KUALA LUMPUR AND SIEM REAP DO - 2014
DAY 1: COCKTAIL RECEPTION IN KLThis was the official start of the Do. Unfortunately (we blame jet-lag), no-one took any photos so it remains undocumented. Everyone arrived in Kuala Lumpur and stayed at the Grand Hyatt. Driven2travel decided to sponsor a cocktail reception, so our suite was soon full of interesting personalities! In addition to some prosecco and champagne, we bought some local delicacies from the wonderful JP Teres Restaurant in the hotel.
After the reception, we proceeded to the club lounge and decided to use the private meeting room so as not to disturb the non-Flyertalkers! The club lounge was wonderful, providing dinner for all and it was an absolute delight to see Didi and Fara again. The Grand Hyatt in KL is one of the top properties in the Hyatt portfolio. Although we didn't use a specific group rate, everyone felt that the hotel was great value for money and provided terrific service. In particular, breakfast was wonderful, offering such a mouth-watering choice of Western and Eastern cuisine. DAY 3: ARRIVE SIEM REAPA very early start the next day was required in order to catch the Air Asia flight to Siem Reap. After wishing a safe journey to the others, the organisers had a meeting and night at the wonderfully peaceful Villa Samadhi, so left the group in the capable hands of the Park Hyatt Siem Reap management team and the driver we hired for the trip, Synon Korng. We strongly recommend using Synon if you need transport - reasonable prices, always on time, great spoken English and quick to reply to emails.
After a quick breakfast in the Greenhouse Cafe and a short rest, many in the group headed out by tuk-tuk to begin exploring the wonders of the nearby temples. Angkor Wat was top of the list with its intricately beautiful carvings and slightly overwhelming size. In the evening, some members of the group visited Raffles hotel to have dinner with Apsara dance entertainment, whereas others headed out to Pubstreet to search for food. DAY 5: DAY IN THE LIFE AND CUISINE WAT DAMNAK
One of the highlights of this trip was the day in the life experience. After being picked up at the hotel, we were driven to a local village and driven by ox-cart to a local woman's home and small holding. Here, we spent over an hour harvesting a rice paddy for a local farming family (back breaking work but so rewarding) and then planted mango trees (we look forward to returning in a few years to taste the fruit of our labour). We also visited the village school, where walls are made from recycled plastic bottles and rubbish. Afterwards, we had a well-earned Cambodian lunch (an embarrassing amount of delicious food was served) with a local type 1 (the poorest) Cambodian housewife cooking for us. After a collection on the final night, we bought 5 water-filters for the village in order to provide clean and healthy drinking water, and we plan to support the village in future as well. From our point of view, this is one of the best activities to do in Siem Reap - you get to meet real locals, help out in the village and experience something completely unique. Harvesting a paddy really is back-breaking work! For anybody interested, we can book this activity for you and if you wish to donate to help these wonderful but extremely impoverished people you can do so via Husk.
In the evening, we ate at the celebrated Cuisine Wat Damnak, which provides high-end Cambodian cuisine at a great price ($26 for 5 courses). DAY 7: ARTISANS D'ANGKOR AND FINAL DINNERDay 7 was left open. Many decided to visit new temples, such as the Roulus Group, or revisit favourites from the previous few days. We decided to check out Artisans d'Angkor, which had been recommended to us from one of the attendees. This is definitely a must-see in Siem Reap. In addition to the workshops showing stone carving, metalwork, silk painting and artwork, there was a wonderful shop. After visiting on one day, we actually returned to see everything in more detail. Although we have currently only bought small items and a silk dressing gown, we plan to buy a large stone sculpture for our apartment in Berlin. The workshops provide training as well as employment, allowing villagers to make a living.
In the evening, it was time for the farewell dinner. The Park Hyatt Siem Reap had generously offered to sponsor our dinner, so we enjoyed Parma ham with melon, fish amok (a traditional Cambodian dish) and a delicious dessert in the dining room of the hotel. Quality of food and company was superb - it was just a pity the event had to end so soon. |
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Although the location of this event was changed at the last minute from Thailand to Cambodia, we all felt that the event ran fantastically well. Angkor Wat was on everyone's bucket list and the Park Hyatt Siem Reap provided a beautiful base. The hotel were so generous to provide a wonderful cocktail reception and dinner, and Siem Reap was the perfect destination for all sorts of activities, from great food, fun activities and charitable work.
We plan to continue our support of HUSK and look forward to returning to the area next February. A great trip with good company. Who could ask for more?
We plan to continue our support of HUSK and look forward to returning to the area next February. A great trip with good company. Who could ask for more?