Angkor What?

Our reason for visiting Cambodia? Angkor Wat, of course! Crossing the border by bus was probably one of the most stressful experiences I’ve encountered yet. If and when I visit again I vow to fly in to avoid the hassle. The ruse is that all buses stop quite close by to the border, then you’re offered services to organise your crossover for an extra fee that we had been promised would not occur. Being as stubborn as we are, we refused, and embarked on the short but complicated walk to the border. We ended up crossing the border at the same time as the others on our bus; though once we got through we didn’t really save as much as we had been quoted. To make matters worse the bus company then tried to dupe us into buying another bus ticket because ‘we didn’t come through with them’. We were very fortunate that the other travellers vouched for us, though it was a great lesson learned. When we finally arrived in Siem Reap, we made our way to the hostel, HI Siem Reap. Granted there was a mix up and Nevena and I had to share a bed for the first night (which proved to be no big deal, and we each saved a few dollars), the hostel had real character, I was definitely a fan. It came down mostly to our tuk tuk driver George, who was so lovely both while driving us round the temples and even just around the hostel, we even have him on facebook!

One of the temples

Food

Food wise, we found the Cambodian cuisine to be a strange mix of their South East Asian neighbours, but unfortunately not quite as nice. The highlights for use would have been going for Cambodian BBQ on our last night, and the ridiculously cheap local beers, which gave us a great introduction to reaching my goal of liking beer by the end of our six weeks in Asia. 

Angkor Wat

Shopping

The main shopping we did was in the huge market bazaar just a couple minutes walk from the central ‘Pub Street’ in Siem Reap. Every time we went in there we were guaranteed to find a new item to lust over. How we managed to leave Siem Reap without blowing the budget is beyond me, and consequently brings up a little pride in our self-control.

Angkor Wat

Temples

Our tuk tuk driver George took us around the temples of Angkor Wat for two full days, and I assure you if you only see one temple in all of Asia you would be a fool not to make it this one. This collection of temples is the piece de résistance of temples. The highlights were undoubtedly the main temple of Angkor Wat, which we saw at sunrise, and I could not recommend the experience any more. I could have spent a whole day wandering through the grounds; there could not be more to look at. We decided to venture out the back, where we encountered some seemingly cute monkeys, until one decided to chase me round and attempt to use me as a tree. I came out from that unscathed but somewhat shaken, with a hysterically laughing Nevena by my side. Another must see would have to be the particular temple where tomb raider was filmed, not only was it incredibly to see the movie adaption in the flesh, it really is a gorgeous piece of architecture. We also seemed to ‘acquire’ a tour guide within that temple, who was very informative and even worth the small amount of money he asked of us.

Another temple

Nightlife

Down Pub Street in the centre of town you’ll find a wide assortment of restaurants, pubs, clubs and bars, with just about anything to take your fancy. Our regular spot became the popular Angkor Wat? Bar, which offered reasonable priced buckets and a great atmosphere. They even give away free t-shirts away with every two buckets you buy (mine now serves as one of my favourite shirts to sleep in.

Angkor What

Beauty treatments 
It seemed necessary to get a massage, considering the ridiculously low prices in comparison to that of Australia. It didn't quite compare to those in Thailand, but given the price tag I'd consider it a great success. We also made sure to check out one of the street vendors offering the opportunity to have your dead skin bitten off by fish. It was a bizarre feeling, but proved to be quite entertaining, and if anything our feet felt amazing afterwards. 

-Melissa

A weekend in Hong Kong

What’s the main perk of a family trip? When you would have stayed in a miserable hostel in the middle of Hong Kong, you instead have a incredibly spacious and luxurious hotel room all to yourself. Here's a few snapshots of the city, and what I got up to in the few days I spent there. 

My mate Jackie Chan

Food
Yum cha was on the menu daily, it was pretty much food heaven. I lived on BBQ pork rice paper rolls, prawn dumplings, sticky rice and chicken feet (don’t knock it till you try it). Outside of Hong Kong, in Macau, we also tasted the most amazing Portuguese custard tarts at one of their famous bakeries.

Along the waterfront 

Shopping

The highlights would have to have been the ladies markets for jewellery, bags and souvenirs, the aptly named ‘shoe street’ for all things footwear and the duty free at Hong Kong airport for all of the beauty bits I could ever need.

Stanley

Sights

We took two different day trips, one over to Hong Kong Island to Stanley. The views by the water were gorgeous, and we trawled round the markets. Our visit to Macau included casinos, Chinese temples, museums, watching people jump off the side of the (insert name) tower, and enjoying some of the aforementioned Portuguese tarts.

Macau

Of course, as usual, it always comes down to food for me – variety is the spice of life!

-Melissa

Looking for Loch Ness

First stop in Scotland was a trip to the picturesque city of Edinburgh, and although we only spent one full day there it’s safe to say I fell in love. Naturally we had to do a bit of sightseeing, checking out Edinburgh castle and the amazing view it has to offer. The need for a refuel sent us down the street, and into a little pub where I chose the fried haggis balls – surprisingly delicious.

Deciding to take a wander round the city, our first stop was a trip down the Royal Mile which is the high street in Edinburgh. Following that I set off on my own to peruse a few places a friend who had previously lived in Edinburgh had recommended to me. I took a walk down nearby Cockburn street which was very quaint, and also led into an area of cute shops and pubs. Continuing on my quest for shopping I ventured onto Princes Street to get my fix, before heading into the Stockbridge area to check out the charity shops. I also popped into the shop attached to the Whisky distillery to buy my father a quick little present as my grandmother had dismissed the idea of a distillery tour (stubbornness runs in the family I'm afraid).

I ended my day with a light dinner in a nearby cafe, before venturing back to the hotel to check in with the family and watch some trashy TV to unwind.

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle with my Grandma

The only other stop in our Scottish visit was to the infamous Loch Ness. We stayed one night near the lake, making a trip down to see the nearby Urquhart castle covered in snow, and also to the lake to try our luck at spotting the 'mysterious creature'. We had a lot of fun taking funny photos and running round in the snow covered street.

Joking at Loch Ness

-Melissa

Family ties

When your last name’s sprawled across a town in the middle of England, what is one to do but visit said minuscule town and take photos of pretty much every sign, street and poster clad with said name. To make matters even more spectacular there is a ‘Whitwell Wood’, and not only is the train station of the Robin Hood line, it’s also in close proximity to the Robin Hood airport. I’m not going to lie; I don’t think I’ve ever felt cooler.

Here’s a few pictures documenting how snap happy I got.

3 generations of Whitwell's in Whitwell

Sign into town

Whitwell Wood

Whitwell, always classy

-Melissa