Day 1: 13 Days in Cambodia and Bangkok

21st January, 2014.

Nobody really looks forward to an overnight flight, no matter how exciting the destination is at the end, but luck was on our side with our nine hour flight to Bangkok. Firstly we had chosen Thai Airways, for no other reason than it was the best deal, yet thankfully this is an airline with at least two inches extra leg room than any other airline I've travelled with. And the flight was only half full which meant fast service and extra space. And big thumbs up for proper silver cutlery! We both managed to sleep easily for most of the flight, and it was all done with the minimum of fuss by the excellent cabin crew. 

Our layover in the ultra modern and cavernous Bangkok airport was only an hour or so, not enough time even to realise that the country you've landed in has just declared a state of emergency due to the political protests. Which is exactly what happened, but we'll save that pending (mis)adventure for another day,

It's just a short one hour flight to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. That one hour gives you just enough time to complete the various landing cards, visa applications and customs forms you need to fill in to enter Cambodia. There are a couple of queues you need to line up for to get your tourist visa ($20 USD per person) but its straightforward enough. 

The airport in Phnom Penh is a bit of a throwback to yesteryear with waiting areas and the arrivals hall outside in the open. We arrived around 9am in the morning into a nice cool 18 degrees temperature which meant we could spend the three hour wait here for our flight to Siem Reap outside on a cafe terrace and ponder our five day stay in Siam Reap with a Rough Guide. 

Plenty of time also to realise that no matter where you are in the world, no matter what the airport may be called, nor which continent it may be in, airports have become a global chain of faceless fast food english speaking Meccas. You notice it more when you visit four airports inside twenty four hours, and are hit by Costa Coffee, Burger King and Subway almost as soon as your feet are on the Tarmac in all four of them. I can't help but feel that's a bad thing, but at the same time I'm writing this as we sit sipping our respective flat white and green teas out of heavily branded tea cups in the aforementioned Costa Coffee.

We arrived off our propellor fired Vietnamese Airways flight to be greeted by a tuk tuk driver from the guest house - a marvellous and truly local way to travel in style! We're both really pleased with our guest house the Seven Candles, which is nice and roomy, and very welcoming. We were also taken aback by how big Siem Reap is, temples are obviously big business . It has mostly managed to retain its authenticness, and charm. The roads are the usual South East Asian bedlam, and it's dusty and noisy, but the quaint French colonial charm shines through, especially in the pretty little alleyways. 

We were impressed with our young Tuk Tuk driver Piseth, so booked him to takes us to Angkor Wat at sunrise tomorrow. After a quick refresh, we headed on our first foray into town, and by chance stumbled across the Buddhist monks' chant at the local temple which was enthralling. Then we tucked into our first proper meal in 24 hours at to vegetarian Chamker restaurant with authentic Kymer curry.

By 8pm we were fast asleep. And I'd say, well earned sleep!

9 to 5 Explorer: dealing with extreme heat on your travels.

Melbourne, January 2014

The summer has finally arrived with a vengeance in Australia this week with temperatures soaring to forty plus degrees centigrade even in the coolest states. As the country goes into meltdown (literally) over how to deal with the heat, here's some advice and tips and how to manage extreme heat when you're on your travels, picked up from experiences in far flung destinations and from four year's living and travelling in the harshest summer temperatures  that the Middle East could throw at us. 

Lederberg State Park, Victoria.

Lederberg State Park, Victoria, January 2014. 

 

Lederberg State Park is located approximately one hour west of Melbourne, north of the Western Highway. At over two thousand square hectares, it is one of the biggest parks in Melbourne and offers an excellent range of bush walks, from leisurely strolls, to challenging day walks and even overnight hikes with a free bush camp also available. You can approach the park from the east or west sides off the highway, with both options involving drives along unsealed roads for at least twenty minutes to reach a parking or picnic spot.

The Big Island, Hawaii - Ten Day Tour Itinerary

 

The Big Island, Hawaii, February 2012. 

If you’re a non-US national like us, a first time visit to any Hawaiian island is most probably going to shock you.  This could be a shock of seismic proportions, potentially even earth shattering.  You may have the idyllic vision of a remote Hawaiian Island comprising of a glorious white sandy beach, with palm trees swaying gently behind you as the crystal clear ocean laps in front of you, and a Hula girl serves you the freshest of tropical cocktails.  And you may well find this. But you’ll also find islands of destructive and seemingly bleak volcanic landscapes, huge rugged and smouldering mountains, lush tropical rainforests, and windswept isolated coastlines battered relentlessly by Ocean.  Some of the volcanic plains are too volatile to visit, large stretches of the coastline too dangerous to even paddle in, and the climate so diverse that you could be sunbathing and skiing all on the same day. This is the real Hawaii, and once you’re over the shattering of your pre-conceptions, one that will make your visit simply unforgettable.

The Boxing Day Test - the world's greatest sports event.

December 26 2013, Melbourne.

The Boxing Day Test Match is possibly the world's best sports event. There I said it. Yes, I know that is a pretty bold statement, especially when I've never been to the World Cup Finals, or the London Olympics, or the Superbowl. But I honestly don't know how they could compete.
 

The annual cricket fest combines a clash of two of the game's giants, in the world's biggest and most impressive sports coliseum of the MCG, and taken in breathlessly by almost one hundred thousand sports mad fans. Yes, yes I hear you - isn't Brazil playing the World Cup Final against Spain in Rio de Janeiro next year going to be just like that? Not quite, here is how the Boxing Day Test comes into its own. It's all down to its magnificent and fortuitous timing. It's Boxing Day, it's a national holiday, it's Christmas time, and everybody, and I mean everybody is in the mood to party. And what better place to do it.

The Coal Creek Motel, Korumburra: Country hospitality at its best!

You can't beat country hospitality when it's done well and the Coal Creek Motel does it very, very well. You'll find the motel just on the outskirts of Korumburra, in South Gippsland, just opposite the Coal Creek Museum and Park.

We stayed here for a local basketball tournament, and we all agreed that it was the best place we've stayed so far. The owners were so helpful, even going beyond their call of duty to give us a lift to the pub and back!

Now that's service.

Daylesford Review - a relaxing weekend escape in the country.

March 2013. Daylesford, Victoria. 

The country. A spa. Galleries. Cafes. A motel. A lake. My wife. X

This was my slightly out of character Facebook post after a weekend in the popular country town of Daylesford, Victoria. In my defence, I defy the toughest, meanest, most unromantic and insensitive alpha male in the world not to turn into a big softy after a few days of relaxation here. And I am none of the above, so a meltdown was always on the cards.