Alberta – Traveling Mark

Rainy Season in Cambodia

I was fully aware of the fact that I’d arriving in Cambodia during rainy season. It didn’t put me off one bit, afterall I each season has something different, something unique to offer that can only be experienced in that particular season. But the main reason I was headed for Cambodia in the rainy season was that it was the right time for me to go. It just so happened that September fell within the rainy season and knowing I would stay for a while would allow me to experience this country during both rainy season and dry season.

Heavy Rainfall During Cambodian Rainy Season — You Get to Experience Heavy Rainfall A Lot During Cambodian Rainy Season

While rainy season in Cambodia extends from June to October, I have done my homework prior to leaving Canada and checked out the rainfall (precipitation) stats and damn – historically the month of September gets pounded by more rain than any other month of the year in Cambodia. I’ve traced down some expats who have been living in Cambodia for a few years on the internet and asked them about rainy season and September and sure enough, I had it confirmed by being told that it rains every day. Rains every day? Boy… that’s a whole lotta rain!

It still bothered me not. I have not lived in any country during rainy season so I saw this as an amazing opportunity to experience this natural phenomenon first hand. Afterall, locals have been going through rainy season every years for centuries and they’ve dealt with it fine, so why would I have any issue with a bit of rain, albeit it was gonna be more than just a bit. But when speaking of living in extreme weather conditions – I come from Alberta, Canada where winters last for 8 months each year and temperatures get below -40 Degrees Celsius. If I could live through that for years, rainy season can’t possibly irk me off.

Leaves of Cambodian Tropical Trees Are Covered in Rain Droplets During Rainy Season

Cambodia is located very close to the equator so temperatures are tropical year round. I was told by one of the expats that the coldest it ever gets here is 20 Degrees Celsius in winter. That’s what summer looks like in Canada. This simply meant that I had to make sure I have decent sandals to take with me as I would not get to wear any actual shoes, it would also mean that I should bring light, summer clothing and take it easy on long sleeve shirts and long pants. Rainy season or not, winter or summer, a visitor to Cambodia will be wearing summer clothes unless they want to walk around drenched in their own sweat.

Causes of Rainy Season in Cambodia

Extended research on rainy season in Cambodia provided answers to why monsoons repeat with such solid timing each year. To cut down on all the technical jargon and sum it up in a few simple sentences, the casues of the rainy season in Cambodia are:

Air pressure over central Asia drops in Summer. This drop in air pressure draws moisture that otherwise gathers above the seas over land. Cambodia is right in the way so the clouds full of moisture settle above the country for good few months – from June to September
As air pressure over central Asia rises with coming of colder months and winter, this pressure then pushes these rain cloud back above the seas and keeps them there. That’s why during the rest of the year Cambodia experienced dry season with very little rainfall

So it’s all in the air pressure. When the air pressure drops (that’s what happens in warmer time of year) it attracts moist clouds from above the seas. When the air pressure rises (happens in colder months of the year), the clouds get pushed away. That’s the whole magic behind clockwork like monsoon cycles Cambodia gets exposed to each year. It is commonly known and referred to as the rainy season.

Barb Wire in Siem Reap Collects Moisture During Rainy Season in Cambodia

Arriving in Siem Ream Amidst Rainy Season

I was rather encouraged seeing how sunny and cloudless the weather was in South Korea. Knowing that South Korea is an adjacent part of the same continent on which Cambodia is located, it gave me hopes that perhaps I would find the same sunny weather in Siem Ream when I arrive. I hopped on a plane in Seoul, tired from previous long flight I nodded off and when I woke up shortly before landing, I noticed rain drops landing on that small circular window I had right next to me (yes, I scored the window seat). All my hopes for sunny weather were gone.

As we have landed in Siem Reap, it became even more obvious that it’s not just raining in Cambodia, it’s pouring like there’s no tomorrow. Our scheduled arrival time in Siem Reap was at 10.20pm and we got there on time. It was dark outside and rain was just gushing right down. Siem Reap international airport (REP) does not have those fancy movable walkways that connect directly to the door of the aircraft. We had to walk out of the plane and board the bus that was waiting outside. There were locals with umbrellas waiting to assist us with boarding without getting too wet which was fine and did the job, it simply showed me that I was foolish when I made associations between weather in South Korea and weather in Cambodia. The two are on the same continent, but are 5 hours away by plane from each other and are in different tropical zones. Rainy Season in Cambodia is for real and arrives as expected every year. No exceptions. I have expected it and here I was – I have made it to Cambodia. Woo hoo!

Young Cambodian Girl Rushes Under The Roof to Avoid Getting too Wet from the Rain

Buying Travel Insurance in Canada

If you’re traveling abroad, you definitely want to buy good Travel Insurance. At least that’s what all insurance companies tell us. Vast majority of people who buy travel insurance waste money on it, however those few who do get involved in an accident or become severely sick abroad would be in lifetime debt had they not bought the insurance prior to the trip. Buying travel insurance is obviously a big deal and an important decision to make prior to the trip. I faced the same issue myself – where do I go to buy best travel insurance in Canada?

Savvy travellers know that most travel insurances offered along with travel packages are a major rip off. Each time you buy a travel insurance along with the vacation package, you are overpaying hard core. This is somewhat understandable as majority of mainstream travel agencies sell mostly sun vacations which are so competitive, they are priced very low and deliver minimal mark-up. If travel agencies were to sell nothing but those popular vacation packages, they would not stay afloat for a very long time. Luckily there are travel insurances and that’s where they get you. While mark-up on popular vacation packages is minimal, mark-up on travel insurances most people buy along with the vacation is outrageous.

It is no different than extended warranties for electronics. It’s only thanks to those that big box stores are able to sell laptops and other gadgets for so cheap. So I’m OK with the fact that most people allow themselves to get ripped off on extended warranties or travel insurances. I’m one of the few who don’t fall for this but the reason I can get away with it is because majority of populace does get ripped off on overpriced travel insurances so travel agencies do have a buffer to work with and can let one person slip without buying one every once and again.

Here’s a comparison:

If you buy a Vacation to the Caribbean (Cuba or the Dominican Republic, for example) in Canada, the weeklong, all-inclusive package will cost you on average $800 plus taxes. Travel insurance for your weeklong stay will start at $80 and will go up to some $130 for a more complete package. You easily end up paying 10% or more of the cost of your all inclusive stay on top of the vacation for your travel insurance that covers you for a week.

Your other option is to call Blue Cross Canada and buy an annual insurance from them for the cost of $68 (in Alberta, not sure about other Canadian provinces and territories). This insurance covers your first 30 days of any stay abroad you take within a year from the validity of your insurance. That means that if you travel abroad let’s say 6 times a year and each of your stays is 30 days long or shorter, then this one time payment of $68 for the travel insurance covers your each trip.

If you didn’t buy this Blue Cross coverage, but instead purchased insurance individually each time you travel, you would be looking at a combined cost of $600 or more ($100 on average for each of your six trips, however if you take 30 day trips, the cost of insurance would be higher. $100 is typical for a one week vacation).

Photo: My Blue Cross Canada Travel Insurance Card for 2010/2011

There are some terms of service associated with the Blue Cross travel insurance, for example that it doesn’t cover travel through war zones or other areas with advisories against travel to these areas issued by Foreign Affairs of Canada (published on voyage.gc.ca) so you do need to review it before purchasing, however for a normal travel through save and somewhat safe country, Blue Cross insurance covers you perfectly well for the initial 30 days of your stay abroad.

This is what I went with to Cuba, Dominican Republic and Iceland and since I still had 5 months of Blue Cross insurance left, I didn’t buy any additional coverage. I thought that my strategy would be to leave the country and move to another country after a month. Most tourist visas are valid for a month only anyway so unless you extend, you would end up leaving the country anyway. This way I’d be covered with my Blue Cross for the duration of following 5 months.

I remained opened to the possibility of buying health insurance from one of the insurance providers available in a country where I would decide to stay for an extended period of time. It only made sense that buying health coverage from Canada to insure me in a third world country would be expensive. But buying the same insurance from an insurance company that operates in that very country should offer the same type of coverage, but be noticeably less expensive to buy. And that was my plan when I was leaving for the long term travel. I didn’t have any solid travel insurance to cover me no matter what because I didn’t have the amount of money they cost. But I did have it figured out reasonably well to remain covered in case poop hits the fan.

Driving Through the Rockies

There’s nothing like Driving Through the Rockies. Sheer awesomeness of the mountains is unrivalled, magnificent scenery changes from breathtaking to eye-popping with each turn of the road and the traffic is light so you can fully savor each moment. I drove through the Rockies many a time and starting from Edmonton, I’ve always headed to Jasper first as it is the nearest and easiest to access point of the Canadian Rockies from my home town. This time around I’ve changed my plan and drove south to Red Deer where I took the turn to head towards the mountains through the Rocky Mountains House (that’s a name of a small town on the way to the Rockies). This access point offers new views of the mountains peaks that I have not seen before. It was spectacular.

Photo: Canadian Rocky Mountain Peaks Hazed in Early Morning Mist

This was my second driving through the Rockies adventure of the year and fourth in two years. I went all the way to Roger’s Pass in BC. Most of my previous visits to the Rocky Mountains consisted of exploring either Jasper or Banff National Parks, both of which are in Alberta. I once stayed at the Mount Robson Lodge which is located right at the foot of Mount Robson – the highest peak of the Canadian Rockies and is also on the BC side. But other than that I haven’t seen that much of the British Columbia’s Rocky Mountains.

Photo: Moraine Lake in Banff National Park

Roger’s Pass is in the Glacier National Park and is surrounded by mountain peaks that are the most beautiful of all I’ve seen in the Rocky Mountains. Short hike took me on an excursion through the history of former Trans Atlantic Railway the remnants of which remind us of the immense power of area’s avalanches. I then drove back to Banff but first visited Takakkaw Falls and took a hike around Emerald Lake which wore me down well enough to be ready for a soak up in Banff’s Upper Hot Springs.

Photo: Upper Hot Springs in Banff at Night with Naturally Heated, Mineral Rich Water

I stayed the night in Banff so I could visit The Cave and the Basin the following morning before heading off to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. This was awesome. I visited the area in May – only months prior to this road trip and Lake Louise was completely frozen which made it look like farmer’s field covered in Ice. This time around (August) it looked just like the picture perfect mountain lake it is. Moraine Lake was not even accessible in May but was in all of its beauty in August. The biggest difference was at Bow Summit – the highest point at the Canadian Rockies with paved road. When I got there in May, the upper car park was not accessible due to excessive snow so I had to leave my car far away and climb all the way up through waist deep snow. This time around the road was clear of snow so I was able to drive up to the upper parking lot and walk it easy to the lookout with magnificent views of Peyto Lake in the valley below.

Photo: The Cave and the Basin - Birthplace of Banff National Park

I never get tired of Driving Through the Rockies. I’ve done it many times and will do it each time I get a chance in the future. During this three day road trip I’ve visited many great sites and took hundreds of stunning pictures. Unfortunately as soon as I have returned from this amazing trip, I had to take care of storage of items I still had in my possession and start getting ready for the big departure. I’ll try to get back to this Driving Through the Rockies trip at a later date and share all the stories and pictures as it’s without doubt worth it.

Photo: At the Platform on Top of Bow Summit Overlooking Peyton Lake