2. Booking My Tickets - Part 2

With all the cheap fares going, and me never having been out of Australia except for the time I went to New Zealand in 2007, I thought it'd be good to see as many countries as I could. So - I had visions of flitting here and there and being able to say, "I've been to Malaysia and Thailand and Cambodia and Hong Kong", etc. But as someone pointed out, I'd be spending more time at airports and waiting around rather than seeing much of anything. So, I settled on Cambodia. I had heard of the wonderful temples of Angkor and thought now that would be really something worth doing and so I booked a return flight to Siem Reap. Departing KL at 7.00am, 12th March, arriving Siem Reap at 8.00am, then leaving Siem Reap 14th March at 8.00am and arriving in KL at 11.35am.

I also decided to book a flight for the same day to Penang and hummed and haahed over which flight I should take. I'd have liked to book the earlier flight leaving at around 1.30pm but worried I might miss my connection. The next flight was around 3.00pm - still I fretted I might miss it if the plane from Siem Reap was delayed. Eventually, I settled on the 4.30pm flight which would land at Penang at 5.30pm. As someone said, that was a waste of a day - 5 hours hanging around the airport twiddling my thumbs. Still, better safe than sorry.

On the advice of a friend, I booked my first night at the TUNES HOTEL at the LCCT airport, (I wouldn't have thought of doing this) and my two nights in Siem Reap. He recommended the TWO DRAGONS GUESTHOUSE, a lovely place part owned by Cambodians and part owned by Gordon Sharpless who wrote TALES OF ASIA. I chose the room with a small double bed at US$17 per night and booked their tuk-tuk driver - US$15 per day. Plus an extra US$4 for return to the airport.

Gordon asked me did I also wish to book a guide. I wasn't sure and said I'd let him know later on. He did say if I was still undecided a week before I'm due to arrive, he would advise me to book one. Evidently, drivers cannot guide and guides cannot drive. Having read about land mines and noting the warnings - stick to the paths, I'm thinking that perhaps I should go for a guide, but at an extra US$25 per day, that's an extra $50. Still unsure whether to have a guide or not.

Then of course, came the big decision of The Itinerary.