Room Rates

Our adventures together in Laos and Cambodia gave us many many new experiences and we really managed to cram in a lot over the three weeks. For example, our travels included the following...

• Number of days on holiday - 24



• Number of hotels/guesthouses - 7



• Number of beds slept in - 11



• Different modes of transport - 8



• Number of people to share one moto - 3



• Number of people to share one boat built for 100 - 3



• Number of languages spoken or attempted - 4
  


• Number of currencies in Dad's wallet - 5
  


• Number of mosquito bites - 354 (between the three of us)

Biggest Irritations:

• Sharing dinner with swarms of flies and other insects
  


• The ill-fitting door to our room at the poshest of hotels!



• Some of the intrusive wildlife at the Boat Landing guesthouse



• Not being able to speak the language in Laos



• A certain guesthouse proprietor who was all smiles but turned out to be the full of rubbish!



• Dad's stinky feet
  
  

Biggest Reliefs:

• the end of the one-day trek



• finding chocolate cake and Abba music half way down the Mekong



• air conditioning



• Tiger Balm on those blinking mozzie bites



• getting off the motodops at the end of the day's tour in Battambang



• every time we arrived at the Green Garden Home Guesthouse in Siam Reap, a home from home



• The swimming pool at the Green Garden Home Guesthouse
  

We also took great joy in developing our own personal Room Rating system which became necessary when we realised how little you can trust the guidebooks at times. We did learn that even with the most current, up-to-date guidebooks, an empty restaurant and a gut feeling is to be taken as a sure sign of a less than successful place to spend time, let alone eat, despite what the guidebooks might say to the contrary.

So, all the guesthouses and hotels we stayed in were rated, after we had left them, according to the following criteria: Service, Facilities, Comfort and Location, with an easy 1-5 scoring system: 5 = exceptional with that little something extra, 4 = really very good, nothing to complain about, 3 = fits the bill but no frills, 2 = poor standards with definitely nothing to write home about, 1 = terrible!

Guesthouse/Hotel No. of nights Service Facilities Comfort Location Other Comments Green Garden Home, Siam Reap, Cambodia 6 4 5 (swimming pool!!) 5 4 Home from home. The friendliest staff and a warm welcome everytime we arrived (3 separate times) My house, Phnom Srok District, Cambodia 2 2 (DIY) 1 1 4 Perfect for exploring daily village life and mixing with the locals as long as no travel after dark! Uncomfortable nights as no electricity to power fans and noisy dogs Rachael’s House, Sisaphon, Cambodia 3 2 (DIY) 3 3 4 The only place we stayed with a huge events room! Royal Hotel, Battambang, Cambodia 1 3 3.5 4 4 Lovely rooftop restaurant view of the city Lani Guesthouse, Vientiene, Laos 2 2 2.5 3 4 Mimumum in service and facilities. Nice and quiet but void of life at times apart from friendly font desk man. Boat Landing, Luang Namtha, Laos 4 4 4 4.5 5 A wonderful eco-friendly example of responsible tourism in a developing country. Gorgeous garden setting, lots of wildlife and the best food of our trip. Would highly recommend this one! Arimid Guesthouse, Huay Xey, Laos 1 1 2 2 3 Disappointing! Thankfully only a pitstop at the border. Initially very friendly proprieter turned out to be not all as he seemed Villa Salika, Pak Beng, Laos 1 1.5 1 2 4 Perfect location but that's about it! Bel Air Resort, Luang Prabang, Laos 4 4.5 4.5 4 3.5 An exceptional hotel with complimentary laptop and Wifi in every room. Slightly awkward location and shame about the front door but otherwise perfect!

Granted, guesthouses and hotel are to suit your needs and each one did just that. Some we stayed in only one night, just because we had to and they did the job. The ones we stayed in for longer we were more than satisfied with! I wonder if this information will be helpful to anyone else!?

My brother wrote to me recently and mused that during my 2 years away from family and friends and everything that I recognise as home in England, that I might be the one developing my relationships and getting to know family members and friends more deeply. I think its true. Friends who have written letters or emails seem to open up more than they might in a face to face interaction. There's something less threatening or more comfortable for some in penning thoughts on a page rather than speaking to someone directly. But I have also been very fortunate in sharing holidays with many friends and family who have managed to fly out to see me here. This has provided lengthy periods of time with people I may not have had the chance to holiday with in the same way had I been at home. There is also t'he sense of neutrality that South-East Asia offers those from the west, making it a place of reflection and perhaps easier to have more intense conversations. I haven't made it back to the UK in the whole 2 years I have been here and at times that has been really hard, so I am even more grateful to those who have spent the time, effort and money coming to see me: Ruth, Mads, Mum, Kate, Dad and Colette, Lina and Fed - thank you all so much! Dad, Colette and I enjoyed some conversation topics we haven't really touched upon in my whole 30 years of existance. I learnt important, challenging and enlightening things about them both and about myself and I am still reflecting on the very special time we spent together.

Highlights (other than spending 24/7 with yours truely of course):

• The day on motodops exploring the delights of Battambang



• All the Angkorian temples



• The range of excellent food



• Luang Prabang in Laos



• Experiencing ethnic village life at Ban Sida, Luang Namtha, Laos (but not the trek there)