Explore with Fran

Join me on the journey as I travel, eat, and drink my way around the world

Departure day – 28th December

by Leave a Comment

After a very relaxing evening in the Radisson Blu at Manchester airport, making full use of the pool and sauna facilities, it was a relatively early start for departure day! Months in the planning, weeks in the waiting, days of goodbyes, and all of a sudden it was here. And it still felt a little too soon. Was I ready? Had I done enough planning? Had I forgotten anything?

The brutal truth as I stood in the queue to check in was, its too damn late if you have Cormack.

But deep down, I knew that I had everything I needed. I have been very ably assisted over the last few weeks by my wingman. Working like a well oiled team. Move out of apartment, check! Store possessions, check! Pack bag for travelling, check! I couldn’t have done it without you kid!

So here I am, sat in a coffee bar at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, making full use of the free wi-fi and being very grateful that the coffee bar accepts cards as there is not one ATM in the whole bloody airport.

And on day 1 of this trip, today is the day that I immediately failed. I booked the flights in a little bit of haste all those months ago. I had a 9:40am flight from Manchester to Paris. And a 23.20 flight from Paris to Buenos Aires. And i’m sure you have done the math by now. That leaves me with 11 hours to kill in the airport. Now, I’m not normally one for “killing time”, but today I will make an exception.

Time check – 13:48 local time, leaving only (only?!?) 9 and a half hours to kill. Oh man! Maybe it’s time to go for a little wander about, check out the duty free shops, have a read of my book, and maybe watch a DVD on the netbook.

Au revoir for now mes amies!

Less than 2 weeks to go…

by Leave a Comment

When you hand your notice in at work almost 3 months in advance, the day you plan to leave seems so far off in the distance that its almost unreal. A date on a calendar that doesn’t hold any special meaning or significance. But like all far off dates, it eventually comes around and it always seems to have arrived much faster than you had imagined. Kind of snuck up on you! And there it was, December 14th 2010, my last day at Lloyds Banking Group.

I now have the unenviable task of emptying my apartment and moving out by the 23rd December which leaves a few days bunking at my sister’s house before heading to Buenos Aires on 28th December.

The idea of giving myself a couple of weeks between leaving work and setting off was to leave plenty time for all the tiresome jobs like moving. However, since leaving work I have been struck down and bed ridden for the last couple of days. I even had to cancel going on the works Xmas do in Edinburgh as I just don’t feel up to it. Not the best of starts to my newly found freedom. And being infirm causes my stress levels to increase, knowing how much I still have to do before leaving the UK. Travel insurance for one. Oh, and not to mention the Xmas shopping that I still have to do.

So for now, I need to take a deep breath, have another lemsip and write a list of all the outstanding jobs I have left.

Last minute reflections – Cambodia

by Leave a Comment

So my final day arrives, and it is time for my last minute reflections on the trip to Cambodia. Funny how it always seems like just yesterday you were sat in an airport despite how long your trip has been. Time has a funny way of doing that to you. Through the ups and downs (and let’s not kid ourselves, there are downs – remember the night I saw my pizza twice in Sihanoukville?), it seems that you have been away forever. But then, like magic, you are back in the airport again and the whole adventure is over!

Moto, sir?

It has been a great adventure though. And like all my trips to Asia it always takes a day or two to readjust from the little cocoon we live in in the West. To reacquaint yourself to the sights, sounds, and smells of Asia. Yes, you do forget that the streets have piles of rotting garbage, that the heat gets unbearable and that if you hear “moto sir?” one more time you will go stir crazy. But after those first couple of days, when you are back in the groove, you find yourself chatting and having fun with the moto drivers, and complaining that you are too cold because of the air-con.

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh was a real highlight, I think I really benefitted from having a couple of days at the start of the trip and then 2 more to finish up at the end. Walking through the city’s streets yesterday, seeing all the old buildings, I really got a feel what it might have been like when it was king of Indochine and described as the “Pearl of Asia”.

Kampot – worth a visit for more than just pepper

I loved Kampot and the slow pace of life down by the river. Oh, and did I mention the great pizzas? :-). Siem Reap has an unfair advantage, with the amazing temples of Angkor Wat on it’s door step, but I also really enjoyed the town, better appreciated once the floods had gone of course.

That leaves Sihanoukville. And with hindsight I wish I had. Left Sihanoukville that is! Shabby town! Shabbier beaches! And city bars owned by middle aged European perverts unable to find a wife at home in Germany.

Wrapping up my last minute reflections

So, to wrap up my last minute reflections on Cambodia. A fantastic trip. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Great locals, great food and great happy hours!

Phnom Penh – Pearl of Asia

by Leave a Comment

Got back to PP last night, not quite as early as I had planned. For some odd reason I seemed to think the bus from Kampot to Phnom Penh was 2 hours. “oh no”, I was reliably informed by my neighbour on the bus. It’s more like 5 hours!

5 and a half hours later we rocked into PP. I’m glad we had the obligatory toilet stops for the driver as I was able to pick up some sustenance, a steamed pork dumpling and some pineapple. Two momentous occasions today deemed the local food safe. First, I was able to safely break wind without shitting myself. Secondly, I was again passing solids!

So, back in PP and I jumped in a tuk tuk to Frangipani 90 Villa. After traversing the length of town and arriving at the hotel, I was informed the hotel was full and they had a “special” room for me at their sister hotel, Frangipani 60. And in fairness, I was quite happy as this second hotel is much closer to the action. So off I went into the night again in the back of a tuk tuk.

After checking in (nice hotel by the way), and freshening up, I went for a wander round. And talk about surprised. Found some fantastic bars. $0.75 happy hour beers, and lovely restaurants. This area is
much nicer than down by the river. Just a shame that I only have 2 nights. Oh well, that’s the nature of travel.

Today was an early start (after a fantastic sleep in a bed that rivals the one at Mea Culpa in Kampot). And from 7.30am to lunchtime I walked to Wat Phnom, via a city walking tour, back along the riverfront, and then all the way to the other side of town to the Russian Market. Shattered!!! And I must stop buying DVDs. I’ll be buggered if they don’t work when I get home.

It’s now 14.40 and I’m having coffee break at Cafe Fresco. Oh, and a little bit of cake, just to keep my strength up for my last night.

Plan? Finish coffee, (and cake!), wander back to room again and make sure I am all set for leaving tomorrow.

Has it really been 2 weeks? Really really

Kampot – if the pepper runs out, we have Ben’s pizzas!

by Leave a Comment

Ok, my second blog in one day. Slightly unusual I agree. However, let me explain.

My first post was when I had just got to Kampot. At this point, my world class pepper stole all the headlines. In the intervening few hours there has been a seismic shift with the pepper falling down the food, and fame pecking order.

Enter, stage right, Ben’s pizzas from Mea Culpa. Where?, all you Lonely Planet afficionados shout! Yeah, I know. Mea Culpa is not in the “bible”. And how that has to change.

One quiet, rainy afternoon in Siem Reap I was surfing the ‘net for somewhere to stay in Kampot. And I stumbled across TripAdvisor and what seemed to be the phenomenon of Mea Culpa. The reviews seemed too good to be true so I emailed and asked for a room immediately.

Now the interesting part. Once you have booked into an establishment there is nothing they would do to discourage you fro
coming. Not flood. Not fire. Not famine. Not even the guesthouse falling down (they will have a family member who has a room for you).

But, get this. I got an email from Ben telling me that his neighbour has started to build a house, there will be noise through the day, and if I want to cancel he could recommend some good guesthouses in town.

For his honesty, I kept the booking. And you know what? I’ve been here all day and not heard any noise. And, here’s the deal breaker. The pizzas, from his self built wood fired oven would give Napoli’s best a run for their money.

Come to Kampot. Come to Mea Culpa.

Kampot – famous for pepper, apparently!

by Leave a Comment

Arrived in Kampot around 10.00am after the relatively short (2 hour) mini bus ride from Sihanoukville. It would have probably felt even shorter if I wasn’t sharing the bus with smoking monks and spitting Cambodians! Oh well, this is Asia.

The minibus driver kindly dropped me at my guest house, Mea Culpa, which is owned and run by an Irish fella called Ben.

I immediately was made to feel welcome and the guesthouse is lovely. Big air con double room, with DVD player and free wi-fi. After a quick change I have come for a walk round and my first thought is that I should have come here sooner. Very reminiscent of Hoi An in Vietnam. Old French colonial style buildings down by the river front and quiet little lanes. A world away from the hustle and bustle of Sihanoukville.

Just sat in Bokor Mountain Lodge, a great little riverside bar/restaurant, having a Lavazza coffee and banana pancakes with a beautiful breeze blowing off the river.

They have a great selection of wines too. I might just stay here all day…