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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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Originally Posted by Desirees
(Post 31439381)
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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Originally Posted by Uncle Nonny
(Post 31439332)
I'm 51 years old......people have been trying to set me straight my entire life. You, my friend, will have to come a lot harder at me then that.
Have fun on your trip...... once again beautiful pics.. (and this is coming from a photographer ) |
I've been enjoying your report for the past two days. Waiting for more.
As for the food, I'm with photographer. My first time in Japan back 10+ years ago, I would eat at Subway, Starbucks, Burger King and McD. I did it first and last time. Since then on every single of my trips, if it's not local I'm not eating. I had some nasty food, and was positively surprised few times, but the essence of the travel lays in the local food :) |
Originally Posted by bwiadca
(Post 31440068)
I've been enjoying your report for the past two days. Waiting for more.
As for the food, I'm with photographer. My first time in Japan back 10+ years ago, I would eat at Subway, Starbucks, Burger King and McD. I did it first and last time. Since then on every single of my trips, if it's not local I'm not eating. I had some nasty food, and was positively surprised few times, but the essence of the travel lays in the local food :) https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5ec28a53d.jpeg |
Enjoying your TR very much.
Personally, I find the A330 J seat more comfortable for sleeping than the A350 J seat, but the A350 undoubtedly is newer and more attractive (and the IFE is better). I like sampling local foods when traveling abroad, but sometimes a (good) pizza and beer just hits the spot. :) |
On The Move, Again: Siem Reap to Bali via Kuala Lumpur
Getting up for our getaway day was not a problem as our bodies still had no idea what time zone they were in. We zipped up our suitcases and headed to the lobby for our 6:00am departure. Check out went smoothly and we able to grab a croissant from the buffet for our trip to the airport. Traffic was light and our hotel driver made the trip in about 20 minutes. Our luggage was liberated and we we set off to find our check in counter.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d1442c562.jpeg REP Statue Fight REP isn't that large so it was an easy journey to the......... https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cf1326220.jpeg Air Asia counters! Hear me out: I am an avowed LCC "hater" , or "avoider" for those of you who are less confrontational. Siem Reap isn't the easiest destination to reach. A flight from Siem Reap to Bali on a major, allianced airline is less a tall order. Price points and durations/layovers had me constantly coming back to Air Asia. Extremely concerned about getting nickel and dimed every step of the way I did what any reasonable person would do at a car lot: I bought the cheapest model and fully loaded it up with options. I went with a "Premium Flex Fare". I had a hard time remembering what exactly what I was buying so I screenshotted it and kept it on my desktop to remind myself it wasn't going to be so bad. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...eda780a0cf.png First perk to be taken advantage of was seat selection. I chose a bulkhead window, 1F, and 2F for my wife. Bam! Already felt like I beat the system. When we arrived to check in we able to take advantage of the Premium Flex check in counter. Our bags were tagged with the normal luggage tracker tag, a Premium Flex tag, and a Transfer tag. Our bags felt special, I'm sure. I had been worried about my roller but the agent put a tag on it that said "cabin approved" and I was set. We were through security and immigration quickly and into the fairly subdued international concourse. Even the dreaded Duty Free march of shame wasn't so bad because Cambodia is just too cool to be mad at. We actually bought a few things. We then moved onto the gate area to get a look at the apron, grab some coffee, and shop a little more. What I liked about REP was that the shops all seemed to be local/national. No Swarovski, no Mont Blanc, no Sephora. These stores made more actually me want to go into them. Anyways, we boarded when Xpress boarding was called and off to our plane we walked. AirAsia 543 REP-KUL (A-320) https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b3e01989f.jpeg Our Plane https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ac38db2f1.jpeg Other Planes I still enjoy walking up the stairs to board a big plane. We don't seem to get to do it often anymore but it's still a thrill. I settled into my 1F and was relieved that my gamble to take a bulkhead paid off. I usually avoid them as I can never get my legs extended past 90°. Plenty of room on this gal, though. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...db882186d.jpeg Plenty Of Room For The Legs https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e6ec2bf42.jpeg More Cartoons https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fd5dc06c6.jpeg Goodbye Cambodia Our flight took off on time and went quite smoothly. Too smoothly for some..... https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e780434de.jpeg Service was fine and we both passed on the food (surprise). Approach into Kuala Lumpur was highlighted by endless groves of palm oil trees. I've never seen so many fronds in one place in my life. Very impressive to see trees not being chopped down but actually planted and used sustainably. We landed into the Main Terminal 2 of KUL, specifically branded as "klia2". This is the LCC terminal dominated by Air Asia. Although other airlines are listed as being based there I didn't see anything other than red and white birds. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e00d78704.jpeg (Sorry For The) klia2 Wide Shot klia2 is massive. Huge. As mentioned, we landed in the Main Terminal but the lounge was located in the Satellite Terminal. Probably a quarter+ mile walk over a very impressive bridge. The bridge had moving walkways as well as some shops and kiosks. My goal was to drop my wife off at the lounge and try to train into town to get a shot of the Petronas Towers. With a four hour layover that was pushing it but doable under the right circumstances. We passed the transfer desk, headed through a security screening and up a level or two to where the bridge is. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8b0e92263.jpeg The Bridge At the end of the bridge we came upon a large eating hall and spotted the Red Lounge (perk alert) in the corner. Some airlines would defer heavy maintenance projects for their lounges to the late night hours. LCCs do things a little differently. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8a19e149e.jpeg Red Carpet Treatment We were greeted by a kind and overworked hostess and our passes were scanned in. She told us that the lounge has a three hour limit and it is up to us to police ourselves. Okay. The same hostess was running back and forth from the kitchen to grab food trays to restock the buffet. Air Asia was getting their money's worth out of this rock star. The lounge was smallish but not occupied by a lot of people. It had two levels with the upstairs being a beanbag-type lounge with sweeping views of the apron. I kissed my wife and made a dash back across the bridge. I was then stopped in my tracks by not knowing how to get landside. The floor below, where you exit the planes, is where you make a dash for the border. The floor I was on was a sterile zone for transiting only. I could see the immigration counters for LEAVING Malaysia (they were packed) but I was nowhere near the area to ENTER Malaysia. I asked around, got the same questions about why I want to exit and was blown off until I reached a security captain who asked me why and then showed me the way. Finally reaching immigration I could see the dream to shoot the Towers was going to have to wait. The arrivals hall was packed to the gills. Coupled with what I saw in the departures hall I made the decision to turn around. I went through security (again) and was asked by my Captain friend what happened. Told him it was a zoo down there. He chuckled and sent me on my way. Back across the bridge I went to met up with my wife. We stayed in the lounge for another 45 minutes and then began the hunt for her Cafe Americano (easy nab one floor below). I had high hopes for klia2 as the Satellite Terminal had the promising food hall. Further review lead to rows of boarded up walls giving off the impression that a lot was in the works. Wasn't much going on. The Main Terminal was the epitome of spartan airport design. We headed there to align ourselves with our departure gate. Passed through security again (I was glow in the dark by now) and realized you can't buy a bottle of water anywhere. No bottles in any of the stores and the food stands all had cups of water. I wasn't thrilled. My wife WAS thrilled by the segregated prayer stations. Not sure why that tickled her so much. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...788ae4a2e.jpeg His/Hers Prayers We waited at what we thought was our gate, under third world conditions (no water, no CNN, no Sephora). We somehow struggled through and they announced, what we thought, was our boarding. Being newly minted Premium Flex elites, we got up as soon as the first blowing sounds were amplified by the microphone. We headed down the ramp to.....a locked jetway to the right and a holding room to the left. We stumbled into the holding room not knowing what was going on. The were no gate agents to be found. We then watched everyone of our plane mates do the same thing, some testing the door to the jetway. It became funny. Funnier still when an FA came up the jet way and tried to get where we were. She gave up and headed back towards the plane. I assumed we were on Malaysian Candid Camera at this point. Fifteen minutes went by and a few GAs came down to restore order. They then made the priority boarding announcement and we busted our move. Seated in 1A and 2A this time offered a different perspective. As with the previous flight, I was seated alone and my wife had an aisle partner. Red seats are dedicated to Premium Flex passengers. Air Asia 378 KUL-DPS (A-320) https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...328962422.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...eadd4735a.jpeg View From 1A Interesting happenings during boarding. There were quite a few pax entering and exiting the plane repeatedly. This is something we're not accustomed to in the USA (there was a thread about this a few weeks back). FAs and pax just getting off and running up the jet way and then returning. Turns out the were waiting on various groups of connecting passengers and people clearing immigration. All in all, we were delayed for about half an hour which we did not make up in the air. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6be6cf8c8.jpeg Our Neighbors To The Left We were treated to a nice view of the Palm Tree Resort shortly after takeoff. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...131cd6ae8.jpeg Palm Tree Resort, Malaysia After arriving in Denpasar, Indonesia, we were greeted with a jam-packed arrivals hall. The struggle was, indeed, real. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5267364c3.jpeg DPS We cleared immigration after an hour, or so and we were off to our next hotel. More on that next time. I suppose I should sum up my Air Asia experience. I entered the whole process from booking to boarding with trepidation. I have to say that it was the right tool for the right job here. The baggage allowance (20kg), picking seats, express check in, Next Episode: The Road To Ubud |
Might seem like an odd question, but were those spiders and scorpions live? When I was a kid we did a trip to REP and PNH and we stopped at some rural market. There were FIRE BUCKETS of those glossy black spiders squirming around (probably waiting to be eaten or something). Went back to school, told my friends, nobody believed me. From now on, as a point of pride, I'm going to show everyone your photo. Thanks, I guess! lol
On a more serious note, this is a great trip report so far. Very eye-opening what happened with Optiontown, a service I considered using when I stumbled upon it from this thread https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/othe...-upgrades.html If I end up tempted to use it in the future, I'll be sure to be way more careful! |
Originally Posted by asovse1
(Post 31444506)
Might seem like an odd question, but were those spiders and scorpions live? When I was a kid we did a trip to REP and PNH and we stopped at some rural market. There were FIRE BUCKETS of those glossy black spiders squirming around (probably waiting to be eaten or something). Went back to school, told my friends, nobody believed me. From now on, as a point of pride, I'm going to show everyone your photo. Thanks, I guess! lol
On a more serious note, this is a great trip report so far. Very eye-opening what happened with Optiontown, a service I considered using when I stumbled upon it from this thread https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/othe...-upgrades.html If I end up tempted to use it in the future, I'll be sure to be way more careful! Those critters were not live, they had already met their end in the frying pan. I did see a lot of live ones last year in Beijing on Snack Street in Wangfujing. Just hanging out, on the end of sticks squirming away. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a9ef82910e.jpg |
Bali-Hi
The road for us to Bali was obvious. It's been a mythical land in my wife's imagination since she became a yogi. In my imagination, it's been a place where I could someday take my wife to pay her back for all she does for our family while I'm flying from city to city trying to earn a decent living.
The path to Ubud, in particular, was a little more convoluted. With the destinations of our trip set I just had to iron out a few details and everything would fall into place, right. Welp, the hardest part of this whole trip was the logistics for our six night stay on Bali. Setting up shop in Kuta was out of the question as we haven't been "clubbers" since the late 80's and we DO like our sleep. I zeroed in on the Nusa Dua area, specifically the Conrad. I spent a few weeks reading reviews and asking questions on various sites (FlyerTalk has a very active thread about this Conrad). I didn't care whether I used points or $$. What stood out to me was the widespread reported fact that being a Hilton Diamond member is a hit or miss proposition as to how you are treated here as far as upgrades. We all know that the various programs we belong to have perks that are advertised and well earned on our part. I spend roughly a third of my year staying in Hilton properties. I do expect to be upgraded when the upgrades are available. It's part of the promise Hilton and I make to each other. I also had a hard time finding one picture of people enjoying themselves on the beach at the Conrad. I found that odd. I turned my attention to the Hilton Nusa Dua. Better beach, beautiful vistas. The weight of reading how there just isn't much to do in Nusa Dua hit me heavily. All the day trips I was interested in making were in the central part of the island. With Nusa Dua being at the very southern tip, it was time to re-calibrate. Ubud. Kept coming up over and over again. Everything I wanted to see on my first visit to Bali was an easy trip from Ubud. No Hilton in that neck of the woods so I expanded my scope. My search criteria on the American Airlines portal narrowed my choices. I knew little about Ubud and it's environs but one place kept popping out: Puri Sebali Resort. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...05fb53275a.jpg Puri Sebali Resort While not in town, it offered free shuttle service into town. I had planned to spend only a little time in Ubud proper, as most of the site I wanted to see were spread out. I was enticed by the reviews as well as the 6,000 bonus miles (whore) I'd get just for booking. Backtracking to my previous post, we cleared immigration and customs and headed out to meet our driver. The hotel had quoted me $39 for airport pickup. I ended up booking with taxi2airport.com for $24. Our driver was kind enough to WhatsAPP me the sign he would be holding as well as a pic of his vantage point. We were collected and made the short walk to our van. We exited the airport into the hustle and bustle of the evening Denpasar traffic. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cb3537cdc7.jpg Traffic Circle The map says it's about 40 kilometers but there are no highways and the roads seem meant more for scooters, specifically ones loaded up with four member families, than for cars. The trip ended up taking roughly two hours. An hour or so into it we were at a dead standstill in a small, remote village. Turns out it was one of many Hindu ceremonies we would come across during our visit. Though we were exhausted from a full day of travel it was very cool experiencing such an authentic cultural shindig. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a5a78bb859.jpg One Of Hundreds We arrived around 9:00pm to an open air lobby were check in took place at a seated desk. We were given welcome gifts (chocolates) our key (a real, live key), and a folder explaining the resort's offerings (tours, spa stuff, restaurant, etc). We were escorted to our room and our luggage was delivered. The door was a heavy, bi-parting door that used an actual padlock to secure it. The interior lock was an old school,castle-like bar of wood that slid between the doors to secure them. Crazy but cool. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...76408bde87.jpg Sink https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...79f29be40e.jpg Bed https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0b8626e151.jpg Shower https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ddec269346.jpg Tub And the piece de' resistance...our very own pool and private security, whom we dubbed "Nips", to guard our door: https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fb0df6e0f9.jpg Our En Suite Pool https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0412bb93a4.jpg Nips As my upcoming posts will include mostly off campus activities, I'll dedicate the rest of the post to the Puri Sebali resort and it's grounds. The place was nothing short of stunning. Enjoy. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ebe55b18d4.jpg Front Desk Offering https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1481ff9bc0.jpg Spa Tables https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ae6abdb4b7.jpg Fish https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...148cae9b4a.jpg Marigolds On Steps https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1946330bd6.jpg Spa Tub https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b61d21f288.jpg Atypical Hotel Hallway https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...083d988ed9.jpg Fish At The Bar https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9b2cceca97.jpg View From The Restaurant https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...40de1f5063.jpg Incensed https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...038e6249d0.jpg Veranda Where Classes Are Held https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9dd6b49855.jpg Lifeguard https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c2aec9ac46.jpg Golden Hour https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a7e8d8bbec.jpg Pool https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...013a1fbf15.jpg To Infinty... https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7f45da39bc.jpg ..And Beyond Next up: We Venture Into Ubud. |
Ubud Day 1: Culture, Food, Shopping, and Monkeys
My apologies in advance but this will be a post packed with photos (as will my other Bali posts). Day 1 followed a restful sleep broken at dawn. My wife primped and started her day by making offerings to the Hindu goods. Seriously, she went to the spa and was shown how to make the local offering of Canang sari. You find these everywhere in Bali: cars, sidewalks, cafes, stores. A wonderful thing to see everywhere you go.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6c1d0ec40c.jpg Making Canang sari https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c0800adc77.jpg Canang sari I met up with here afterwards for some breakfast at our resort restaurant overlooking a rice patty. As you can tell, the staff take great pride in the food they make. Service was just as spectacular as the food. Each meal featured multiple courses. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5bd4f1b730.jpg Muesli (Her) https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6e7e6858c0.jpg Yogurt (Me) https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c7273e0812.jpg Strawberry Pancakes (Me) https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a8bc3c99b6.jpg Omelet (Her) https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...06956d9ec7.jpg Bread and Spread (Us) Our next goal was to catch the 12:00pm resort shuttle into downtown Ubud . Seeing that we had a little time to kill, we took the Spa up on their offer of a free 15 minute massage. My wife chose head and neck while I went with feet and legs. We then headed to the lobby to turn our key into the front desk and await our (pre-reserved) ride into town. My original plan was to rent a motorbike. Typical charge is $4-$7 a day plus petro. The resort had one on offer but after experiencing the ride into town I decide against it. We were about 7k out of town but the roads were tight, narrow, and confusing. Four wheels would be under us at all times for the duration of our stay. Arriving into the center of Ubud, the drop off point was the Ubud Palace, official residence of the royal family when in town. It served as the hub for the whole town and is where most resort/hotel shuttles drop off and pick up (All shuttles I saw were small vans, Toyota Lenova for our resort). https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d1580f7c42.jpg Ubud Palace Thankfully for my wife, there was a Starbucks within 50' of the drop zone. What was really cool was that said establishment's courtyard lead out to a really cool Hindu Temple. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...277f81ad1b.jpg 'Bucks https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...74fe62457d.jpg Saraswati Temple https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...49b085670c.jpg The Temple Gardens https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3c1e21600b.jpg Saraswati Long Shot We made our way back outside and headed directly towards ground zero for shopping mayhem: Monkey Forest Road. Ubud reminded me of a larger Mykonos Town, with it's labyrinth of alleys. It would be easy to get lost in it's side streets and shopping stalls if you didn't have the general flow down. There were all sorts of commercial entities, ranging from stalls hocking tchotchkes, or overflowing with sarongs and tee shirts, to statue stores and high end jewelry joints. There were a ton of tour and excursions stands and money changers, often a hybrid of both. Mixed in were restaurants and legit spas for leg or full body work. For 100,000 rupiah you could get a 1 hour full body massage (I'll save you the Google. It's $7). So down and in and out of Monkey Forest Road we went, my wife touching every sarong as we went. We stopped at a wonderful place to eat about halfway down (pretty sure we were less than $12, all in, for lunch). This is for you, foodies: https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d9d21da832.jpg Cafe Wayan https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3517165313.jpg People Who Can Read Menu https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8ce3c58779.jpg Picture Menu https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9d1147ab13.jpg Hers https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3c78c2d138.jpg His Post-lunch, we continued down the road. Shopping, browsing, people gazing (mostly me while she shopped and browsed). PSA for those planning a trip to Ubud: Strollers, wheelchairs, crutches, etc are a bad idea. The sidewalks are dubious and narrow. Surrounded by the maze of shops, restaurants, spas, and excursioneers was the beautiful oasis of an occupied football pitch. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8939f33f75.jpg Footy Reaching the bottom of the Monkey Forest Road, you are optioned with continuing to the left or, well, the Monkey Forest. A small admission of around $3 per is required. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...33abe499bc.jpg Us https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4fd2be3d92.jpg Guidelines https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b5e6e7d2ea.jpg Entrance Sign https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3a89e2e71b.jpg Warning https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fdbeb2d20d.jpg Monkey Forest Map https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7fdfb094ec.jpg Sitting https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9045275a0e.jpg Hand Jive https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5c75993dcc.jpg Speak No Evil https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f3f0dea3d4.jpg Drinking Monkey https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...09bd656dc2.jpg Monkey In Profile https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4af67bdab0.jpg Young Monkey https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...37d8fa4a1e.jpg Monkey King https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dac563afe9.jpg Old Man https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2ae75e745e.jpg Monkey Forest Bridge We were pretty wiped at this point and headed to the parking lot where we were able to take a free shuttle back up Monkey Forest Road to our shuttle pick up point (we had reserved a 6:30pm pick up). It was a nice relaxing trip in an open air bus that saved us from having to walk up hill. It was a full day and was surprised with the hustle and bustle of Ubud. I had pictured a sleepy village a few wind chime shops. I was quite wrong. Next Chapter: A little Yoga, A Little Water, and A Little Swinging |
I have also stayed in Puri Sebali a few months back, my experience was so-so. The villa they gave me has a broken main door and my request for a floral arrangement on our private pool, they wrote a different name for my wife while I specifically asked them that it is our honeymoon and the room was under her name, they even confirmed it upon check in, in front of my wife that I should expect the arrangement the next day even though I requested for it to be a surprise. I think I paid around 100-150 usd for that floral arrangement.
Ubud is a really nice place though minus the so called "taxi mafia". |
Originally Posted by asdn
(Post 31450227)
I have also stayed in Puri Sebali a few months back, my experience was so-so. The villa they gave me has a broken main door and my request for a floral arrangement on our private pool, they wrote a different name for my wife while I specifically asked them that it is our honeymoon and the room was under her name, they even confirmed it upon check in, in front of my wife that I should expect the arrangement the next day even though I requested for it to be a surprise. I think I paid around 100-150 usd for that floral arrangement.
Originally Posted by asdn
(Post 31450227)
Ubud is a really nice place though minus the so called "taxi mafia".
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Ubud-ish: Day 2
Day two in the hills outside of Ubud began with my wife taking a free yoga class on the poolside deck overlooking the rice fields. I slept in. There were people there, she swears.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...35d79aedda.jpg Puri Sebali Yoga Setup Post yoga and breakfast we headed to the lobby to meet up with our guide for the day. We booked an excursion to the Pura Tirtha Empul , the "Holy Spring". My wife was going to have a doubly excellent adventure: a water blessing in one of the holiest spots in Bali and getting to see me in a sarong. The drive was about 45 minutes, again through small villages and winding roads. It was scheduled to take us four hours at a total cost $42 for the both of us. Cheap trip out. Our guide, Dodi, was absolutely brilliant. We were provided sarongs by our resort. He dealt with admission tickets and arranged for the offerings to the Gods. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...87a38710e1.jpg Gearing Up https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5f90595d87.jpg Sarong https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a5ffb62b3c.jpg Welcome to Pura (I Think That's What It Says) https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2f392fa4aa.jpg Warnings The ritual entails laying down an offering and going from spout to spout and repeating a short series of gestures at all but the last two water spouts (those two being reserved for evil spirits). After some coaching by Dodi, my wife headed into the pool (in a different sarong provided by the Temple). As you can see below, it started to get a little crowded with people just entering the pool randomly and starting wherever and doing whatever. I'm pretty sure those people are burning in hell right now. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bfd66b6454.jpg Offering It Up https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...06d919e04f.jpg Ritual Purification Fountains https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2be8c92f9d.jpg The Ritual https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e4c46c7fdc.jpg Dunk https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4aee26be2a.jpg Artistic Attempt Following the Ritual we roamed the grounds, which were stacked with all sorts of cool statues and shrines. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3e28dc98ad.jpg My Favorite Statue, Never Got Her Name https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cdbebdd121.jpg Crazy Roots https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...99cd33fdae.jpg Shrine https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...59072f7926.jpg Temple Grounds We were supposed to then return back to the Puri Sebali Resort. I was able to convince Dodi to stop at my next surprise for my wife. We stopped at Alas Harum Agro Tourism, which bills itself as a coffee connoisseur's must-do. It's really just a tourist attraction with a coffee bar attached to it. We were there to swing. And swing we did. Zipping too. The place was a gorgeous rice terrace with really cool, photograph-y things to do. We enjoyed it thoroughly. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ede23f0e62.jpg Hearts https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...491a2cbc58.jpg The Bridge https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...12ef3e48db.jpg Readying For Launch https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7b6dd643a4.jpg Scha-wing! https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5c3306cfd2.jpg Zip https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bc9059109b.jpg The Grounds After being kids for awhile, it was back to the resort to chill out. We ate lightly at the restaurant before turning in for in advance of our last day in the Ubud area. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...627f25f5f2.jpg Her https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...96978d6ca1.jpg Him (duh) Next Up: Last Day In Paradise, More Yoga And More Rice! |
Just catching up with your TR and enjoying what you've posted so far :)
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Last Day in the 'bud
Our last full day began with a (free) resort sponsored excursion to the surrounding rice fields and terraces. We were pleased to see that our guide from the previous day, Dodi, would be leading the walk. It was a great experience, both educational and picturesque. Out the front lobby and down the path to the road we went.......
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...06f51fde3b.jpg Puri Sebali Driveway https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d7c1310fe6.jpg Jalan Raya Sebali (Our Road) https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...51cd2fdc58.jpg School Children Making Morning Offerings https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f06ef702cc.jpg The Fields https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d1ac61bb44.jpg Moody Rice Closeup https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...425674b914.jpg Birds https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e35321ca42.jpg Shrine https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c95dbbc4b6.jpg Lil House On The Patty https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a82caae1a1.jpg Irrigation https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ee2bd50887.jpg XTreme Farming https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1625032ec1.jpg More Terraces https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...50afe50564.jpg Puri Sebali Resort From Other Side https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...03df6f97bd.jpg Difficulty Level Lowered After Second Guy From Left Fell Into A Patty. Dodi Gave The Fella His Own Flip Flops To Finish Tour https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8e558576db.jpg Spider Following the tour, we cleaned ourselves up for one last trip into Ubud. My wife wanted to get a reading and blessing at a place that was featured in "Eat, Pray, Love". I just wanted to find a place to watch Man City open the season against West Ham. In the shuttle we went with the intention of getting some lunch, blessings, and football. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6523949e25.jpg Pumpkin Soup For Her https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bb719d1153.jpg NOT(exactly) Pizza For Him https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...060cfcaaeb.jpg Liyer House, Run By The Son Of The Guy From That Movie https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c8713257b6.jpg Blessing/Reading We were now fed and blessed and off to find the next thing to occupy us. My wife typically leaves the details of our vacations to me and just goes with the flow. She slacked a little to far on Ubud, though, I was surprised that my yogi wife had never heard of the Yoga Barn. Apparently it's a big deal in the yoga world and the pseudo-yoga mecca of Ubud. We walked from the Liyer house to the Yoga Barn. My wife thought she had died and gone to heaven. She spent the next 4-5 hours exploring, Tibetan bowling, Ying-yanging, and green drinking her way through the joint. I slipped down to the Last Chance Saloon to catch my boys in blue decimate West Ham 5-nil to open their season. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3fdf37593b.jpg Yoga Barn Reception https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bb1d918e7e.jpg Yoga Barn Class https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...611b6107be.jpg Last Chance Saloon Sign We were exhausted by this point and it was time to arrange a taxi as it was beyond the resort last shuttle run of the day. Uber/Grab/marked taxis do not exist in Ubud. It's often referred to as the "taxi mafia". The locals will tell you the rules are in place to keep outside drivers from taking the work of locals. Regardless, you're required to negotiate a rate with the driver prior to getting in. I'd rather it be metered or, more so, use ride sharing but it is what it is. Just sucks having to haggle at the end of the day, Our place was 15 minutes out of town so extra haggling was in order but I think you get a much better deal the further you have to go. Anyway, for 80,000 rupiah we were on our way back to the resort for our last night. Next Up: Goodbye Ubud...Back To The Chaos |
Positioning for Our positioning Flight
Ubud was awesome. Great resort staffed by wonderful people who took care of all of our needs. The town and it's attractions, of which I did not get to everything on our list, exceeded expectations. I appreciated the kindness of the locals and their dedications to their Gods (this coming from an agnostic).
The last few days of this trip were the last pieces of the puzzle I filled in when in my planning faze. I had decided to spend our last night closer to the airport so as to not have to stress the morning of our flight out of Bali. When researching the Conrad and Hilton on Bali I had also heard a person or two saying they actually preferred the Hilton Garden Inn, ideally located across the road from the airport. I know it might have been hyperbole but I saw that it fit our needs perfectly. At the rock bottom cost of 5,000 points it was a slam dunk. I directly hired the same driver that had taken us from the airport to Ubud for the same price, $24. It was a bargain. He arrived at 11:00am, as scheduled and off we headed back into civilization. We arrived at the HGI at around 12:15pm and our car was scanned my security with mirrors for explosives. Our bags were x-ray'd and we passed through the mags beeping away but unfrisked. All this was the lingering result of the horrific bombings in Bali in the early 2000s. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d03a535a22.jpg Security Check Point https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2be9ca9144.jpg HGI Lobby We were able to check in early and given a requested "quiet" room. Although it faced the large pool the room WAS quiet as well as having the best blackout curtains of any hotel I've stayed. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...73cfa87a63.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4745d41d9f.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...369be86601.jpg Qibla In Our Room We went back to the lobby for lunch and my wife enjoyed a free mocktail courtesy of my Hilton Diamond status. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...10976e79a0.jpg BLT With Cucumbers? https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...40c803d7d4.jpg Mocktail We plead guilty for hitting the room for a sissy nap. It had been a long trip and we only needed to be on the top of our game for one more night. Following the nap, I grabbed a ride via the Grab app and requested to be dropped off at the Beachwalk in Kuta. While I had no interest in staying in Kuta I certainly wasn't opposed to seeing what all the fuss was about. Kuta is the beach/party/shopping hub of Bali. We immediately crossed the street and headed to the beach to dip our toes in the Indian Ocean (a must-do on my trip list). We enjoyed the day's waning beach activity. I could only imagine how crazy it must get on a warm day. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c0aee251ac.jpg Indian Ocean, Kuta Beach A wall was built between the beach and the main drag several years ago. I've read that it was to prevent sand from blowing across the road and into the restaurants that line the street. Might be a folk tale but sounds good enough for me. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...302e0b0197.jpg Beachwalk We walked down the main strip then headed through alley after alley looking for more swag to take home as souvenirs. It's amazing how many side streets and alleys there are loaded with all sorts of shops, spas, clubs, restaurants, hotels and tattoo parlors. I feel we just scratched the surface in our meanderings. The one natural talent I do possess is a killer sense of direction. It did not fail me here. After shopping way too much, and finally getting my Man City 2019-20 "official" kit ($12), it was off to find dinner. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bc3d14046c.jpg Trying To Make Art While Wife Fondles Clothing Easily finding our way back to the Beachwalk we honed in on a place we saw while in the backseat of our Grab. We wanted comfort food and, sure enough, these guys had it. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...380d4dcb87.jpg Flapjaks (Kuta Beach Wall In Background) https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4a7dc963dd.jpg His https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7fff37ce69.jpg Hers After that little party in our mouths it was time to head back to the Hilton Garden Inn before the youngins flooded the area in their party moods. We hailed an official Bluebird taxi (what a concept) and headed back to retire for the evening. Our flight the following day wasn't until 12:00pm so we were able to get a good nights sleep. After primping and packing we landed in the lobby for the wonderful breakfast buffet, which was included with our stay as part of the Diamond benefits. We then checked out and loaded luggage and bodies into the free shuttle to the airport, a mere five minutes away. The Hilton Garden Inn isn't nestled in a neighborhood with lots to do but it was an exceptional bargain and delivered a comfortable stay with outstanding amenities (there was also a spa under construction). We would not hesitate to stay again if it suited our needs. Nexupt: The Final Countdown- Back To SIN With Garuda Indonesia And Westward With Finair |
Everything was going so well with this trip report, until I saw you talking about Man City and wearing the shirt.
(just kidding, Arsenal fan here) Uncle Nonny , loving it so far |
Originally Posted by fotographer
(Post 31459206)
Everything was going so well with this trip report, until I saw you talking about Man City and wearing the shirt.
(just kidding, Arsenal fan here) Uncle Nonny , loving it so far Seriously though, enjoying the report very much. We have similar plans to go to SIN, REP and DPS sometime next year so this report has given me some great ideas (and less great ideas like Balinese pizza :D) |
This Is The End
This is the day we would start our journey home. A journey that would take two days to complete. We would be in the minority today by beginning our journey at the Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) Domestic Terminal. As (I think) I touched on earlier, I had several criteria for picking flights. Bag allowance, timely flights/layovers, price and choosing seats were big as was hitting as many airports as comfortably as possible Garuda Indonesia Airlines checked all these boxes.
As with Vietnam Airlines, GA allows you to bid on upgrades. Unlike VN, I believe GA actually controls the process themselves. They hit me up prior to the trip to get me to bid. I entered the minimum amount and did not hear back. A few days into our journey they tried again. I entered the lowest amount possible and, BAM!, our first leg was upgraded at a total coast of $123 for the both of us. This included priority check in, priority boarding, priority baggage, lie flats, and lounge access that lasted through both legs of our trip. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ea3a029c64.png Upgrade Bid Invite Flight Details: GA 407 DPS-CGK (A330-200) The DPS domestic check in was a little chaotic as you get your bags x-rayed as you enter the airport doors. Makes sense in light of the previous mentioned bombings. I was able to easily find the Garuda priority check in counter and it had no line. Odd thing is, that wasn't where I was supposed to check in. the agent told pointed us to this: https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b57b9443e9.jpg Garuda Indonesia Airlines Premium Check in I found it to be a little over the top for an hour and a half domestic flight but I played along. The agent processed our tickets but dug much deeper into itinerary that I had anticipated. She requested copies of our outbound tickets from Singapore (to Helsinki) on Finnair. For the first time during the whole trip I was able to use the blue folder I had lugged around that contained hard copies of our flights and lodging (also backed up on Dropbox). After a few phone calls, I was convinced no one was on the other end of the line, she asked about my flight out of Helsinki (to JFK). Showed it to her on the paper I produced. I was convinced she was going to request my EZ-Pass info as well as the code to my garage door. With that out of the way, she then started the process for my wife. I told her it was all the same confirmation code. Finally, bags were tagged and boarding passes issued. Surity (priority lane) was a breeze and we were where I feel the most relieved; airside. We stopped at the Garuda Lounge to top off. The agent spoke the most perfect Enlglish I had heard since leaving JFK (ok, maybe Pennsylvania). The lounge was two level with only a handful of people partaking. Food and beverages were on both levels. Very nice, subdued lounge. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a6820d8301.jpg Garuda Indonesia Lounge We only had about twenty minutes of lounge time before heading off to our gate. Boarding was quick and painless. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...090a584ca3.jpg Our A332 To Jakarta https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a40ec31e53.jpg Boarding, Wasn't Moving Fast So No Idea Why It's Blurry https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4d62632209.jpg Lie Flat https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...57666e502d.jpg Plenty Of Legs Both the main and min Business cabins were about half full. FAs were attentive and very cordial. I'm an FAs dream as I usual don't eat or drink anything other than water (and the AA sundaes). My wife asked only for a hot water with lemon and it was produced in no time. Flight was on schedule and off we went to Jakarta. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2d62ac2539.jpg Goodbye Bali, We'll Be Back Landing in CGK was uneventful and on time. We disembarked and made our way to international transfers. It seemed like we walked forever, made a million turns, and went up several escalators to reach the main terminal. The terminal was stacked with eateries and shops. We made our was through all of the ado and were able to pass through the priority security without waiting. Immigration out of Indonesia was just as easy. Back down an escalator we went and we were in the international terminal to await our connection to Singapore. We collected coffee and pastries for my wife before depositing her, with healing broken foot, near the gate in some very relaxing chairs that reclined. I hoofed around the terminal to see the shops and do some plane spotting (horrible that I didn't take pics). Flight Details: GA 836 CGK-SIN (B 737-800) Boarding was ........interesting. We were scanned in and off to what we thought was our jetway. We went down a ramp to a corridor that would lead us to, well, just a long empty corridor. We walked and walked and walked. When we finally arrived at our jetway we were one gate past where we had landed a little while back on our previous flight. While the area was sterile, we were using a domestic gate. This might have contributed to us leaving the gate and taking off late. It was the longest walk I've ever had to board a plane. We were seated in row 22, which was the second row of coach. Indonesian Math? https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5b01c79812.jpg 738 Legroom, 22H We landed in Singapore, Changi Terminal 3. After a quick stop for a pic, it was off to immigration. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...525aa4ca72.jpg My Angel Immigration was a breeze compared to our previous stop at SIN. The agent was curious about where we were headed. I explained our next flight and he happily pointed out where the SkyTrain station was and wished me a happy voyage home. He also gave my wife two Hershey bars. Damn, why can't they all be like this? After customs we hopped the SkyTrain to Terminal 1. We had about a half an hour before Finnair began it's early check in that was easily killed by people watching. The check in agent took our bags, issued our tickets and presented us with our invites to the dnata Lounge, which we didn't even visit for some reason. Only thing on my mind at this point was to visit The Jewel. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...91f3e7da14.jpg Shameless Self-Promotion https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9215a063dd.jpg The Jewel I light things for a living so this was a pretty cool thing to see and experience. It being in an airport made it all the more unreal. We enjoyed ourselves in the midst of the mist of the water until the crowds got to the point where we decided to move on. We went up to the top of the dome and were meat with lines and walls of people in every direction. Lines for restaurants and attractions. I kept reminding myself I was in an airport. I wondered what these people did before this was opened earlier in the summer. And what mall, let alone AIRPORT, has a two story Apple store across from a two story Nike store? https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b96be72ff4.jpg Water, Dongles, and Sneakers I love lights. I love Apple products. I love all things Nike. However, a mall where everyone has luggage was too much for me after this long of a voyage so we made a bee line to the quasi-security and automated immigration. I say quasi as the only scanned are your carry-ons. We wouldn't be body scanned until entering our individual gate. A little wiped and hungry, we headed off to the lounges. Our first stop was Qantas. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...530a1ec31a.jpg Qantas My wife oohed and aahed and couldn't wait to nest down. I then took her to the BA Lounge next door and this is where she chose to set up shop. Me? I just wanted a shower so it didn't matter to me. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...10b8150206.jpg BA Lounge We spent about two hours in the BA Lounge, which started to fill up towards the end. It was then onto our gate, which was a long walk from the lounges. As mentioned, this is where we would encounter proper security procedures. We waited in line for about 30 minutes to clear through, not realizing until we got up front that we could've used priority to skip the line. Not the end of the world. Boarding for out late night flight west was quick and painless. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4edd688a13.jpg Finnair 132 SIN-HEL (A359) Most likely this was the same exact plane we flew here to in 10 days earlier so I won't expound. Slept like a baby most of the way. No pizza on board but OD'd on blueberry juice (again). We slid into Helsinki on a beautiful, cloudy morning after 11+ hours aloft. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...42e579a0dc.jpg Puffy Sunrise Our layover this time was less than five hours. We locked away our bags at the Platinum Wing Lounge and wondered the airport to shake off some rust. We crossed into Finland to peruse the Schengen side of things. There was a little more activity there but we got bored, cleared immigration and headed back to the lounge where we enjoyed the breakfast spread. I also had one last, 45 minute goodbye to Shower Room #1 before it was time to walk to the gate. Speaking of the gate, we were not big fans of the Q&A portion of the boarding process. We were pre-cleared to a smaller holding area after having our Passports checked and boarding passes scanned. The area filled up quickly with J passengers as well elites. Being a jaded AA elite, I was also assuming there were people there solely based on filling out a credit card app. We were stuck there way too long and couldn't leave unless giving back our documents (my wife LOOOOVES visitin gbathrooms at the most inopportune times). We toughed it out and finally boarded our last leg to JFK. So, the whole time in the planning of this trip I was waiting to sit in this seat: The Throne Seat of Finnair's A332. Truthfully, it was quite enjoyable. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9c25f3a4b7.jpg 2A Queen AY 132 SIN-JFK (A332) https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...461a76e963.jpg 4A King A little more leg room, I'm convinced. Definitely more elbow room. It was a damn good seat for a A330. Flight was quick and smooth. More sleep was enjoyed. We landed at JFK on time. So did everyone else. The Arrivals Hall was the biggest mess I've ever encountered. I do have Global Entry but my wife does not. We'll have to fix that quickly. The people that run ICE at JFK should have to wiat in that line to punch out of work each night. Complete chaos. Since no one was clearing quickly the bags were piling up in the baggage claim area. It was comical. Maybe not. Either way, grabbed bags and off to the AirTrain to long term parking. We ended up wheels down in our driveway at 7:30pm (landed at JFK at 3:30), exhausted and happy to have had such a wonderful journey. A lot of us are solo travelers for our jobs. Traveling with my wife always teaches me to walk slower and show more patience in general as well as communicate better. The trip was so good that we could've easily spent another few weeks on the road together. That's not easy, considering she married an introverted loner. I want to thank those of you who followed along. My grammar is horrible as I am a stream of consciousness kind of guy. I didn't take notes on the trip and everything posted came straight out of my noggin. Writing this has been almost as time consuming as the actual trip. It's also given me the courage to, perhaps, try it again but , more importantly, better document my future trips. I took hundreds of photos and sit here kicking myself for the ones I didn't take. I guess I'll just have to get back on that horse soon. Thanks. JK |
Originally Posted by pjs
(Post 31459835)
Same here about the City stuff - hope you are at least a long-suffering supporter and not a post-2012 bandwagoner - YNWA (6 times) by the way.
Seriously though, enjoying the report very much. We have similar plans to go to SIN, REP and DPS sometime next year so this report has given me some great ideas (and less great ideas like Balinese pizza :D)
Originally Posted by fotographer
(Post 31459206)
Everything was going so well with this trip report, until I saw you talking about Man City and wearing the shirt.
(just kidding, Arsenal fan here) Uncle Nonny , loving it so far https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...913da29536.jpg Up The Blues |
What a great trip. Thank you for sharing ^^
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again, a great trip and report ruined by you posing with a Man City shirt... how could you,
If I ever do a trip report (chances are pretty slim.) I will sure to take my Arsenal shirt just to annoy you. It was a wonderful read, I am glad you and your lovely wife had a great time. PS. next trip leave the Man City shirt at home |
(editing mishap #1 )
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(editing mishap #2 )
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Your writing style was enjoyable to follow along. Great TR! Thanks for the DPs on intra-Asia upgrades on VN and GA!!!!
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