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Top tips for visiting Jaipur and the cost

Top tips for visiting Jaipur and the cost

After leaving Agra we had a lovely train ride down to Jaipur. It took around 4 hours and we even got served dinner. I was unaware that the meal and water were included in our train ticket. At the station we were met by the hotel taxi driver and whisked away to Umaid Mahal our home for the next six nights. This post looks at our top tips for visiting Jaipur and the cost.

Umaid Mahal

I can recommend this hotel as a place to stay in Jaipur. We ate here every day for breakfast and dinner and the food was tasty and more importantly for India we did not get unwell. I would not say they are the friendliest people working at the hotel but they were efficient and polite at all times. Our room was wonderful with a comfortable bed, free working wi-fi, great shower and the decor of the hotel is very Rajasthan. There is also a small pool to cool off and a lovely rooftop restaurant. For more information about the hotel you can read my tripadvisor review about the Umaid Mahal.

What we did in Jaipur?

We of course visited the famous Amber fort which was stunning. It is deserving of its UNESCO World Heritage Status. Amber fort is spectacular and the curators have improved the site since I last visited in 1990. The courtyard is now paved and not a dust bowl like it was last time I visited. Great to watch the courtyard as people come up by elephant and get down in the courtyard. The drive up from Jaipur is now on a good road. The view is excellent looking up at the fort. I also have added some tips below that people might find useful if they visit the fort.

Tip One
If you have the cash hire a guide and car. It makes life so much easier. We did not do the elephant ride up as we have both done them in the past. The elephant rides in summer only run between 9-11am. If you come later you will have to take a jeep or walk up from that side. Our driver dropped us off at the moon gate or the back entrance where you walk a short distance to the entrance of the fort. We were lucky to hear traditional drum playing as we entered the fort.

Tip 2
Buy a combo ticket for 400 rupees. It gives you access to 7 attractions. The other main one people go to is Jantar Mantar and both the Amber fort and Jantar Mantar cost 200 rupees for entry. The ticket gives you access to Albert Hall Museum, Hawa Mahal or the Palace of the Winds and Nahargarh Fort. The other bonus is the ticket is valid for two days and you can return to visit the sites if you are really keen or spread the visit over two days.

Tip 3
If you have a car on the way up to Amber Fort ask the guide or driver to stop at Panna Meena Ka Kund. This is a sixteenth century water reservoir where there are some amazing steps down to the lower reaches. It is like something out of the David Bowie movie Labyrinth. The symmetrical stair walls are stunning and its free.

Tip 4
Visit the Shila Devi Hindu temple inside the fort. It is free and has some lovely decorations especially the entry door. The temple has several images of Kali inside which are interesting to see with her warlike and peaceful side shown.

Tip 5
Enjoy a wander over the cobbled paths and stroll along the impressive ramparts. The name of the lake below with the beautiful garden is Maota lake. We got some great pictures of the elephants walking up the cobbled path beside the fort.

Tip 6
There are four courtyards with each having a specific purpose. First courtyard is where the elephants drop you off or where you enter and buy a ticket. The second courtyard is where the Maharajah had public audiences with his courtiers. The third courtyard is where the magnificent Hall of Mirrors is located. There also is in this courtyard a beautiful garden laid out in the Persian style. The last courtyard is where the Royal wives and concubines lived. A gilded cage in which they hardly ever left. Ask your guide to show you the kama sutra style design along with the elephants and other paintings on the walls.

Tip 7
On the way out there is a snake charmer where I decided to have a photo taken. I was a bit hesitant as I do not like to pay for anything with animals. Our guide told us that the snake charmer release the cobra after three months and catches another one. This is due to something about making a spiritual bargain with the snake. I checked online but cannot find anything to substantiate this story.

Amber fort is superb and well worth a visit. My last bit of advice is to go when the fort opens at 8am before the hordes come at 10am. We had a great visit with few people around until we left around 10am when the crowds began to arrive.

Other sites we visited while in Jaipur were Jantar Mentar an outdoor astronomical observatory with the world’s biggest stone sundial and 18 other instruments. The Palace of the Wind, Albert Hall museum and Narhargarh Fort which overlooks the city and has great views. We also did a day trip to Ranthambore National Park to see a tiger, alas it was not to be. However, it was a lovely day trip and the park had a lot of other animals and bird life. If you do visit it make sure you stay a few days to enhance your chance of seeing a tiger. It is not the most well run park with 10 zones. Zones 1-5 your best chance of seeing a tiger and the best zones are 2 and 3. Zones 5-10 are unlikely to have any tiger sightings. It is a bit of a lottery system although if you pay a bit extra you can get into the right zones. We had Zone 4 and since it had rained a bit the tigers no longer needed to use the main waterhole and could drink elsewhere.

While in Jaipur we also visited a famous Indian Cinema the Raj Mandir Cinema which was a laugh. We watched an amusing Bollywood Hindu movie with no sub titles.

What it cost for the week?

So what did a week staying and exploring Jaipur cost? The total cost for accommodation, attractions and food, day trip to Ranthamore and tour of Jaipur came to a total of 40000 rupees. That works out US$630 for the week or £404. The total per day was US$90 per day or £58 per day. We are staying in 3-4 star accommodation and also getting guides and cars for most of the tours. You can do it considerably cheaper, however, we like to be comfortable.

After Jaipur we are heading to Jodhpur.

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Dreams do come true! – Agra & Jaipur, India

‘The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.’ – Walt Disney

Wow, that’s all I can say about this week – Wow! I’ve managed to do 52 weeks of letters with this being the 52nd – I did it! It took a while at first to figure out how to do this while travelling, but this letter makes it official – I’ve completed my goal! (Brief moment of patting myself on the back and…) There will be a few ‘extra’ letters, as we don’t, actually, fly home until the 18th (July), so there will be some bonus posts.

Taj Mahal

John and I infront of the Taj Mahal on the ‘Diana’ bench

Plus, I have seen the place that inspired this trip – the Taj Mahal. It was a great day, as we got up early for the sunrise, did our tour and went back, in the evening, for the sunset. It used to have diamonds on the central roof to reflect the light of the sun and moon – now that would have been amazing! It was a beautiful sight.

Then we went off to see an old fort near Agra which was the most intact of the forts, so far, we’ve seen that use the red soil to build them.

Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri Fort

(I’m inserting some extra, which wasn’t in the original letter, as I missed this when I was writing it on the train).  Our day was quite full when we went to the Taj Mahal, we also, went to the Red Fort

Red Fort

This is the balcony which the husband who built the Taj for his wife, sat on in his prison, as his son didn’t like his spending habits!

and the Baby Taj – Itmad-ud-daulah in Agra.

Itmad-ud-daulah

Itmad-ud-daulah – Baby Taj

Both of these places were great to see, but I, particularly, liked the later, as it had some features which led up to the building of the Taj Mahal, hence, why it is called the Baby Taj. (Back to the letter…)

Umaid Bhawan Heritage Hotel

Umaid Bhawan Heritage Hotel

After this, we took my first Indian train journey to Jaipur – the pink city. We stayed in a very characterful place which looked like an old palace itself. In Jaipur, we saw the pink buildings,

Hawa Mahal - Palace of Wind

Hawa Mahal – Palace of Wind – one of the many ‘pink’ buildings

an astrological park from the 18th Century,

Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar – 18th Century Astrological Park

the Amber Fort (huge beautiful fort from the 12th Century,)

Amber Fort

Amber Fort

the tombs of the Raj’s,

Royal Gaitor Tumbas

Royal Gaitor Tumbas – Raj’s tombs

a more recent fort from a Raj with 9 wives,

Nahargarh Fort

Nahargarh Fort – palace for 9 wives

the Albert Museum

Albert Hall Museum

Albert Hall Museum

and I went to and did a workshop on making a block print scarf – a traditional way of printing a scarf made with natural dyes and fabric.

Scarf

The scarf I help make – my design choice at Jai Textart

We are still well and healthy, as the food we are eating is mainly vegetarian Indian and delicious. I’ve found a food, which I can only get in India, it is paneer. Its cottage cheese, but they process it here differently, which you can’t get outside the country.

(Once again, I forgot to put something into the original letter, it’s been a busy week!) I made it to my first ever Bollywood movie at a very famous cinema in India – Raj Mandir Cinema where I saw ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns‘ – a story line which would suit any opera! (Back to the original letter…)

What an incredible week! Looking back on it, I can’t believe we’ve done so much in such a short time. Fantastic! Now, we are off to Jodhpur to, hopefully, ride my first camel! (There were just too many photos for me to add, so when I get my next videoblog up for June, I will add the link and you can see them there, but just for a taster, I’ve added some which have not been put up from the places we’ve seen!)

So, I’m curious, what is your dream that you are doing or want to do or have done?

Love Debx

Extra Photos from this amazing week:

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Debbie Bridge India, Travel 2 Comments

Land of Extremes – Delhi, India

‘Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes.’

Red Fort

Red Fort – red tile

Ack! In less than a month I will be back in England and this years’ adventure will be over. Thank goodness that isn’t today and we’ve made it to India!

India is proving to be a bit more of an enigma to me, as to its movement or vibe – might be a better word? In other words, my time in East Asia was easier to get my footing on arrival, here, its taking me a bit longer and I can’t quite put my finger on it? The biggest thing so far is it’s a land of extremes – very poor and very wealthy; cutting edge to power cuts. The in-between’s are there, but can get over shadowed by the extremes.

Still, it’s great to be here and have this incredible experience. I’m really looking forward to seeing the Taj Mahal!

Prayer Flags

Prayer flags

First, we arrived in New Delhi and, yes, there is an Old Delhi. We arrived quite late to a lovely little boutique hotel which had the feel of the ‘Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’, if you haven’t seen it, you have to go to both – really enjoyed them! Our first few days, we had the entire hotel to ourselves, including multi-lounges on different floors – my favourite was the reading lounge, while John enjoyed the TV lounge (no TV in the room).

Restaurant

Dinner at the roof top restaurant – stellar!

Our first day in the city, we went to the Red Fort

Red Gate

Red Fort Gate

(more photos of Red Fort are at the end of the blog) and Humayun’s Tomb –

Tomb

Humayun’s Tomb

both places I’ve never heard of and both from the 17th century (more photos of Humayun’s Tomb at the end of the blog).

One thing that was advised to me was to purchase some more acceptable Indian style clothing, so that was a trip to Fabindia at the Khan Market, so I could acquire some very comfy, cotton and ethically made clothing (a friend had recommended it). I’m now all set for the 40 degree heat and possible monsoon rains!

Me

Me sitting at hotel’s roof top restaurant in my new Indian Salwar Khameez.

Of course, a huge change for us has, also, been the food. This is the part of our trip we bought the ‘special’ travel pack of pills to deal with any ailments, but, so far, it’s all good and the food is fantastic. In the afternoons, I’m getting into masala tea

Masala Tea

Masala Tea

or, we know it as, Chai tea. I’ve, even, found a lovely little book on tea and its history, which I’ve already read.

Would love to know about your favourite travel discoveries – what are they and do you still indulge in them?

the story of tea

The Story of Tea by E. Jaiwant Paul

Soon off to Agra and the Taj!

Love
Debx

Red Fort Photos:

More photos of Humayun’s Tomb:

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Debbie Bridge India, Travel 9 Comments

Enjoying a week in India

Enjoying a week in India

This is a post about enjoying a week in India after we left Thailand. Our first week was getting used to the heat and easing ourselves into the madness of India.

Arrival in India

We arrived at midnight from Bangkok. All went very smoothly, no queues at the airport, driver waiting and in half an hour we were at our hotel the Shanti Home. We stayed in the Bollywood room which was apt as my wife is an entertainer. Our first week in India went gone well. Neither of us have gotten unwell, yet! First four days were in Delhi where we stayed at the lovely Shanti Home and where we will be going back to stay when we return in a few weeks to fly to Dubai. The hotel is like an oasis admid the chaos of Delhi. The food is delicious and we had several enjoyable breakfasts and dinners at their lovely rooftop restaurant overlooking the chaos of Delhi.

Delhi was a feast to the senses, the food was delicious, the Red Fort a bit of a run down and let down. In contrast, Humayun tomb was wonderful and a good forerunner to the Taj Mahal visit. The traffic, sights of flash cars, donkeys and bicycles along with cows and pigs wandering around are what makes India unique. We have increased our budget a bit for India as it is our last country bar Dubai before we go home.

The food

Much to my surprise I am really enjoying the Indian food it is mouth-watering and does not have the heaviness I associate with English and other countries Indian foods. I am happy to find that the food also agrees with me. Debbie also is enjoying a love of paneer and the lassi’s to wash it all down are delicious.

Agra

We took a car from our hotel in Delhi to the one in Agra via the Yamuna toll road. Wow. We were there in four hours at a cost of 80 dollars. The Gateway hotel was wonderful with a very comfortable room and efficient staff. The location was ideal and all the guides and cars we hired through the hotel were excellent. The next day we visited the Taj Mahal, my second visit and better than the first as this time I was with the woman I love. It was great to see it at sunrise and sunset in some lovely gardens opposite it. We also visited several other sites in Agra and enjoyed some lovely food.

The next day we went to Fatephur Sikri an anicent abandoned Indian capital built by Akbar. If you ever get the chance do visit it. The worlds biggest gate and an elephant memorial built by Akbar for the elephant he used to execute people. There are also the palaces and rooms he used during his time there. All in all we had a wonderful week and have now reached Jaipur by a 4 hour train ride in CC class which means comfortable air-conditioned carriages and with a three course meal thrown in.

Looking forward to our second week in India.

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Debbie Bridge India, Travel 1 Comment

One Week in Bangkok

‘Love like you have never been hurt.’

John's new friend

2 Kindred Spirits

Now if you all didn’t know it already – seeing as my writing paper for these letters features ‘cats’ on them, you will know it now – I love cats!  So when we found a ‘cat cafe‘ near out hotel, I had to go.  These guys are just beautiful and very friendly.

Hello

Hello

A real joy to someone who misses all the fuzzy friends I’ve been able to adopt over our year away.  Really looking forward to starting our next fuzzy family – still would love to have a dog!

beautiful

A real beauty

We are now in Bangkok, Thailand.  John and I have been here a few times, so we aren’t seeing the main sights, but others we’ve not been to.  We started with the National Museum.  It’s under huge renovation, but we did get to see some really nice stuff and look forward to going back again once the work is completed on the museum (more photos at the bottom of the blog).

Buddha

2nd most important Buddha statue in Thailand is housed at this museum

We made it to the movies to watch, ‘Spy‘, which is a great comedy film, I can highly recommend if you need a laugh!

Nanta

Nanta

Then we went to a show called, ‘Nanta‘.  It’s very popular in Asia and accessible to anyone as its mainly about physical comedy and drumming rather than dialogue.

For some more live entertainment, we’ve been out to some live music nights at local restaurants and a jazz club.

duo

Local restaurant duo

The performers are excellent and face all the same problems as any jobbing musician in the world.  Still, we’ve really enjoyed it and I even sang a few songs at the jazz club.

Jazz Club

Jazz Club

In a few days, we’ll be off to India, which is really where this trip began.  I had a desire, many years ago, to travel around the world and, specifically, go to India – well that part is soon to come true.

I have loved South East Asia and have seen and done things I never knew about.  My biggest hope is it will not be long before we can return again and discover even more of what there is here.  What part of the world would you like to travel and know more about?  Have you had the dream to take a year off and go round the world?

Love Debx

More photos from the National Museum:

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Debbie Bridge South East Asia, Thailand, Travel 4 Comments

A week in Siem Reap, seeing Angkor Wat and what it cost

Getting to Siem Reap

We travelled to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh by car. It took five hours but we did have a wannabee Lewis Hamilton driver at the wheel of our car. The road is in parts new and smooth, but there also are lots of road works where it is dusty and bumpy. It cost us to hire a car for the one way drive U$$80.

Our hotel the Lotus Blanc

There are some advantages to travelling in the low season. One was the five-star hotel we stayed at for nine nights was not very busy and doing some renovation on the third floor. I heard nothing while we were staying here. I had contacted the hotel before about getting a room with a bath tub for my wife. We were extremely lucky to get an upgrade to a suite for our stay. The staff, food, room, wi-fi, breakfast buffet, massages were all excellent. The best hotel we have stayed so far on our travels in South East Asia.

Siem Reap

Around a million people live in Siem Reap and there are no skyscrapers or tall buildings so everything is a little spread out. Our hotel was a two dollar tuk tuk ride of 2-3 km to Pub Street and the central market. During our stay we ate at several restaurants from average to five-star dining. We ate at Haven a training restaurant which was excellent and went to a jazz evening and fine dining night at the Heritage suites restaurant. I also recommend visiting the Angkor National Museum before you visit Angkor Wat and the other temples to get some useful and interesting background about the construction and history of the temples.

Angkor Wat and the other temples

We spent 9 nights in Siem Reap and got a three-day temple. If its your first time to Angkor Wat then the following tips might be useful. First tip is decide on what pass to buy. We got a three-day pass for forty dollars each. They photograph you and we later found out that you should with your ticket get a map of where all the temples are in the area. We did not. There are one and seven-day passes as well.

Second tip visit the Angkor National museum in Siem Reap before you go to Angkor Wat. The museum gives you background information on the different eras, mural, history of the sites and an insight into the history of the area.

Third tip is going to Angkor Wat at 5am for the sunrise viewing and make sure you buy the ticket the night before. Fourth tip is go across the West Gate entrance causeway to the inner area. We went to the right side small lake for the sunrise and photos. It was fine and not as crowded as the left side.

Fifth tip use a guide if you can and make sure there a real one and accredited. We paid US$45 for a whole day. Money well spent. Tuk Tuk for the day costs between US$18-25 for the day. Depends on how much distance you cover. Sixth tips drink lots of water or fresh coconut juice. Lastly just enjoy the experience. Best bits were going down alleys to less visited areas and exploring the site. Mural Is fantastic.

We saw around 12 temples and below are some of the photos.

What did it cost?

Our accommodation was US$45 per night so for the week US$315
Meals, transport and attractions for the week cost US$620 for the week.
Some individual costs were the 80 dollars car ride from Phnom Penh to our hotel in Siem Reap. Eighty dollars for our two three day temple passes. A lot of meals at some lovely restaurants.
Per day average for the week worked out at US$135 per day or a total of US$935

All in a great week and we have a few more days in Siem Reap before leaving for Bangkok where we stay a week.

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Debbie Bridge Cambodia, South East Asia 2 Comments

Temple Raiding – Siem Rep, Cambodia

‘Lord, I can’t say it in words…can you please just listen through my heart?’

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

This week has just flown by.  We’ve been raiding temples in Siem Rep, it’s like a huge temple historic park.  More temples than we could possibly cover in our time.  These are just the ones we saw – something  like 17 to 20 temples over 3 days, plus a sunrise at Angkor Wat – the biggest and most well-known.  We’ve learned that there are temples all over Cambodia, it’s just mainly concentrated in Siem Rep and surrounding area.

Phare

Phare – the Cambodian Circus

Our week didn’t start out with temple raiding, we started slowly and went out to a local physical circus troupe (Phare).  It was a high energy show.  Then we went off to some local Artisans d’Angkor to see how they are training young people in the local arts and crafts – some really nice stuff, but some of it you need to have a container to carry it.  These same artisans are the ones working on repairing a lot of the temples, so they are going to be busy for quite some time.

Artisans d'Angkor

Artisans d’Angkor

Then, we went off to a local jazz night which was nice.

Jazz Night

Jazz Night

After that, it was raiding temples time.  Don’t worry, I didn’t ‘raid’ the temples, it’s just one temple was made very famous because of a film that was done here – Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie.

Te Prohm

Te Prohm Temple – Tomb Raider was filmed here

This site is really mind-boggling as to how much can be seen.  Temples are over 1000 years old! The sun rise over Angkor Wat was a beautiful way to get the day started.  We’ve, also, learned the secret juice of coconut is the best thing to drink to renew all that is lost in the heat.

coconut juice

Coconut Juice

It’s just about to be their rainy season, it’s a little late, but great for us to see these ancient sites without getting caught in the rain and mud. I can’t possibly explain all the temples I’ve seen or the history I’ve learned in this short letter, suffice it to say it’s been a joy and a real adventure (more photos of temples at end of blog).

Today we went to a temple (Ta Nei Temple) tucked away from all others and we were the only people there, so I did one of my singing videos.  It was so atmospheric!

What wild and crazy things have you done in an unfamiliar place on holiday?

Ta Nei Temple

Ta Nei Temple

Love Debx

Angkor Wat Photos:

Bayon Temple:

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Bugs, Killing Fields and Shadow Puppets – Phnom Penh, Cambodia

‘Sing as if no one can hear.’

Mural

Mural of lady who founded Phnom Penh

This has been an awesome week in Cambodia.  I’ve eaten things I never thought I would and seen the famous Killing Fields of Cambodia. It’s all here in Phnom Penh.

Our first stop this week was at the Bophana Centre

Bophana Centre

Bophana Centre – art exhibition

– a film archive.  We went here to give us a good start to understand what happened here under the Khmer Rouges.  In less than 4 years they killed approximately 3 million of their own people.  Then, there were years afterwards of starvation due to politics on the world stage.  Many charities and governments of the UN refused to give aid due to the fact that they didn’t agree with the side of Communism Cambodia was on – they were aligned a little with Russia/Vietnam rather than China.  To be honest they aren’t under any umbrella – very sad history.

Offering table

Offering Table at hotel

Still, this is an incredible place and the people are so friendly and kind.  Our staff at our hotel (Double Leaf) are extremely helpful and speak English well.  Our Tuk Tuk driver – Chamnam (tuk tuk #008) is a very hard-working young man.  Very reliable and drove us all over – long days for him.  This is a country where $15 a day means you can eat and live.  Many here earn a lot less.

Eating bugs

Eating bugs

We, then, went onto a food tour (Urban Forage) and ate bugs of all kinds and I tried my first frog legs – all very tasty!  There was a delicious dessert with lentils – over all – yummy! (More photos at end of blog.)

Sunset

Sunset River Cruise in Phnom Penh

We did an evening cruise (Memorable Cruises) on the Mekong River, went to an amazing behind the scenes tour of a local Wildlife Alliance (Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center) – so  many beautiful animals from such sad backgrounds: pet trade, torture and zoos (more photos at end of blog),

Golden Monkey

Golden baby monkey, his Mom would have been killed to get him for the pet trade.

the Genocide Museum (S21),

Last 14 victims

Last 14 victims at S21

a cultural show of the shadow puppets

Shadow Puppets

Shadow Puppets

(Sovanna Phum) and, then, our final stop was the killing field near here (more photos at end of blog).

Grave site

Grave site for victims of killing fields

One more new experience was at the local 4XD movie theatre, where you watch a movie with actual effects of the wind, moving chair, etc.  A bit like riding a roller coaster while watching a movie.

Such an incredible week of learning, having fun and finding understanding of the past.

Love Debx

Food Tour photos:

Wildlife Alliance Photos:

Killing Fields Photos:

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A week is Phnom Penh and what it cost

We arrived a week ago in the city of Phnom Penh from Saigon. I did a lot of searching online for a hotel and we finally decided on the Double Leaf Boutique hotel. Good decision. It cost us US$41 a night including breakfast. We got a brilliant room with a great shower, excellent wi-fi and air conditioning that worked. We also enjoyed a dip in their lovely pool during the day or after being out sightseeing. There is a lot to see in the city.

What we did in Phnom Penh?

There is a lot to do in Phnom Penh and we visited the Royal Palace, did a food tour and wildlife centre tour, sunset cruise, shadow puppet show as well as the genocide Museum Prison and Killing Fields. We also ate at some amazing restaurants close to our hotel with great food. All of them were good from Alma to Vans. I am glad we decided to spend a week in Phnom Penh it is a wonderful city to explore and in some ways I think we have only scratched the surface.

Genocide

The sad thing about visiting Phnom Penh is going to S21 or the Genocide Museum. It was an old school converted to a torture centre. The most chilling thing for me was the haunting eyes of dead people looking back at you in hundreds of photos. It should be a compulsory visit for world leaders and it is depressing how few have visited this evil place. Perhaps if they did it might stop a few more genocides happening.

We then went to the Killing Fields the final stop for prisoners at S21. The place is eerily quiet as people walk around the 18 stops trail listening to the horrors that happened here on their audio tour tape. History is important and places like this serve a purpose. The prisoners were taken here and died horrific deaths from garden tools to babies being bashed to death on a tree. I have no illusions that it will not happen again but places like this and Auschwitz may slow it down. The rise of Pol Pot is linked to the bombing of Cambodia a strategy devised by Kissinger and one that ultimately led to the establishment of the Khmer Rouge. Later in his life Kissinger would be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, not for this, but it does make you wonder.

What did it cost?

Double Leaf hotel for seven nights cost US$287
Wildlife Alliance behind the scenes tour for two US$150 (discount for low season)
Expensive blowout meal at Vans cost US$79
Other food, attractions, sunset cruise, food tour US$444

Total for the week was US$960 or US$138 per day. We spent a bit more that I thought we would due to going out a lot and deciding to see Mad Max at a brand new cinema at the Aeon Mall with moving seats, wind and lights as well as 3D glasses with popcorn and drinks cost US$31. I felt like I was riding a bronco for two hours!

Our next stop is Siem Reap.

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