Southeast Asia: Cambodia

Part 1 of my seven-day Southeast Asia backpacking tour featuring Siem Reap, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia

I spent several days travelling alone last year. Finally I was able to backpack in other countries--something that I've always wanted to do. 

I started with two cities in Cambodia and one in Vietnam from June 2-9 (a total of 7 days). 

Why these countries, you may ask. First, because they don't require Visa for Filipinos since we are neighbors (Southeast Asia represent!). Second, most of my friends have been there and they promised that the cost of living is cheap. Lastly, Buddhism is largely practiced in these parts of the world.

Here is my itinerary for those of you who also plan to go :)


SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA
(June 2-4; 8-9)

Mode of transportation: Two-hour plane ride from NAIA to Siem Reap International Airport.

Currency: US Dollar (USD) is widely accepted. You can also use Cambodian Riel (KHR) but it's more complicated to compute. I just used it to secure souvenir bills.

Other travelling tips to Cambodia can be found HERE and HERE.


June 2

Midnight: 

• Airport arrival
• Bought a local SIM with 1-mo. unlimited surfing data for only USD5.
• Picked up at the airport by the Tuk Tuk driver of my customer intuitive hostel, the Siem Reap Hostel (highly recommended for backpackers, btw).

• For late dinner, I had a traditional Khmer Fish Amok (presented inside a coconut shell) for USD6 at Triangle Restaurant Lounge Bar, where, coincidentally, the singers are Pinoys too. It's one of the countless restaurants and bars found along Pub Street, arguably Siem Reap's liveliest area for partying, dining, shopping, and night life.

June 3

Early morning until early afternoon

• Woke up early for the Small Circuit Temple Tour for a standard rate of USD 15 (you may ask your hostel staff to book you one). We started off with Angkor Wat, the lovely religious temple built during the 12th century.
• Unable to hide my excitement, I literally shouted when I approached it. For me, going to places is always better than reading about them in history books.
• Note: Entrance fee to Angkor Wat is USD20. It's best to visit before sunrise so you can witness the magical color transformation of the sky from red-orange, orange, yellow, to shades of blue. It's a visual treat!

• Next stop: Bayon Temple, located north of Angkor Wat, is best known for having multiple massive stone faces of bodhisattva Avalokitshvara. You can find locals dressed in traditional costumes who accommodate paid photo opportunities.

 

• Third temple: Ta Phrom Temple, made more famous by the tress that grew out of the ruins and the jungle-like surroundings. Sadly, most of the mini temples were being renovated when we visited so we didn't see much.

• Last stop: Bapun Temple, a quadrangular temple with steep staircases leading to the highest point where a seemingly open door stands.

• For lunch, I had a Chicken Lok Lak for about USD8. It is a popular local dish which I favored over Amok since it's more visually appealing and flavorful (with meat, eggs, veggies, tasty sauce, and fried rice).
• Fortunately, I met some of the most adventurous one-woman backpackers Eloise (from UK) and Nurul (from Malaysia) in Angkor Wat and we all happened to stay in the same hostel. We spent the entire trip together while sharing thoughts about our countries, travels, religions, and some personal matters. Truly an experience worth more than any passport stamp!

Afternoon

• We took a break from the overwhelming temple tour and went back to our hostel to swim at the pool then take a nap :)
• I met my new roommate, Orlaith (pronounced Orla) from Ireland, and I invited her to join us for our planned trip that evening.

Evening

• To my overwhelming delight, we watched Phare, the Cambodian Circus for USD18 inside, no less than, a circus tent! The best thing about Phare is that it's circus with theater (acrobatics complete with acting, miming, and audience interaction). More than being a performing arts group, Phare is also a social enterprise that uplifts the lives of underprivileged youth by exposing them into artistic endeavors (which made me even happier!)
• After the show, we had dinner at Pub Street. Eloise invited her classmate back in UK, James and his girlfriend Ester, to join us.

• I had a Shrimp Pad Thai (yap, in Cambodia) for about USD6. It tasted authentic, to say the least.

Me, James, Nurul, Orlaith, Ester, and Eloise

Orlaith, Ester, and Eloise

• After dinner, we had some drinks at a rooftop in one of Pub Street bars. We played an entertaining Yes-No asking game (3 rounds) where we identified the secret names on our foreheads featuring Personalities, Musicians, and Cartoon Characters as categories. Picture this, six strangers on one table with some cigarettes (for them) and lots of beers and alcohols (also for them; I just had one) having fun without prejudice! Now that's why I went solo backpacking in the first place: to be an anonymous personality amid a crowd whom I can learn from and be inspired of.
• We head on our separate ways the following day. I woke up early to go to Phnom Penh; Nurul headed to another province in Cambodia; Eloise went to Lao PDR; while Orlaith, James, and Ester, continued their Siem Reap adventure.

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA

(June 4-6)

Mode of transportation: Bus. Sleeper buses are more expensive than public buses but preferable when you're seeking comfort and the assurance that more tourists are also on board. Six-hour ride along agricultural fields and underdeveloped highways (Siem Reap is a province after all, remember?)

Best time to travel: Early morning so you can arrive at Phnom Penh by early afternoon and still have a lot of time to stroll.

June 4

Morning until early afternoon

• My breakfast consisted of bread-and-butter-and-jam; milk, and fruit slices available at our hostel for only USD2.

• I took on a six-hour bus ride to Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. I only took a public bus which meant that there were more locals than tourists. Luckily, I sat beside Kamsan, a local who knows how to speak English and is a fan of Manny Pacquiao so I didn't have a hard time during the trip! He was also generous in accompanying me throughout all our bus stops. He even gave me a rice cake; their local version of our "suman."
• I also met a Cambodian Theravada Buddhism student who was travelling with his 'best friend,' a Chinese Mahayana Buddhism student. I thought then that they were having an affair!
• When I arrived in Phnom Penh, I hired a motorcycle driver to take me to Sundance Riverside Guest House. Unfortunately, he doesn't speak good English so we got lost for about 15 minutes locating my place. To keep it brief, I would say that my choice of Sundance was wrong because it is frequented by old Caucasian expats, hence, I didn't earn a new traveler friend :(
• Because I got tired of that morning's travel, I just spent the afternoon lazying off in my bed and watching "That Awkward Moment" and the French Open on TV. 

Evening

• I had dinner at Phnom Penh Night Market, their version of our Divisoria. Like the locals, I ate a Miche (fried noodles with leafy veggie in beef sauce) while sitting on a mat. I engaged with two school teachers who were genuinely nice! They even gave me a star keychain as a souvenir :)

June 5

Morning until afternoon

• I visited the infamous Cheoung Ek Genocidal Center (Killing Fields) and learned a lot about Cambodia's genocide history from '75-'79. It was a sad and depressing experience (imagine, Cambodians killing Cambodians). The multilingual audio tour was a great idea though (if the intention was to scare tourists more than educate them of what really happened in various areas of the Fields). I also saw the Killing Tree where executioners beat children to death :(

• Next stop: Toul Seng Genocide Museum (S21). The torture rooms and equipment, prison cells, and victims' photos did little to ease my sadness. Besides being more haunting than the Killing Fields, it is an indispensable part of any Phnom Penh tour.
• I canvassed for souvenirs at Phnom Penh Central Market but only managed to buy ref magnets because 1) I was concerned with my budget since I was just in the middle of the trip and 2) some vendors were impatient.

• Before heading back to Sundance, I strolled around Royal Palace, the official residence of the Royal Family. It was closed during that time so I wasn't able to see the Silver Pagoda. I had to be contented with the facade. Interesting enough, the park in front of the Palace is open to the public. It's like bringing Luneta Park in front of Malacanang Palace! You can sum up an ordinary Phnom Penh weekend by spending some time in the park: families having picnik, children running, monks walking, tourists taking pictures, and vendors occupying sidewalks. All of these happen with the river at the background, amid an endless cycle of sunrise and sunset, and regular passing of cruise boats.
• My Tuk Tuk driver (who was not that good in English) and I had a misunderstanding regarding the tour fee. He thought that his lunch (which I paid for) was excluded from the fee, although I made the opposite clear before we ate. We just met halfway. If I remember correctly, I paid him about USD18.

Evening

• I found a local bookstore near the Royale Palace that sells cheap locally printed books (i.e. Haruki Murakami novels for about PHP200 only). It broke my heart to leave the store without any purchase because my bag is already filled with a couple of books :(
• I was craving for company on my last evening in Phnom Penh so I contacted the two Buddhism students who I met on the bus earlier. We met at a park between their amusement center and resort-casino area. I walked for about twenty minutes, thinking that the area was just near my place!
• Fact: Maps, while generally helpful to get you from point A to point B, are not always transparent with the actual distance of getting there.

• For dinner, I had ordinary noodles for USD1.5 while literally sitting on the sidewalk! When the two Buddhism students found out about my dinner, they ordered for them too. The Theravata student had a vow of fasting after 11 A.M. so he insisted that his friend eat his part. It was crazy seeing him fighting his desire to eat and it was confusing to see them argue (L.Q.?). I was like an uninvited guest, tbh.
• The same student gave me a plastic bag filled with huge plates of dried mangoes. It didn't taste as good as our Cebu dried mangoes but I thought that was generous of him. I gave the bag to a (seemingly) homeless man.

June 6

Morning

• While having breakfast downstairs, I saw a group of monks who were doing their daily routine of collecting alms (or donations) from locals. I hurried to my room, grabbed my camera, and got near them to get a good shot. I've been waiting to personally witness such sense of altruism that is only found in Buddhism.
• Before I left for Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, I accidentally destroyed the door knob of my restroom. I didn't notify the owner because I was afraid he would charge me for it. Haha!

(AFTER HO CHI MINH, VIETNAM) BACK TO SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

June 8

Evening

• I was picked up at the bus station by the Tuk Tuk driver of Siem Reap Hostel (an awesome customer service offered by not all hostels, btw).
• I survived an exhausting 13-hour public bus ride from Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh, and then back to Siem Reap. Had I taken a private bus, that trip would have been shorter.

June 9

Morning

• Last day of my tour. I woke up early to buy souvenirs for my family among the few opened stores at Siem Reap Old Market. I spent more than USD50! 
• Tip: You have to bargain when buying souvenirs. To win one, pretend that you're uninterested with the product because the price is high and you can only pay for a certain amount.Take a few steps out of the store, and 90% of the time, they will call you back and settle for your price :)

Afternoon

• I fixed my stuff and prepared for departure. Good thing that The Siem Reap Hostel let me stay within the building despite checking out early. While waiting for the proper time to travel to the airport, I watched "Fight Club" and a local documentary in the movie room for free. 

The free pick-up service and movie room are just two of the great customer services that one can get from Siem Reap Hostel. They also offer a food crawl, reception area with local tour and inter-city/cross-country packages, bar, buffet breakfast, swimming pool, billiard table, book swap shelf, and yoga and spa sessions at reasonable prices.

It's true what people say about Cambodia - that it is affordable and has an interesting history. Cambodians are generally warm to tourists although vendors have the tendency to be irrationally aggressive.

For me, Siem Reap is a better destination because it gives you the beauty of Cambodia's ancient temples that have stood the test of time (even archaeologists wonder how they were built that strong). Also, more people there can speak and understand English. 

Phnom Pehn, despite being the capital, lacks modernity. Some say that the only thing that matters there is the country's genocide history, and I totally agree. I would say though that it should be a non-negotiable place to visit so tourists can truly understand how Cambodia came to be the county that we now know--beyond the corners of Angkor Wat alone.

That's it! Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of my Cambodian adventure.