CNY vacay travel plans

Just as an FYI, to all my faithful followers... my flatmate Kari and I will be embarking tomorrow on our Chinese New Year vacation. Our holiday adventures include the exotic locations of Cambodia and Thailand! Here's a short glance at the itinerary, if you care to follow us. I'm sure we'll be updating Facebook/blogging little statuses as we go, iPhone always handy.

Follow the Green Points along our Asian travels in the next 9-10 days!

Timeline:

Wednesday, Feb 6: 

Last day of school; I'm heading home to pack! Itineraries and info packets printed. Ready to go!

Thursday, Feb 7:

• 7am(ish): take taxi to Beilun, Ningbo long-distance bus station
• Take (7:40am) bus to Shanghai South Railway Station, metro/subway to Hongqiao (Shanghai) Airport (to arrive in Shanghai around 11:30am-ish)
• Fly from Shanghai to Guangzhou for a layover, then on to to Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Leave	Thu, Feb 7	7hr 5min Total time
Depart	Shanghai		China Southern Airlines 3538 Economy | Airbus A321 752 mi | 2hr 30min
2:45 PM	Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) | Terminal 2
Stop 1	Guangzhou, China Baiyun Airport (CAN)
5:15 PM	Baiyun (CAN)
Change planes. Time between flights: 1hr 50min
Depart	Guangzhou, China Baiyun Airport (CAN)		China Southern Airlines 323 Economy | Airbus A321 976 mi | 2hr 45min
7:05 PM	Baiyun (CAN)
Arrive	Phnom Penh
8:50 PM	Pochentong (PNH)

• Arrive in Cambodia around 9pm. Meet up with my friend Derek (who is a Peace Corps Volunteer about two hours south of the Cambodian capital city, Phnom Penh)
• Stay the night in Phnom Penh (PP), at a nice little riverside guesthouse/hotel, Phnom Penh City Hotel

Friday, Feb 8: Phnom Penh (PP)

PP exploration for the day, stay another night at the same Phnom Penh City Hotel

Saturday, Feb 9: PP to Siem Reap (for the start of a bicycle tour around Angkor Wat!) 

• Take an early bus (Mekong Bus line) from PP to Siem Reap (7:30am) (~6 hour trip)
• Transfer shuttle between bus station to hotel in Siem Reap (around 2pm)
• Begin bike tour around Angkor Wat, Day 1: On arrival in Siem Reap you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Today we cycle along Siem Reap River through lush scenery past Chreav Village to Tonle Sap Lake. This is an excellent opportunity to see how the people of this once sleepy village live. We can observe life in the Khmer stilt villages from the banks of the river as the local fisherman count their catch and prepare it for the markets. Back on our bikes we cycle down the backroads to visit Prasat Wat Athvea Temple before returning to Siem Reap town. (Cycle approximately 30kms) 

Sunday, Feb 10: Day 2 bike tour: 

Cycle around Angkor Temples and to the Rolous group
After breakfast we will set off along what is known as the Angkor short circuit. We will visit stunning temples such as Ta Prohm, intentionally left with huge forest overgrowth. This gives the temple a mystical air and every corner you turn presents you with another photo opportunity. We also cycle along the Eastern gate of Angkor Thom before exploring the famous Bayon Temple. The Bayon temple has 37 free standing towers each with 4 carved Buddha like faces oriented towards the cardinal points. This is a great temple to visit as the local monks in their saffron robes frequently come here to meet tourists and practice their English. After relaxing for lunch, we will visit the splendid temple of Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is breathtaking with its 5 main towers rising 65 meters from the ground. Depending on the time available to us we may have an opportunity to cycle to the lesser known Rolous Group of temples built in the 9th century before returning to our Siem Reap hotel. (Cycle approximately 35kms.)

Monday, Feb 11: Day 3 bike tour: 

Full day cycle to Banteay Srey Temple
This morning we start out early for our largest cycling day to the exquisite temple of Banteay Srey. Banteay Srey, also known as the Ladies’ Temple, has some of the finest displays of carvings in the whole of Cambodia. The carvings here are said to be so delicate that only a lady could have carved them. The cycling route to the temple takes you past beautifully lush scenery of rice fields and sugar palms through small Khmer villages and is often the highlight of many peoples cycling journey. (Cycle approximately 70kms.)

Tuesday, Feb 12: Day 4 bike tour: Trip concludes in Siem Reap

• Shuttle transfer to bus station (around 5am?) to catch a bus out of Siem Reap, to Bangkok
• Bus (departs @ 6am) to Bangkok (~8-9 hour trip)
• Bus switch at the Cambodian/Thai border?
• Arrives at some unknown station, “Bangkok Khav Sun Road Station (Hang Tet bus) around 3pm. It'll be an adventure trying to figure out public transport to get ourselves to a bus station that will successfully connect us on the next leg of our journey...
• Figure out bussing transport from Bangkok to our beach destination (in a little town called Jomtien, just north of the larger beach city, Pattaya). It should be about a 2-hour bus ride north, out of Bangkok and up the coast.
• Lodging: Casuarina Jomtien Hotel. Yeah, we're excited. 

Wednesday, Feb 13-Thursday, Feb 14: spend the day in Jomtien/Pattaya area

Beach & exploring!

Lodging: continued stay at the Casuarina Jomtien Hotel.

Friday, Feb 15: return to China/travel day

• Leave Jomtien beach area (by bus?) to get to the airport by 10am for check in. We'll figure it out when we get to Jomtien, having local recommendations for best transport.
• Fly back to Shanghai (Hongqiao) out of Bangkok. Itinerary:

Return	Fri, Feb 15	7hr 10min Total time
Depart	Bangkok		China Southern Airlines 358 Economy | Airbus A321 1,047 mi | 2hr 35min
11:55 AM	Suvarnabhumi Int'l airport (BKK)
Stop 1	Guangzhou, China Baiyun Airport (CAN)
3:30 PM	Baiyun (CAN)
Change planes. Time between flights: 2hr 15min
Depart	Guangzhou, China Baiyun Airport (CAN)		China Southern Airlines 5308 Economy | Airbus A321 752 mi | 2hr 20min
5:45 PM	Baiyun (CAN)
Arrive	Shanghai
8:05 PM	Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) | Terminal 2
Flight 5308 Operated by CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES

• Take (8:30pm (or 10:30pm)) train back to Ningbo from Shanghai, depending on when we get in, or figure out alternative bussing or taxi pick ups in Ningbo or Beilun, upon arrival. This leg of our journey will be the least of our concerns, as it involves travel we are familiar with.

Here's to a long week of adventures! Keep us in your thoughts and prayers! Thanks!