 |
| Dawn on the Mekong River |
February 2025
The Mekong River tour has been in the works for two years. We were taking a water break during our cycling tour of Australia, when I received an e mail from Santana Adventures announcing a tour along the Mekong River visiting Vietnam and Cambodia. Debby and I had talked about jumping on this tour after hearing other Santana guests rave about previous versions. I signed us up right there on the spot, and by the time we returned to the ship later that afternoon, the small 30 cabin river cruise ship was already sold out!
We flew to LAX and visited with Debby's sister Kathy before heading to Saigon on Cathay Pacific Airlines. We had a reasonable connection in Hong Kong, and arrived in Saigon after another 3 hour flight, two days later!
We booked a car with the recommended company at the airport and we had our first taste of Southeast Asia traffic chaos and countless motor scooters on our way to the hotel.
We arrived at the hotel about noon and waited in the fantastic lobby while our room was prepared.
The room was worth the wait with plenty of space and great views of the city. After we settled in, we still had time before the first event of the tour, so we headed out on foot to check out the surroundings and fight the urge to take a nap! 
We toured a war museum and walked past the building that housed the CIA offices during the war. This building is where the 'last' US Helicopter departed after the war, not the US Embassy.
The translation of this typical propaganda poster: THE WHOLE PARTY, THE WHOLE PEOPLE, AND THE WHOLE ARMY STRIVE TO SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENT THE RESOLUTION OF THE 13TH NATIONAL CONGRESS OF THE PARTY
As we headed to the last stop of the day, which was a 360 degree viewing platform, we noticed this ASU extension building in downtown Saigon from the bus. We both did a double-take!
We finished the tour with a visit to a 360 degree viewing platform on a nearby skyscraper before finding dinner on our own and returning to the hotel.
Billed as a 'required helmet inspection,' we met in the lobby with the other guests and were introduced to our scooter drivers that would take us on an evening tour of Saigon. I'm sure we were quite a sight; old Americans riding with young college students on 60+ scooters riding as a pack. After I got a bit used to the traffic flow and hold on with only one hand, I was able to record some short videos:
We stopped for spring rolls at a sidewalk stand near the university and sat on tiny stools with low rider tables. Our guides told us the stands with the lowest stools had the lowest prices!
We arrived at the tunnels and enjoyed a light lunch before getting a guided tour of the tunnels. This tunnel complex was not far from an American base during the war and were very extensive.
The tunnels were dug by hand and were basically built by digging straight down then digging horizontally to meet another tunnel.
Yours truly emerging from from one of the tunnels that was increased in size by 25% and paved to accommodate tourists! 
It was back on a bus to catch more sights in Saigon. This bus of students passed by us several times, much to the delight of these kids who were very happy to wave hello!
We saw very few bikes on the streets of Saigon, but here was a young man in full Visma kit on a very nice road bike!
Our first stop was a natural medicine museum that had great exhibits outlining the history of herbal medicine in Vietnam. It was sponsored by a company that sells a wide range of herbal remedies, most of which were, of course, available in the gift shop.
Our next stop was a water puppet performance that seemed to follow the story of the little mermaid. Since it was in Vietnamese, it was a bit hard to follow, but the kids that were in the audience loved it and at the end of the performance the puppeteers waded out to take a bow!
No minivans, but many families pack onto a single scooter. This one had only three, we saw up to 5 on a single moto!
Our last stop was Chinatown and this Catholic Church. As we were leaving a pair of newlyweds rolled through!
We returned to the port area with a little time before embark, so we grabbed some coffee before heading to the ship.
Check in was super easy, and after I installed our pedals and seats on our rental bikes, we enjoyed some cold beverages as we sailed out of Saigon, enjoying the terrace!
Our first day of riding, finally! It will be a short day of about 18 miles. Perfect to make sure the bikes were dialed in. 
Water lilies litter the Mekong river and nearly choke small rivers and canals. But they are easily harvested, and when dried, the fiber is used for ropes and baskets. Here a huge parking lot is used for drying, but we would see water lilies and rice often drying right on the edge of the road.
Here in the Delta, the water table is just a foot or two below the surface. Perfect for rice paddys, not so much for burying ancestors. We saw many of these mausoleums in fields, and often right next to the family home.
After adjusting Debby's seat post several times, we determined it was not holding as the seat post clamp was nearly worn out. We stopped several times during the ride to put it back to the right position. When we returned to the ship the mechanic fixed it with a hammer! It held for the rest of the trip! Actually the bikes were high quality Trek 12 speeds and we were happy to have them on the mostly rough roads and trails we would encounter.
I normally stop at every river crossing to take a picture, here in the Delta, you are constantly crossing rivers and canals, so I would take a burst of photos and pick the best one later!
It was a great day for a bike ride! With only 60 riders on this tour, it was easy to have the road to ourselves, even on a short day like today.
We later learned from one of our tour guides that these aerators are used to get oxygen back into the water, they grow shrimp here!
We became very adept at getting on and off ferry's on this trip. The normal fare for a bike and a person was three thousand Dongs, or about $.12!
Back on the ship, we sailed through the Kenn Cho Gao Canal. It was thick with river traffic with all sorts of boats, large and small.
Our destination for the afternoon would be Unicorn Island near My Tho. It is a island where the local inhabitants live and grow exotic fruits and honey. We started by boarding flat bottom canoes to tour the arroyos (shallow streams) that connect many of the houses and farms. We stopped to sample some of the local fruits which were delicious.
At the 'gift shop' at the end of the tour, Debby braved the bee hive and this boa constrictor before we headed back to the ship for welcome cocktail to meet the crew, Bill's briefing for the following day, and dinner. As most days start at 0600, we skipped the lounge entertainment and called it a day!
The bikes stayed on shore and traveled by truck so they would be ready when we arrived. Most days we would board Sanpams, like this, to go ashore while the ship remained at anchor in the river.
Many fisherman live in these huts on the river, harvesting their catch in nets under the huts as the river flows by.
Great roads with very little traffic, it was quite warm in the afternoons, but the mornings were delightful.
Our first stop was Cao Dai church and monastery. It was a huge complex and our first 'thirst aid' station was set up there. Unlike other Santana trips, the local guide and bike rental company had set up refreshment stands every 10 miles of so. Our first one was here outside this church.
Notice the chickens on the moto; as we rode through villages it seemed anything and everything could be strapped to a moto!
Mr. Biker Saigon, the tour guide did a fantastic job finding great roads and trails for our journey in Vietnam.
We found these Red Bull beverages at nearly every market and kiosk. Mark (our son that works at Red Bull) says this is the original formula that is only available in Southeast Asia. They were delicious and refreshing!
This river barge was filled with rice husks. They can be used as building material, fertilizer, insulation material or fuel. We saw many of these barges along the Mekong.
Good thing we have Garmin navigation computers! Who knows where we are!
First challenge of the day is finding our bikes, but with only 60 riders, it was much easier that other Santana tours with nearly 300 riders!
Not sure what fate awaits this guy, but we saw many chickens and roosters in these cages at markets, especially in the morning.
Our first 'thirst aid' stop of the day was at this pagoda. Our guide, Mr. Biker has been trying to convince the owner of Ciclismo Classico tours, Lauren Hefferon, to run a tour in Vietnam. He noticed Debby wearing a Ciclismo jersey and asked her for a favor. Here he is getting Debby to provide a video reference he could send to Lauren. His team did a fantastic job supporting us.
Lots of single track on today's morning ride. We had quite the train on these narrow roads.
Our ferry pushes through more water lilies as a woman cuts and dries them along the road.
The morning ride ended in Sa Dec. We enjoyed Bahn Mi sandwiches provided by Mr. Biker. We had the opportunity to visit the local wet market, but passed. With 30 hot miles under her belt already, Deb decided to take Sampan back to the ship and I continued on for a hot afternoon ride.
Sa Dec is known as the Garden of Cochin china, because of its famous flower gardens. The route took us through many of them.
About half-way through the ride, it was hot and I could use a Coke so I stopped at a small kiosk run by these two ladies. I bought a Coke and some chips. I had no idea how much I owed for the drink and snacks, so I just opened my wallet and she pulled out the correct number of Dong (under a dollars worth) They allowed me to sit under their awning to enjoy my drinks and cool off in the shade. They were shelling cashews and were very friendly.
As the route neared Cao Lanh, I passed a school in a beautiful neighborhood. As soon as these kid's saw me, they waved and yelled "hello!"
I arrived at the beer garden well before the Sampans and the ship arrived, but just after Mr. Biker and his crew had arrived. So I was able to enjoy an electrolyte drink and a couple of Mr. Biker labeled beers. Both very good on a hot afternoon!
The forecast was for another hot day and Debby took a well deserved rest day. There was a boost available, but I made sure I was on the first Sampan off the ship and headed out off the front of the group.
We had some very narrow alleys to ride through, but that kept us off the main highway.
More fishing operations on the Mekong. This shot was from the 'tall suspension bridge.'
Two guys on gravel bikes from our group caught me on this toll bridge and we each took pulls through town.
The pace was a little hot for me, so when we caught this moto with a wide load of Jack Fruit, I dropped off from our little group and motor paced the jackfruit moto.
The route literally dumped us into this market before continuing on through town. The guys on gravel bikes waited for their wives to arrive, they were on the first 'boost' that dropped off riders nearby.
It seemed like everyone was out this morning waving and cheering us on!
Another bridge overlooking homes right on/over the Mekong.
These ladies collected fares from the ferry on shore. While I was waiting for the ferry another rider from the tour rode up just as the ferry arrived. She ended up paying my fare, since the ladies figured we were together and she had her wallet out! So she ended up paying $.24 instead of the normal $.12!
It was a long straight run to Tan Chau and we passed huge rice paddy’s and other crops.
Yours truly on the farm road. I was riding pretty hard, considering the heat. I was surprised that the woman who paid my ferry ride was keeping up. Not only that, she took some pictures and AirDropped them to me later on the ship. When we stopped at a ‘thirst aid’ station I realized she was on an E bike.
We were the third Santana bike tour that passed through this month. When the first one sold out so quickly, they added two more. It seemed like all the locals were out to cheer us on as we passed through.
Mobile melon stand! Most of these carts had recorded announcements and folks would just flag them down to buy their goods.
That was our last day of riding in Vietnam. I pulled the pedals and seats from our rental bikes ( we brought our own) and bid farewell to Mr. Biker and his team, thanked him for great service and bought a couple of T shirts!
Finally back on the bikes, we left the ship and started our four days of riding in Cambodia.
Mostly dirt roads and rural villages, with plenty of small stores like this one along the way.
Our Cambodian guides (Elephant Bike Tours) also provided ample snacks and drinks at the ‘thirst aid’ stops.
This girl was working with her family to try and sell us souvenirs and jewelry. Apparently they knew our itinerary because we saw the same women several times over the next few days!
We are not sure what they are growing or fishing but these folks were waist deep in the water working hard.
After checking the bikes with the guides on shore, we boarded the ship for lunch. No dock. They just tied up to a tree and threw out these gang planks!
It was well over 90 degrees and Deb had enough, but I headed out for the afternoon ride.
The small temple outside this home is a sprit house. It honors and and provides a place for ancestor spirits to stay.
I was first to arrive at Kampong Tralach and found these ox carts lined up. There was an ‘excursion’ on the day’s plan to visit a temple and school nearby. I had decided earlier to visit both on bike instead, and since I had at least an hour before the ship arrived I took off.
I grabbed a beer from the bike guides and found this shady spot on the river. When the ship arrived I went aboard to see if Debby wanted to ride the Ox carts. No thanks! She was fine in the A/C on the ship!
Out trusty rental steeds at the end of a dirty day, the next morning they were washed and ready to go!
At first I thought the bottles in these racks contained some kind of Red Bull home brew. Later our guide told us they are fuel for motorbikes! Not many filling stations out here. Glad I didn’t try one!
We bought this six pack of Original flavor Red Bull for Mark. He wanted to try some and have one for his office. $10 gets you a six pack of Red Bull and 28,000 Reil change ($7)!
One down, three to go, Debby’s bike Sherpa gets to work! Tonight we pack for tomorrow’s disembark and bus ride to lunch at the temple park in Siem Reap.
We were happy to use the mountain trails, a bit sandy in parts, but beautiful and not too technical.
Our guide told us this tree was featured in the Lara Kroft movie, I didn’t remember the tree, I could only remember her great guns!
After the ruins we enjoyed great trail riding and village roads nearly the entire way to our hotel.
The school was not far from our hotel, and Danny who was following our trip on Facebook, suggested we stop by. We were just a few miles from the hotel, and on the way to the park, so Debby and I set out from the hotel intending to meet Sarin there. Unfortunately Debby was not feeling well, so only a few miles out, we doubled back to the hotel where she spent the day recovering. I headed back out and met Sarin at the school and was given a wonderful tour. The students sang me a welcome song and were very happy to greet a guest and/or take a break from their studies!
Leaving the school, I tried to pick up the pace to catch the tour group at the first stop in the Temple park, and was slowed down for a short time by this traffic jam!
I caught the group at the first temple stop and was able to check it out before we headed back out on the trails.
More fresh fruit at the thirst aid stop. This was the first time we had seen full sized bananas, for the past weeks we had only seen the smaller ones. Both were delicious!
After lunch we made our way to Angkor Wat. It was extremely hot and I was having a bit of intestinal distress, so I peeled off the guided tour.
I found a side exit and some shade and started feeling better. I headed back to restaurant, got back on the bike and started to feel better.
Heading back to the hotel, I motor paced behind this Tuc Tuc on the paved roads entering Siem Reap, which made the ride even easier. We relaxed around the pool, and both of us feeling better, and had dinner at the hotel.
We booked a private tour on Klook.com for this tour and they picked us up at our hotel. It was about a 90 minute drive to the market area and we boarded a boat to visit the market.
At one time it was a legit local market in this ‘Venice’ of the Southeast, but now the markets catered more to tourists than locals.
No worries, we enjoyed great coconut ice cream and the circus-like atmosphere of the market.,
Our very friendly tour guide took several photos for us, and we stopped at a souvenir stand along the way. It was clear to us that this was part of the experience and we bought some cool wooden puzzles that would perfect for the grandsons. Soon we were on our way to the railway market.
There are actually tracks under all these people, and when the train comes through the awnings retract and the vendors pull back their display tables (many were on small rails that allowed easy movement in and out). 
We enjoyed fresh coconut in the train station before making out way back to the van for the trip back to the hotel.
On the way back we passed many evaporative ponds where sea salt is extracted and processed. It was a long drive and while we booked a private tour, we rode in a bus that was designed to hold 12 passengers. The freeway was very rough, it was hot, and with only 2 passengers in an 12 passenger van, the ride was extremely bumpy! I couldn’t wait for the ride to be over.
Getting off the freeway I was very happy to be stuck in traffic, and not bouncing! This guy and his dog were on a ‘Grab’ bike, think Uber, but on motor scooters! By the time I was back to the room, I was hit with intestinal distress and spent the rest of the day and most of the next in bed.
Our guide insisted on taking lots of photos and we were glad he did. The tour took us to the ‘jungle island’ of Bangkok, and the starting location was only a couple of kilometers from our hotel. We booked a Grab car, and probably could have gotten there faster on foot, traffic was very heavy, it was very hot, and so we were happy to be in the car.
We rode on bike/hiking trails in a wonderful city park. We climbed a viewing tower to see these birds and get a view from above the trees.
We rode narrow trails through the park and adjacent neighborhoods until after dark before boarding a boat to hunt for fireflies.
It turns out that night was perfect for fireflies. Our guide insisted on seeing several locations and as it got darker, more and more flies emerged!
Our guide and his wife hosted a wonderful Thai dinner in a tiny restaurant on the water. It was delicious and a perfect way to end the evening.
Our group consisted of about 10 riders and two guides. We first headed into Chinatown and rode mostly on side streets and alleys. Since it was only 0715 with low traffic, we started out on a Main Street.
Riding over a bridge with two more guests and one of the guides in tow. The guides were very helpful and would ride ahead and hold traffic whenever we needed to cross a street.
Early morning market in China town, we walked our bikes through here.
We boarded the boat and took the canals to the next market that would be close to our lunch stop.
We rode through neighborhoods on narrow concrete walkways that were only a few feet higher than the water. Many of the homes were on stilts!
We stopped at a small restaurant that was right on the canal for a family style Thai lunch. This little girl was with her parents from the Netherlands and got to ride the tour in a kids seat.
After lunch we fed some fish at the dock and then loaded the bikes back in the boat for the ride back to the tour office.
We ordered a Grab car and headed to Mass Saturday evening. We were lucky that this one was in English. The Priest apologized for his English, he was a missionary Priest raising funds for his parish in the mountains, and had not said the Mass in English in years. His English was great, and it was a great Mass.
We took a Grab car back to the hotel and since we were both having on and off intestinal distress, we decided to have dinner in the hotel. It was great and we agreed that we both were ready to head home.
 |
| Asian breakfast near the end of a 16 hour flight to Hong Kong |
 |
| First contact with motor scooters! |
 |
| Lobby of the Hotel Majestic |
 |
| HUGE bed in a great room |
2025 is the year of the Snake! Yes, we were worn out from the journey, but we had a few hours before dinner so we set out on foot to explore the neighborhood.
The following morning we hopped on busses and headed to the Saigon Palace for a tour and our first taste of hearing about the war from the Vietnamese perspective.
The palace was immaculate and had many ornate rooms and a number of historic displays about the history of the war, communist victory, and reunification.
We reboarded the busses and headed to Book Street and the main Post Office. Normally we would prefer to be on bikes in a new city, but with the heavy traffic and apparently random traffic rules we were happy to be on the bus!
We stopped in to the Saigon Post Office to look around. Postcards and stamps were available under the watchful eye of Ho Chi Minh. While the city's official name is Ho Chi Minh city, most people refer to it here as Saigon, even the airport code is SGN!
 |
| Tet 2025 celebration |
 |
| Good luck charms |
 |
| The animals visited the tables, and we tipped them for good luck! |
It was a week after the official Tet celebration, but Santana and our hotel arranged for an encore performance of dancing, music, and traditional foods to kick off our tour! It was a lot of fun, and we were happy to head back to the room and finally get some sleep!
Day 2 Pre-tour
 |
| Saigon Palace |
 |
| North Vietnam tank replica |
 |
| More scooters, many with 3-4 passengers! |
 |
| Book Street |
This block long street is filled with book stores and coffee shops!
 |
| Saigon Post Office |
 |
| Typical utility pole! |
 |
| Our second stop at a sidewalk restaurant |
Our last stop was at a cafe next to some railroad tracks. We enjoyed coffee and dessert before calling it a day and heading back to the hotel. We had to duck when leaving the cafe, there were huge Jackfruit trees everywhere!
That was a Good Day in Vietnam!
 |
| Our scooter guides |
Day 3 Pre-tour
We boarded river boats for a ride to the Cu Chi tunnels. It was about a 60 min ride, much faster than the busses that would eventually take us back to Saigon.
There was a shooting range nearby, where you would fire AK-47s. It was way too loud for us, so we found a snack bar and enjoyed some cool beverages before heading to the busses for the long bus ride back to Saigon.
We were able to find an vigil mass Saturday evening at the nearby Cathedral. While it was in Vietnamese, it was beautiful setting, with wonderful music and choir!
We grabbed dinner on the way back to the hotel and called it a day!
Day 4 Pre-tour and Embark
We passed the safety test and had our first program talk and dinner while we sailed out of Saigon.
Day 2 Mekong Delta
Not much car traffic, but plenty of motor scooters!
Typical paved path through farming areas.
Day 3 - Phu-Tuc Durian Island Cai Be
Old and new homes, rich and poor, located side by side.
Here are some live chickens on their way to market via moto!
Lunch was on the ship at Durian Island. It was already over 90F and Debby decided to stay on board and cool off while I ventured out for the afternoon ride.
Heading out, it was very hot, so I dialed back the pace. With narrow roads, and small trails, it seemed anything was being transported by moto!
Durian Island had many small trails along canals. These two guys were harvesting some fruit on their bikes. They gave me one to try, but it was quite sour and ended up in the canal.
We traveled small footpaths through neighborhoods right past some home's front doors.
I stopped for lunch #2 here and this nice woman prepared a Bahn Mi sandwich for me. A couple of bananas and a Red Bull finished my meal!
I arrived before the Sanpams at the pickup point on a canal in Cai Be. But there was a market where I purchased this drawing and a cold beverage or two while I waited.
It was a bit of a journey on the Sampan, as the ship was anchored in the main channel of the Mekong.
Back at the ship, it was the normal routine, clean up, do some laundry, go to the briefing for tomorrow's ride, dinner and sleep!
Only had to wait a few minutes for this ferry to return!
Once off the island, the roads widened as I headed to Cai Be.
Day 4 Cai Be - Sa Dec - Cao Lahn
Brand new home at the start of today's route.
The sun sets on another great day in Vietnam!
Day 5 - Cu Lao Gieng - Tan Chau - Phnom Penh
The first half of the route was through busy markets and villages.
All manner of carts, this one human powered, on the road.
“Hello”
Most folks would yell ‘Hello’ as we rode by!
Hay bales ready to be loaded onto a moto pulled trailer!
Beautiful flowers outside Tan Chau
We would spend the rest of the day underway and crossed the Cambodian border in the early afternoon.
We arrived after dinner and had an immigration and passport check performed on board.
After breakfast we boarded busses for a day of touring off the bikes. We started at the Royal Palace
After the Royal Palace we headed to the Central Market and took a stroll through. It was hot and stifling, the products were mostly tourist junk, and every price required negotiation. We headed out and found a great coffee shop, with air conditioning, where a number of other Santana guests had found refuge!
Still warm but comfortable with breeze as we sailed up the Mekong. At sunset the lights of Phnom Penh came into view.
Once the check was completed we were directed ashore for an immigration photo. It was another Santana ruse, there were 30 Tuc Tucs lined up to give us a night tour of Phnom Penh. It was a lot of fun!
Day 6 - Phnom Penh
The next stop was the Tupi Siena Genocide Museum, a former high school turned into a notorious security prison by the Khmer Rouge regime. We passed on the museum and waited for the bus pickup at a sidewalk coffee shop and bar across the street. No A/C but they turned on some fans and we kept adding chairs as other Santana folks joined us.
It was a long bus ride out and back for Choeung Ek, site of a former orchard that became a killing field and mass grave of some of the victims of the Khmer Rouge. It is a chilling chapter of human depravity and suffering. Writing the blog, I am not surprised that I didn’t take a single picture all afternoon!
We arrived back at the ship and met our Cambodian bike guides and retrieved and fitted our rental bikes. Cambodia and Vietnam apparently still harbor ill will from Vietnam’s invasion in to topple the Khmer Rouge in 1979 and the subsequent 10 year occupation. Cross border commerce is still very restricted.
Day 7 Koh Chen - Kampong Tralach
We could hear the calls to morning prayers as we sailed by this mosque.
We sailed so close to this fishing canoe, I thought it might capsize!
Rice paddy’s everywhere
Most of the riding was on farm trails like this one.
Shortly after rolling past these ponds, this young man wanted to race us on his bike!
Back on an open road
So yes, we were riding on goat tracks in Cambodia.
Commercial district of Koh Chen
I stopped at this temple for the shade and saw these guys!
These kids were very happy that I stopped to take their picture.
The kids at the school were happy to see me checking out the school.
Back at the ship, the oxen were being hitched to the carts.
 |
| Wooden ferry |
I skipped the carts too since I had been to both sites. Bill McCready, owner of the tour company, suggested I take the nearby wooden ferry back and forth across the river while we waited for the ox carts to return. It’s was the oldest one he had seen, and totally made of wood. For about $2 I paid the fares for myself and the other passengers, both ways across the river!
Finally back on board, I was very happy with my choice to skip the ox carts and check out the wooden ferry. Now time to cool off and prepare for the preview of tomorrow’s ride.
Day 8 - Kampong Chnang
Our Cambodian guide Lot, gives the morning brief poolside!
Overnight rains tamped down the dust as rolled through villages on stilts.
Lots of waves and “hellos,” especially from the kids.
The overnight rains formed a series of mud bogs that we ventured through without incident, we were very happy to be on mountain bikes!
A group of Monks heading to lunch.
This relatively large farmhouse had a number of mini-split A/C units!
 |
| RV Indochine II - Our floating home on the Mekong |
Day 9 Koh Chen - Siem Reap
We arrived at the park at lunchtime and after a group lunch, we grabbed our bikes and headed into the park. There were both road and mountain bike routes on offer.
The hotel was fantastic! Beautiful grounds and our dinner was served poolside!
Day 10 Siem Reap
Danny Spitler, a friend and fellow Kiwanian helped establish a grade school in Siem Reap many years ago. In 2005 during a visit to Siem Reap, his tour guide Chen Sarin described the need for clean drinking water in the area. Danny and Pam donated $300 to fund the well. After funding a few more wells they tackled a one-room school house and through many donations from Kiwanis, individuals, and support from the Spitler Family Foundation (www.spitlerschool.org) the school has grown to multiple buildings and full capacity with a double load of students, morning and afternoon!
The trails were a bit sandy, but they were shaded and a blast to ride on
Entrance to the Angkor Wat temple area, the largest temple in the park.
This moat had a great bike path that was smooth and fast.
Our last official event of the tour was this entertaining circus performance. We headed back to the room and finished packing.
Day 11 Siem Reap - Bangkok
 |
| Siem Reap Airport |
I got a message from Bangkok Airlines that our morning flight had been cancelled, but we were rebooked on the evening flight. It actually worked out fine, we were able to get on the later Santana shuttle to the airport, and we were able to get a 4 pm checkout. We had a leisurely morning, including a massage, an afternoon around the pool, and finally made our way to the airport.
The airport was brand new, a public private partnership funded by China! While we headed to our gate, one of our fellow passengers was in a wheelchair heading out, she had gotten very ill very fast!
Bangkok post tour
We booked four nights in Bangkok and had arranged some tours in advance. With our later arrival, we simply booked a car to the Hilton in the Sukhumvit district of Bangkok, relatively modern and close to several upscale shopping malls. Here are the highlights:
Damien Saduak Floating Market, Maelong Railway & Amphawa Day Tour
The sticky mango rice was especially delicious!
At first, we thought it was a regularly scheduled train, that passed through. And perhaps sometime ago it was, but when it rolled by it was packed with tourists, most of which were also taking a photos with their phones.
We had booked a highly rated tour with the Bangkok Vanguards for the next day. We cancelled that tour and finally ventured out about lunchtime to visit one of the fashion malls. This one had all the high end stores and a Porsche dealership. This 911 cost 13,825,000 Baht plus 35% VAT (I think); or about $400,000. Too bad we didn’t have room in our luggage to take it home as a souvenir!
Bamboo Bike Twilight Firefly and Dinner tour
I was starting to feel better, so we booked the twilight firefly and dinner tour with Bamboo Bike Tours. It was an open tour, but we were the only guests so it turned into a nice private adventure.
We were literally flying on our city bikes!
We crossed the river, ordered our Grab car, and headed back to the hotel.
Co Van Kessel 5 Hour Bicycle Boat Tour
We had booked at all day tour, but switched to a 5 hour morning tour due to the heat. Even so, it was going to be 90 degrees early in the ride, and Deb decided to take a pass. I ordered a Grab car and arrived at the tour office at 0645.
My city bike for the tour, it actually was a great ride.
The sun was just coming up and the weather was already heating up.
We stopped at to this temple. The Buddha statue was huge!
After the tour I used the Grab app to order a car. It would take 40 mins for one to show and another 40 mins in traffic to get to the hotel. I opted to order a Grab ride (on a scooter), so sooner that putting in the order this guy shows up and I hop on. 20 minutes later, I am back at the hotel. I must admit that riding on a crowded freeway on the back of a 125cc scooter was a bit outside my comfort zone!
Vigil Mass
We flew back to LAX the following day, and after an overnight at the Airport Hilton made back to Arizona, tired, but with all our luggage and very happy to be home!
This was our first trip where we picked up some sort of food poisoning. We each had course of CIPRO antibiotics from our Doctor when we got home and were back to normal in no time.
It was an interesting trip. We probably won’t go back to Southeast Asia again, but are glad we took the tour and were able to experience very rural and very urban areas on the bikes!
Next up, we are headed to Norway and the Italian Dolomites!
Better get in some training miles!
Steve Atkins
1 comment:
nice! thank you for all the pictures!
Post a Comment