Ready To Go

Packed, repacked, and packed again. Ready. Set. ....

Draft Itinerary for Vietnam

Mar 24: Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City. For rest of trip do: Saigon River Express, War Remnants Museum, Dinner on Bonsai Cruise on Mekong River, Cao Dai Temple, Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, Cu Chi Tunnels, Emperor Jade Pagoda, Vietnamese History Museum, Ben Thanh Market, Mekong Cruise. Possible side trip to excellent beach with two hours drive.

Mar 25-27 - TBD

Mar 27: Fly out of Ho Chi Minh City. Arrive Knoxville 10:30am on the 27th (gain a day going east).

Draft Itinerary for Cambodia

Mar 15: Arrive in Siem Reap. Stay at Angkor Than City Hotel.

Mar 16: Spend all day at Angkor Complex. Hire Bunrak (aka Rak), friend known thru Erin's work, to ferry us there and back and guide us. Dinner at Soup Dragon, Red Piano, or Blue Pumpkin in Siem Reap. Catch sunset at Angkor Thom.

Mar 17: Catch sunrise at Angkor Wat. Either Sky Ventures (microlight flights over Angkor) or Cambodia Voyage (tethered hot air balloons over Angkor Wat). Visit Bayon Temple, or Benteay Srei, or Preaha Khan for sunset or evening.

Mar 18: Angkor Wat complex. Finish up here. Explore Siem Reap. Possible Tonle Sap lake cruise, Vietnamese floating village, military shooting range, ACODO orphanage.

Mar 19: 5 hour travel from Siem Reap to Phnom Pen - either fast boat or ferry. Find food and board and rest.

Mar 20: Killing Fields or Choeung Ek and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Possible Blazing Trails (quad rental), National Museum, Ling Culinary School, Silver Pagoda, Royal Palace, Kingdom Breweries (!), Koh Dach, Khmer architecture tours.

Mar 21: More Phnom Penh.

Mar 22: Travel to Phu Quoc via bus.

Mar 23: TBD

Mar 24: Flight to Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam.

Draft Thailand Itinerary

Well, only three more days till I leave. It is starting to become real to me. My daughter (emphasis on my; genetics in view here) has worked hard on an agenda. Think I can keep up with her?

Mar 6: leave Knoxville at 8:00am.

Mar 7: arrive Bangkok at 11:55pm. Stay at Narai hotel.

Mar 8: Long boat and river tour, including some combo of: Wat Phra Kaew (temple of Emerald Buddha), Royal Palace, Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha), Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Wat Prayoon, Wat Saket, Wat Benchamabophit, dinner at The Dome at LeBua on "top" of Bangkok. Maybe movie or Oriental Hotel sipping waive on veranda overlooking river.

Mar 9: BTS to Victory Monument, minivan (60 baht, about $3.40) to Ayuthaya (old capitol), rent tuk-tuk for day around city, Thai boxing at Lumpini Stadium, minivan back to Bangkok.

Mar 10: "Death Railway" to Kanchanaburi, see Bridge Over River Kwai and WWII graveyard, play at waterfalls, taxi to Lake Heavens in house floating in lake, swim.

Mar 11: Taxi back to Bangkok, antique market, night VIP bus to Mae Sot.

Mar 12: Check into Auntie's, rent motorbikes, guided tour into Karen controlled Burma (Myanmar), visit to Partner' office (where Erin has been working), Burnese Market (in Thailand), dinner at Khao Mao Fang Jungle restaurant.

Mar 13: Travel to Chiang Mai, possible trip to refugee camp (Burmese) if approved, stay at Chiang Mai Boutique House, Thai cultural show/dinner.

Mar 14: Elephant trekking, maybe Thai cooking school, Scorpion Tail river cruise, night bazaar.

Mar 15: Back to Bangkok via train, flight to Siem Reap Cambodia.

Tentative itinerary: Fly out of Knoxville on March 6th.

Thailand - Bangkok (river tour, temples, Wat Po, floating markets), eat on top of the city:

http://www.cnngo.com/bangkok/eat/rooftop-bars-and-restaurants-998213

, Ayuthaya (old capital, Thai boxing), Kanchanaburi (River Kwai bridge with restored POW camp / WWII cemetary, stay at Lake Heavens on the water), back to Bangkok, night train to Mae Sot (where Erin worked with refugees), day trip into Karen controlled Burma (Myanmar), bus to Chiang Mai, flight to....

Cambodia: Siem Reap (Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and lots of other temples, the Tonle Sap lake - largest in Cambodia), boat down Mekong(?) to Phnom Penh (palace, capital, the Killing Fields museums), then off to:

Vietnam:  Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a few days of R&R in a nice hotel. Fly out for home on March 27th.

If anybody has ideas of things to see, places to eat, things to do in these areas - let me know.

I have been reflecting upon the two long flight legs that I have. The longest is 16 hours. Wow. The only question I have is "Will somebody please upgrade me to Business Class???"

My outbound flight above. Return flight below.