Travel Diaries : Siem Reap Blast Off!

So where else to begin with my travel diaries than at the start? 

We arrived at Tullamarine airport, excited and full of anticipation for the trip ahead!

Of course, there were the usual routine and mundane things which needed to be taken care of before the fun could start!  We lined up for the check-in counter, and got our luggage checked on board without any issues.  We packed light for the trip there, so that we would have plenty of space leftover to shop our little hearts out while we were away!  Once that was over and done with, what else was left but to head to the airport pub for a celebratory pint?  That is Liam's tradition at every trip to the airport - a brewski at the Irish!  Mine is to grab a cheeseburger from good ol' Mac Ds.  Lucky the two are situated right next to each other.  How very convenient!

From there, we headed off for a browse in duty free.

Swarovski encrusted Bombay Sapphire gin, anyone? This bottle will only set you back a cool 4k.

Bargain!

From there, we headed through the departure gates.  Cue more routine and mundane necessities to get us through to the boarding gates.  The worst part about travel is all the checks you have to go through.  And the waiting time!

Waiting... waiting...

While waiting to board, we munched on this pricey yet surprisingly tasty curried chicken baguette.

It's an 8 hour flight from Melbourne to Malaysia, and we had approximately 4 hours stopover at KL airport before our connecting flight to Siem Reap.  My wonderful parents generously sacrificed their frequent flyer points to get us into the Malaysian Airlines Gold Lounge for the duration.

First things first, we're keen for a freshen up after the 8 hour flight.  We approach the showers, and a man behind the counter hands up a fresh white towel, with a little travel toothbrush/toothpaste and a little foldable hairbrush.  The showers are spacious, with a monsoon shower head in addition to the normal handheld.  Unfortunately, half way through my luxurious hot shower the water turns lukewarm so I scurry out feeling a little miffed, but a lot fresher!

We settle down on one of the many comfortable looking couches, before we explore what the lounge has to offer.  Soon enough, Liam discovers the best thing!

A self-service bar! 

There is a little section which has a full ice-bucket, slices of lemon, packets of peanuts, and also a fridge filled with any of the mixers you could hope for.  

Liam's first move is to mix himself up a gin & tonic.  Unfortunately, it is only 8am (or 6am local time!) and I can't quite stomach the thought of any alcohol just yet so I grab myself a grape soda from the fridge instead and focus my attention on the important part...

Self-service food!

There are baine maries filled with an array of hot food to choose from, different types of bread slices and rolls sitting next to a conveyor toaster, danishes and muffins, and stacks of clean white plates inviting you to help yourself.  

I start with nasi lemak.  Fluffy coconut rice, with an assortment of condiments to accompany it.  I choose a large spoonful of sambal, a few slices of crunchy fresh cucumber, half a boiled egg, peanuts, crispy fried ikan bilis, and although a little less traditional Malaysian, a couple of hash browns on the side.  

All washed down with a yummy chrysanthemum tea from the self-serve fridge! 

After food, this is how Cat passes time in the Gold Lounge while waiting for a flight.

Speaking of food...

We also gave the hot breakfast a crack, but unfortunately despite its appearance was mostly inedible.

Soon enough though, it was time to leave the lounge and head on another flight - Cambodia bound! 

Flying high, up in the clouds!

I remember on my brother's first ever flight, he was five years old and as the window shade slid open his eyes widened in absolute awe.  He sat in silence for a couple of moments, and then he slowly turned to face my mother as the following escaped his lips...

"Mum... are we in Heaven?  Am I dead?"

Instead of trying to explain the concept of flying, clouds and Heaven to a 5 year old child, mum opted to tell him that we were just visiting for a while.  She didn't have any answer to where God was hiding! 

I wonder if that has anything to do with why my little brother is such a strange individual.

Aaaaaaanyway! What would a flight be without the obligatory airplane food?

Selamat menjamu selera! Enjoy your meal! :)

We ate our meals, and watched our plane descend down through the clouds, exiting Heaven...

...and landed at Siem Reap airport!

Wordless Wednesday : Tropical Paradise...

Where I'd much rather be!

Wordless Wednesday happens here, here, here, here, here and here! 

An Appointment with Dr Fish!

I'm trying to find the time to go through all my holiday pictures to share with you, but there are so many I just don't know where to start! Between multiple cameras and iPhone shots, it's a task in itself to just collate all the images! I thought I'd start with sharing an interesting experience with you...

Source

The streets of Siem Reap are lined with sign after sign for Dr Fish. Our friend Mark always jokes "Those Cambodians give out PHDs like nobody's business - everyone's a dr!" haha. Also known as a fish massage, there are pools of water which are filled with hundreds and thousands of fish of varying sizes - all eager and ready to consume any dead areas of skin you might have!

Although I'd had a fish massage on a previous trip to Phuket, the difference between this was the sheer size of the fish! The fish in Phuket were tiny little tadpole sized things, but when I looked at the creatures swimming around in the water in Siem Reap I freaked!

Liam and I decided that we had to try it though. There are many places offering all sorts of deals; even throwing in a free beverage to sweeten the deal. However if that doesn't work for you, you can barter and bargain your way to a satisfactory price! We were given a rate of $2 for an hour, but decided that we only wanted 20 minutes for $1 each. Little did I know it would take the better part of 20 minutes for me to actually get my feet into the water!

We settle down with mocktails, and prepare ourselves. I actually requested cocktails, but clearly my cousin thought it was far too early in the morning, and ordered these delightfully fruity drinks instead!

Here's Liam, preparing to dip his toes into the water. You only need to dangle your feet slightly over the water, and they come swarming! Although you can't see it all that clearly, that is the Mother of All Grimaces (no, not the big purple monster!) on his face.

He bravely plunges his feet into the water!

I, on the other hand, spend the next 10 minutes just hovering over the water, and squealing my little heart out every time a fish approaches my little toesies!

But I get there eventually...

GET AT MY DEAD SKIN, LITTLE FISHES!