Off the Beaten Path in Asia
I really enjoyed the first post I did on places that are a bit off the beaten “tourist” path in Europe earlier this year and as I got to thinking about it, I think it’s so worthwhile to not only show off the large cities that everyone goes to all over the world but also the ones that don’t get as much attention. Asia is no different and there are so many amazing spots all over the continent that aren’t the typical places for tourists to choose to explore, but so worthwhile all the same. These are some of my favorite spots in Asia that aren’t going to be your typical suggestions when traveling.
A Hotel Review of the Angkor Village Resort & Spa in Siem Reap
Angkor Village Resort and Spa – Siem Reap, Cambodia
When we got to the room (as it had literally just been cleaned) we were kind of surprised to see a spider web hanging from the fan and a couple spiders and other bugs on the walls and floors, a couple of them dead. To walk into a room that supposedly had just been cleaned seems like those should not have been there.
One other thing about the rooms that bothered me the most was no wifi signal. Nick and I like to stay connected while away, and I specifically pick hotels that have wifi and more often than not, free wifi. The hotel had advertised free wifi, but it’s only truly available in the lobby (the open air, no AC in 100 degree heat Cambodia lobby). This really made me mad that they would advertise something that isn’t true.
The room was very large though and had a nice sitting room as well as a large bed and lots of space for luggage.
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Also, the hotel used to only have bath tubs that are more like a jacuzzi. Then they installed shower heads in the ceiling, problem is they didn’t bother to install shower curtains. So we had to stand in the bath, which was already like a foot off the ground, with water coming out of the ceiling but no shower curtain. It was just a really awkward experience.
We did eat at the free breakfast buffet each morning and while the hot food was great, I stayed away from the cold meats and fruits as it’s all outdoor and there were bugs constantly on all the cold items.
Overall Impressions – This hotel was fine but with all the random things, I left there just feeling really bothered. It’s also quite a ways from the temples and from the town of Siem Reap, which didn’t seem to be the case from what I read online. If I had to do over again, I’d stay in the town of Siem Reap at one of the nicer hotels in that area.
Traveling to Cambodia?
See all of my posts on the country!
Finding Home
I’ve talked before about my search for a home for many years, the way that after leaving Saudi Arabia as a young girl, no where ever truly felt right until Portland. For many years I felt like I was floating, like no where really held roots for me. When we left Saudi, we knew full well we’d probably never be back and with their strict visa requirements, it would be difficult to ever return, even as a tourist and even then, we probably wouldn’t be able to get back on the compound I grew up on. I left Saudi as a 12 year old girl knowing that the home I spent my entire childhood in, that stucco house with marroon carpet and a nail polish stain on the wall in the downstairs bathroom, would never again be part of my life. I left knowing that the beach on the Persian Gulf that we spent so much time on, the small man-made reef that we snorkeled through, the restaurants, the people, the feeling of my childhood home, I knew I’d never see it again. And through the years, that weighed down upon me. I envied the people I met whose parents still lived in their childhood home. I felt adrift for a long time.
Travel Tips : How to Choose a Trip Location
I get asked a lot how Nick and I choose the destinations we travel to. With a never ending list of possibilities around the world and even in our own home country of the US, let me tell you, it’s often a daunting task. We each have so many places on our “lists” that we want to see and experience and sometimes they line up and sometimes they don’t. We spend quite a bit of time, over a span of a few months brainstorming where we should head next and the process really does entail a lot of research and gathering information. So today, here is the process we go through of choosing a destination and all that it entails.
We start brainstorming for trips about a year in advance. For example, right now we’re in the process of discussing options for our Spring trip for next year (2015) and while that may seem like a long time in advance, that’s one reason we can travel so much because we plan ahead and can work it into our schedules. We won’t book anything for a while, but it’s important to give yourselves a few months of brainstorming ideas for locations. For us, we talk and see where the other person would like to go and try to meet in the middle or match up locations that might be close to each other.
Often times we start off with totally different locations than we end up going with too, so keep your options open.
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