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First Time For Everything
Seriously, as the thread title indicates, this TR is filled with a series of firsts for my long-suffering wife and I. Not the least being that this is my first trip report.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9c8491edf9.gif How It All Starts: As stated, my wife holds everything together while I travel the country for extended periods of time. I try to find destinations that suite both of our interests that also will blow both of our minds as well as, perhaps, burn some miles. She's on the spiritual path (yoga studio owner by trade) while I am heavily in lust with history and all left behind in it's wake. I also like blitzkrieg travel as in not liking to stay in one place for too long (10 years as a roadie in my 20s on a bus gives you a short attention span). That being said, I originally chose the Maldives, which ticks none of the above boxes. I found some great award travel routings but could never pull the trigger due to my ever-evolving work schedule. Then it was South Africa. A little more spiritual and historical than the Maldives but the routings also weren't working and I sure wasn't going to pay the ridiculous BA award fees. It was time to recalibrate my plans. Approaching the mid point of the year had me adding requalifying as AA Executive Platinum to my vacation goals. I turned my attention to Southeast Asia and all it had to offer. As an AA loyalist (I didn't say apologist) the obvious routing would've been something through HKG via either AA or CX. I chose neither. Due to AA's continued lost summer and the current issues facing Hong Kong in general and HKG specifically, it turns out I lucked into the right decision. Thanks to Google Flights, I stumbled upon a rather decently priced business fare on Finnair for PHL-ORD/BOS-JFK-HEL-SIN. (Being that JFK has contracted some traffic due to summer maintenance, the normal PHL-JFK routes were taking the summer off). After much deliberation, I decided that cutting out ORD or BOS connection would not only save me a little money (4700 or so) but, more importantly, save me a boat load of time. Between the outbound and the return, I'd save around 10 hours of travel time if I just drove the 3 hours to JFK. So I settled on JFK-HEL-SIN. The End Result: After nailing down the outside dates of the Finnair I turned my attention to filling out the days in between. Angkor Wat has always been near the top of my list with Bali being AT the top of my wife's. Simple, right? Well, I do like puzzles and working out the internal flights was a fun one to solve. There are plenty of low cost carriers in Asia. I tend to avoid any LCC like the plague. I did the best I can and finally settled on the following itinerary: FInnair: JFK-HEL-SIN Business (I) Vietnam Airlines: SIN-SGN-REP Coach Air Asia: REP-KUL-DPS Premium Flex Fare Garuda Indonesia: DPS-CGK-SIN Business/Coach FInnair: SIN-HEL-JFK Business (I) The above itinerary will net me nearly $5000 EQDs and 40,000 EQMs towards my AA requalifying. A handful of Delta Skymiles will be earned thanks to VIetnam Airlines and Garuda Indonesia. Firsts for both of us: -Airlines: Finnair, Vietnam Airlines, Air Asia, Garuda Indonesia -Airports: HEL (Helsinki),SIN (Singapore),SGN (Ho Chi Minh City),REP (Siem Reap),KUL (Kuala Lumpur),DPS (Denpasar), CGK (Jakarta) -Countries Transiting: Finland, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia -My wife's first lie flat seats and crossing of the equator Alright, with all that said....we are off. A few notes: *Not a big foodie. Any pics posted with be thanks to my wife. *Not a drinker either. Will try my best to post a gratuitous picture of some kind of alcohol *Photos taken with iPhone8, iPhone XR, or Canon EOS Rebel Thanks in advance. |
Great start and looking forward to more! Despite the food and alcohol warnings :p
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After a lazy drive of just over three hours, we arrived at long term parking at JFK at around 3:30pm for a 7:05pm departure. Had we run into heavy traffic my backup plan was to use short term parking (about $21 more a day). On to the AirTrain we went. Two gripes are that there is no (apparent) restroom at the train station (legitimate gripe) and that our terminal, Terminal 8, was the last stop (first world problems). Once exited from the train we made out way to FInnair check in, where there was only one couple in front of us at priority check in.
Check in was smooth. Two things I liked were that they printed your lounge access info on the actual front of your boarding pass and a map of the HEL airport on the back. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ffc39714ef.jpg The line for non-Pre security was about 20 minutes. Just enough time for me to internally debate/ridicule/torture myself over why I haven't gotten Pre√ from my wife. After stowing my laptop back away, slipping my shoes back on , and sliding my belt back around my waist it was off to the AA Flagship Lounge. I've been to most of the FL in the states, at this point. I use the lounges as a respite from the chaotic terminal. My wife, on the other hand, is all about the food. She souped up and settled in quickly as I went back to the concourse to make sure my new debit card functioned properly (Schwab card with no foreign /ATM fees). https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dd78b4137.jpeg Plane spotting We headed to the gate at around 6:15pm in anticipation of boarding. The positioning of our gate and jetway made it impossible for me to get a shot of our A330-300. Anyway, boarding began promptly at 6:25pm and was completed by 6:50pm (wow). Choosing our seats took a bit of research. The AY 333 has a rather uncommon 1/2-2-1 configuration. There are three "throne seats" , 2A/4A/6A, on the left side that alternate with rows containing two seats. My wife loves window seats, as do I. Being that there were no thrones left I went with two seats on the right. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7f0993d265.png AY A333 Business Class layout I knew the A333 wasn't going to be the lap of luxury so my expectations were low. My wife, however, thought it was the most amazing plane that ever existed (her last trip was on Frontier Airlines). So we settled in for our journey to HEL. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...955d405f9.jpeg Enjoying her first PDB https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...22dd2b80c.jpeg Leg room...not the best for long legs in a lie flat. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...95ac8be79.jpeg Menu, no reindeer ex-JFK https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1f9922b57.jpeg Normal seat charging items https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d0c7f3fba.jpeg Rather pedestrian amenity kits https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bf0b1fcd5.jpeg IFE https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...508d55357.jpeg PDB (Blueberry juice), slippers, menus https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0704a4d2a.jpeg Weathered/dirty seat controls https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...50dc5f756.jpeg Controls/Console https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2dfd01cc6.jpeg Loo with a view With boarding completed, we headed out about 5 minutes early (7:00pm) to wait our turn for takeoff. No good deed goes unpunished as we waited about an hour for a departure slot, finally wheels up at a little after 8pm. On the way I spotted a gaggle of BA 747s. Not sure if it's normal but that's as many as I've seen in one spot outside of LHR. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d4f07718e.jpeg 3 Queens As stated, I didn't have high hopes for the hard product on this leg of the flight. At 9 hours flight time, it was pushing it but the price (and earnings) was right. Not the most comfortable lie flat but I was able to get about 6 hours sleep. The pillow and blanket provided could've been better. Blanket was about 5' long with the pillow being only slightly better than a typical Y class pillow. Not supplying pajamas for a 9 hour overnight flight is also a misstep, in my opinion. We brought our own (from AA) and changed into them after departing. As is my custom, I did not participate in either of the in flight meals. My wife reports that both of her meals did the trick. She had the poached salmon for dinner and the french toast prior to arrival. What I will say is that the flight crew was absolutely delightful. Every interaction I had was amazing. Being One World Emerald, I was welcomed by the purser personally at my seat prior to takeoff. I was also asked about my dining needs before the rest of the cabin. You don't get that treatment as a domestic Executive Platinum and I understand why. Still, it's refreshing to be the recipient of an unpublished perk and got the trip off to a great start. Next up: HEL |
Arriving into Helsinki
The trip across the North Atlantic was rather uneventful, albeit late due to traffic departing JFK. The IFE is rather pedestrian (have we not seen all of the Friends episodes by now?). I mostly caught up on reading but indulged in an hour or so of Bejeweled along the way. My wife got her money's worth in food and IFE, however. Biggest disappointment would be the small screen size and horrible contrast of the LCD screens. Mine seemed to be particularly dodgy, rendering the outside cams nearly useless. Anyway, approach was smooth and clear as we made our way landing. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...67acb5fff.jpeg HEL Approach As mentioned, we landed about an hour late, getting off the plane around 11:00am local time. Upon exiting the jet way, my wife and I were immediately taken aback by the overwhelming sound of.....silence. I thought we had landed in a church. I've never been in an airport of any size that was nearly as quiet as this one. Or clean. It was if no airplanes or passengers had ever disembarked here before. My plan was to spend much of our 12 hour layover exploring the second northernmost capital city in the world after regrouping and showering. It was a quick walk from our gate to the Platinum Wing lounge. As you can see, it was nearly deserted when we arrived. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7c57f1035.jpeg Platinum Wing entrance https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d2b820dff.jpeg Platinum Wing interior We arrived at the tail end of the breakfast service and found the buffet to still be well stocked. I chose a few pastries and a strawberry smoothie while my wife went to town on the soup again. We both indulged in more blueberry juice. The lounge is divided into two parts. The larger, better appointed section pictured above and a smaller, more basic lounge that was marked "Business Lounge". After eating we each headed to the showers. The lounge has private shower suites that you book via an iPad mounted outside each private room. There is also a women's and men's shower that each contain 3 stalls that need no prior booking. On top of that is the famous sauna, which I could not grab a picture of as it was occupied. We were able to lock our carry on bags in the numerous, east to use lockers located at the entrance into the lounge. I chose the private shower while my wife used the communal female shower (by accident but she had no complaints as it was empty). This is the single greatest shower I have ever had the pleasure of lazing under. Ever. I'm quite sure I went way past my allotted half hour window. It was amazing. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...20ef6cf8d.jpeg Platinum Wing sink https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7a55ed19a.jpeg The greatest shower known to mankind After we freshened we ate and freshened up it was time to make our way landside and head into town. We breezed through immigration, as our flight had landed nearly two hours earlier. The options were taxi, train or bus. We chose the bus as everything I read indicated the bus was a quicker option than the train and a cheaper option than a taxi. Finnair has it's own branded bus service it runs from the bus lot just outside baggage claim. They charge , one way, €6.90 per passenger. A little cheaper if you pre-buy the return (we weren't smart enough to pull that off). Payment is made via card reader upon entering the bus and departures are every 20 minutes or so. So off we go in a nearly empty full-sized bus. One passenger got off at the amusement park but that was only stop we made until we got to our terminus, Helsinki Central Station. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f31df6d81.jpeg Helsinki Central Station We walked around for a bit to get our bearings and to locate a Cafe Americano for my wife. Once I got the lay of the land, we headed for the Helsinki Cathedral. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...07bb3642a.jpeg Helsinki Cathedral Our way to the Cathedral lead us down quite a few busy streets filled with many stores and teeming with people. I was pleasantly surprised with how vibrant the city was. I had expected a more compacted, sleepier town, along the lines of Reykjavik. We then backtracked to the center of town by way of the Esplanadi and headed to place I wanted my wife to experience: Kampii Chapel https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a9acd03be.jpeg Kampii Chapel https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e80143fcc.jpeg Kampii Chapel The chapel is open to anyone free of charge. You can make donations and buy candles to make offerings. No cameras are allowed in the actual chapel and it is primarily used for people to meditate in silence. My wife went in, did her thing, and said she could not hear anything going on outside even though the chapel is located in the heart of a thriving city. Impressive. Next stop was to right a very wrong wrong on my part. In my haste to pack I had forgotten to bring the proper lens for my SLR camera. Fortunately for me there was a quite impressive camera store located not too far from the chapel. I was able to purchase a used lens for my Canon that would suite me well for the rest of our trip. From the camera store it was off in and Uber to the famous Cafe Regatta. Cafe Regatta is a coffee shop located just northwest of the city center and is both a tourist attraction as well as a local hang. It's perched on the edge of the sea and butting up to the Sibelius Park. We ordered up a few blueberry cakes covered with vanilla sauce and found a table with a view. It was so-so but the view was free and fine. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f2970b299.jpeg The Cafe Regatta https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6d58175f9.jpeg The line https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...71034080e.jpeg The view We then headed across the road to see the Sibelius Monument. Ignorantly, I had never heard of him before but he is Finland's greatest composer. The monument to him is rather cool as is the bust of him on site. An unscheduled bonus to our trip. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...373273f92.jpeg The Sibelius Monument https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...601948bca.jpeg Jean Sibelius, the Man himself It was then off in an Uber to our last scheduled stop, Temppeliaukio Church, aka "The Church of the Rock" or "The Rock Church". It's a very unique church built amid the natural rock landscape in the heart of a residential community. Entrance fee was €3 and worth ponying up to see the very cool interior. The church holds services as well as concerts throughout the year. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...be0c72d44.jpeg The Rock Church https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f1cbfe1a90.jpg The Rock Church https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ee35551ea.jpeg The Rock Church https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d4da292d8.jpeg The Rock Church After "church", we Uber'd back to Helsinki Central Station to catch the Finnair bus back to HEL. There was a bus waiting for us and we were on our way within 5 minutes. We did make one stop on the way back, to pick up a Finnair flight attendant at an, apparently, designated spot. I think it's cool that their employees can make use of this service for their commute to work. We arrived back at Terminal 2 about 35 minutes later. As we already had our boarding passes and our luggage was checked through to our next destination, we breezed through security and made air side within 5 minutes of our arrival back. This dumped us into the Schengen portion of the airport. While making our way back to the Platinum Wing lounge, we reached the immigration checkpoint and entered, easily, into the non-Schengen portion of the airport. Again, no line at immigration. Once at the lounge, we made our way to the food again. I passed while my wife indulged. I stepped out to get a small pizza to bring back. After eating, we relaxed for a few hours. I then disappeared back into Shower Room 1 for my half hour (45-50 minute) shower to freshen up for the trip to Singapore. I give high marks to Finland and Finnair for time I spent on the ground. The airport was clean, well designed, and efficient for what I needed to do. The city of Helsinki blew me away. As I said, I expected a sort of sleepy town on the edge of Europe. It's a vibrant , multi-cultured city with a lot going for it. I hadn't realized the amount of cruise ship traffic that comes through it's port during the summer months. I'd love to return during the off season to see what the town is like without the day trippers. On to Singapore..... |
"Alright, Singapore it is."
Those were the words that hit me when I decided this would be the jumping off point for our trip. I've flown across the Atlantic many times. I've flown across the Pacific many times. My travels to Asia have not taken me any further south than Macau. Or Hong Kong. Whichever one is more south. The HEL-SIN route would have me traversing much of Southeast Asia for the first time. I'd fly over a few of the 'Stans (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) as well as India. All being new airspace for me. A bonus being that Finnair was able to fly this shorter, more direct routing starting in late July that shaved an hour flight time. So at around 11:00pm, we were off to our gate to board our flight to Singapore. The gate area was a little more vibrant during the evening as it was in the morning. There were several flights leaving around midnight from various airlines to various ports of call. Again, our gate positioning left me no clear shot at our aircraft. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...281353eb49.png AY#131 HEL-SIN Again, I chose windows for both of us. This was a fairly new A350-900 laid out in the traditional herringbone format. My wife, happy enough with the A330, was really blown away by this bird. I was again greeted by the purser prior to take off. This crew seemed to be Asia-based and was just as attentive, cordial, and hard working as the one on our previous flight. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...01392264c.jpeg Finnair A350-900 J Cabin https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d8e77603c.jpeg 4A/5A https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...24cf344f0.jpeg 5A https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d06982ad6.jpeg Top Camera https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e4036f1b4.jpeg Bottom Camera https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bd4d9d1a2.jpeg The Menu I was obviously more impressed with this hard product. More privacy and comfortable seats, longer blanket, better pillows. The screen was much larger and clearer as well. Still not top of the line but much MORE in line with what you should receive with a standard paid J ticket. Our flight time would be around 11 hours. We took off about 20 minutes late but beat the arrival time by a minute or two. Probably got a total of 8 hours sleep in about three different sessions. Again, BYOPajamas. I did not partake in any food, aside from the blueberry juice! We exited into a fairly subdued section of Changi Terminal 1. Sitting up front usually allows one to get through immigration in a fairly timely manner, at least ahead of those in coach on your flight. Traveling with the Mrs. means an immediate stop at the loo, negating our advantage. We arrived at immigration to lines about 25 people deep. I wasn't too concerned as they seem to have things in order. It would eventually take about 20 minutes to clear. Then it was over to the belt to be reunited with out checked bags after a day and a half separation. We followed the clearly marked signs and were able to get a taxi within a minute of arriving at the taxi stand. Next, it was off to... ...The Marina Bay Sands Hotel |
Finally: A place to rest our heads
I was originally planning on spending two nights in Singapore. As a Hilton Diamond member, it was a no-brainer to select a Hilton property. I had the Conrad in mind. After running the itinerary over in my mind, I decided I needed that second night intended for Singapore elsewhere. It was the right decision and made with the anticipation that I'd be returning to Singapore for a longer stay. With that decided, I looked my bucket list and the biggest attraction I wanted to see in Singapore: The Marina Bay Sands. As we were now only spending one night in town, it made sense to investigate a visit. I investigated so thoroughly that I ended up dumping the Conrad altogether and booked a Harbor View Room for one night for about what the Conrad would cost for two nights. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...577cd7251.jpeg Marina Bay Sands https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e9f0a472b.jpeg Lobby https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...623869e0d.jpeg Marina Bay Sands Check In After a 20 minute/$30 cab ride, we were dropped off at the Tower 1 Lobby of the Marina Bay Sands at around 6:15pm. They had emailed me specific instructions on where to be dropped off, taking some of the guess work out of it. Check in was smooth an efficient. We turned and headed to the elevators to see the bellman already waiting with our bags and holding the door open for us. This is a rather large hotel. That kind of timely and personal service made a big impact and set the tone for our brief stay. Soon, we were on the 44th floor and into our room. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5cb89a91d.jpeg The Room https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8f65997249.jpg Elephant https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...190b1f424e.jpg The View https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...32919340f.jpeg The Tub Our bellman mentioned that National Day would be coming in a few weeks and that tonight would be rehearsals for the festivities. He told us to be sure to look out our window at 8pm. Our next move was to switch into our bathing suites and head to the roof for some pool time. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c4450014f.jpeg The Pool The pool is obviously iconic. The was more photography going on in the pool than actual relaxation. I was as guilty as anyone. As we got closer to 8pm, the pool; started getting more and more crowded in anticipation of, well, we have no idea. So we toweled off and headed back to our room on 44. Turns out, the was a series of military flyovers (jets, bombers, chinooks) as well as an extravagant fire works display. From our vantage point in our room, it seemed like it was all being staged for us. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9a2466ee8.jpeg National Day Rehearsals I won't bore you with countless photos of fireworks but it was really cool seeing the display pretty much eyeball to eyeball. We headed back up to the rooftop pull and exited into a mass of people waiting to go down the elevators. Perfect timing for us that everyone was leaving, My wife grabbed a sandwich and beer. We grabbed some selfies and then it was back to the room to decompress. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...021cb6cfc.jpeg The Beer https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0c49cbd2e.jpeg The Selfie https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...74d33cd4c.jpeg The View From The Pool It was a very long two days of travel so it was time to hit the bed and rest our heads. We were both wiped and wired. The usual occupational hazard that comes with this type of itinerary, resulting in about 5 hours of deep sleep. I awoke at about 3:30am with my body telling me it was time to do something. I decided to hit the fitness center, located in Tower 2. Working out at 3:30am may seem odd to some people but all I can say is that I was not the only one there at that hour. The view from the fitness center was stunning as it was located only a few floors below the pool.Following the workout, I decided to burn off some more 'lag by walking around the harbor. To get there, I had to traverse the attached Shoppes At Marina Bay Sands. A very large upscale shopping center between the hotel that also contains the hotel's convention center and casino. I was surprised that I was able to walk through the mall freely at that hour and that there were so many people in the mall even though no stores were open. Nice time to window shop, however. I eventually made my way to the promenade that rings the harbor. There were plenty of people milling about. I was surprised at the amount of people just sleeping on the ground and benches. Wasn't sure if people were suffering from the Irish Flu or whether they were homeless. The walk made for some great pre-dawn photography. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7f24db808.jpeg Singapore Early Morning https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e962c20d4.jpeg Marina Bay Sands Complex from the Helix Bridge At around 5:45am I received a text from my wife saying she was awake and getting ready. We made a date to meet at the hotel buffet at 6:30am, around opening time. The buffet, located in main lobby open atrium, was spectacular, if not pricey. There were food stations upon food stations for every style of breakfast food imaginable. The food was fresh, plentiful, and very tasty. We were seated just in time as each passing minute the restaurant was filling up until there was a line forming to get in. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e1d3082a4.jpeg Typical Buffet Station After breakfast, it was time for a stroll over to Gardens By The Bay via a pedestrian connector bridge from the hotel. We were just killing time but it turned into the most spectacular thing we saw on our Singapore stopover. We barely scratched the surface after walking the grounds for over an hour. It felt like we were in another world. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8e2ce49c5a.jpg Gardens By The Bay from the rooftop https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fdb9d67c0.jpeg Gardens By The Bay Pedestrian Bridge https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c2f7e6164.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8815e49c4.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c60fb795d.jpeg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9096f8e54.jpeg With a busy morning behind us, it was time to pack up and head back to Changi for our next stop. Singapore is obviously the antithesis of ancient splendor. One of my great paradoxes is that while I enjoy history , I am fascinated just as much with modern design and architecture. Singapore seems to have a modern design that is not ostentatious. It all seems to fit and is appealing to the eye. Some could consider it too sterile but with flora covering just about everything that would be a hard argument to make. Anyways, enough preaching. I would gladly give up chewing gum (illegal) for as long as it would take to explore this fascinating city-country. Next: On to Siem Reap, Cambodia via Ho Chi Minh CIty with Vietnam Airlines |
Great first trip report! Looking forward to the continuation!
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On To Siem Reap, Cambodia
Today's flights:
VN 650 SIN-SGN (A-321) VN 813 SGN-REP (A-321) After an efficient check out at the Marina Bay Sands and an eerily quiet taxi ride out of town, we found ourselves at Changi Terminal 4. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1bceed887.jpeg Changi Terminal 4 As you can see, there wasn't much activity here in what seems to be an outpost to the much busier main Changi Terminals. Although there was a sleepy vibe to Terminal 4, I'd still take it over just about any domestic airport in the USA. Check in and concourses where wide open with plenty of shops and eateries. Even though it was removed from the main hustle of SIN, sweeping views of the Terminal 4 apron were available. The Terminal also provided many different and funky furniture styles to lounge about and people watch. So.....Vietnam Airlines. While figuring out the interior legs of out trip I Google Flight-ed myself into a tizzy trying to put the right pieces of the puzzle into the right slots. There were plenty of options. I wanted to avoid LCCs due to the cattle call nature of their typical customers and, obviously, wanted the flights to be efficient. SilkAir probably had the most efficient route as it was a direct flight. A few more clicks, however, led me to a price from Vietnam Airlines that was less expensive yet had a layover in Ho Chi Minh City. I thought that was exotic enough to justify the extra two hours (layover) of travel time so I booked two one-way tickets in Y for under $340, all in. I didn't want to bother with an added seat selection, checked bag, carry on, or meal fees and this flgith had it all included. A few days earlier I had received an offer from OptionTown, a third party contractor for VN, to upgrade to Business that included lounge access for both legs of my trip. Each leg was only an hour so it wasn't the end of the world sitting in coach. A few clicks later I had opted in for an upgrade at what I thought was a lowball offer. Turns out I requested upgrades for both of us at the full ask, $392 EACH. Nearly $800 added onto our original $340 fare. I tried frantically to back track and find my way out of it but I could not figure out how to undo it. Once they have you hooked in, the don't let go. I was resigned to the fact that I was out the money but at least I'd have good seats and lounge access. On to check in. We arrived at the airport at around 10am for a 1:10pm departure. The lady looked at my ticket and asked me to come back in 20 minutes to speak to a supervisor. I assumed it was due to our upgrades and they had to be processed on site by a higher up. I parked my wife and our bags and mosied off to get her her medicine (Cafe Americano). In my absence, a few tour buses had deposited dozens of travelers at the VN desk. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...59567a9bf.jpeg VN Check In Frustrating but we still had plenty of time. After about fifteen minutes, they opened a few more kiosks and I was up to the counter to check us in. Turns out while our bid was accepted by OptionTown,it was not accepted by VN. I was relieved, of course, but confused about the process. All checked in, we headed through immigration with only a minor hiccup (wife breezed through, my fingerprints weren't cooperating so I was off to another counter to get stamped out). As I said, airside section of Terminal 4 could easily compete with any US domestic terminal. We walked around and shopped for a bit (who knew tiger balm came in roll on form?). We then made our way to the gate for: https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9821ed4ac.jpeg VN 650 SIN-SGN Both flights were uneventful with both departing and arriving nearly on time. We were sat mid-cabin in an aisle (me) and window (wife), with both flights having the seat between us open. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1754123f5.jpeg Leg Room-meh https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d7db1d9f0.jpeg False Advertising https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2a12caa66.jpeg Cartoons Arrival into SGN was to a remote gate. We were than bused to the main terminal on a rather circuitous route. We passed countless old cargo containers from airlines I didn't even know flew to Vietnam. I was also able to witness the underbelly of the baggage operations. I was entertained, to say the least. We arrived to the terminal and exited the bus. We then made our way down a series of non-descript corridors to immigration/transit. I had intended to go landside to get a picture of the front of the airport. I had applied for and received an eVisa. I took one look at immigration and, instead, chose to head right to transit and find the gate for my next flight. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0f32dc680.jpeg SGN Immigration We made our way to the transit entrance, cleared security and ascended to the main terminal. The international terminal at SGN does offer some good views of the apron, there just isn't a whole lot of activity. I did see a few 777's (Thai, Eva, VN) but anything other than widebodies was at remote gates, I believe. The concourse is elevated above the boarding area and filled with kiosk after kiosk of the exact same knick knacks sold by people wearing identical uniforms. The entire concourse was lined with these stands. The were one or two high end stores in the middle and a smattering of food vendors located in out of the way areas. I tried to buy something, I did. I just couldn't find anything that stood out as anything other than junk. After that disappointment, it was off to the gate to await our bus. Scanning and boarding the bus went surprisingly smooth and we were off to the same area remote stand that we had previously disembarked. Off to Cambodia we go....... https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7a89f2e8f.jpeg REP Siem Reap, Cambodia We were finally arriving to a place where we could hang our hats for a few days. We exited the plane via the stairs and headed into the terminal. Cambodia requires a visa, typically valid for 30 days. There were lines for visa holders, residents and then a line to purchase a visa. I applied for eVisas for my wife and I one evening before bed and they were in my inbox the next morning before I awoke. They request you carry your hard copy with you. I printed our visas onto 3"x5" stickers and affixed them to our passports. About 2/3 of our flight needed to purchase on arrival and those who didn't were digging for their hard copies. We breezed right through, clearing in less than five minutes. We were met by a representative of our hotel after clearing customs. Her greeting and smile were a harbinger of the type of people we were to encounter over the next few days. She guided us to a nearby pick up area where a driver rolled up to grab the three of us and whisk us to the hotel. Golden Temple Boutique Residences My criteria for choosing this hotel included wanting to be within walking distance of the Night Market and Pub Street, had to have a pool, and had to have airport pickup/drop off (I hate not pre-arranging ground travel). The reviews of this place were outstanding and it was one short block to all of the action. After reading reviews on several different sites, I decided to book three nights using the American Airlines portal (earning 6,000 miles). Siem Reap is a late entry into the destination market and there is no obvious central hotel zone. Some have been/are being built on the road to the airport, others on the outskirts near the thoroughfare to the Temples. This place was just in the heart of this funky little city. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ecf1bd26c.jpeg Hotel Entrance https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7fdf4e29d.jpeg Lobby Pool https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ea6f179f0.jpeg Lobby https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a4172b53b.jpeg Shower https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...685f2db86.jpeg Our Suite https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...44369871d.jpeg Loo https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4635f618d.jpeg Hotel Lobby Offering To The Gods https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ff409f1163.jpg Lobby Entertainment In a nice touch, we were seated in comfortable chairs and offered a plate of food and drinks during our check in process, truly feeling like a guest. We checked out the room and decided to grab a bite to eat. As I said, we were within a block of Pub Street and headed there for dinner. Pub Street is, basically, a block or so of western restaurants and clubs with a few spas and vendors thrown in. This sits amidst the larger Night Market, which has store upon store of trinkets, clothes, jewelry and Cambodian folk art. And tanks to stick your feet into so fish can eat the dead skin off of your feet (we passed). https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...60739f34a.jpeg Pub Street https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d363eb2d2.jpeg What We Should've Eaten https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...43f48dfbe.jpeg What I ate https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c014d7721.jpeg What She Ate https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9d782e534.jpeg Token Alcohol Photo After dinner we headed back to the hotel to actually unpack. We had a driver scheduled to pick us up the next morning at noon and we weren't sure we'd sleep an hour or 12 hours. Next Up: The Temples of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom |
OK, would have eaten something else than you but surely not the other suggestion;)
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Our original plan to tour the Temples fell by the wayside as soon as the both of us were wide awake by 6am following a solid 8 hours of sleep. We headed down to the hotel restaurant for the (free) breakfast buffet. The hotel isn't very big so the restaurant has maybe a dozen tables.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e5993c1b8.jpeg Poolside Table https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5dd029855.jpeg Warning Signs for Picky Eaters Like Me https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b4f20035f.jpeg Banh cheav https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...298112189.jpeg My Wife's Trip Addiction: Dragon Fruit https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0b787f07e.jpeg Custom Omelet I had arranged to have a tuk tuk driver for our two days of exploring the Temples. Forgot where I found him but he came highly recommended from several sources. I messaged him asking if we could move our pickup from 12pm to 10am. He shot back saying he'd see us at 10am. Perfect. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bf500bb86e.jpg Life With Pi There are several ways to transit to the Temples. Some choose to bike, some choose vans or cars. We chose the tuk tuk because, well duh, we've never been in a tuk tuk before. It seemed more organic and we were very happy we did it. The weather was overcast and in the 80s (F) but we felt great when we moving and a sense of actually being in the middle of the very vibrant town we were traveling. I imagine using a car would've lead to a feeling of disconnect. The Temples are a national park (and huge sense of pride for Cambodia). Entrance requires a ticket so we headed north, then east to the visitors center to purchase our tickets. You can by single day, three day, or one week passes. We intended to visit for two days so we bought three day pass for $72 each. You are photographed and issued a paper pass with your picture to keep on you while visiting. It did not take long for my wife to purchase something (t shirt) while waiting for me to pay and our tickets to print out. This was also our first taste of being approached by "guides" wanting you to hire them for the day. There are many guides that are registered and uniformed that speak many languages. We like to move at our own pace and having a third wheel is tiresome and intrusive to us. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f595b47d1.jpeg Visitor Center Signage https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...781b4976e.jpeg Visitor Center Signage We headed back west and then turned north again to head up the main drag to Angkor Wat. There was a check on the main road for tickets. Ours were then punched with a hole to indicate we had used our first allotted day. We then arrived to a parking lot that looked part carnival/part demolition derby/part flea market. Vendors hocking food, tuk tuks/cars/buses/random cows sprawled everywhere, and vendors selling statues clothes painting, etc. It kind of added to the anticipation and excitement. It was then on to the edge of the moat where you cross a plastic pontoon bridge to reach the outer wall of Angkor Wat. Visiting Angkor Wat had always been a dream of mine. I'm the history guy, remember. My wife, the spiritual one, didn't get excited about this stop until she saw an article in Yoga Journal about the Temples. I'm not going to bore you with too many pics, having taken hundreds, but it was spectacular. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...09225964b5.jpg Monkeys And The Pontoon Bridge https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f28c44a3af.jpg Angkor Wat https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...23cb86b8bf.jpg Angkor https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1c4842d744.jpg Angkor Wat Interior https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9e24c00ca.jpeg Ascending https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d0699622c.jpeg View From Above https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b1055a13e.jpeg Descending https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e340544a0.jpeg Statue https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ad6b6d2b21.jpg Headless https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...96511a386.jpeg Shrine https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...200c5893a2.jpg Wife Receiving Blessing From Monk https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2a6f75f61e.jpg Temple Guards https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d74ec171c6.jpg Very Cool Cat https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b5c3248f09.jpg Gateway We walked the grounds, window shopped at the stalls and made our way back across the moat. We reunited with Pi and tuk tuk'd our way over to Angkor Thom. Angkor Wat gets all of the glory but Angkor Thom is a lot larger and has just as many picturesque sites to see. Pi dropped us off at the bridge leading to Thom so we could walk over the moat. We would meet him on the other side of the South Gate. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...63498732f.jpeg Angkor Thom Bridge and South Gate Pi then drove us a short distance to the Bayon Temple. The Temple is loaded with scores of smiling faces carved into her towers. We also had our first glimpse of the unique trees that grow within the Temples (more on that later). https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b490873f6f.jpg Smiling Lady https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...85cb6b16c1.jpg Thom https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ba302ad492.jpg Profile https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...66b94a227d.jpg Thom Carving https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...674f3acc99.jpg The Trees https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9711511260.jpg Thom Side Door https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3993a82b61.jpg Thom Bridge We exited the above pictured side door and found ourselves to make our way over to the Baphoun Temple. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f88e2f3177.jpg Baphoun Sign https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...41db11ba61.jpg Baphoun https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fe2c8694e8.jpg Baphoun https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9f4a15be1f.jpg Baphoun Side Stairs https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...790f7f5dde.jpg More Trees https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...02a3b7e98c.jpg Baphoun Bridge https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...875c8e3394.jpg Terrace Exit Regrettably, Terrace Of The Elephants was closed and we decided to call it a day. We were still battling the 'Lag and my wife, having broken her foot seven weeks earlier, was starting to feel it. The heat was present at all times but at no point were were overwhelmed by it or even uncomfortable. The crowds were greater at Angkor Wat but it didn't dampen our visit there. Angkor Thom was way less crowded. So it was back to the hotel, a dip in the pool, and then grabbing lunch at the hotel. We were beat. Up Next: Sunrise at Angkor Wat and a visit to some lesser known Temples |
OP: super trip report; really enjoying your journey.
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what a wonderful way to start my day... lovely report...
small suggestion... eat like your wife.. having pizza and other western foods will not do the places you are visiting justice. nice photo's too |
Turn Down For Wat?
After a retiring early the previous evening, we were up and ready to go for our 5am tuk tuk pickup by Pi. Breakfast didn't open until 6am so we just loaded up our water bottles and settled in for the predawn ride to Angkor. Our tickets were punched for our second day at the entrance gate and on we went. Even before sunrise there was still a lot of hub bub happening in the parking area. Some people chose to view the sunrise from the out banks of the moat. We crossed the pontoon bridge and headed for the inner courtyard. Many people had already taken up position in front of the two ponds that flanked the central walkway to the main Temple.
Unfortunately, today wasn't going to be a "golden hour" kind of day. It was overcast and a little misty on the drive in. We wouldn't be getting the money shot. We did our best, though: https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...030c7d78f6.jpg Predawn https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e64d15c7f7.jpg Dawning https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7e36128340.jpg Central Courtyard https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...05ae2c4380.jpg Reflection https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...be563c8955.jpg More Wildlife https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6f07b70878.jpgMaking Our Exit We made our exit back over the moat and were on our way to the next Temple by 7am. This turned out to be a great move as there was already a large crowd at Angkor Wat and we'd have little competition viewing some of the lesser known Temples. As the other Temples didn't open until 7:30am, we had some time to kill. We chilled for 20 minutes on a landing overlooking the massive Srah Srang. Apparently this is a reservoir that contains water during the rainy season. Our trip coincided with the tail end of the dry season so we saw a massive field with cows grazing and a fisherman in the very center net fishing in the small pool of water that remained. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...79a2271c88.jpg Srah Srang We next headed to a series of Temples that were both unique and awe-inspiring in their own individual ways. It became a bit of a blur keeping which Temple was which so I'll leave the photos uncaptioned. We visited Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm, Ta Nei, and Ta Keo. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...318af3caf3.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f637b4e42b.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bbfa041e78.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...76da8b2b82.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b8115065eb.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8c59bcc6a5.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...00e0f56a64.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e62942c650.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...90b876ffaa.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...19313dd729.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ccd74b6b73.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...eda112fe76.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8344ce8a5b.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...552e46c314.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...21a6bb964d.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...230aa07137.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...816415e590.jpg After a few hours on the move, we were both a little wiped and I needed to get my wife off her feet due to her injury. We requested to head back into town and stopped at Starbucks on the way in for the obligatory Cafe Americano. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...75d634c7aa.jpg Starbucks Then, it was back to the hotel for the tail end of breakfast service. While the portions were small, remember that we were able to load up on the buffet in addition to what was available on the menu. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f50a497f4c.jpg Her Crepe https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f6dff99d11.jpg My Waffle After breakfast it was time for a nap. Yes, we're old. Yes, we like naps. We woke up in the early afternoon and took advantage of the free massages offered by the hotel's spa. I, for some reason, chose the non-oil massage. This entailed me changing into a set of pajamas and I received my rub down fully dressed, wrist to ankles covered. After getting ourselves together, my wife went off in a tuk tuk to take a local yoga class. She has done this in many places throughout the world (Iceland, China, Greece, Tremblant, Italy, etc) and insists the language barrier is never an issue. I commend her for that as I can't even watch a movie with subtitles. I roamed around the Night Market that surrounded our hotel looking for (barely) legal football kits for my beloved Manchester City. I struck out but was amazed at the optimism displayed by some of the merchants in thinking I could, at 6'3/200lbs, fit into an adult small. Bless their hearts, as they say down south. After meeting back up with my wife, we sat down for some dinner at the hotel restaurant. This was followed by a local music/singing/dancing show. The cast was wonderful and it was a great ending to our trip to Cambodia to be able to witness such an authentic cultural performance. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...077bba3b42.jpg With that, we turned in in order to back and get ourselves ready for our 6am hotel departure the following morning. Siem Reap is a very interesting place. It's economy is obviously driven by the visitors to the Temples. It seems to be a place caught between being a village and being a city. I say this with very positive intentions. It still feels "local" and "authentic". While some of the big commercial entities are visible (hello Starbucks!), it still has a real world, organic vibe. The fact that there WASN'T a Hilton there for me to stay in made me happy. The people in the town were absolutely amazing. And not in the way that they know they need you to buy that counterfeit tee shirt from them. It was just the way they were. Tuk tuk drivers, restaurant workers, our hotel staff, all great interactions. I hope to visit Siem Reap again in the near future and without, possibly, even hitting the Temples. Nothing but positive thoughts about this gritty, vibrant village/town/city. Next up: The Journey To Bali, Indonesia |
Originally Posted by fotographer
(Post 31439256)
what a wonderful way to start my day... lovely report...
small suggestion... eat like your wife.. having pizza and other western foods will not do the places you are visiting justice. nice photo's too |
Thank you for the amazing trip report. We are visiting Siam Reip in April 2020, and I have booked us into the Hyatt there through Virtuoso. However, reading your review about the Golden Temple hotel - very tempted to stay there. Looks inviting, love the location you have described and it has good reviews on TA. We are traveling with my parents who cant walk a lot so will be spending time at the hotel when tired while my husband and I go exploring.
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