I've been in Thailand for 10 days or so and franckly I didn't even have time to go to Bangkok.
But trust me this is about to change.
I dont have that much time left but here are the two cities I plan to visit.
First, Ayuttaya. I know, I know, shame on me for not going there sooner.
The city is just 1h away from my campus and its one of the most famous city in Thailand history.
It was the capitale of the Kingdom of Siam before one king decided to move it to Bangkok.
It mainly about temples, beautiful landscapes and elephant ride.
I keep you posted on that one.
The second trip is going to be AWESOME. Mark my words!
I'm heading to Koh Tao.
I wanted to describe Koh Tao, but that is actually a terrible idea.
U'll just see the pictures..and then we'll talk about it.
But if u happen to have been in Koh Tao, please feel free to share any tip you might have..
Ok folks that's all. I'll come back when I have some pictures.
Showing posts with label trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trip. Show all posts
Friday, May 30, 2008
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Trip to Cameroon: Kribi and its beaches
Ok, I have to admit that I could have done it before.
But the thing is that since I left the charger of my digital camera in Paris when I went to Cameroon, I basically don't have pics of my own, so I have to wait until my bro upload them online to display them.
I have already a couple of posts on my trip to cameroon, including one on Cameroonian Food (damn I miss it).
But we didn't visit just the capital and the countryside.
Although we had to cancel the trip to the North where we wanted to go to visit the natural park of Waza, we managed to go to a coast city named Kribi.
Well to sum up, you take a car from Douala (or from Yaoundé), you follow the direction "Kribi" (it's not really indicated so you better go with someone who knows the way) and 2 hours later, there you are.
The next step is to find a hotel. And damn that is the hardest part of the movie.
We wanted an hotel just in the front of the beach.
If you happen to want that too, be ready to choke when you check the prices.
You wont find anything below 25000 FCFA (37€!!) and at this price you will get a barely decent bedroom (and when I say decent, I'm kind).
For something satisfactory you hit 32000 FCFA(almost 50€!!) ouch!
Ok, some people might not understand why I was surprised but one have to know that it's 1/4 to 1/3 of the salaries of government employees.
What struck me was the difference with the prices in Thailand and Cambodia (and even Laos although I've never visit a coast city in Laos).
When I went to Sihanouk Ville (Cambodia), we where in a nice hotel which was 5 min away from the beach (not in the front of the beach but just behind). I wont say it was top-notch but it was a nice one, with a silent AC and TV (with gazillions of channels).
And for that we paid US12$ (or was it $10?), less than 9€!
When we went to Siem Reap (Angkor, Cambodia), one of the most touristic city in southeast Asia (if not the most touritic) we slept in a very nice guesthouse with a wonderful swimming pool and a enjoyable decoration with a lot of wood and bamboo.
For that we paid US$34 for two nights (makes 17$/night for people who dont get along that well with maths). Granted, we bargained a lot, but that's the rule.
Noted it down if you don't know yet, "In Cambodia, U ALWAYS BARGAIN, about EVERYTHING"
So, yeah I found the prices to be, to say the least, surprising.
This is the part of the movie where having the right contacts proved to be handy.
Mum managed to find us two rooms in a company-employees-only hotel which, for this reason is WAY cheaper.
Ok, the rooms were just OK (actually on par with the hotels we visited before, but without the smell we found in one of them), but we paid "just" 15000FCA (22€).
I still find it expensive but it was the best we could find if we wanted to be just in front of the beach.
The stay was very nice (except for the sleep, the beds were not so great).
The food was awesome but awfully expensive. Kribi is supposed to be a fishing city and it is actually.
But for some mysterious reasons, the fish here is actually noticeably more expensive.
I wont complain because the food was delicious, just want to let you know that you better show up with 10000FCFA (15€) per meal if you want a 3courses meal and if you are alone. If you are more than 2 people(and if you dont eat like my bro and me) you might start to tap into the economy of scale.
We stayed there during slightly less than 48 hours.
It was a very enjoyable trip, and we had a great deal of fun (and some funky stories too, but its Cameroon right).
I wanted to include the pictures in this post but since this post is already quite long I think. I'll make another post (u know the one u just read above lol).
Click the blue "comment" link below this post to leave comments.
But the thing is that since I left the charger of my digital camera in Paris when I went to Cameroon, I basically don't have pics of my own, so I have to wait until my bro upload them online to display them.
I have already a couple of posts on my trip to cameroon, including one on Cameroonian Food (damn I miss it).
But we didn't visit just the capital and the countryside.
Although we had to cancel the trip to the North where we wanted to go to visit the natural park of Waza, we managed to go to a coast city named Kribi.
Well to sum up, you take a car from Douala (or from Yaoundé), you follow the direction "Kribi" (it's not really indicated so you better go with someone who knows the way) and 2 hours later, there you are.
The next step is to find a hotel. And damn that is the hardest part of the movie.
We wanted an hotel just in the front of the beach.
If you happen to want that too, be ready to choke when you check the prices.
You wont find anything below 25000 FCFA (37€!!) and at this price you will get a barely decent bedroom (and when I say decent, I'm kind).
For something satisfactory you hit 32000 FCFA(almost 50€!!) ouch!
Ok, some people might not understand why I was surprised but one have to know that it's 1/4 to 1/3 of the salaries of government employees.
What struck me was the difference with the prices in Thailand and Cambodia (and even Laos although I've never visit a coast city in Laos).
When I went to Sihanouk Ville (Cambodia), we where in a nice hotel which was 5 min away from the beach (not in the front of the beach but just behind). I wont say it was top-notch but it was a nice one, with a silent AC and TV (with gazillions of channels).
And for that we paid US12$ (or was it $10?), less than 9€!
When we went to Siem Reap (Angkor, Cambodia), one of the most touristic city in southeast Asia (if not the most touritic) we slept in a very nice guesthouse with a wonderful swimming pool and a enjoyable decoration with a lot of wood and bamboo.
For that we paid US$34 for two nights (makes 17$/night for people who dont get along that well with maths). Granted, we bargained a lot, but that's the rule.
Noted it down if you don't know yet, "In Cambodia, U ALWAYS BARGAIN, about EVERYTHING"
So, yeah I found the prices to be, to say the least, surprising.
This is the part of the movie where having the right contacts proved to be handy.
Mum managed to find us two rooms in a company-employees-only hotel which, for this reason is WAY cheaper.
Ok, the rooms were just OK (actually on par with the hotels we visited before, but without the smell we found in one of them), but we paid "just" 15000FCA (22€).
I still find it expensive but it was the best we could find if we wanted to be just in front of the beach.
The stay was very nice (except for the sleep, the beds were not so great).
The food was awesome but awfully expensive. Kribi is supposed to be a fishing city and it is actually.
But for some mysterious reasons, the fish here is actually noticeably more expensive.
I wont complain because the food was delicious, just want to let you know that you better show up with 10000FCFA (15€) per meal if you want a 3courses meal and if you are alone. If you are more than 2 people(and if you dont eat like my bro and me) you might start to tap into the economy of scale.
We stayed there during slightly less than 48 hours.
It was a very enjoyable trip, and we had a great deal of fun (and some funky stories too, but its Cameroon right).
I wanted to include the pictures in this post but since this post is already quite long I think. I'll make another post (u know the one u just read above lol).
Click the blue "comment" link below this post to leave comments.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Pictures from Ko Samet
And now let get in the heart of the matter.
First the beach, the sand is soft, feels like a comfortable mattress.
The water is crystal clear, I was simply amazed.
We went from Ao thian to Ao Wai and, WAOH, the beach was even more beautiful and there was absolutely nobody. So basically we had the entire beach for us.
Say it was great is not enough. I was playing like a little children.
Since I'm a good guy (!) I had a (quick) thought for my friends in Europe which are in the middle of the autumn. And then I jump in the sea :D (yeah life is unfair what were you thinking).
Feel free to watch the slideshow embedded below or click on it to go to the album.
There are not that many pictures, sorry I was too busy actually enjoying the sea,sun (damn where was the sex? lol) to take a lot of pictures.
Feel free to comment as usual ;)
First the beach, the sand is soft, feels like a comfortable mattress.
The water is crystal clear, I was simply amazed.
We went from Ao thian to Ao Wai and, WAOH, the beach was even more beautiful and there was absolutely nobody. So basically we had the entire beach for us.
Say it was great is not enough. I was playing like a little children.
Since I'm a good guy (!) I had a (quick) thought for my friends in Europe which are in the middle of the autumn. And then I jump in the sea :D (yeah life is unfair what were you thinking).
Feel free to watch the slideshow embedded below or click on it to go to the album.
There are not that many pictures, sorry I was too busy actually enjoying the sea,sun (damn where was the sex? lol) to take a lot of pictures.
Feel free to comment as usual ;)
Trip to Ko samet (Thailand)
I blog about this quite some time after the trip but I was a little bit busy working on re-creating a software ecosystem for blogging.
Ko Samet is an island 3h hours away from Bangkok.
The bus ticket is 178 bahts (roughly 4€) one-way.
The bus leaves you in Ban Phe. From there you take a boat to cross the sea.
The cruise last roughly half an hour.
The boat ticket is around 100-150 depending on which Ao (meaning Bay) you are going to.
The boat left us at the northern part of the island (we arrived late so there was no other option).
We had to take a taxi to get to Ao Thian which is the southest part of the island.
we were looking for a beach as remote as possible to avoid the crowd. And Ao Thian looks like a very good yet affordable spot.
The taxi doesnt come to cheap (keep in mind it's an island). We shared the taxi with two other people who were not going as far as we were but it helped keep the price reasonnable, understand 300 bahts (for 2).
Ko Samet is, as a whole, a national park. I don't know what exactly they mean by that but I do know that it reduced the content of my wallet by 400 bahts EACH (9€) just to get on the island.
The "trip" to get to Ao Thian is quite long especially since the roads are the worst I've EVER seen in Thailand (and also the worst I've ever seen in the world).
This explains why all the taxis are Toyota pick-up. And since you sit at the back of the cab you better be free of any back aches whatsoever (at least when you get in the cab)
For the accommodation we choose a nice hotel just in front of the beach. We went for the VIP room (yeah I know life is cool sometimes) with a very nice bathroom, AC and TV (pretty much worthless unless you speak Thai)
That will set you up for 1200 bahts (28€).
I dont remember the name of the hotel, it was Coconut something.
We ate at the hotel restaurant. The food was GREAT and of course quite expensive (remember its an island!). But I must admit the prices are fairly decent.
Overall getting to Ko Samet is quite easy, the trip worth it and for the pictures check the next post.
For 2days, I would suggest to budget around 3000 bahts (roughly 65€) if you are looking for something in the mid-range.
Ko Samet is an island 3h hours away from Bangkok.
The bus ticket is 178 bahts (roughly 4€) one-way.
The bus leaves you in Ban Phe. From there you take a boat to cross the sea.
The cruise last roughly half an hour.
The boat ticket is around 100-150 depending on which Ao (meaning Bay) you are going to.
The boat left us at the northern part of the island (we arrived late so there was no other option).
We had to take a taxi to get to Ao Thian which is the southest part of the island.
we were looking for a beach as remote as possible to avoid the crowd. And Ao Thian looks like a very good yet affordable spot.
The taxi doesnt come to cheap (keep in mind it's an island). We shared the taxi with two other people who were not going as far as we were but it helped keep the price reasonnable, understand 300 bahts (for 2).
Ko Samet is, as a whole, a national park. I don't know what exactly they mean by that but I do know that it reduced the content of my wallet by 400 bahts EACH (9€) just to get on the island.
The "trip" to get to Ao Thian is quite long especially since the roads are the worst I've EVER seen in Thailand (and also the worst I've ever seen in the world).
This explains why all the taxis are Toyota pick-up. And since you sit at the back of the cab you better be free of any back aches whatsoever (at least when you get in the cab)
For the accommodation we choose a nice hotel just in front of the beach. We went for the VIP room (yeah I know life is cool sometimes) with a very nice bathroom, AC and TV (pretty much worthless unless you speak Thai)
That will set you up for 1200 bahts (28€).
I dont remember the name of the hotel, it was Coconut something.
We ate at the hotel restaurant. The food was GREAT and of course quite expensive (remember its an island!). But I must admit the prices are fairly decent.
Overall getting to Ko Samet is quite easy, the trip worth it and for the pictures check the next post.
For 2days, I would suggest to budget around 3000 bahts (roughly 65€) if you are looking for something in the mid-range.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Trip to cambodia 2: Sihanouk Ville - Pictures
Here are some pics o of that part of the trip.
And this is the link to the whole album (there are not that many pics however)
Just click on the last pic to open the album.
And this is the link to the whole album (there are not that many pics however)
 |
| Trip to cambodia 2: Sihanouk Ville |
Just click on the last pic to open the album.
Trip to Cambodia: Sihanouk Ville
The first part of our trip started in Cambodia.
Well, actually it started in Bangkok but we quickly left Bkk to go to Phnom Penh.
For several reasons among which was time we took the plane.
The cheapest company to fly from Bangkok to Phnom Penh (PP) is Air Asia, which is incidently the best low-cost company in southeast asia (for the prices I mean).
I have a philippino friend who lives in PP who tipped me on some useful details and send me a driver to pick us at the airport.
There is only one flight a day with Air Asia and it's at 7am so you better up quite early in the morning
Couple of hours later we took the bus to Sihanouk Ville, a city on the gulf of thailand with some beautiful beaches.
Oh btw choose the Mekong Express bus company, it's $2 more expensive for an overall "woopping" $6/person.
This trip is 3hours and for some yet-to-find reasons they have this b****y karaoke which is d**m loud. But if you have some in-ear headphones you will be fine (just like I was).
For the ghesthouses, on the Ocheutal beaches side, count $10-13 for a double room with AC (air conditioning) in a decent ghesthouse.
And do choose Ocheutal beaches, its the best side with a good standing.
If you want pics, its in the next post
Well, actually it started in Bangkok but we quickly left Bkk to go to Phnom Penh.
For several reasons among which was time we took the plane.
The cheapest company to fly from Bangkok to Phnom Penh (PP) is Air Asia, which is incidently the best low-cost company in southeast asia (for the prices I mean).
I have a philippino friend who lives in PP who tipped me on some useful details and send me a driver to pick us at the airport.
There is only one flight a day with Air Asia and it's at 7am so you better up quite early in the morning
Couple of hours later we took the bus to Sihanouk Ville, a city on the gulf of thailand with some beautiful beaches.
Oh btw choose the Mekong Express bus company, it's $2 more expensive for an overall "woopping" $6/person.
This trip is 3hours and for some yet-to-find reasons they have this b****y karaoke which is d**m loud. But if you have some in-ear headphones you will be fine (just like I was).
For the ghesthouses, on the Ocheutal beaches side, count $10-13 for a double room with AC (air conditioning) in a decent ghesthouse.
And do choose Ocheutal beaches, its the best side with a good standing.
If you want pics, its in the next post
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Pictures from Angkor
Angkor Wat, the main attraction. It's somptuous. It was 6 AM when the picture was taken.
The right aisle of Angkor Wat
Just Me, inside Angkor wat main temple
These are just few pictures I've taken during this trip.
I've taken around 150 pics, Foly has taken around 220 pics. You can add Moly's and Rebecca pictures as well.
You can call us pictures freaks. We dont care, the trip was just so amazing!
Of course I've created one web album dedicated to that trip.
Just click here to get a bigger sample of the pictures. And watch them as a slideshow, especially for the sunrise.
Enjoy!
More to come soon on Banttambang.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Post from Angkor (Cambodia)
I'm currently in the city of Siam Reap, the closest city before Angkor.
I've been visiting the temples all day long. And I must say that it's just one of the most amazing experience ever.
You have to take at look by yourself. Its just beautiful.
But if you cant, I've got an incredible number of pictures that I'll post in few days (as soon as I get back actually).
We wake up at 5AM to be on the site before the sunrise to see it from there.
And I must tell you that from there, you get one of the most incredible view you can imagine.
I dont know if the pictures will show how great it is.
several cities were built in the area, so you have a bunch of temples, with some differences in the architecture.
You have NO IDEA of how beautiful it is, evry single wall is sculpted minuteously.
I cant even imagine how much time they devoted on building those temples.
Anyway, I'm gonn blog about it later. I didnt came here to stay in a cyber-cafe :-)
Cant wait to post the pics.
More to come soon...
I've been visiting the temples all day long. And I must say that it's just one of the most amazing experience ever.
You have to take at look by yourself. Its just beautiful.
But if you cant, I've got an incredible number of pictures that I'll post in few days (as soon as I get back actually).
We wake up at 5AM to be on the site before the sunrise to see it from there.
And I must tell you that from there, you get one of the most incredible view you can imagine.
I dont know if the pictures will show how great it is.
several cities were built in the area, so you have a bunch of temples, with some differences in the architecture.
You have NO IDEA of how beautiful it is, evry single wall is sculpted minuteously.
I cant even imagine how much time they devoted on building those temples.
Anyway, I'm gonn blog about it later. I didnt came here to stay in a cyber-cafe :-)
Cant wait to post the pics.
More to come soon...
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