So, asked Alice as she wandered along not knowing. And is this a phase I'm going to be using a lot, well maybe not!
They say not knowing is half the fun. For some people I suppose, but apart from the fact that I have a really hard time adjusting to “Not Knowing”; in this world you can’t just show up unannounced.
I've always wanted to go to Cambodia and do it rather differently; without a care in the world and not knowing how I’d get from one place to the next, but planning is inevitable. For one, you can’t just turn up without a visa and to get one you need to explain how you intend to get there and leave and where you’re going to stay and why. So, yes my unplanned adventure had to be rather planned to some extent.
Step 1, Return tickets to Bangkok.
Step 2, A hotel in Siam Rep (If you’re roughing it out, can a $300/night hotel really be considered as an “I found it and camped out here”? Well I google found it and negotiated really well and got it for $70/night, so of course)
Step 3, Visas for Thailand and Cambodia. A "double entry" visa for Thailand because visa on arrival is only for people who fly into the country not walk across the Cambodian border; Who knew! And an eVisa for Cambodia so that you don't have to worry about the touts trying to hassle you when you try getting a visa at the border.
Step 4, But how do I get from Bangkok to Siam Rep? I have no tickets or reservations but I do have a lot of research. Research that’s ensured I know what the station looks like, what the road conditions are like and what alternate options I have! Between the train, the bus, walking across the border and a short Tuk Tuk ride, I know I'll get there eventually.Step 5, Explore “The Lost city” of Angkor Wat. Yes, I’ve seen tons of pictures and read up on travel ideas but as William Hazlitt once said “You know more of a road by having traveled it than by all the conjectures and descriptions in the world.”
It’s true with the amount of information I have and the planning done, I may not have to ask people for directions or what to do next …. But travel brings about unplanned experiences no matter what, so of course I’m leaving home “Not knowing”.
