Cambodia!

Siem reap, 8-11 February 2010

Heading to Siem Reap by train wasn't a bad idea. From Hualamphong Station BKK, train left on time 5.55am, and luckily, food wasn't hard to find at that hour. I bought bread and thai tea from some small mart inside the station. 

The train arrived on time 12 o'clock at Aranyaprathet, and from there we took tuktuk for 30 baht to take us to border. Watchout, perhaps it's common for tuktuk driver to take that right turn (around 500km before border) to this small office, where government-look-like-people urged us to make visa there. DON'T do visa there! First they kind of forced us to pay with baht. They said if we don't have, we should look out for atm. Then as we were leaving, they told us we can pay in dollar, U$30 each.

Next time anyone wishes to go to Siem Reap the same way, tell the tuktuk driver to take you STRAIGHT TO BORDER! At border, making visa was easy, no hassle. And we paid U$25. What took us long was the queue to get the stamp.. We got out border to the bus/taxi station at 2. Free shuttle bus waited outside to get tourists to the bus/taxi station.

Bus fare was U$9/person, taxi U$12. We took bus, the road was no more bumpy like the old days. A lot better now, you can sleep along the ride. I think we arrived at Siem Reap at about 4pm. Then we took tuktuk to take us to Watsup Guesthouse, just over the bridge from the old market. The tuktuk cost like 100 baht.

Easy to find food nearby or at the old market. We shopped also at the old market. Food price was around U$2 to 4, 1L bottled water R2000 (1U$=R4000).

Next morning, we were picked up at 5am to see Angkor sites. Find Samnang, our tuktuk driver. He has good english and knowledge about the historical story of the temples. Took half hour ride by tuktuk, then we paid U$20 to get us in Angkor. (They have 3 days pass for U$40)

All that I think we need to see was covered in a day. Angkor Wat (the biggest temple and best spot to catch sunrise), Bayon (the faces temple and elephant terrace), Ta Prohm (the site of Tomb Rider movie and where the hundreds year old trees are), and seeing sunset from the Air Balloon (it's on the west gate and cost U$15/person to ride.

The Air balloon was not at all what I expected. I was imagining going places in the sky, instead anchored in a spot and floated for about 10 minutes!

On day 3, we went to the Silk Farm, which I liked! We were guided thru the process of how silk is made, and the shop was chic! We bought ourselves some shawl, for U$3! (well, that's the cheapest.) Then we headed Tonle Sap, to the floating village port, each paid U$12 to get on boat. The river was dirty I'd say. At end was the ocean (or was it lake? seemed like an ocean), where we enjoyed the sun setting elegantly slow.

We're leaving Cambodia from Siem Reap International Airport, which I regreted. I knew about paying U$25 for visa entering Cambodia, but didn't expect to pay another U$25 leaving it! It was the airport tax, I think. If anyone going to this city, perhaps try leaving this country by train or bus, then from there you take flight, to avoid this extra paying.

Well, it was all learning. Aside the airport tax, I enjoyed my stay there.

D