the plan

You need to know that I'm a planner. I like to know how things will happen in order to enjoy them. This poses a problem for someone who also likes to travel independently. It seems there is a pretentious crowd of travellers who think that travelling is only real and authentic if it is spontaneous. But the reality of this can be less romantic: I've spent enough time waiting hours for trains and walking streets in sweltering heat looking for somewhere to sleep, only to find myself in a less than hygienic room on a lumpy foam mattress, sharing stale air with 19 other people.

So I say, make travel work for you. If I'm going to be less stressed knowing where I'm staying in advanced, I'll have much more fun using daylight hours to explore and experience. When I only have limited time, as I do now that I have a real job (albeit with longer holidays than most), I don't want to waste it on organisation. Relaxation and Enjoyment are my priorities. So I like to have a skeleton plan that I can work with and change as I go. I know it always changes, but that's what makes travel so great.

So, here's the plan so far.

• 3 Jan - fly to Bangkok, stay overnight only.
• 4 Jan - fly to Phnom Penh. (FYI airasia has bargain flights)
• a few nights in Phnom Penh
• Bus to Battambang for a day or two.
• Boat to Siem Reap - apparently can take a long time, but sounds like a great way to see real life in Cambodia as it passes floating villages and locals at work in rural areas.
• Siem Reap for at least 4 days - this is where I get to visit Angkor Wat. Sounds like it needs a few days to get around. V. exciting.
• Back to Phnom Penh by bus.
• 14 Jan - fly PP to BKK. Join an Intrepid trip for a week travelling Thailand north east from BKK towards the Myanmar border. I won a voucher for this trip, so I figured I'd better make use of it. For itinerary visit here: http://www.intrepidtravel.com/trips/TSP
• 21 Jan - fly home from BKK