Situated in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia is the beautiful Kingdom of Cambodia. The country is known for their monumental temples found in Siem Reap namely Angkor Wat, Prayat Bayon, Baphoun Temple and more. Travellers fly all the way to Cambodia for the following main reasons: (1) see the prehistorically religious temples, (2) experience the country’s indigenous culture and (3) discover the way of life in Cambodia. Believe me or not, you will only need 150 bucks to make this journey possible.
About 95% of population practices Theravada Buddhism in Cambodia
Cambodia is formerly known as ‘Kampuchea’ that is derived from Sanskrit word ‘Kambuja’ which means “The Golden Land”. I have known this country from my Social Science subject way back on my high school days and since then I found it very interesting to explore.
Angkor Wat
(Siem Reap)
The largest religious monument in the world
Last week, MJ de Leon and I took off to Siem Reap with only 150 US Dollars each. Please note that the said amount is on top of the air fare already. I suggest you book your flight at least two (2) months ahead of schedule to avail a discounted rate. Siem Reap is located in north-western of Cambodia which is closer to Thailand border so I recommend you choose the flight routed to Bangkok (TH) instead of flying straight to Phnom Penh (KH).
We arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport Thailand around 12 midnight and stayed for awhile since the first bus trip to Cambodia is scheduled at 4:00 AM. I have to say that Thailand’s airport is more modern and wide comparing from Philippines’s airport. Around 3:00 AM we decided to move already and take a cab to Morchit Bus Station en route for Cambodia. Metered taxi should only charge you THB 450 or $13 and travel is only about 30 minutes from the airport. We arrived at the bus station around 3:30 AM. There will be a lot of touts outside the transportation depot so avoid talking or entertaining them as they may be swindlers.
First class bus fare to Poipet, Cambodia is THB 223 or $6.50 per head and estimated travel time is 4.5 hours. There will be two (2) bus stops during the trip so make use of it if you feel like disposing or you want something to eat. We arrived at Poipet roughly 8:30 AM and you’ll know that you are already in Cambodia if you’ll sense a scent of dried fish and the land is filled with dust and reddish soil. As discouraging as it may sound but bear mind Cambodia is not about glitz and glam so deal with it.
Upon arrival, we immediately process our Thai and Cambodian immigration. The office is about 2-minute walk from where the bus dropped us. Clearance took us less than 30 minutes to process. Also note that for foreign tourist, all goods and services are priced in USD but there are few who accept payments through Thai Baht.
IMPORTANT: Bring your passport everywhere you go.
IMPORTANT: Bring your passport everywhere you go.
Poipet Border, Cambodia
From the boundary, we hired a taxi to drive us to Siem Reap and it cost us $30 for two. Travel period is approximately four (4) hours. Reminder: Poipet is known for its scams repeatedly so be very careful from talking to people.
For our accommodation of 3 days and 2 nights at Siem Reap, we chose Shining Angkor Boutique Hotel. Room rate is $36 good for two persons per night. The reservation comes with free breakfast as well. We booked this hotel a month prior to this trip through www.agoda.com. If you want to know why we think this is the best hotel for this travel, read my blog after this link http://trip2happylife.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-sense-of-serene-living-in-shining.html.
We arrived at Shining Angkor Boutique Hotel around 12:30 noon time and rested for awhile after the long and tiring trip from the boundary.
Shining Angkor Boutique Accomodations
At 3:00 PM, MJ and I were excited and ready for the first day trip. We hired a tuktuk driver to guide us around Siem Reap for two days. Kuya Siang who was our driver charged us for a reasonable price of $15 each. He was very nice and helpful.
There are many monumental temples in Siem Reap and it is impossible to visit them all within two days. Thus, we only picked the top 5 most visited temples which are Angkor Wat, Prasat Bayon, Baphuon Temple, Thomanon and Ta Phrom. But of course for your travel, you can pay visit the temples of your choice. Note: Entrance fee for all the temples in Siem Reap is $20.00 and ticketing office is open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Visiting of temple starts at 6:30 AM and closes at 6:00 PM.
Meet Kuya Siang who was our tuktuk driver/tour guide
Guide Map in exploring Siem Reap Temples
Prasat Bayon
Baphuon Temple
Ta Phrom Temple
(Film location for Lara Croft: Tom Raider 2001)
More photos and blog about the temples soon at www.trip2happylife.blogspot.com and www.lifesytlehub.net
Kuya Siang took us at KHMER Family Restaurant for Lunch on our 2nd Day Trip. The restaurant serves the best Cambodian cuisines and food prices ranges from $ 4.50 to 6.
KHMER Family Restaurant
For our last excursion, Kuya Siang brought us to Tonle Sap wherein you can experience 1hr boat ride around what Cambodian called as the Great Lake of Tonle Sap. For $20 per head, you get to see the Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary, floating villages, crocodile farm and more. In our case, we did not avail the ride since we were already tired from the temple visits.
For more details about Tonle Sap visit:
Tonle Sap
At Siem Reap’s downtown, they have what they called "The Agency" where you can reserve bus seats going back to Bangkok. Note: Bus trips are scheduled only in the morning. Bus rates vary depending on the schedule and the kind of transport you prefer (Direct or Indirect Travel). Direct Travel is more expensive but the travel time is 3 hours shorter than indirect travel. The difference is due to processing hours of immigration in the boundary which will consume more than an hour of your time. We chose the 9:00 AM indirect travel for $18 and it took us 9 hours travelling.
| Cab to Morchit Station ( $13 / 2) | $6.50 |
| Bus to Cambodia Boundary | $6.50 |
| Cab to Siem Reap | $15.00 |
| Hotel Accommodation ( $36 x 2 nights / 2 persons) | $36.00 |
| Food ($6.00 x 5 meals) | $30.00 |
| Tuktuk (Tour Guide) | $15.00 |
| Siem Reap Temples Entrance Fee | $20.00 |
| Bus back to Bangkok | $18.00 |
| Extra Allowance | $3.00 |
| TOTAL | $150.00 |
Optional: Tonle Sap $20.00
Siem Reap may not be a glamorous and upscale city but personally I find the place perfect for discovering history and cultural travel. The life in Cambodia is simple and peaceful which is the kind of place just right for a person who wants to be undisturbed. The temples are beyond spectacular which I think are the best feature of their country. Khmer cuisine is so special which for me is a must try. Above all, Cambodians are genuinely nice people. They are very accommodating and hospitable which endowed us with wonderful experience in their beautiful country.
Bloggers MJ and I would like to thank the beautiful Kingdom of Cambodia for the warm hospitality.
Cambodia, truly Asia.
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