Clary's Travel Digression

Up early to catch up with Clary before work. A bit cool and drizzly here in Toronto.

Cool and drizzly sounds really nice after hot and dusty, eh, Beth?

What an absolutely fascinating adventure Clary! (My thanks to Ehbeth for linking it to me) I am sooo jealous, but at the same time I think I lack some of your courage. Thank you so much for taking the time to document your trip! I'll be "with you" from here on out!

Clary, I agree with Beth, you ARE the intrepid one!
Went to a web site today about the silver pagoda & feel like I'm there with you in spirit anyway! No pics of the insidel, but I could see just about everything else, even the murals you described. You go, girl! & as always, Bon Voyage!

Hello all and thank you to Mac11, ehbeth and msolga for your warm welcome.

I have never been a member of a forum before so this is all a bit new and shiny for me. I find it absolutley amazing that someone on the other side of the world could be reading this!

Yes, I travelled with Clary, albeit for a very limited time (1 week) in Thailand. I did not know Clary before the trip, she was introduced to me by Simon.

I must say, it was fun travelling with you Clary and I wish you you all the best with your continuing adventures.

I have been following your travels since I got back to London and have been wishing I was still out there with you. All that sunshine, adventure, food and fun. Instead, I am here just starting a new job, which although an adventure in itself doesn't quite measure up to the fun to be had travelling abroad. Aww heck why pretend - it's the FOOD, I REALLY miss the FOOD!!!!

Take care for now Clary, I look forward to reading your next posting.
Amanda
x

Amanda
It's the food I miss in London, too - great food at a reasonable price!

Welcome to A2K!

<googling along as Clary mentions places - this is a great trip!>

The greatest part is the very sanguine Clary.

I'm still back there floating with my vicarious luggage amidst the hyacinths...

Welcome to Amanda-May. Please join in here, or feel welcome to, beyond this particular forum thread. And.. good luck with your new job.

Hi all! And a special hi to Amanda too! It would be a lot more fun if you were here too, and we could have a Good Laugh! And the food really is great; I took a good risk today and asked my cyclo driver to stop at a sugarcane stall overlooking the river (the other side from my hotel - poor man had to pedal me up one side of the bridge but it must have been fun coasting down theother side!). The sugarcane juice, with some fresh lime and loads of ice, was perfect in flavour .. probably deadly in microbes but I have a proven tough constitution!

I went to check out a very smart apartment block for English friends coming out next week. They are adopting Cambodian 8-month-old twin boys! Now there's a challenge... The apartments were European style and standard and price, but since they don't know the East and have babies to look after, they need the support of swimming pool, air conditioning, microwave etc. Idon't envy the luxury now the air is a bit cooler (the day we travelled overland from Bkk was one of the hottest they've had)

Yesterday evening I talked to some fellow diners at the restaurant (tried fish in datepalm sugar but it wasn't very sweet - very good though). Met one chap who works 6 months of the year in San Francisco and travels for the other 6 months in Asia - had just spent 3 months in India. I don't think I could be away from family and friends that long, though I had previouslyseen myself as a natural nomad. Perhaps a nomadic family is what I really want!

Back to Bangkok soon, and althoughI know with my head that flying is loads safer than allthe other modes of transport I've been taking, my stomach doesn't agree. Luckily it's just a short flight, just over an hour.ANd 4 hours to Hong Kong tomorrow morning. I hope to touch base with you all from there. Thanks for your interest, I wish I could write better, more like Bill Bryson.. but of course this is just a first draft. Also apologize for not taking photos. Phnom Penh has websites and you can probably see a lot more than from anything I could do in the way of photography.

Clary, pet, we like you better than Bill Bryson. Or at least I do. I hated the way he did Iowa....

Have a good flight, touch down well, ring us from Hong Kong. if not before.

I think we need to make you an honorary San
Francisco Meet a2ker. I will quaff something for you. What shall it be, a bubbly of water or wine? a spirit of rotgut or twine? Well, somethin.

Like Beth I'm googling along as well. Thanks for taking us with you, Clary! I'm having a wonderful time with you over tea and pb toast!

oh the envy..the envy...glad you're having a great trip!

Clary

Dyson has nothing on you!
I'm thoroughly engrossed in your postings. I want to share your meals. I want to fly to the capital. I want to travel in a tuk tuk again. I want to be there!

Oh, a nice crisp chardonnay type wine please, well chilled! How I'd love to be there to enjoy it too!

And thank you all for your kind words

Well, the phlight from Phnom Penh was phine, and I went upmarket in Bangkok and stayed at the Asia Hotel near the airport as it had transfers, breakfast, swimming pool all included. The pool was supposed to close at 8 pm but there was nobody there before or after, and I swam in solitary splendour, surrounded by 8 towering storeys of flats and rooms - felt a bit like a goldfish in a bowl but I don't think anyone was looking out into the night. Had a lovely coconut-creamy tom yam soup - fiery but tasty - in my room, with a cold beer, and watched the Discovery channel about venomous insects - not the nicest of viewing but the movie channels are so disappointing, it is ALWAYS Mickey Blue Eyes or The Majestic or some crappy crime thing with loads of shooting.
And today's flight was only 2 and a half hours, and as we came to HK I felt a great nausea - nothing I'd eaten, just a real wish NOT to come back to this place where I lived for 18 years, hadn't been back to since 1997. Can't explain the feeling, perhaps a bit like going back to school when your year has left and nobody knows you any more. And here I am in my friends' flat, which is exactly the same as it was 7 years ago, while they have gone to the Philippines for Easter. Their tiny and sweet Filipina maid is still here, but I've assured her I don't need looking after, and she must take a holiday too. But she is looking after Flopsy the Dog, an indeterminate small woolly creature who barks at me but may prove quite sweet.
The airport in HK is amazing - state-of-the-art, and it costs a small fortune to come into town on the express train. When I lived here the old airport was cramped but fun, as you used to land in between the housing blocks and only come to rest with the nose in the sea, nearly.
It doesn't seem particularly more Chinese - there's a Mandarin announcement on the train after the usual ones in Cantonese (the local language) and English. The taxi driver didn't speak English, but they never did. Weird.
I shall be concentrating on getting my work done here, so may find little of interest to add to this thread for a while - however I intend to spend more time exploring Thailand and maybe Cambodia again after the work's done and dusted, so don't give up on me! And I'll include anything special about this place if it occurs to me!

Sigh...this has been a great read! I wish I were there too. Here I was thinking that to the English the "far east" meant Wales...

that would be Far West, Cav

Not if you go the other way around.

what work do you do Clary...what a facinating life you are living :-)

When you have a look at a map, av, you'll notice that it actually is East Anglia (Wales would be Wild West) :wink: