Sunday 8 January 2017

Monday 25th July 2016 (Bangkok Day 3 / Cambodia)

We hit the pool again in the morning, and checked out of our rooms by noon, leaving our luggage with the hotel till later.

We walked up the street a bit and caught the Metro a couple of stops to Lumpini Park.
I didn't make people sit in height order for this photo!

It took about 20 minutes to get across the whole junction to the park entrance, and we were entertained by watching the motorbikes and crazy traffic!

It was really hot and humid, and we were super sweaty. We walked around the park for a bit first. Scott had read that there were monitor lizards in the park, so we kept an eye out.

It didn't take long till we spotted some lizards! Scott observing one from a safe distance...

Jack got a bit closer - this one was massive!

We got some drinks from a kiosk and I tried out a Thai pot noodle - not bad!

Orchids growing on the trees.

We walked some more and found a park. I sat on a bench trying not to get any hotter, but the boys were nuts!

Enormous seed pods hanging from the trees. I think they are poinciana trees.

I also like the coconut palm trees!

We headed to another lake in the park, and rented 3 swan pedalos. (About £1.80 each for an hour.) We were the only people on the lake! In fact the whole park was pretty empty.

It was great fun! We all linked up a one point, pedaling in a big long line!
Lucy being an oik and not letting go of our swan!

We pedaled round the edges of the lake looking for more lizards and we weren't disappointed! This one was walking along on the grass, then came down to the water's edge.

If found a dead fish at about the same time as another lizard, and they had a bit of a squabble! These things are not tiny - about 6 foot long.

Some more lizards.

As we pedaled closer, we could see a large turtle hitching a lift on the back of one of the lizards!

Blue tongues.

This egret made me laugh - there was a lizard nearby, and when the lizard moved off, the egret walked along with it for some distance - they looked quite companionable!

After that we walked back through the park, back to the Metro, then our hotel.

We sat in the foyer for a bit and sorted out our visas to get into Cambodia.

We then got two taxis to Don Muang Airport (we had flown into Suvarnabhumi Airport). This is pretty typical of many Bangkok streets, with makeshift stalls lining the streets.

We made it to the airport OK, and checked in our luggage. We were guessing the weights of our cases. Tom's was pretty light!

We had tea at a crowded Piri-Piri chicken place in the airport, and spent the last of our Thai baht on four Dunkin' Donuts!

Sharing out the donuts in the departure lounge was a messy affair!

The flight to Siem Reap Airport was only about an hour. The airport was tiny, but lovely! Our flight were the only people in the whole airport. (It makes me laugh that this is Cambodia's busiest airport!) We had various forms to fill in before we could go through.
(These are internet pictures - it was night when we went though.)

A minibus organised by our next hotel was waiting for us, for the 20 minute or so journey. We were staying at the Navutu Dreams Resort and Wellness Spa.
When we got there, we were shown to an open air reception area, where we were given passion fruit drinks. It was all lovely! The resort was made up of 28 separate little suites, all kind of hidden away in foliage around a central thatched restaurant hut and three pools. We had booked two of the cheapest suites, but we got upgraded to two of the nicest!

We were well excited when we got taken to our suites - they were gorgeous! Harry, Tom and I shared one, and Scott, Lucy and Jack shared another which was up the path and across the way from us.
This is just my room, with a corner bath in a little alcove, and a sunken floored living area.



No comments: