Today we were flying to Cambodia, so not a huge amount to write about.
Obviously the most important thing on our mind was food, so we had an early lunch at ผัดไทยนานา (it didn’t seem to have an English name), one of these unassuming little restaurants that did pretty much pad Thai and nothing else. Unsurprisingly, it was good pad Thai!
We shared a shrimp pad Thai for lunch
Got a Grab to the airport, and then spent some of the generous time we’d allowed making use of the free weighing scales. Air Asia only has a 7kg limit for carry on luggage, which isn’t much when you’re travelling for 5 months! So began the puzzle of seeing what we could fit in various pockets to get below that. We just about managed it – although it did involve both of us wearing our coats and tying our hoodies around our waists, plus some very over stuffed pockets! They didn’t actually weight the bags in the end, possibly the very short turn around didn’t allow enough time. Better safe than sorry though.
I knew it was the rainy season in Cambodia, and had read that Siem Reap can flood in October. So I was slightly concerned when all I could see out of the plane window was flooded fields as we flew over Cambodia – and this was as we’d started the descent to land at the airport.
Cambodia seemed very under water as we descended to land….
Fortunately the airport itself was on dry land. Went through passport control easy enough, although I was a bit worried as on the flight Pete had read through our visas and noticed we were meant to print them out – ooops, too late now. Fortunately it wasn’t an issue.
We grab a taxi using the Grab app, then check into our hotel as begins to rain, hard. Perfect timing! We were staying at the Angkor Rithy Residence. It’s a gorgeous building, and the room was huge) as was the bathroom – all for £13 a night, bargain! They also provide free transfer from the airport, but I’d not noticed the message they’d sent me via Expedia, oh well.
We waited for the rain to ease, then went out for our first taste of Cambodian food. We ate in a restaurant called TRY ME and had beef lok lak and fish amok. Both were were delicious. The fish was similar to a Thai curry, but not as hot and spicy.
Our introduction to Cambodian cuisine – beef lok lak and fish Amok.
Wednesday 12th October 2022
Our original plan was to buy the 3-day Angkor Wat tickets, however we found out the 1-day now gives you an extra one. So we decided to have a relaxing day around Siem Reap, and then buy the tickets after 5pm so we can see the sunset then spend 2 full days (tomorrow and Friday) exploring the temples.
We had a slow stroll from our hotel to downtown, then stopped off at My Little Cafe for lunch. We shared pork dumplings, and I had a Khmer red curry while Pete chose fried chicken and rice (his stomach was feeling very slightly upset, so laying off the spice – otherwise he’d definitely be joining me in the local food!). The curry was lovely – very mild and creamy.
Lunch at My Little Cafe
We then continued our walk to Pub Street, although it was very quiet during the daytime.
We weren’t actually planning to have a drink (still a bit early), but it was on the way on our banana ice cream hunt (something we do every new place we go). The first place was closed, and the second, Gelato lab, does do the elusive flavour but had ran out. I was, however, intrigued by dark chocolate with Kampot pepper! So we gave that a go, along with salted caramel. I wouldn’t buy the chocolate again, but the salted caramel was great.
We sat upstairs and shared our ice cream
After I’ve cream, we walked along the river – very picturesque!
The Siem Reap river (at least that’s the name that comes up on google maps – not very imaginative!)
It was now mid-afternoon – perfect cocktail time! By coincidence, a friend of mine had recommended a cocktail bar, The Keys, so we decided to check it out.
It was a great recommendation (thanks Octavia!) – lovely drinks and a beautiful setting.
We’d originally planned to walk to the Angkor Wat ticket office, so continued on our way. One of the things that surprised me about Siem Reap was how big and and wide the roads were – in some ways reminded me of America, where you need a car to get anywhere.
We got about half way there then thought maybe a tuk tuk would be a good idea – just in case there were big queues, it might be better to get there early. So we used our trusty Grab app to get a tuk tuk.
We bought our 1-day passes, then continued in the tuk tuk to Phnom Bakheng. It was a lovely walk up the hill to the temple, and we were very lucky to be treated to a beautiful sunset at the top.
Beautiful sunset at Phnom Bakheng
We took the tuk tuk back down to pub street, to take advantage of the $0.50 beers before dinner.
We ate at the Christa Restaurant & Bar, where I had a Khmer tamarind curry and Pete had stir fry chicken with Khmer spices – both were very tasty!
It was raining first thing, so we made a bit of a slow start to the day and used the time to collect our washing from the laundry place, do a bit of packing, and try to plan some more of our trip (mainly figuring out how to get across from Cambodia to Vietnam).
Late morning we set off for an early lunch – shrimp wantons and shrimp pad Thai at Yentafo Phua Ki. The wantons were definitely the highlight of the meal.
The shrimp wantons at Yentafo Phua Ki were gorgeous!
After lunch, we went in search of a tuk tuk to take us Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen, a temple with a ginormous Buddha statue a few miles out from where we were staying. How hard could it be? Surprisingly so, considering the throngs of tuk tuk drivers that were usually so eager for our custom. None of them wanted to take us for some reason, can only guess it was too far out from the centre. Instead we found a taxi and negotiated a fare of 150 baht to take us there. Only after we got in did I think we should have just insisted he use the metre – oh well.
We could see the Buddha from some distance as we approached. It’s taller than a lot of buildings, so hard to describe how impressive it is up close!
We wandered through the large neighbouring temple. There were so many monks in their orange robes, and it was also very busy in general (suspect this is because it was a Holy Buddhist day, which we later found out). By the temple, there’s a river absolutely teeming with fish! It’s amazing how much time you can kill just watching them – very relaxing.
The river was absolutely teeming with fish!
We then went to see the neighbouring white pagoda, which was perhaps equally as impressive as the Buddha. We felt very privileged to be there when they were painting the wall on one of the floors – so detailed and intricate, it was inspiring seeing them work!
The white pagoda at War Paknam Phasi Charoen. We felt very lucky to catch them painting it.
The views from the top of the pagoda were also pretty cool. Slightly surreal seeing the back of the giant Buddha against the backdrop of the city scape.
We then walked across street to a smaller complex of temples, which kind of reminded me of a carnival (which I hope isn’t too disrespectful a thing to think….). We also saw a whole family on a motorbike – mum, dad, and three kids. Am amazed they fit, and didn’t look that safe!
We found a taxi back to town quite easily, and this time did insist on them using their metre which meant the fare ended up 50% of our outward journey, at 75 baht.
Hopped into a bar for a quick drink, and ordered two large Chang…. only for them pointed to a large sign saying “Holy Buddhist Day today, illegal to serve alcohol” Ok, in that case a banana milkshake for Pete and large water for me.
To make up for the disappointing lack of beer, we went on another banana ice cream hunt (something we do on every holiday). We were (semi) successful – banana and strawberry kind of counts!
Pete was excited to find his beloved banana ice cream (with added strawberry this time), I had matcha green tea and macadamia nut.
On our way out to dinner, we saw a bar advertising beer. Maybe it’s ok here? Or maybe not. Although they served us Changs without questioning it, they came in teapots! Which confused me a bit at first, but after a quick google realised it is indeed illegal to sell alcohol in Thailand today.
Beer in a teapot
We wanted to go back to our favourite restaurant for dinner, as it’s our last day in Bangkok. It was starting to rain as we got there, and they said takeaways only. I assume it’s because they were expecting torrential rain and there’s very little shelter for the outdoor tables. So we went to the place next door to share a Thai red curry and chicken with cashew nuts. It was pretty good, but took ages to arrive. The rain had apparently blown over without being too horrific, and it seemed like the little noodle stall was now accepting dine in guests. So we went back for a shared “dessert” of crispy pork pad kee mao. Just as delicious as we remembered it being, and the perfect end to the day.
Crispy pork pad kee mao – “dessert” at our favourite Bangkok restaurant
So after our previous days of getting up much later than we’d like,we set an 8.30am alarm. Hopefully this’ll help us kick the jet lag! First job of the day is to take our clothes to the nearest laundry – check! Apparently we need to collect them tomorrow morning, fingers crossed they’ll be dry as we fly to Cambodia the following day.
Chores done, we set off for the day. According to the weather forecast it’s heavy thunderstorms from 11am onwards so we decide to do indoor stuff. The Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre sounded perfect. Three miles from where we were staying – an hours bus ride though, so thought we may as well make the most of the dry weather by walking.
We stopped for a very early lunch (by 11am we were starting to feel hungry, probably as we didn’t have dinner last night) at a restaurant called Chaiyapram. Menu was completely in Thai, but luckily the very helpful owner spoke great English. We shared a spicy chicken noodle dish between us.
We shared chicken noodles with chilli and Thai basil – tasty enough but not the best meal we’ve had here.
After lunch, we continued our walk to the Arts Centre. When we arrived we were hot, sweaty, and in need of an ice cream break. As luck would have it, there’s an ice cream shop on the 4th floor. All the classic flavours – coconut, chocolate, global warming. jelly lactobacillus….. I played it safe and went for strawberry cheesecake (delicious), Pete took a punt on global warming (turned out to be mint choc chip!)
After our well deserved ice creams, we wandered around the museum. Rather than any large exhibition, there were several very small discreet exhibits spread across the various floors. There was one very thought provoking one documenting the refugees from Myanmar and the camps near the Thai border – I never imagined the aid would be delivered by people wading across the river, it certainly put our worries into perspective!
The Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre, a very interesting building and free to enter.
Our next stop was the Jim Thompson House museum. I’d never actually heard of Jim Thompson – apparently some American entrepreneur who moved to Thailand and started a silk business, then mysteriously went missing whilst on holiday, and he’s actually quite famous. I just thought it might be interesting to see his house as I quite enjoy looking at different buildings / inside houses. The museum itself wasn’t particularly impressive, but there’s a free guided tour which really bought it to life. It was quite a cool house (and several other smaller buildings) in a jungle-like garden. I wouldn’t necessarily put it down as a top sight to see in Bangkok, but definitely interesting and a good option for wet weather.
The Jim Thompson House Museum
The rain had still held off, so we decided to walk back in the direction of the hotel, fending off all the tuk tuk offers along the way. We stopped for a beer at a little bar along the canal, was very relaxing watching the fish as the rain began to fall.
Enjoying a beer by the canal as the rain began
We suspected we wouldn’t have long before the thunderstorm starter in earnest, so went to a restaurant called Jeng Noodle, a short walk away, for dinner. We timed it just right, as within 10 minutes of sitting down, it was torrential downpour, thunder, & lightening! We shared chicken with cashews (very yummy), pork with chill and Thai basil, and a chicken noodle dish (the latter two were nice, but didn’t stand out compared with other meals we’ve had). It was still heavy rain when we’d finished, so we shared a large Chang whilst we waited for it to ease off.
We made it to the restaurant just before the torrential rain and thunderstorms came!
We walked back to our hotel, and then Pete went out to forage beer and snacks from the local Seven Eleven. I’m not sure if he deliberately looked for the ones with the most suggestive sounding names he could find.
Our jet lag is definitely not improving! Despite setting the alarm for 9am, we didn’t get up until gone 11am – just can’t seem to get to sleep until the early hours of the morning. And getting up is definitely not helped by the fact that our hotel bedroom has no windows, so even in the middle of the day it’s pitch black. No matter, we’re not in a rush, and after getting up we head straight for the Grand Palace (our second attempt, after yesterday’s was thwarted by the friendly local/tuk tuk salesman).
The Grand palace was huge and very impressive! It took a while to wander around, admiring the various temples – the photos certainly don’t do it justice.
A few photos from the Grand Palace
We had lunch at Saiwatana, one of the restaurants in the street just along from the Grand Palace. Chicken with cashew nuts and crispy pork with chilli and Thai basil – both delicious!
Our lunch at Saiwatana
Rain had been threatening since early afternoon, so we thought the best plan would be to get a boat down the river before the thunderstorm started. That didn’t go quite to plan. We paid our 5 baht (seemed too cheap, but you never know), boarded the boat, and set off….. across to the other bank where it terminated. Oh well, we were now right by the Wat Arun (or Temple of Dawn) so thought we might as well make the most of the opportunity and pay the temple a visit.
Wat Arun was pretty impressive, and there were some nice views across the river.
After visiting the temple, we could feel the wind picking up. The thunderstorm was due 2 hours ago, so getting closer to home might be wise! Boat back across the river it is then. When we got to the other side, I was very surprised by how much the water level had risen whilst we were walking around Wat Arun – disembarking involved wet feet!
Ferry across the river, back to the Grand Palace.
After having so many offers from enthusiastic tuk tuk drivers, we decided to finally relent and took one back to Khaosan Road. It was quite a fun experience, and very impressive the way he was able to effortlessly weave in and out of traffic!
Tuk tuk ride to Khaosan Road.
We walked down Khaosan Road, in search of a nice looking bar. It was much quieter than I’d expected, although there were still the usual vendors with insects on sticks and over enthusiastic tailors and massage salespeople!
Stroll along Khaosan Road
There weren’t any bars that particularly stood out, so we decided to go back to Rambuttri Alley, which (in my opinion) has a slightly nicer ambiance. We had a few beers in a bar, as the rain finally started to fall. We’d had a lateish, pretty filling lunch, so didn’t bother with dinner – a few beers and some prawn crackers was just what we needed to end the day!
Not much to write about yesterday – we flew from Cairo to Amman, Jordan in the morning. Original plan was to take a bus into the city, but I had developed a cold and Pete was struggling to walk (the effects of squatting in a pyramid tunnel for too long!) so we had a very chilled day in the airport (me slowly sipping red wine, Pete intermittently napping), as our flight to Bangkok departed late at night.
We landed at 3.15pm local time, but by the time we’d cleared security and customs, waited for our bags, and navigated the vast airport it was getting close to 5pm. Pete sent me into a bit of a panic, when he casually mentioned they’d not stamped our passports when we went through security. I was sure we needed this to exit the country, and a quick google search confirmed this! After frantically looking through our passports, we breathed a big sigh of relief to find there were indeed stamps with our entry date into the country.
The next challenge was to find out where to get our Grab (an Uber type app widely used over here) from. The airport has multiple levels, which all seem to reachable by road. We eventually found out it was Level 2, exit 3 for Grab car pickups and had a smooth journey into Bangkok. After Cairo, I was surprised by how calm and organised the roads seemed, with no one feeling the need to honk their horn.
We checked into our hotel, dropped our bags, then headed out for dinner. We were staying at Hotel Orchid 153, and I was very impressed with the large, comfortable room we got for the c.£10/night we’d paid (although the shower and toilet were in the same cubical, which was a little weird – we had to keep remembering to remove the toilet paper before we had a shower so it didn’t get soaked!)
We ate at a little restaurant called Momo Samsen. As it’s in the name, we had to order the momos (we chose pork) followed by a chicken Thai green curry with rice and chicken fried noodles. We shared all the dishes, and they were divine. Definitely the best Thai green curry I’ve ever eaten (the only one in Thailand though, so hopefully there will be many more to match it on our travels!)
After dinner, we headed to the infamous Khaosan Road for a drink. We didn’t actually make it that far though, as the rain had resumed. So we ducked into a nice bar on neighbouring Soi Rambuttri Road, which had some live music (a guy playing guitar and singing, he was very good!). When I say ducked inside, we actually sat outside but it was fully covered so we stayed dry.
On the way to Soi Rambuttri Road – I was surprised how quiet and chilled out Bangkok was
After a couple of drinks, we braved the rain and walked back to our hotel to bed.
Friday 7th October 2022
I think we must be very jet lagged! (Plus I’m still recovering from my cold). Woke up to Pete saying, “wow it’s quarter to eleven” – we never wake anywhere near that late. After showering and dressing, we went in search of lunch. We ate at an awesome little restaurant called Nava – it’s always a good sign when you’re the only obviously foreign looking people in the restaurant and no English is spoken! We ordered a shrimp Pad Thai and a peppery soupy chicken noodle dish (can’t remember the name!). Both were excellent, but the Pad Thai was definitely my favourite – I loved the salty, crispy, tiny shrimp in it.
Our yummy lunch at Nava restaurant
Our plan was to head to the Grand Palace, but we got waylaid by a friendly local who started chatting to us. He gave us directions to the Grand Palace, but also said it was closed today (I wasn’t 100% sure whether to believe him, but we gave him the benefit of the doubt), and instead gave us a list of places (mainly involving Buddhas) that he recommended. He also suggested we visit by tuk tuk, and very conveniently, one just happened to turn up at that minute. We didn’t particularly want to take a tuk tuk, so politely declined – they tried to persuade us, but were way less persistent than the guys in Cairo.
We didn’t have a specific plan for the day, so walked in the direction that the tuk tuk guy said the big Buddha was (although we never did find it). We shortly passed by the Democracy Monument.
The Democracy Monument – one of the fanciest roundabouts I’ve come across.
I was quite surprised how eager the locals were to point out Pete’s belly on our walk “me 5 months pregnant, you 7 months pregnant, hahaha”. Although I guess being around 6ft he does stand out a bit (not so much in the touristy areas filled with westerners though).
We carried on along our way, and shortly came across Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin, a royal pavilion set in a neat little park.
Royal Pavilion MahajetsadabadinThe very intricate and ornate royal pavilion.
We carried on walking, until Pete spotted a Model 3 Tesla – which of course he needed to take a photo of. Unfortunately, we were right outside the army base so immediately had a guard running to tell us off as photos weren’t allowed, ooops!
Luckily we were allowed to continue on our way (and Pete get to keep his photo!) and walked further down the road to a temple, Wat Benchamabophit Dusitwanaram
Wat Benchamabophit Dusitwanaram
Just after we’d entered the temple, it started raining. There was a small cafe / ice cream stall with a bit of shelter, so we decided to grab an ice cream. Good decision – even as we walking over, the heavens opened and it started absolutely pouring with rain.
Bought an ice cream and sheltered from the rain
The rain morphed into a huge thunderstorm, so we ended up staying there for well over an hour. It was actually quite relaxing though, and the ice creams were good too.
As soon as the rain eased, we we started off back to our hotel. Although it was no longer a torrential downpour, we still got pretty soaked so went to our room to change and relax for a short while.
It was still raining when we went out for dinner, but the hotel very kindly gave us a couple of umbrellas to borrow. We already knew exactly where we were going – last night we’d spotted a small outdoor food cart, where they were were constantly stir frying delicious smelling food, with a continuous stream of motorbikes coming to collect them for what I assume were takeaways. It seems to be predominantly takeaway based, but they were happy to set up a little for us outside, but under the shelter of a roof canopy. We ordered chicken fried noodles, and pad kee mao with crispy pork. We were both in agreement that the pork was our favourite dish we’d eaten in Thailand so far – crispy yet melt in the mouth, and the sauce was flavoursome with a nice kick to it! We enjoyed it so much we ordered a “dessert” to share of crispy pork fried rice.
Good food at Aunt Lek restaurant Samsen 4
It was still a bit wet, so we headed to the nearest bar on the main road for a couple of beers and to update our blogs before retiring to bed.
Today was mostly taken up by travelling. We caught the bus back to Bergamo airport, which was pretty straightforward. A much nicer (dryer!) walk to and from the metro than when we arrived and we could buy the tickets from the bus. We’d managed to check in to our AirArabia flight online, but for some reason had to get our boarding passes at the airport. When we arrived, the queue to our check in desk was huge, so we were glad we’d allowed plenty of time before our flight!
The flight was pretty uneventful. We arrived in Cairo late afternoon, and the temperature was in the high 30s, so a big change from Milan and the UK!
Our first sight of Egypt – we immediately noticed the heat!!
Navigating the airport was quite interesting. We followed the exit signs but various people kept telling us to go different ways. I also lost count of the number of taxi drivers accosting us. One was particularly persistent and kept insisting that outside was “dangerous” and we couldn’t trust anyone but him. The price he was quoting (EGP 600) was way more than Uber (EGP 150, or about £6) which we’d previously looked up so we firmly said no and continued walking. I’d definitely recommend using Uber, not just because it’s cheaper but because you know you won’t get hassled or have anyone try and persuade you to go to somewhere you don’t want to go. We couldn’t get WiFi inside the airport terminal but it was fine once we were outside, we’d still have used Uber even if we’d had to pay for mobile data though.
It took about an hour to arrive in downtown Cairo, where we were staying. The traffic is very heavy, and saying that people like to use their horns is definitely an understatement!
We stayed in the Dahab hostel. The guy on reception was super friendly and gave us some great restaurant suggestions (more on that later). The rooms are very basic, but clean, the air conditioning worked, and it was cheap – so for somewhere just to sleep it was perfect for us! It’s on the rooftop, so there’s also a somewhat maze-like terrace, which was pretty cute but also filled with cats! I’m allergic so didn’t interact too much with them, but a lot of the guests stroked them, or let them sit on their laps (or shoulders!)
Dahab hostel, where we stayed. It’s on the rooftop so a lot of outdoor areas, where you can sit & relax if you so choose.
By this time it was evening, so we dropped our bags off then headed out to Kazaz (one of the hostel guys suggestions) for dinner. On the way we bought some water. I say bought, the vendor insisted someone else had already paid for it. We were initially sceptical that is was some kind of scam (and also kind of wanted to pay for it – it’s not like we couldn’t afford 2 bottles of water), but no they were just being very nice.
We continued to Kazaz where we shared a beef kebab (which was more like a beef stew) and a chicken shawarma wrap type thing. They were both delicious, although the beef was very inconsistent temperature wise (lukewarm in some places, but very hot in others) which made me slightly concerned about how long they’d left it out/whether it had been reheated multiple times. We were both absolutely fine though, so I needn’t have worried.
Very tasty kebabs at Kazaz restaurant
After dinner we were both pretty tired, so went back to our hostel to sleep.
Monday 3rd October 2022
The following morning we headed straight to the Egyptian museum. It was a bit of mission getting there. The roads are extremely busy with very few traffic lights or pedestrian crossings. Our strategy was to wait until a local started crossing and then keep very close to them! Although cars do stop for you, it can be quite intimidating, especially as they’re constantly honking their horns. The pavements also tend to be inaccessible (either blocked by market stalls or just closed off for some reason) so you spend most of your time walking in the road, trying not to get in the way of the weaving motorbikes.
When we got to the museum entrance, some guy tried persuading us it had moved and we needed to follow him. We ignored him and carried on – which turned out to be the right thing as (unsurprisingly) the entrance had not been moved.
The Egyptian Museum
Once in the museum grounds we were immediately accosted by guides trying to get us to use their services. One was particularly persistent and eventually Pete told him we wanted to have a look ourselves first and then might take a tour later on. In hindsight, a firm no would have been better. After about 10 minutes of being inside the museum, it became apparent the guide had followed us inside and then began another hard sell for a tour. Eventually we managed to get rid of him and continued on our way.
The building itself was vast and had a huge array of artefacts from various points in Egypts history. By far the most impressive was the exhibit for Tutankhamun’s tomb (unfortunately no photos allowed). The coffin, gold death mask, and various pieces of jewellery were all in pristine condition and so ornate – truly remarkable!
After exploring the museum, we were getting hungry so headed to Abou Tarek (another recommendation from the hostel guy) for Koshari – a typical Egyptian dish and the only one this restaurant serves. It’s kind of a mix of pasta, lentils, and chickpeas with a tomato based sauce and crispy onions. Apparently there’s a way to make the sauce and mix it up, which the very friendly waiter was eager to show us (and suggested we film it, which we did)
How to mix Koshari. The waiter was very helpful and showed us how it’s done!The finished dish – it was even more tasty than it looks.
It turned out to be a great recommendation, as we both thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was completely different to anything I’d eaten before.
After lunch, we walked down to the Nile and strolled along the river. When I say stroll, like most things in Cairo, it wasn’t exactly relaxing or peaceful, but still enjoyable.
View of the Nile.
We crossed the bridge to Gezira island. Whilst we were walking over the bridge, a random guy started to chatting to us. When he said it was Election Day and the Cairo Tower was closed, and so were all museums, I started to get very suspicious (especially as we knew the Museum of Egypt wasn’t closed as we’d been there this morning!). He tried to take us a “really good bazaar with good Egyptian prices”, which we politely declined. When it became apparent we weren’t going to follow him, he started asking for money. We just said no, and continued on our way towards the Cairo Tower.
As we got closer to the Tower, some people sitting by the side of the road tried to direct us down a side road. We thought it was another scam and continued the way we were going, but turns out they might have been genuine as we ended up walking round the perimeter of a big sports stadium. It didn’t really matter that much, as it was more shaded by the stadium and we’re pretty happy with walking. Although it did make me feel a little bad that I’m so suspicious of anyone trying to divert us off the route we’re walking.
When we got to the tower, I was surprised that face masks were compulsory. This was the first (and only) place where this rule applied and hardly anyone in Cairo seemed to be wearing masks. We didn’t have any with us, so had to buy them. I’m not sure if it was just a money making exercise, as once inside the staff had their masks around their chins and most visitors weren’t really wearing them either.
The Cairo Tower
The view from the Tower was amazing, and definitely worth the c.£10/ticket entry fee. After walking round the perimeter outside and admiring the views for a while, we went down a floor to the cafe and had a drink whilst admiring the view.
By the time we walked back to our hostel, it was early evening so we consulted google to find a restaurant to eat. Not particularly successful as the road it was on appeared to be closed, and after a big diversion through crowded streets filled with market stalls it appeared the restaurant no longer exists! Instead we went to Gad, an Egyptian fast food place which did kebabs and pizzas, and shared a mixed grill. By this time it was getting quite late, and we need to be up early tomorrow, so we went back to our hostel to sleep.
Tuesday 4th October 2022
Today we had an early start so we could go to the Great Pyramids at Giza at 8am, to hopefully avoid the worst of the day’s heat. We were originally thinking of getting an Uber, but in the end decided on a tour organised by our hostel as it was only $30 for a car with private driver and meant we’d get to see a few other places at the same time.
When we arrived, we were immediately accosted by people trying to sell us things. Although for a change it came in quite handy as Pete didn’t have a hat and it was going to be a hot day.
We decided to walk around the complex rather than get a camel or horse and cart ride. I lost count of the number of people offering us very good Egyptian price for these though, and also telling us it’s way too far for us to walk (it wasn’t). There were also a few people who claimed to work there who asked to see our tickets and then wanted to take us to some special area or other. We always declined and we’re usually left alone after a few firm “no”s.
We didn’t go inside the pyramids as they’re pretty expensive and we knew were going to see some others on the way back to Cairo, which we would go inside. We spent a couple of hours or so walking around the complex and admiring the pyramids from the outside – they are very impressive! – before going back to find our driver.
Our next stop was the papyrus institute, where we learnt how papyrus was made (very interesting). We were also impressed that if you write on the paper in biro (or anything else presumably), you cam then rub it out with the stem of the plant! After the papyrus institute, we went to a lotus flower place, which I found less interesting and more like a salesy stop. If we weren’t so restricted on luggage (most of the internal flights we’ll be taking later in our trip have a 7kg limit) we may have purchased some of the lotus flower perfume, but as it was we didn’t want to buy anything. We did get to try some hibiscus tea there though, which I’ve never had before but really enjoyed (very sweet and fruity).
Our final stop was Dahshur, a royal necropolis with two of Egypts oldest and best preserved pyramids – the red pyramid and the bent pyramid. On the way we drive past the stepped pyramid at Saqqara, which was pretty cool.
At Dahshur, we went inside the bent pyramid, which involved a lot more physical exertion that I expected – a lot of very small, low, narrow tunnels and sets of steep staircases! There were also a lot of bats in the final chamber. I have no idea how they got there.
We got back to Cairo late afternoon, feeling very tired and hungry! We were dropped off at the hostel, so we could wash our feet (which were extremely dusty after being in the dessert) and have a quick sit down and rest before heading back out to eat. As it was so good, we went back to the Koshari place and shared a dish between the two of us for a “starter” then went on to another restaurant where we had feteer (a flaky Egyptian pastry) filled with sausage. Then home to bed – tomorrow we have a long journey ahead, as we’re flying to Bangkok via Amman, Jordan.
We spent quite a while researching flights, and after hours of checking various routes on Skyscanner and Google Flights found that Bangkok via Milan and Cairo worked out the cheapest option! Rather than having a very long period of flights and time at airports, we decided to have brief 2-3 night stopovers in both Milan and Egypt.
Thursday 29th September 2022 – London to Milan
We didn’t have the most successful start to our trip. The plane was an hour late arriving, and when we finally boarded we ended up sitting on the plane for another 3 hours before it finally took off (by this point we were very glad we had a Wetherspoons breakfast at the airport!). Apparently air traffic control strikes made it very difficult to get a take off slot after our original one had been missed.
Our arrival in Milan coincided with the start of a huge thunderstorm. We’d taken the shuttle bus from Bergamo airport to Milan Central station, and the short walk from the bus stop to the metro left us soaked through! When we got to our Airbnb we had to unpack everything and hang our clothes out to dry as everything in our rucksacks was slightly damp. The lesson learnt there is to get some kind of waterproof lining or cover for our bags!
By now it was getting fairly late and as it was still raining we went to the closest place for dinner, a small restaurant called Pausa https://pausa.com
Luckily for us, it happened to do very tasty and reasonably priced pizzas. In fact, they were so nice we ordered a 3rd pizza to take back to our Airbnb (along with a bottle of wine) and share. It had been a long day and we’d not eaten since breakfast in the airport.
Friday 30th September 2022 – day in Milan
Our first job in the morning was to go to an outdoor store and buy some Nikwax spray to waterproof our bags and coats. Hopefully it’ll prevent them getting soaked in torrential rain again!
It was a bit of a wet, slightly miserable day and we were feeling quite tired so decided to have a relatively lazy day. We took a walk down to see the Doumo Cathedral, which was pretty impressive even in the wet weather
The cathedral still looked beautifully impressive in the rain
By the time we’d seen the cathedral it was getting close to lunch so we decided to grab a bite to eat at the neighbouring Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. I’m not usually a fan of shopping centres, but this one was definitely quite impressive.
I was slightly dubious about eating here, as it’s obviously very touristy but the food was actually very good. It was more expensive (50 euro for a main plus drink for 2 people) but the ambiance and atmosphere made it worthwhile.
Our pasta dish in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
We had a little wander around the shopping centre before stumbling across the Leonardo da Vinci museum.
The most ornate shopping centre I’ve visited
We had a look around the Leonardo da Vinci museum. This museum contains models of several of da Vinci’s impressive inventions (although disappointingly none of them moved)
Giant models in the da Vinci museum
After the museum, we wandered back to our Airbnb and bought some ice cream on the way. Whenever we’re away, we always hunt out banana ice cream as it’s surprisingly rare in the Uk. So it was satisfying to find some so close to where we staying (it was very good ice cream as well!)
Delicious banana ice cream!
Early evening, we took a walk to the Naviglio district of Milan, where there are a lot of nice bars and restaurants
The Naviglio district is very picturesque and has some lovely bars along the banks.
Quite a lot of the bars were doing all you can eat buffets with a drink for about 13 euros per person. However we decided to give these a miss and instead went to Pigato for a pre-dinner aperitivo.
The cocktails at Pigato were very good and came with a tasty array of snacks.
After our drinks, we headed slightly away from the waterfront and had dinner at the excellent value La Magolfa & Go. The food here was delicious and it was great value – our total bill was 30 euros for a ham and porcini pizza, a large focaccia with anchovies, a bottle of wine, and a tiramisu.
Our excellent value meal at La Magolfa & Go
Saturday 1st October 2022 – our second full day in Milan
After another relatively slow and lazy start to the day, we headed out and came across some ruins – apparently it was the ruins of the old imperial palace, but it was quite cool and slightly random to find them in the middle of an otherwise built up area.
Old ruins of the imperial palace
We then enjoyed an early lunch at Pasto, a lovely little restaurant that specialises in handmade pasta. I must say, the pasta was amazing and very reasonably priced.
Our delicious Italian lunch
After lunch, we walked up to the Castello Sforzesco and had a wander around.
Outside of the Castello Sforzesco
We happened to stumble across a lovely farmers market in the castle grounds, and whiled away a bit of time sampling a range of Italian delicacies.
We happened upon a lovely little farmers market.Some cool looking mushroomsThe chilli stand was my favourite looking display – very colourful!
We managed to sign up to a free wine tasting session at the farmers market, so spent an hour relaxing in the park before it began. We didn’t understand a huge amount (it was all in Italian!) but did enjoy the interesting selection of wines, including an unusual sparkling red.
After the wine tasting, we walked back to the cathedral to enjoy an aperitivo on the Aperol Terrazzo overlooking the Duomo.
Our cocktail came with a delicious selection of mini burgers and other snacksThe cathedral looked much more majestic in the sun!
We tried to get dinner in a local pizza place, but unfortunately it was fully booked all night. Instead we got a takeaway, which actually worked out quite well as we happened to have a bottle of wine at the Airbnb and also had packing etc to get done.
I can understand why the restaurant was fully booked, the pizzas were extremely good!
Our time in Milan went extremely quick, although we fitted in a lot of pizza and wine! Tomorrow on to our next stop, Cairo.
Glasgow isn’t a city I’ve ever wanted to visit. Not that I’ve ever had anything against it, it’s just never jumped out in the same way as Edinburgh for example. However when a friend on mine told me about their recent trip to Glasgow on the Caledonian Sleeper I thought it sounded fun and a great way to travel. The train leaves London around 11pm (although you can get into your cabin slightly earlier) and gets into Glasgow the next day, which means no time wasted on travelling. It also meant no rush leaving work early and I could enjoy a leisurely meal with friends before I set off.
I was slightly apprehensive because I was travelling solo and wasn’t really sure what to expect, however I needn’t have worried. I had a nice little cabin all to myself, which although compact was very clean and comfortable. The toilets are shared, and pretty much the same as normal train toilets, except they were also kept spotlessly clean.
My “hotel” room for the night, clean and comfortable
There was also a small cafe and bar carriage, where you could sit down and get a drink or light meal if you so wished. As it was late and I’d already been out to London, I went straight to bed.
The bar and dining carriage
Glasgow Day 1
I arrived in Glasgow around 7.30am the next morning so had the whole day ahead of me. I was staying at the Ibis Stlyes Glasgow Central (near the modern art museum), so made my way there to drop off my bags and then headed out to explore Glasgow.
My first stop was the University of Glasgow and it’s beautiful architecture. I didn’t just come to admire the buildings though, this is also home to the weird and wonderful Hunterian Museum (free to visit). I would definitely recommend this, especially if you’re interested in science and not too squeamish. It has a fantastically diverse array of exhibits – from Roman artefacts, to Art (and going via pickled body parts in jars, Lord Kelvin’s old instruments, & deformed (e.g. Siamese twins) stuffed animals! A truly interesting place, if a little macabre in places.
I then walked over to the Kelvingrove Museum . This is actually one of Glasgows largest and most popular museums, and you could quite easily spend hours there. It has a wide range of exhibits, including Renaissance art, stuffed animals, and artefacts from ancient Egypt. I had a quick skip through (lunch was calling and I already had a reservation at Eighty Eighty, which did an excellent lunch deal when I was there), but have to say the dinosaur and spitfires were quite impressive!
After lunch I walked down to the river and went aboard the tall ship Glenlee, a restored Vicotorian sailing ship. It was very interesting to wander around.
I then went to the neighbouring Riverside Museum, which I really liked. It was very cool to see all the old vehicles and the Olde Worlde Streets – it really did feel like going back in time!
Going back in time at the Riverside MuseumI found it interesting to see all the old vehicles on display
The weather was pretty fine, so I head a leisurely stroll to Ashton Lane, a quaint little cobbled road with some lovely restaurants and bars. A local Glaswegian had recommended the Ubiquitous Chip to me. I didn’t end up eating there, as it felt a little too fancy to be somewhere to eat alone. If you do go though, you should definitely book in advance as it is very popular. I did have a drink in the bar though, and they did a very nice selection of cocktails.
I spoke too soon about the weather! As I was enjoying my cocktail, the heavens opened and it started pouring with rain. I therefore opted to take the subway back rather than walk. If you’re used to London, the subway is incredibly small and quiet, but also very clean! Much more relaxing than the London Underground.
Typical Glaswegian weather – even in August.
I had a quick bite to eat and the popped into The Pot Still, another recommendation from a local Glaswegian. This traditional pub has perhaps the best selection of whisky you’ll possibly ever find. I felt slight uncomfortable walking in at first, as I was literally the only female (and on my own!) but everyone was very friendly and soon put me at ease.
By this time is was getting into the evening so I went back to the Ibis Styles to check in (my room wasn’t available when I arrived, so I’d literally dropped off my luggage and headed straight out to explore)
It was still too early to sleep and I hate sitting in a hotel room on my own so I decided to head down to the hotel bar and read my book. Normally I’d head somewhere more interesting but it was absolutely pouring with rain and I didn’t fancy the idea of getting soaked through!
The hotel bar also had a free pool table, which was quite cool, and before I’d finished my drink I was having a game with a group of local Scottish guys. This really brightened my evening. I was quite worried about feeling lonely travelling alone, so it was lovely to have such a sociable evening.
Glasgow Day 2
The next morning I decided to visit the Glasgow Tenement Museum. I found it an extremely interesting and slightly unusual place to visit. It’s basically a a flat in an 1892 tenement building, perfectly preserved in its condition from the early 20th century (including the original furnishings and everything). It’s fascinating to step back in time and see how people used to live.
In the old tenement flats, it was quite common to have a little bed hidden away in the kitchen!
After the museum, I walked down to Ralph and Finns for a very delicious lunch – excellent value too, at £17 for 2 courses and a glass of wine (a pre booked offer)
I didn’t have long before catching an onward train to Oban. Before I set off for the station, I spent an hour or so at the Modern Art museum.
I actually thought this statue was part of the modern art, until someone pointed out to me that is was a student prank
Overall I was very impressed with my trip to Glasgow. It was especially nice that the majority of museums are free to visit, and there was so much to see and so – I will definitely return at some point! The local people were also incredibly friendly and welcoming, which really helped make my trip enjoyable.
Before I head off travelling, I thought I’d write a brief guide of my favourite things to in my hometown of London. I’m not going to go into any detail on the major touristy sites, as there’s plenty of information out there already. If you are looking for a full guide book I’d highly recommend the Lonely Planet guide (also available in Kindle format)
Things to do and see
The Barbican Centre – I love the brutalist architecture of the Barbican Centre. This is a cool place to wander around on your own (and take photos if you’re into photography), or you could also join a guided tour.
The Barbican Centre with its brutalist architecture is fun to wander around, and also easy to get lost in!
The Barbican centre also has the Barbican Conservatory, a huge greenhouse filled with tropical plants on the rooftop of the Barbican centre. It’s only open certain evenings, so best to check the website and book tickets in advance, but it’s a really cool place to go for an early evening drink.
The Barbican conservatory is a cool place to visit. There is often a bar open during the evenings
The Tate Modern – ok, so this one does feature in a lot of guidebooks but it’s a relaxing place to spend a weekend morning or afternoon. On some Fridays and Saturdays it’s also open late, so you can make an evening of it. Permanent exhibitions are free, you have to pay if you want to see any of the temporary exhibits (best to book in advance for some of the more popular ones)
Walk along the Thames River from Tower of London to Greenwich. If you like walking this makes a lovely day trip. It’s about a 2hr walk but you can stop off at Surrey Docks Farm along the way. This is a cute little working city farm, which you can have a wander around and grab some light refreshments. When you get to Greenwich, there are plenty of things you can see and do (Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich Park, the Royal Observatory) before catching the Uber Thames Clipper back down the river
Walking along the Thames is very relaxing, especially as you get a bit further from Central London and there are fewer people
I really like spending a day in Rotherhithe It’s just past Tower Bridge on the South Side of the Thames and is a bit more relaxing than central London (plus has some nice pubs along the riverside!). Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s first project with his father Sir Marc was the Thames tunnel, and you can see the original tunnel shaft and learn more about this at the Brunel museum in Rotherhithe.
Just along from Rotherhithe is Stave Hill Ecological Park, which really does feel like an Oasis outside of London. It’s a beautiful nature reserve and generally much more quieter than the famous London parks (Hyde, Regents, Green Park etc)
Stave Hill Ecological Park is a beautiful and relaxing place to visit
Wapping has a similar vibe to Rotherhithe, although there is less to do there. There are some lovely pubs overlooking the Thames (they get very busy in the summer!) and there are some nice little ornamental canals you can walk along. The nearby St Katherine’s docks has several restaurants and bars
If you find yourself in Southwark (for example when visiting Mercato Metropolitano – see Food and Drink section below!), you could say hello to Stompie, the Mandela Way Tank. It’s an old decommissioned Soviet Tank which is regularly repainted by local graffiti artists. I particularly liked the NHS scheme, which was done shortly after Covid (note the Tank has recently been temporarily removed for restoration, I’m not sure how long this will take)
I was lucky to see the artist at work
Food and Drink
Where to Eat
Borough market is a great place to visit for street food, restaurants, bars, and also to buy speciality food products (or fresh fruit and veg if you’re so inclined). One of my favourite places to visit isPadella which does excellent value homemade pasta dishes. I’d recommend going with a friend and ordering several dishes to share. You often to queue to get a table but it’s worth the wait! You could also pop over to Bedales of Borough Market for a glass of wine while you wait. It’s a lovely little wine bar with a great selection of wine as well as a menu of small plates. If you go upstairs you can get a table on the balcony overlooking the market.
A bit further out from Borough Market is Mercado Metropolitano, which is another large outdoor food market specialising in street food.
Close to Mercado Metropolitano is Theo’s, a pizzeria that is highly recommend. There is also a branch in Peckham, further to the South.
If you want a good gastropub, I’d recommend The Coach, which is near Farringdon (and also close to the Barbican Centre). I’ve been there a few times, but have to say the Scallops with Lobster Bisque was definitely a stand out dish.
Hawksmoor has several branches in London and does amazing steak, as well as excellent roast dinners on Sundays. I’d recommend going early evening, most branches have a very good value set menu. If you go outside of the set menu times, it can be a little pricey but is a good place to go for a special occasion or celebration.
Another restaurant which has a few locations in London is Flat Iron, which is quite a casual steak restaurant. They only do flat iron steaks (hence the name), but they do them very well and at a decent price.
One of my favourite restaurants in London is the Quality Chop Houseon Farringdon Road. This is a great place if you’re looking to splash out, they have exceptional meat and fish – whenever I’ve visited, everything has been perfectly cooked and the steak was exceptional. If you visit over lunchtime, they also do a good value set menu.
Where to drink
Diogenes the Dog is a lovely little wine bar in Elephant and Castle. They have a fantastic (and unusual) selection of wines, with most served by the glass. They’re also happy to let you try a bit before you buy a glass if you’re unsure what you like.
Diogenes the Dog is one of my favourite wine bars in London
The Old Bank of England on Fleet Street probably has one of the most beautiful and ornate pub interiors you’ll ever see. It’s in the old Law Court’s branch of the previous Bank of England, which operated from 1888 to 1975.
Between Liverpool Street and London Bridge, the Crosse Keys is definitely the nicest Wetherspoons I’ve ever visited. The beautiful decor inside includes marble columns, vaulted ceilings and a curved island bar. Plus the drinks are very cheap (for London!)
If you want to splash out or celebrate a special occasion, I’d recommend one of the cocktail bars in the Shard at sunset, so you can look out over London in daylight and also see it lit up when it gets dark. I visited Hutong (on the 33rd floor) and the views were incredible! The cocktails were also pretty good, but (as expected) on the pricey side
Hutong is a cocktail bar and restaurant in the Shard with fantastic views
Another place I like for cocktails is the Zetter Townhouse near Farringdon. It’s a quirky Georgian townhouse and a very cool place to have a drink or two. They have a somewhat limited menu, but if there’s a particular cocktail you’d like you can always request it.
The Zetter Townhouse has a very quirky and fun interior
I ended up going for the Osprey Fairview 40 as my travel rucksack. It is the female version of the Osprey Farpoint 40, so designed for smaller/shorter people. I was slightly unsure at first as it’s not cheap! Ordered from Amazon as had 30 day free returns and decided it was worth the money. Have used it on a couple of short trips and so far think it’s great.
Pros:
Carry on size – no additional fees on budget airlines
Opens up like a suitcase so easy to pack. This is one thing that really drew me to this bag as I find top loading rucksacks very annoying to pack/unpack!
Straps can be zipped away so won’t get in the way if you do want to check in as hold luggage
Padded top and side handles mean when straps are zipped away you can use like a duffle bag/suitcase – easier when loading/unloading onto shelves or overhead cabins. The handles are very robust and durable, so can safely take a lot of weight
Comfortable to wear and feels sturdy/well made so expect it to last (and it comes with a lifetime warranty so it should do!)
Sternum strap with rescue whistle – the strap does a good job at taking the weight off the shoulders so makes it more comfortable when carrying longer distances
Front compression straps add an element of security (zippers are hidden). They also stabilise the bag if its badly or over packed
Opens up like a suitcase so easier to pack/keep organisedIf you want to check in your bag, the straps can cleverly be tucked away
Cons:
At only 40L, you can’t pack too much. (I was also looking at the Fairview 55, which has a slightly bigger capacity and also a detachable daypack which I loved the concept of however decided against it in the end as not sure you can get away with taking it as carry on luggage)
I love the suitcase style opening, however this with the soft sides means the bag isn’t the most stable when open – not a big deal, but things can spill out when you open it. Using packing cubes helps with this.
Laptop sleeve is at front of bag, rather than against your back so unless you have a very lightweight laptop it can throw off the weight distribution
Not quite as many pockets/compartments as I’d ideally like
Emma and Pete’s Asian Adventure 