"Our Asian Adventure Travelogue Begins!" Top 5 Page for this destination Phnom Penh Travelogue by Etoile2B

So our trip didn’t get off to quite the start we expected. Our dog Jack was set to stay with our neighbors, Dan and Anita, while we were away. Greg was expected to arrive in mere moments to take us to the airport when we hear an incredible crash outside. Jack came limping into the house with blood pouring from his leg. Somehow he managed to knock over a glass table top that had been stored along side the house for years. Several times a day Jack and (Dan and Anita’s dog) Puppyhead raced past it but today was different. Jack had been moping all morning as if he knew that we were about to leave and somehow he hit the glass and sliced his leg up pretty good.

I tried to calm Jack down while Marc raced to grab Dan from next door. We created a makeshift tourniquet with a towel to try and control the bleeding and loaded Jack into Anita’s truck. She raced Jack to the vet and I got on the phone with United Airlines to try to change our flights. Dan tried to convince Marc that he and Anita had things under control and could take care of Jack, as Greg arrived to take us to the airport. All of the flights were booked for frequent flier mile redemption so it was either leave now or cancel the trip entirely. I left this decision up to Marc. Jack was his baby. He had rescued him as a puppy, so I supported his decision either way. Vietnam would always be there.

Apparently Dan made quite the convincing argument so we decided to proceed with our plans, so with a heavy heart we made our way to LAX and boarded the plane. First stop: a layover in Tokyo, Japan. But not without a quick check in with Anita. Jack had severed a ligament and tendon and would need surgery but would be fine. We discussed the prospect of canceling the trip but ultimately decided against it as Dan and Anita assured us they had everything under control. As soon as we got settled on the aircraft I ordered us drinks and had Marc take an Ambien so he could try to relax and take his mind off of Jack, even for just a moment. How about that for the start of a trip, and our first trip together no less!

Marc started to relax and quickly learned about one of my little traveling quirks. I made him order a cocktail every time the flight attendants came by and pocketed the liquor bottles in our carry-on bags. He thought that I was insane, cut to two weeks later in a remote village in Northern Vietnam where my handy little quirk came in very handy. He never laughed at me for it again.

Stressed and tired, we landed in Tokyo. The first order of business was trying to call home to check on Jack’s status. It was a bit of an ordeal but we eventually got through to Anita and learned that Jack was recovering well. He would be in a cast for a month but his spirits were up and he was looking well. After her encouraging words we started to explore the Tokyo Airport.

This sign reminded us of Jack.

Prior to our departure we had imagined sushi in Tokyo and Pad Thai in Bangkok. We had a substantial layover in Tokyo, although not long enough to get out and explore the city, so we found a restaurant in the airport to satisfy our first craving. Mistake number one, the sushi at the airport was expectedly expensive and unexpectedly awful. So we finished our beer and sushi and started exploring to kill some time.

Marc was, of course, overwhelmed and tense so he took advantage of the amenities offered and showered. If only American airports were this luxurious! Marc emerged from the shower refreshed and calmer. We started to make our way back to the gate and noticed, of course, a McDonalds. Now I rarely eat at McDonalds and I NEVER would dream of visiting one abroad, but we were both intrigued by the Ebi Filet on the menu and we couldn’t resist! So Narita Airport couldn’t get sushi right, but this made up for it. It made us wish this was on the menu at home. Yes, it was deep fried, but that’s what makes the best comfort food, right? It was the perfect snack to brighten our spirits while we waited for our, slightly delayed flight to Bangkok. Things were starting to look up, at least that’s what I had to keep telling myself as my patience was starting to wear thin.

Marc with our bags at the Bangkok airport.

We arrived into the Bangkok Airport after most airlines had closed their desks for the night so all we could do was wait until 5 am when the Air Asia desk opened. We had tried to navigate their website from home to purchase tickets to Phnom Penh, Cambodia but our attempts were unsuccessful. Marc’s mom, a travel agent, had even tried to book for us and had difficulties but she was able to make us reservations on another, more expensive, airline as a backup. Our plan was to try and book the cheaper flight when the ticket counter opened in the morning and his mom could cancel the other flight for us.

The only planning we had done prior to our departure, other than booking our flight into Bangkok, Thailand and out of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam was to settle on the idea of flying straight into Phnom Penh, Cambodia to try and secure our Vietnamese Visas, otherwise our itinerary was completely fluid. We had researched the visa policies for Vietnam and Cambodia as soon as we booked our flights. Getting into Cambodia was the easy part, tourist visas were available at the border crossings and airports for $20 US. But getting into Vietnam was trickier. The visa process took at least a week at home, time we didn’t have, so that left two options: apply in Bangkok or Cambodia. I tried talking to other travelers about the visa process in Southeast Asia to get an appropriate timetable. The best we could figure was once we reached Cambodia we could try and go straight to the Vietnamese Embassy and pay a little extra to expedite the process in a day. Worst case scenario, we started the visa process in Phnom Penh and after a few days in Siem Reap we would return to pick up our visas. Marc once lived in Bangkok and with our limited time and so much we wanted to see we agreed to get straight to Cambodia and skip Thailand this time.

But now it was late night in Bangkok, there was only so much to see in the sleepy airport and we had time to kill. It was nearing 2am and Marc had the bright idea to hire a driver to show me a little of the city. We loaded our backpacks into the trunk of a taxi and set off for a two hour, whirlwind tour. The city was dark and quiet and without the normal traffic it was easy to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. We hit the major sites, from the backseat of a car, of course, but I started to get a sense of the city. Even in the inky blackness of night, some people still stirred. I desperately wanted to pull over for noodles on the side of the road, more out of curiosity than hunger, but I resisted the temptation. I don’t know quite what I was expecting, but it was something different than this. Maybe it was the late hour, but it wasn’t the Bangkok I had always imagined and I found myself satisfied with our decision to bypass Thailand and move straight to Cambodia. Not a fair assessment I am sure, but it was the conclusion I came to that night. I could see Thailand another trip.

Pad Thai at the Bangkok airport.

4:00 AM – Back at the airport we satisfied our second craving: Pad Thai in Bangkok. The cafeteria, surprisingly open at this hour, served us up a healthy portion of the thing I so desired. And then it was back to the Air Asia counter. A queue was already beginning to form and bleary-eyed agents were going through the motions to prepare themselves for the day ahead. We had success when we reached the ticketing agent and were able to book ourselves on the first flight of the morning into Phnom Penh. The tickets were relatively inexpensive. It would have been cheaper had we been able to book online but it didn’t make a huge difference. Now we’re on our way to Cambodia!

Marc and I checked in for our flight and headed through security. Once through we picked up a little duck and rice to snack on and we suddenly realized that we left Marc’s daypack at security! Panicked, we raced back to the checkpoint. Maybe we just weren’t meant to be traveling right now. If it wasn’t one thing it was another. Thankfully, his daypack was waiting for us when we arrived. I think if it had disappeared that would have been the last straw for Marc. Mercifully, we didn’t find out. Stomachs full, sleepy and still a little tense we made our way to the gate to board our plane. Next stop Phnom Penh.