The Big Day has arrived. We are on our way to Bangkok, and then on to Siem Reap bound for Angkor Wat.
This is it. The proverbial centre of the Tootsie Pop.
We are reluctant to ascribe too much importance to any one part of this trip, but it’s impossible not to do so here – this add-on cost too much money and falls too squarely in the middle of the trip to view it as anything other than the core of this adventure.
We try not to think of all that can go wrong.
Today is early – 5:45 am – but tomorrow will earlier still. I have allowed myself to be talked into waking at 4:30 am for a sunrise photo shoot. My inner photographer is tweaking aperture and practicing my exposure bracketing, while my inner human already yearns for bed.
But not now, because there’s a mediocre room service breakfast that needs eating up!
Today was worse than most, likely because of how many other passengers are ordering room service. Expedition ships will often open La Terrazza earlier to match early-morning landings, but a 6:30 am breakfast won’t work when we need to be in the Venetian Lounge by 7:45 am.
Even so – I end up with congee instead of muesli, and my morning cappuccino seems to have learned how to make its own cheese. My wife’s English muffins are untoasted, while my bagel is barely warmed over. Meanwhile, our son is missing both his eggs and cream cheese.
Our butler Jordan dashes off to see what he can do, while we place a call to In-Suite Dining to follow-up. We get our eggs and the cream cheese, cobbling together a meal of sorts. Praise be for the in-suite espresso maker.
The kids do great. They eat their meal without complaint, sunscreen and finish packing, then we’re off to the meeting point. We’re solidly in the middle of the pack in terms of arrivals.
There’s a brief delay as we attempt to disembark on Deck 5 when the gangway is on Deck 3, but we make it work.
We’re soon on our bus, and on our way.
I let our guide’s words wash over me during the two-and-a-half-hour drive into Bangkok – an hour and a half to the first restroom break, and then another hour through stop-and-go traffic as we make our way into the city centre.
He notes that Bangkok traffic can be quite manageable – so long as you walk out the door prior to 6 am. Then, perhaps it’s a 25 minute drive. But if you forget your wallet, or your phone and leave even 15 minutes later then that drive can easily stretch to 90 minutes.
Bangkok is not the official name of the city. It’s official name is actually Kung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanuk Prasit, which translates to City of Angels, Great City of Immortals, Magnificent City of the Nine Gems.
The main economic driver of Thailand’s economy is tourism, while other major industries include manufacturing and agriculture. One of the major factors behind Thailand’s economic power is the official (and unofficial) migrant labour from Myanmar, which numbers more than 6 million.
We pass countless fastfood restaurants as we go. Our guide notes that tastes have significantly changed in the past recent generation – many younger Thais have grown to prefer blander western food to spicy traditional Thai cuisine. And to think that only two generations earlier almost all food was grown and prepared at home, to the extent that women climbed trees for fresh coconuts, bananas and other fruits on a daily basis.
We then arrive at Wat Pho Chetuphon, home to the reclining Buddha:
Crossing the road seems daunting, but our guide carefully gauges the traffic and moves forward only when he’s certain it’s safe. Still, we’re careful that neither of the kids stray too far from the guide.
From this corner, we have a great view of the Territorial Defence Command:
Our guide provides us with a brief overview of the Thai monarchy. The country is currently in a one-year official mourning period following the death of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother. Her death falls nine years after the death of his Majesty King Bhuibol Adulyadej the Great. The current king is His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn. It is illegal for Thais to discuss the monarchy in public. And so ends the discussion of the Thai monarachy.
We then head inside the temple.
Our guide shows us the stupa, which are used as a kind of family tomb. There is a concrete seam which can be used to add new remains. Generally a single stupa is used for an entire family or – in some cases – shared between multiple families.
Only royal stupas are elevated off the ground.
The temple is considered the earliest centre for public education in Thailand, and is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage.
Not only has he handed out sparkly blue fish pins to keep track of us:
He also has a red monkey on a stick so that we can find him amidst the many, many other guides. “Follow the red monkey!” becomes a familiar refrain.
He also refers to us by another title – it initially sounds like Chevy bus, but we’re not on a Chevy. Cherry bus? Chewey bus? It shall forever remain a mystery. (Or will it? My wife adds in here – his name was Chevy!)
We then carry on into Phra Ubosot, the royal buddha chamber, which was constructed during the Reign of King Rama I. It was specifically constructed for Buddhist monastic rituals. It has nine umbrellas overtop the Buddha, which represents the authority of Thailand and indicating royal significance.
There is some beautiful ornamentation on the outside walls:
Shoes and hats must be removed prior to entering.
There are Buddhist practitioners sitting, and praying. There’s a profound feeling of peace here.
We carry on across the temple complex:
And we enter the chamber with the reclining buddha:
This Buddha was built in the 1830s by King Rama III. The reclining position symbolizes the Buddha’s entrance into Nirvana – the extinguishing of one’s individual passions, and the end of all reincarnations.
Again, visitors must remove their shoes and hats as a sign of respect, and are advised to be mindful of potential pickpockets.
I follow our guide’s advice, and take my photos from closer to the feet:
And what feet they are – featuring some stunning mother-of-pearly inlays:
It’s incredibly busy in here as people queue up for selfies. With my photos done, I take a moment to just step back and take it all in.
I’m glad we got here when we did – the line-up has only grown during our all-too-brief visit.
Time to head back to the bus.
We make a brief photo stop at the Loha Prasat Temple, one of the rare metal spire temples in the heart of Old Bangkok:
And then we drive the hour-or-so back to the Hyatt Regency Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport for lunch.
We’d been concerned about finding dishes that were going to work for everyone, but thankfully the buffet here has a wide range of options:
We all have a wide range of dishes – chicken, pizza, rice, prawns, longevity noodles, red curries, green curries, and more. All very tasty. I’d say that the roast chicken with steamed rice and red curry steal the show.
As does the chocolate cake:
Our lunch includes two complementary drinks per person. I have a frosty mug of the local ‘elephant beer’, Chang.
Prudently, Silversea has arranged for lunch right next to the airport. We have only a ten minute drive before we arrive at international departures. “Look for the bright blue blazers!” our guide advises, as we prepare to dismount.
He’s not kidding – there are at least three or four attendants wearing blue blazers, helping to offload bags and leading us through the airport. They take us to a pair of private check-in counters and our bags are soon checked in.
We have brought a mere two checked bags and one smaller rolling bag, which we will also check. We have a full kilo to spare on our heaviest bag! That’s massive margin, compared to some of our Air Canada flights – where we run down to the last 100 grams.
Off to the bathroom to dump out the last of our water, and then another pleasant surprise – our blue-suited saviors are taking us through Fast Track immigration, too.
Apart from someone attempting to use the Thai passport line (me), this goes smoothly – and we are soon officially cleared out of Thailand – less than 8 hours after we first landed shoreside. I know I’ve said that these are whirlwind visits, but that’s taking it to a whole new level.
But wait, there’s more – we are also led on to the Bangkok Airways lounge, where we get to enjoy some popcorn and baked goods:
I pick up a very credible sausage roll, but I have no idea why – I’m not the least bit hungry.
There’s also an iced coffee machine:
Plus an espresso machine.
We initially struggle to find something for my wife, but then discover that both the hot and cold machines produce very credible Thai tea lattes. Very tasty!
We settle into the lounge and I get a bit of writing done. We also finalize the last of our Cat Tien trip details, and exchange WhatsApp numbers with our Silversea escort, Illiana. Doesn’t hurt to be prepared!
Soon it’s time to head down to the gate. Our flight has been delayed, but only by 15 minutes. We settle in at a sparsely-crowded gate until boarding is called. We hop onto a bus, and are driven out to a teeny, tiny airplane:
I won’t be concerned unless I discover pedals under the seats
I jest, I jest. Honestly – while propeller planes are nobody’s favourite – they haven’t properly scared us since we took the world’s teeniest prop plane to Montserrat. That plane was so small, you had to fold the seats up to make an aisle as you seated yourself. It was so small that – when the pilot wanted to cool down – he cracked open a window.
That plane also shared a ‘feature’ with my friend’s 1989 Renault Alliance – namely that the driver’s seat wouldn’t stay in one position, and had a tendency to roll back under high acceleration.
Farewell, Bangkok!
The flight passes uneventfully, apart from them attempting to offer tuna and cheese sandwiches to everyone.
Touchdown, Cambodia! No photos allowed in the Customs Area of the airport, and honestly they move fast enough that we hardly had time to catch our collective breaths. There are again guides with signs, collecting our passports and visa photos and expediting our passage through customs. No queueing for us.
We reach the luggage belt just as our bags are coming out. Five minutes, and we have our luggage in our hands.
We’re led out of the airport to two different buses – we hop onto bus #2 where we meet our guide D, who lays out the program for the next few days. Those attending the sunrise photo session will be meeting in the lobby at 4:45 am. (Ugh.) After, we will return to the hotel for a quick breakfast before we head to Angkor Wat as a group.
It’s about a 50 minute drive, and it passes pleasantly enough. I let D’s words wash over me, though there isn’t much to see out the window – apart from the one brave couple who decided to take a tuk-tuk all the way into Krong Siem. I may feel somewhat cosseted on this kind of A-to-Z type trip, but I do enjoy having someone else figure out the transfers.
We soon arrive at our hotel, the Sokha Angkor Resort:
We collect a welcome drink, and then dinner is waiting for us:
It’s a buffet, but honestly that works perfectly for us. This way the kids can get exactly what they’d like, and we don’t have to wait for the food. It’s also the ideal set-up for Cambodian curries, of which we sample many.
Plus – more desserts:
Up to our rooms, which are connecting – Excursions had informed of this a few days earlier, but always nice when a hotel actually delivers.
The rooms are fine – well appointed, though a bit on the tired side. Our mattress in particular has seen better days. It’s now grown hard and a bit lumpy. Considering these rooms often go for upwards of US$500 per night, a mattress from the current decade wouldn’t go amiss.
But that does not stop us from promptly falling asleep.