Exploring Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia with Greenstar Travel – Part One

Waking up in a beautiful converted mansion house, exploring hidden alley ways with a guide, enjoying tea and the view on your balcony, helping a tea plucker – whatever you want to get out of your holiday to South East Asia, we are lucky enough to work with dedicated expert partners who help us create unique itineraries and make travel dreams become reality.

We particularly enjoyed creating this trip to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia encompassing the very best experiences of the destination. Read on for part one of this fascinating adventure.

Bangkok

Thailand is a maze of unforgettable experiences.  Starting at your hotel in Bangkok after with a morning of climatisation following a flight from London Heathrow, head out to the city. Sample some delicious street snacks and take a ride in a tuk tuk to the ferry across to Klongsan District and its local market.  Enjoy a leisurely Thai dinner at the Jam Factory, an industrial design complex with cafes, furniture shops and restaurants.

Begin the next morning with a guided walk through the bustling flower market where many beautiful exotic flowers, especially orchids, are a sight to behold. Hop on a boat and head away from the tourists and into the Klongs (canals) for a chance to see temples and communities living alongside Bangkok’ss waterways.  The Grand Palace and Wat Po are two of Thailand’s most renowned landmarks and are must sees during any visit to Bangkok.  Spend 30 minutes having a foot massage at Wat Pho, considered the spiritual home of Thai massage.

After a few hours relaxation at your hotel, skip dinner and head out into the city again for a guided moonlit tour around Bangkok’s streets by tuk tuk. Taste a variety of savoury specialities en route and visit old town landmarks that take on a different visage by night. What could be better than a midnight feast at some if the best local eateries in the city that claims to never stop eating!
You will need some down time after experiencing the heady excitement of Bangkok so relax at your hotel for the day before departing the next day to Siem Reap.

Siem Reap

Start your time in Cambodia with an exploration of the temples of Angkor.  One of the smaller temples, Banteay Kdei, is a 12^th century temple known locally as Citadel of Monks’ Cells and is a great introduction to Angkor architecture, with intricate carvings and crumbling towers.

Spend the next day exploring some of Angkor’s more remote temples.  One of the most atmospheric is Beng Malea.  Shrouded in jungle with crumbling towers and courtyards covered in vegetation, this magical location conjures up instant images of lost temples and mysterious adventure.  There is a real Tomb Raider feel to this spot and it’s a photographer’s paradise too!

Head to Troav Kot Lake and snooze in a hammock whilst waiting for your lunch. Visit Chai Say Vibol Temple, a truly off the beaten track monument, and enjoy the tranquillity and spiritual peace and quiet before returning to your hotel.
Make an early start the next morning and catch the sunrise over Tonle Sap Lake or the paddy fields, depending on the water level. Situated on the floodplain of the lake, the village houses appear to float when the water levels are high but in the dry season, the stilts are exposed and the village appears to rise six metres above the ground. You may even spot a macaque catching a crab in the nearby flooded mangrove forest!

Visit Angkor Wat that afternoon. Angkor Wat remains one of the most spectacular and recognisable archaeological wonders in the world. It is the largest religious building ever constructed and by far the best preserved of all the Angkorian temples.

Ho Chi Minh City

The next day takes you to Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon, as it is more commonly known.  Take a tour through the bustling streets of Saigon riding pillion on the back of a Vespa and explore the nightlife of one of South East Asia’s most cosmopolitan cities.
No trip to Saigon is complete without a visit to the famous Cu Chi tunnels, a vast network of underground tunnels built as a defence against the French and later, the Americans. See secret trapdoors, underground kitchens, living areas and meeting rooms and for the more adventurous, explore some of the deeper tunnels.  You can always survey the excavated areas from above if you prefer!

Enjoy delicious Vietnamese street food dishes for lunch at Quan An Ngon – one of the most popular restaurants in Ho Chi Minh – and spend the afternoon exploring city sights. The Chill Bar, on the rooftop of the AB Tower, is one of THE places to go for a drink in the city – relax and enjoy the view after a busy day exploring Ho Chi Minh.

The next leg of your adventure takes you to Halong Bay, Danang and Hoi An before heading home via Bangkok. Click here for part two of the journey!