For a long time I did not travel far; I was hungry for such travels. A long-awaited vacation was just around the corner, but I didn’t have a plan. Realizing that there was little time left, I decided to look for a group tour. I wouldn’t have time to plan the trip on my own.
I was choosing from warm destinations, first I came across Kyrgyzstan, but I wanted something more exotic. Next I saw a tour of Cambodia, it immediately hooked me, but I didn’t stop there. Then I saw a rock climbing trip to Thailand, judging by the photo, it would be very beautiful there! But I’m not in the shape to climb rocks, and I wanted to relax more on vacation. Another destination was the Philippines. I’ve been there, and the purpose of the trip is to ride from beach to beach, that would be boring for me. In the end, I returned to the Cambodia option.
Tickets to Cambodia were very expensive. To save money, I decided to fly long and in a roundabout way. The flight looked like this:
- Moscow – Doha (Qatar): 5 h 45 min
- Connection in Doha: 4 hours
- Doha – Singapore: 7 hours 35 minutes
- Connection in Singapore: 15 hours 40 minutes
- Singapore – Phnom Penh (Cambodia): 2 hours 10 minutes
- Total: 35 hours 10 minutes
The road is long, but at least I met someone from our group back in Moscow, so it wasn’t so boring.
Layover in Doha
The connection was short, there was no time to leave the airport, I didn’t expect to see anything special here. However, I was impressed by the airport! Huge installations of strange creatures evoke slightly mixed feelings, but I must admit, they still add originality. The most incredible thing there is the garden with a lake and a waterfall inside the airport!
The garden looks like a jungle, with paths running through it. The coolest thing is the areas with lawns and various paraphernalia (benches, barrels, wigwams), where people can relax (and even sleep 😴) in a calm environment.
So far, Doha airport is the best airport I have ever been to.
Layover in Singapore
The connection in Singapore was long. It would seem that this is an opportunity to see the city. But, alas, it was at night, and there was no point in going out into the city. But Changi Airport in Singapore is considered the best airport in the world! I had read amazing stories about this airport and couldn’t wait to see it. Even a long connection there should go unnoticed.
In the transit area, I didn’t notice anything special, except that there was carpet everywhere. I knew that all the good stuff at the airport was in the general area, so I had to go through passport control and leave the transit area.
To enter Singapore (if you plan to leave the transit zone), you must fill out an electronic migration card. All information is on the official website https://www.ica.gov.sg and it is presented there better than on other sources I looked at. I filled out the card through the app, it’s more convenient because you can scan your passport with a camera. I learned about the migration form in advance and filled it out in Doha so as not to waste time in Singapore.
Entering the general terminal, the Disney arch was almost immediately visible, behind which a jungle with multi-colored lighting was visible. This terminal is round and can be visualized as a vertical cylinder inside a larger cylinder. In the ring between the cylinders there are all sorts of boutiques, restaurants, food court and other entertainment, depending on the floor. And in the inner cylinder there is an area with a ring-shaped lake, and tropical plants grow in tiers along the walls. A waterfall in the form of a ring was supposed to fall into the lake from the roof, but it was already 10pm, it was turned off.
The area with the lake is certainly beautiful, but there’s not much to do there, not even equipped places to sit. And in general, the problem is that this terminal is not a terminal at all. There is no airport infrastructure as such. It’s just a mall. And by 11pm it was empty, everything was closed there, there were no people. There was a floor with a lot of entertainment (I don’t know exactly what was supposed to be there), but it, accordingly, closed along with everything else. There is no place to even sit in this mall. In the end, the reasonable decision turned out to be to go through passport control again and return to the transit zone (it was possible, since the boarding tickets were in hand since Moscow).
Wait all night for the flight. I had the opportunity to spend 3 hours in the SATS Premier Lounge at the bank’s expense. I took advantage of this opportunity. However, it is impossible to rest there. It’s just a canteen! 🍴 It’s very noisy there, plates and spoons rattle. There is a second room, it is more beautifully furnished, and there are chairs there. But! They are deliberately uncomfortable so that you cannot sleep in them. Since they had free food there, I ate a little (although I wasn’t really hungry at night), and finished my 3 hours.
Opposite the lounge area there was a regular area with soft chairs, I noticed it even before I entered the lounge, and the chairs there seemed more comfortable. However, there was cleaning going on, vacuum cleaners were running, part of the area was fenced off with tapes, it was definitely not possible to sleep there.
I decided to take a walk around the airport, see what else was there, and came across a narrow corridor ending in a small room with nothing in it! But it was quiet there and a bunch of Indians were just sleeping on the floor. I saw that a decent-looking Japanese couple was also sleeping there, and I decided that this was the place for me. I lay down straight on the floor (let me remind you, there is soft carpet everywhere), put my backpack under my head and dozed for a couple of hours. I was pulled out of my slumber by some movement right next to me. A Hindu Muslim fell on his knees and prayed intensely. And then he started talking on the phone very loudly, as if no one was sleeping nearby… not a bit of culture 😒
In the morning before departure there was still time to visit the butterfly garden. It was in the transit area of another terminal. It’s cool there, you can photograph large butterflies up close.
Conclusion. The general assessment of Changi Airport is exaggerated. Interesting places inside the transit zone include a butterfly garden and a smoking room on the roof with a cactus garden. Otherwise nothing special. All those amazing reviews are about the mall, which is attached to the airport, but which is not open at night.
Cambodia
And so we found ourselves in Cambodia, the main destination of my trip. Upon arrival, you fill out 2 migration cards, which you hand in to receive a visa. Along with the visa, one of the cards is unceremoniously stapled to one of the pages of the passport. When leaving the country, it will be unstuck at passport control and taken away, so you don’t have to take it out of your passport yourself.
After leaving the airport we took a rickshaw to the hotel. It would be better to take a tuk-tuk, because the rickshaw is very cramped, especially if you are traveling with luggage. The road around was filled with scooters and other rickshaws. And I can’t say that there are few cars. Along the road there were either cheap shacks or decent skyscrapers. In general, everything is as I imagined 🙂
It’s probably worth mentioning currency. Both local riel and American dollars are used here. Exchange rate – 4000 riel = 1 dollar. This is a street course, so to speak. At the bank they change according to the current one, which is a little less profitable, so it’s better to pay in dollars, they are accepted everywhere, from an expensive hotel to a street food shop along the road. But since the dollar is an unofficial currency, traders are very anxious about the quality of banknotes. Firstly, they may not accept banknotes older than 2006. Secondly, if the banknote is torn, worn, or has inscriptions written in pen, it is highly likely that it will not be accepted. Not everyone will be able to change large banknotes yet. In view of this, still in Russia, I was worried about collecting smaller banknotes. I went around a bunch of exchangers, but in the end I couldn’t find many small banknotes.
By the way, you need to be careful and check the change you receive. We had a case where a member of our group arrived in Cambodia and at the airport ❗️ at the exchange office ‼️ she decided to exchange euros for dollars. So they gave her a counterfeit $100 banknote (ala a joke bank banknote), and she noticed it too late.
Phnom Penh
I spent 2 days in the capital of Cambodia. One on my own, the second with a group. I’ll describe several places that I managed to visit.
Streets
Leaving the hotel to walk through the city streets for the first time, I had to cross the road. There was a traffic light just near the hotel. I’m waiting, the light turns green, aaand… nothing has changed! 😯 Drivers there literally don’t pay attention to traffic lights at all. There, all the traffic chaos is somehow distributed by itself. It’s as if the stream of scooters and other vehicles is a living organism with intelligence. Everyone there somehow naturally lets each other pass and passes through intersections without much congestion. I quickly learned to cross the road. Even if it seems that there is no a gap, you can always slow down the flow yourself, no one will honk at you. In general, the drivers there are very calm, no one beeps at each other (unless the car warns the scooter that it is overtaking in a narrow place), which cannot be compared with the aggressive drivers of Russia, although we have both rules and traffic lights.
I didn’t go far from the hotel, I didn’t have time. But it was interesting to walk even nearby, although there are no sidewalks, you somehow fit into the traffic flow and calmly travel along the sidewalks. You meet street food everywhere, dying of hunger is probably the most impossible thing in Cambodia, almost everywhere there is some kind of cart with skewers with an unknown part of the body 🍖 I tried something once, it turned out to be cartilage in a very spicy sauce, it’s not clear how to eat it… just suck on the scalding sauce 🥵 I note that the city also has modern areas with skyscrapers, but I did not have a chance to walk there.
Phnom Penh promenade
The embankment runs along the Tonle Sap River until it flows into the Mekong River. There are many hotels along the promenade where travelers most often stay. In the evenings, here is quite crowded, because locals spend their leisure time there: some walk, some (usually children) play mini-football with a plastic ball, some just sit in a small group on the pavement and drink beer. I note that it is quite clean there, there are trash cans at certain intervals. Street food vendors are a regular sight, while there are many local restaurants on the other side of the road. The river itself is dirty and people cannot swim in it. But there was no unpleasant odor from it. Overall, this is a pleasant place for an evening walk.
Wat Phnom
This is a small Buddhist temple located on top of a hill. The area around the hill is a park where it is pleasant to stroll. At the entrance, tourists have to pay $1 for entry. But you can go through the gate at the back, the second time I went through it. At the very top there is a temple, but I liked more the level below, where there is a small building with altars, where people burn sticks and perform various rituals. There is a pleasant smell of incense inside and it is interesting to watch the rituals.
Night market
A very colorful place! The market is conventionally divided into 2 parts: in the first they sell cheap clothes, the second is a food court. At the border of these zones there is a stage where local youth perform. I liked the food court area, it is an area covered with colorful mats, surrounded by stalls selling food. I got hooked on coconut ice cream there, which is served in half a coconut, with the addition of coconut slices, and in addition they give you a glass of coconut milk 🥥 A real coconut paradise 😄 There you can also try freshly squeezed juice directly from the cane.
Royal Palace
I went to the palace already with a group. Masks are required at the entrance, which surprised us. They can still be removed when you get inside. This is not just a palace, but a whole complex of buildings that perform different roles. In addition to the palace, there are libraries, a building for gifts from other countries, a monastery, a theater stage and others. All the buildings are very bright and beautiful, made in approximately the same style. I liked the Buddhist stupas there. Essentially, these are huge pyramid-shaped tombstones containing a particle of the ashes of the one in whose honor they were erected. Of course, on the territory of the royal palace there are stupas in honor of members of the royal family.
Siem Reap
Journey
Early in the morning we headed to the place where the treasure of Cambodia is located. I’m talking about the ruins of ancient temples. This is an area of the city of Siem Reap. The name of the city means “Defeat of Siam” (in the past, the Khmer Kingdom (modern Cambodia) and the Kingdom of Siam (modern Thailand) fought wars).
The journey was long. We went by minibus. At one of the stops there was one of the main memorable events – I tried grasshoppers 🦗 😄 When you start eating, they no longer seem disgusting, they look like chips.
There was another stop where we decided to have lunch at a roadside restaurant. When traveling, you should take the opportunity to try local cuisine. With this in mind, I ordered traditional Khmer curry soup. It was the most disgusting thing I ate during the entire trip 😬 If I’m not mistaken, it’s made with coconut milk, and it’s very spicy with some nasty curry spices. The taste is sickening, really! And when you also catch a chicken paw with sagging fingers, the urge to vomit makes itself felt 🤢 In addition to the paws, there are also some chicken giblets. I caught potatoes, carrots and a little broth, that is maximum I could bear.
We were in the city shortly before dusk. The city center is friendly to tourists, there are many decent restaurants, a market, and other entertainment. The whole group had dinner at a restaurant and went to the market. There our guide Oleg showed the highest skill of trade. The way he negotiates and lowers prices is a real talent! I’m unlikely to be able to do the same, but I learned something 🧐
Temples. Day 1
Now the time has come to meet the main attraction of Cambodia – its temple complexes. In general, there are many temples in the vicinity of Siem Reap. But on this day we visited 3 of the most famous temples.
We started with the icing on the cake: the Angkor Wat temple complex. This temple complex is the hallmark of Cambodia; it has the most recognizable outlines in the form of three towers (actually there are five). It is even depicted on the national flag of Cambodia. The temple area is large, there are areas with lawns, lakes, and many auxiliary buildings (libraries and chapels). And I must admit that this complex is truly impressive! It is difficult to imagine how much work the stonemasons did, because almost all the walls are decorated with patterns, it is difficult to find just a smooth wall, there are convexities, concavities, images of dancers, gods and demons everywhere. And when you climb the central tower (I note that it’s still a long way to the top, because the stupa, which is a tower, is just a hollow structure), a beautiful view of the lower tiers and the territory of the entire temple complex opens up.
The second temple was Ta Phrum. There are no incredible towers here, but at the same time, the temple area is quite large. Most of the buildings just look like small rooms. However, this is a stunning place, abandoned for many years and at the mercy of the jungle. Once upon a time, there was a terrible drought in this area for several years, there was no rain and people left the temple. And they forgot about this place. Now we can see what nature is capable of. Huge trees settled on the stones of this temple, with their strength they tore apart the stonework, destroying human creations. But it looks incredibly beautiful! When roots hang from the roof of a building like a waterfall, tightly enveloping part of the structure. Впечатление портят только туристы, их слишком много.
Finally, on this day we visited the Bayon temple complex. Monkeys met us at the walls of the complex 🐒 I can’t understand people who like them… As for me, these are arrogant aggressive creatures, encounters with which more often turn out to be unpleasant than positive.
The temple complex itself is smaller in area than the previous ones, however, let’s say, the density of curves in it is off the charts. It consists of many towers. Each of them has a face on the four sides. In this temple you cannot find a smooth section of the wall; it is all covered with patterns and images carved in stone. Stones constantly stick out, or, on the contrary, sink. All this makes the complex difficult to perceive with the eyes. In photographs it always looks like an image whose sharpness has been turned up to maximum. Так вот в реальности он примерно также и выглядит.
Alas, renovations were underway there, and we were not able to get into the central towers; we only walked around the perimeter.
Temples. Day 2
On this day we continued visiting the temple complexes. By the way, we traveled between them by minibus. At one of the temples I met a cyclist; it should be easier to get around there on a bicycle, the distances are short. He came on a bicycle from Vietnam, and what surprised me was that although he had a bike lock with him, he didn’t use it! He said that there are honest people everywhere here, and he simply left the bike on the street when he needed to visit some place. And he said that although the traffic on the road looks crazy, riding a bicycle in this stream is easy and not scary; according to him, the surrounding scooters, on the contrary, protect from cars.
On this day we visited about seven temple complexes. To be honest, I even lost count. Some of them are similar to each other, but some are like nothing else and make an impression. Of course, at some point there is an oversaturation, temples begin to be perceived as commonplace. But my opinion is that it’s better to let it be, it’s better to look more, because it’s unknown whether I’ll ever visit these parts again.
The end of the day was a pyramid temple on top of a hill. This is a favorite place for tourists to watch the sunset. This is what we came here for. There were really a lot of tourists, and, of course, those who came earlier sat in the most comfortable places. I’m not a fan of sunsets, I don’t understand why they are so admired. But I didn’t mind watching the sunset in such an unusual place.
Fishing village
On this day, the plan was to visit a fishing village. But more about it a little later. Before the village we went to meet the dawn. And not just anywhere, but in Angkor Wat! This is where our acquaintance with the ruins of the former greatness of the Khmer kingdom began, and it ends with it. We had to get up at 4:30 that day 😪 It was hard. Having reached the temple, darkness began. There is no artificial lighting, and only smartphone flashlights sparkle here and there 🔦 It turns out that this is also a popular pastime among tourists; large crowds gathered on the lawns in front of the temple. The best places were for those standing right in front of the lake, because when the sun appears, it is reflected very beautifully in the water surface. True, the dawn didn’t really impress me. Again, let me remind you that I don’t understand what people find so magical in them. It just gradually became lighter. As it got brighter, only after 40 minutes the sun began to peek out from behind the wall of Angkor Wat. This, I admit, even I liked, especially if you stand in front of the lake.
Then we again repeated our walk through this temple in order, so to speak, to consolidate the result before saying goodbye to the splendor of the ruins of these places.
By the way, all these days we were constantly accompanied by a local guide; he spoke Russian, albeit with a strong accent. He told the history of the temples. Although I must admit, Oleg did it much more interesting 😌 I don’t know if it’s a mandatory condition for the group to have a guide or not… I’ve seen a lot of such guides with other groups. But it seemed like the solo travelers were unaccompanied.
Next we headed to a fishing village. It was a long road. The beauty of this village is that it still retains its authentic character. The village is located on the shores of the large Tonle Sap lake (of course, it is smaller than Ladoga, but comparable in size). The unique thing about this village is that the houses stand on high stilts. We visited during the dry season, so we walked past these huts, but during the rainy season everything floods there, and you can only move around by boat.
Having reached a small mud-colored river, we boarded a boat that took us to a restaurant on the lake, which also stands on stilts. Apart from the restaurant, it is also a tourist point where we boarded small boats of two, driven by local women dressed in colorful traditional (yet workman-looking) clothes. Using a pole, they move the boat, pushing off from the bottom. We were driven through mangroves. I liked this place, it was quiet and peaceful 😌 The only thing that spoils the impression is that they are trying to make extra money from tourists: there are boats with goods there, and your boat stops near them, and they ask you to buy something.
Returning to the restaurant on the lake, we had dinner there. By the way, there was a cage with crocodiles, and there was a crocodile on the menu. But due to lack of time, no one decided to experiment. And surprisingly, the restaurant located on the lake had problems with the availability of fish 🤨
While we were still waiting for our boat in the village, we saw an unpleasant scene on the bank of the river. A boat with tourists from Asia (presumably Japanese or Korean) sailed past the pier, and they threw packets of chips to the children on the shore. At the same time, the children looked like devils, screaming, asking for more, some jumped into the water to beg for more. It is bad treatment, all these handouts make people wild. They begin to beg more and more, some of them will grow up and remain panhandler.
Night bus
I have never had to travel in a vehicle like this before. My expectations were not the best. In fact, this is an ordinary intercity bus, but instead of seats there are bunks in 2 tiers with curtains.
We had to travel all night. It was a nightmare for me 😱 I already can’t sleep in transport, even on a train and on an airplane, where there is not much shaking. Here I expected shaking, so I took sleeping pills. During the ride, the shaking was incredible… the bus was rushing, constantly overtaking passing traffic. I was very scared! The sleeping pills were enough for a couple of hours at most, then a sleepless night 😔
Island
In the morning we got off the damned bus in the city of Sihanoukville. This is a coastal city, actively developed by the Chinese. They are investing heavily in Cambodia. From here we had a boat to Koh Rong Island, where we would spend the last two days of our trip to Cambodia.
On this day we were blessed with excellent weather. We settled in a bungalow on the shore, where there was a small cozy beach with white sand. It was a relaxing day ☀️
To avoid lying in one place all day, we walked to a local village where the indigenous people live. An ordinary village on the coast.
Half of the next day it was stormy, so we didn’t want to swim. We walked along the beaches of abandoned hotels. In some places there are just dumps of plastic waste, and in others there are paradise landscapes. During the Covid years, most of the hotels on the island went bankrupt, leaving only bungalows overgrown with jungle.
Completion of the group trip
On the morning of the third day we had a boat back to Sihanoukville. It was quite stormy and the sailing was delayed for 2 hours. Although when we sailed, the weather was not better, the boat was shaking so much that I began to feel nauseous. Several people were suffering greatly. I feel sorry for the guy who didn’t have time to ask for a bag, and in order not to vomit on the floor, he had to use his Vietnamese hat 😭
The cars took us quickly along the toll highway to the hotel in Phnom Penh. The last hotel was very comfortable 😌 We spent the rest of the day walking around the city, and spent our last evening together as a group in the hotel restaurant. The next day everyone went their own way.
Bangkok
Day 1
Since it takes a long time to get to Asia, I want to visit as many places there as possible. So, my plan was to spend a few more days in Thailand. I took the morning flight to Bangkok. Besides me, several other people had a similar plan. And that’s good, it’s more interesting with friends.
By midday we checked into hotels. As it turned out, I forgot to pay for the room in advance on booking.com, and for some reason my Belarusian debit card did not work at the reception, and I did not have enough cash in baht. I had to look for where in the area I could exchange bucks. Luckily the bank was very close.
Soon I met the guys again, we headed to the MahaNakhon tower. It has the highest observation deck in the city. The glass floor is the icing on the cake. The cost of visiting the observation deck is quite high. Considering the crowd there, they make good money from this entertainment. At the entrance they scan bags with an X-ray, they don’t let you in with food and water (just like at the airport), they ask you to throw them in the trash can. I think this is disgusting behavior because it was done to force people to buy food and water in the restaurant at the top of the tower. However, if you don’t immediately go to the entrance, there are lockers on the ground floor (like in a supermarket) where you can leave things.
The observation deck consists of two levels: a couple of last floors, where you can observe the city through panoramic windows, and the roof. It’s great to see the city on the floors, but the windows could be cleaner. But it’s cool on the roof! There you only have a one-meter glass fence and open space behind it. There is actually a glass floor on the roof; it looks like a small balcony protruding above the building. However, the impression is spoiled by the crowds of tourists and the rules. There is a chain stretched in front of the glass floor, which you can cross only in shoe covers (they are issued earlier), without bags/backpacks, and without a phone! So you have to leave your things behind the chain and ask someone behind the chain to take a photo of you. As for impressions… nothing special, somehow I didn’t perceive the height, and the fact that there is an abyss under me.
After the MahaNakhon tower we went to Chinatown. Atmospheric place, I liked it there 🙂 There were strange street foods being sold everywhere. And I was incredibly lucky there! I still haven’t been able to try real durian. And then, at the very end of one of the side streets, where the stalls with food and souvenirs ended, I noticed an elderly man peeling and packing durians. I was once told that durian should be eaten freshly cut, then it is tasty and does not have a nasty smell. I approached the man, and pointing to the piece he had just cut off, I said that I wanted to try it. He gave it to me for 100 baht without any questions. What can I say… it was really delicious! Delicate creamy taste. I really don’t smell that disgusting smell that everyone talks about. I think the walk through Chinatown was a success! I also decided to have dinner there, took fried dumplings 🥟, it was delicious. My verdict – Chinatown is recommended to visit 🇨🇳
Day 2
On this day we went to Ancient Siam. It’s actually just a large park containing many replicas of various attractions from all over Thailand. However, there are also original buildings that were completely moved here. This is a private park, so there are fictional attractions. The basic ticket price includes access to the park itself, a map, a bicycle (to rent, you need to leave a document as collateral), an audio guide (to rent, you need to leave a document or money as collateral). The most interesting and beautiful exhibits are located in the center of the park and can be easily reached on foot. We probably rolled the bikes by hand for half a day, since the exhibits are tightly packed, and it’s 15 meters to walk to the next one.
Even though these are replicas, the most significant exhibits are impressive! It’s worth to spend a day to visit this park. However, you need to have that extra endurance to go around it entirely, as we did. Because when you look at the fortieth temple, you no longer see anything special in it, it becomes a bit boring. There are about 120 exhibits in total!
Day 3
Well, I couldn’t visit Bangkok and not go to the climbing gym 😄 I dedicated this day to climbing.
What can I say about Bangkok… Overall, I liked it there, I quickly got used to it, learned to use the metro. I didn’t rent a scooter, there was no particular need. It was very hot there. And the humidity was high, it seemed to me that it was stuffier there than in Cambodia.
If we consider Bangkok as a place for wintering with remote work, this place would suit me. There are climbing walls and, in general, there are places to go and things to see.
Phuket
Why not spend the last couple of days at sea? A little relaxation never hurt anyone 😁 A plane in the morning, then a long road to Karon beach (there were heavy traffic jams). By mid-afternoon I reached the hotel. While I ate and took a nap, it was already getting close to dusk and it was too late to swim. I went for a walk, looked at the beach and the streets.
And what did I see around, do you want to know? Russian southern beach resort. Everything is the same 😒 Offhand, there is about an 70% chance that the person you meet will be from Russiar. Here I didn’t feel that pleasant feeling of being a traveler. Pros are there are inexpensive restaurants with local food, and plenty of massage salons! I went to the cheapest one, and I was probably lucky, because the Thai massage there turned out to be very good 😌
The next day I spent a little time in the role of a classic vegetable tourist: I lay on the beach in the sun and swam. Then I was busy buying souvenirs, because tomorrow is the plane to my homeland ✈️
Layover in Kuala Lumpur
Again I had a long layover (12.5 hours), but this time it was during the day, so I can see the city. I didn’t have time to search for information about Kuala Lumpur, only the day before my arrival I read about ways to get from the airport to the city center. I expected it to be another Asian city, something like Bangkok or maybe even more primitive. But once there, I was very impressed 😲
You could get to the center by train or bus. The train is noticeably more expensive, but there is a trick: if you divide the trip into 2 sections (get off at any intermediate station, buy a ticket again and take the next train), it turns out to be almost 2 times cheaper! Obviously, you will have to spend more time. But I chose the bus, it’s cheap, and faster (or as fast) than going with an intermediate stop by train. Unfortunately, at the time of purchasing the ticket, the next departure was only in an hour. As I understand it, there are more than one bus company, I could have looked for the ticket offices of others (possibly in another terminal). But I bought ticket before I realized it. At the bus I met some guys from Russia; they were flying on the same plane as me. So we walked around the city together.
And here we are on a bus on the highway. At first there was a tropical forest outside the window, but once inside the city, even on the outskirts there were modern multi-storey buildings of various styles. Comparing with Cambodia, I didn’t see anything resembling poor neighborhoods. And approaching the center, the skyscrapers became impressive! And so much greenery! 🌳 Truly, Kuala Lumpur is a perfect combination of skyscrapers and jungle.
At the bus station I ate a rice thing that looked like a burger. It was delicious 😋 Then we took the metro to the Petronas Towers. The rules in the metro are the same as in Bangkok, so I quickly figured out how to buy tickets. Subway trains are automated, so you can stand at the front window in the first car. However, there was a crowd there for several stations. These several of stations the train was traveling above the ground, and it was very cool! You can see stunning views of the city. And when the space at the front window became free, we were already underground.
And so we got off at the Petronas towers. They are truly impressive! Upon entering, the first thing that greets people is the Formula 1 car of the Mercedes team. We had about three hours left, so we split up, agreeing to meet at a specific time near a specific flower bed opposite the towers.
There is a shopping center in the towers themselves, but I went to Decathlon, which was nearby. I felt pleasant nostalgia while walking around it, because Decathlon left Russia quite a long time ago.
When it got dark I returned to the towers. They were great in the dark with the lights! On the other side there is a small lake with singing fountains and a small park, where I walked and watched the fountain show. There are a lot of people there! And the show is so-so, to be honest.
Layover in Dubai
Nothing special, just a usual layover. But there was chaos on the plane! People uncontrollably took advantage of the airline loyalty (Emirates) and took too much hand luggage with them. As a result, the flight was delayed due to lack of space on the plane.
Conclusion
The way back looked like this:
- Phuket – Kuala Lumpur: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Layover in Kuala Lumpur: 12 hours 35 minutes
- Kuala Lumpur – Dubai: 7 hours 20 minutes
- Layover in Dubai: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Dubai – Moscow: 5 hours 30 minutes
- Total: 31 hours 05 minutes
Moreover, then there was also train to St. Petersburg. I counted the time from the moment I left the hotel room to the moment I crossed the threshold of the apartment, 44 hours and 2 minutes passed. During this time I slept no more than four hours. And I only had 7 hours of sleep left before going to work in the morning 😭 It was hard. Moreover, getting in winter after +35°C
I was absolutely delighted with my trip! We must pay tribute to the tourist club and in particular to Oleg, our guide, for a well-prepared route, it was active and interesting. The main thing is that we were almost always on the move. I will say that after returning home I slept for a long time for several days. And this is due not only to lack of sleep during flights, but also to the inability to get enough sleep during the tour: we constantly walk until night, and get up early in the morning to go watch something or go to a new place. And that’s how it should be! Especially when you travel to the other side of the world, you want to absorb as many impressions as possible.