but i haven't lost all hope...

of late, i have taken to setting aside 20 bucks for a shot at the million-peso lotto prize. before, i never believed in the probability of getting all six numbers right. but now when no other choice is in sight, and being desperate, i guess 20 bucks a day doesn't hurt that much to keep my dream alive...

wish me luck...

mwah!

first and last



today is a day of firsts and of lasts...

today fernando torres savors his first career success... on the 33rd minute of the euro final, he scored the winning goal that crowned spain the champions of europe... for the first time in 44 years, spain had finally unshackled the chains that bound them to the title,-  underachievers... just as i had the staunch faith that torres' time to shine will be on the night of the finals...so is my firm belief that this will be the first of many years of spanish football supremacy... though i would cherish a hope that england too will have a share of international silverware...

today i am ignoring the comments on jvc's post... the first time that i don't give my friends a piece of my mind... at least, not yet... im so much into football frenzy that i couldn't seem to find a mean bone in my body... at least, not yet... maybe later... when the euphoria has finally died down...

today marks the last of my prosecutor series... i will be sitting on this chair for the last time... i have packed my papers and books and committed my lessons and longings of here to  memory...

tomorrow, of course, is another first... but that's a different story

12        midnight – Bangkok

13        whole day – Bangkok exploration

14        whole day – Ayutthaya exploration

·         (train from Hualangphong station: hourly between 6 am and 11 pm)

·         1 ½ hours (15 baht – 66 B)

·         (bus from Northern Bus Terminal: frequent

·         63 Baht (1 ½ hours)

14        pm – head back to Bangkok

14        eve – rest/bars

15        morning – head to Arantha Prathet (border to Cambodia)

·         Frequent daytime bus (ordinary/ac 118/207 baht, four to five hours)

·         Two trains : 3^rd class 48 baht, (six hours 5.55 am and 1.05 pm)

·         Warning: DO NOT take the direct Siem Reap buses promoted along Th khao San Road…scam

·         Ignore all touts: You do not need to change money before entering Cambodia or need assistance getting Visa (we don’t need one, I suppose), you’ll get to the border and things get pretty hassle free. Take the free shuttle to the Poipet Tourist Lounge (5-10 min away) which is the bus terminal for Siem Reap.

·         Bus- 40,000r/taxi $40-50$/ five hours

·         The public buses, around the corner, are slightly cheaper than the private

Considering that the travel takes about 10 hours, I suggest we get a good headstart so we arrive in siem reap early… for no reason at all… but it’s always good to get settled before dark…

16        whole day - explore siem reap/ Angkor

17        morning - off to Phnom Penh

·         ($3.50/ five to six hours)

·         Rely on Hour Lean, Capitol, and GST

18        whole day - explore Phnom Penh

19        crossing into Vietnam

·         Catch a Phnom Penh Sorya bus from Psar Thmei

·         ($12/ six hours)

·         Depart every morning at 8 am, 9 am, and 11 am

·         Go directly to Ho Chi Minh City with no changes at the Bavet Moc bai border crossing

20        morning – explore HCMC or suburb

20        afternoon – head back to HCMC if at the suburbs

20        eve – explore HCMC

21        morning – explore HCMC

21        afternoon – check in at the airport

22        morning – head home

            International Departure Tax ($14)

Suggestions

Saigon: Notre dame Cathedral

             The Unification Palace

             Dam Sen Water Park

             Cu Chi Tunnel

Andami

 

… this will be the draft itinerary…try as I might, I couldn’t squeeze Laos in…unless we employ the hit and run system which is taxing and would destroy the essence of the trip…I would have wanted to go to Luang prabang…but I guess Laos-Yunnan Province-Hanoi and Halong Bay is one tour set to be done next time around. We just have to  research on the sites we’d like to see in these destinations, the accommodations, and other details but the mainframe itinerary is a good start. If you guys have some other ideas, then let's all make the necessary adjustments…