", and finally to the market with stalls of souvenirs and fruits. A good chance for students to practice their bargaining skills! After the market we motored back to the bus and headed to a wood carving demonstration. Teak wood is commonly used in Thailand to make furniture, as well as intricate wall carvings - up to 15 feet long on one continuous piece of wood. Sunday afternoon was spent touring Phra Pathom Chedi, the temple of King Rama VI. We had a chance to give offerings to Bhudda (incense and gold leaf) and explore the surrounding Bhuddha statues and museums carrying original artifacts. Sunday night found us back in Bangkok, hiring tuk-tuks to take us to the Silom market in Pat Pong for students to get a taste of Bangkok night life (the PG-13 version). Quite the experience!
Monday was a travel day, starting early morning in hopes of beating the infamous Bangkok traffic. A relatively easy drive out of the city led us into a heavy monsoonal rain storm as we ventured through the countryside to the Poi Pet border with Cambodia. Flat, flat, flat. Although we had planned to watch our newly purchased movies from the night market, we all quickly realized they were all in Thai! Crossing the border itself was quite a production. Among many other things, the corrupt government of Cambodia has contributed to a state of confusion at the border, whose surroundings are representative of a true 3rd world country. Dirty and poor, only highlighted by the crowds, humidity, and the rain. Students were the epitome of patience as we stood in line for over an hour in a cramped "waiting" room with minimal ventilation and a slew of touring backpackers from all over the world.
We said goodbye to Anan, our trusted and beloved Thai tour guide, and were warmly welcomed by our Cambodian guide, Savoun, on the other side. Needless to say, after a day of travel, the complicated border crossing, and another 1.5 hour drive after entering Cambodia, it was a treat to arrive to our hotel in Siem Reap - rooftop pool and all. (Please refer to the synchronized swimming photos!)
Tuesday (yesterday) was dedicated to Angkor Wat. As any student might also tell you, it's hard to explain in writing how incredible this experience was. First we visited some of the surrounding temples including Angkor Thom, Baphoun Temple, and Ta Prohm (more recently known for it's use as a setting in the movie "Tomb Raider" starring Angelina Jolie...) We shared a memorable moment getting caught in another rainstorm as we took refuge in the ruins of Ta Prohm, surrounded by overgrown jungle vegetation and tree roots the size of students! Following lunch we toured Angkor Wat itself, climbing the highest towers and learning about the bas carvings and the history of the temple complex. Everyone successfully made it up the steep stairs to reach the top of the center spire - just in time for the sun to appear from behind the clouds.
Today's agenda purposefully allowed us some time to relax following a day filled with temple touring. Savoun led us to Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Cambodia, where we took a boat out to the floating village and markets on structures much like detached houseboats floating in the middle of the (currently still very low) lake. Following a traditional lunch at a local restaurant, we had the opportunity to visit the Killing Fields and learn about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. It was a powerful experience and one that was not originally part of our itinerary.
Tomorrow will be another long day of traveling - our flight from Bangkok to Phuket leaves in the evening, and we'll be ocean-side by dark. And let's all wish Genevieve a happy 16th birthday!
Until next time...
Thanks for the update of your incredible experiences.
ReplyDeleteEveryone, enjoy Phuket and Happy Birthday Genevieve!!
Happy Sweet Sixteen to Genevieve! What a great place to be on your birthday!
ReplyDeleteKeeping the trails hot!! Incredible trip!! Loving the photos and thanks much for the updates. Happy Sweet 16, Genevieve!!
ReplyDelete