No thank you…
- Ruth Mcbride
- 5 hours ago
- 5 min read
We started off our morning leaving our luggage outside our hotel rooms at 7am. The bus was leaving for Phnom Penh at 7:30am so we headed down to breakfast around 6:30am.
The Park Hyatt Siem Reap has been a wonderful oasis of a hotel to stay at in the middle of downtown Siem Reap.
This woman opens the lotus blossoms to give to hotel guests every morning at breakfast
Artist painting Angkor Tom.
This woman was playing some traditional chime type instrument which echoed through the courtyard of the Park Hyatt, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The Park Hyatt was walkable to everything we needed in the chaos of Siem Reap, but very tranquil and peaceful inside the hotel, with wonderful food and service.
After making sure we had all of our belongings out of our hotel room, we headed to the bus identifying our luggage before we got on the bus and so it began. 6 long hours on a bus!
Driving through the Cambodian countryside it was hard to imagine the hardships the people have faced in our lifetime. From the War in Cambodia which spilled over from the Vietnam War, to the horrible fate of many of the people of Cambodia at the hands of their own leaders, coupled with the U.S. bombings of innocent people to prevent the supply chain of goods through Laos and Cambodia to the North Vietnamese, and finally to the aftermath of the War with people still losing their life’s because of unearthed land mines. The countryside looked so peaceful from the bus, but yet there was so much recent history of conflict which the people of Cambodia all remember much like my grandparents and parents remembered WW2 in England with Nazi bombs dropping and air raid sirens and bomb shelters. How many generations will it take before the PTSD of the War is no more?
The “happy bathroom” breaks which were frequent enough were at some interesting locations. We were advised that at one location the children would come to the bus with their spiders looking for money.
Little did we realize the spiders would be the size of their palms and they wanted us to give them money so we could hold the spider! I kept saying “No Thank you” “No Thank you” and walking quickly away from the children.
I passed the time on the bus blogging and doing a little bit of artwork to remember our trip.
My inspiration picture
We stopped at 3 roadside gas stations with convenience stores at them and at one stop a fellow passenger told me that the thing to buy in Cambodia was Kampot pepper.
We ended up buying this pepper which was quite overpriced at $12USD
It is organic and we were not sure when or if we would see the pepper again for purchase.
After 6 hours of being on the bus trip from Siem Reap, Cambodia, we finally made it to our ship which was docked and waiting for us in Phnom Penh!
The 36 passenger, Avalon Saigon on the Mekong Delta in Phnom Penh! We only have 30 passengers on board for this river cruise as 3 couples cancelled due to an illness, as they were travelling together.
The water levels on the Mekong are very high at this time of year as it is the rainy season. We had to be careful where we were stepping to make sure we did not end up in the mud on our way to the ship!
Our cabin #111 on the Avalon Saigon. There are only 18 cabins and all cabins are exactly the same. There are 6 few cabins on deck 2 which also has the lounge and the restaurant. We are downstairs just above water level and have the very last cabin, so we have no neighbour on one side of us and across the hall is the cleaning cart storage area. I also like being close to the gym.
King size bed
Deck plan of the Avalon Saigon. We are in cabin 111 next to the back staircase, which leads to the Dining Hall and kitty corner to the gym.
Our very large shower and bathroom on the Avalon Saigon. This bathroom is 25% bigger than the bathrooms on the Viking River cruise ships and we are really loving the space that we have in this cabin! While we have no balcony, the sliding door opens full and we have a full screen that also slides across the windows to keep the no see ums out. This cruise, in this heat, is not one we would want to sit out on a balcony anyway.
Panorama Lounge which has seating for 36 passengers. Games are available to borrow and there is also a lending library. The bar is located in the corner of the lounge and local beers, spirits, and soft drinks are all included. The only thing that is chargeable is wine, premium spirits and fresh juices. Wine is free during lunch and dinner and is unlimited. Richard has been enjoying the local vodka which is included and available anytime of the day (not that he has been day drinking!)
Another view of the Panorama Lounge. Where the chef is standing is outside on the front deck which has loungers and outdoors tables and chairs, but the high humidity makes it very difficult to sit outside for long.
Hot buffet set up for lunch
Cold buffet, salad, cheese, soup, juices and dessert
Dining Room on the Avalon Saigon A nice mix of individual and communal tables
As soon as we arrived on the ship, and after our safety briefing on how to put on a life jacket, lunch was served buffet style.
We settled ino our cabin and requested an iron and ironing board to iron the cotton and linen items we had packed. Richard also booked me a Reflexology massage at 4pm so that I could try and get the swelling down in my right leg which was still bothering me from the Hà Nội street massage parlour. It is nice that there is a spa onboard which offers: facials, massages, reflexology, manicures and pedicures. The prices are reasonable with a 60 minute reflexology session costing $30USD.
It is also nice to have a small gym too with a recumbent bicycle and treadmill, barre, yoga mats, free weights and stretchy bands. The gym is open from 6am-10pm.
We attended our first Port Talk with our now Cruise Director Ha. Ha wears many hats along this journey with us and his Port Talks start daily at 6:45pm. Dinner is at 7pm after the Port Talk and each day for lunch and dinner a traditional ‘gong’ is sounded to announce the meal time.
Our first dinner menu on the Avalon Saigon
There is always a Western menu as well at dinner. Breakfast and Lunch are buffet style
Beef with an egg on top, delicious!
Meeting the entire management crew of the Avalon Saigon. With only 36 max passengers, all of the staff play multiple roles depending on the time of day.
Our first sunset on the Mekong!
Despite the long bus ride, our expectations have been exceeded by the amazingly friendly staff on the Avalon Saigon. The food is plentiful, tasty and delicious and our cabin is probably the best we have ever had on a river ship. We are on the Avalon Saigon for the next 7 days and depending on the internet I will do my best to bring you along!
We have reached out to our travel agent in Canada about the change in plans from a flight to Phnom Penh vs a bus ride and why the ‘bait and switch’ and will see what comes of that but we are glad that we do not have any further long bus rides in our future on this vacation! Just say NO THANK YOU!!! To long bus rides and holding spiders the size of our palms!