Day 1 –
Cebu - Manila - Siem Reap Airport - Bliss Villa - Pub Street
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| meet the gang - we'll be filling up most of the spaces here! |
Our flight from Cebu to Manila was delayed by 20 minutes and we arrived around 2
PM already. We were so hungry, that after I changed my peso bills to US dollars (Remember that Cambodia accepts USD and most of the rates there are in USD too),
we immediately looked for a place to eat. We settled in Dimsum Dumplings.
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| hunger struck! |
After strolling in the 4th floor, we went to L3
and waited for the counter to open, paid the travel tax, terminal fee and
passed through that strict-yet-smiling immigration officer.
Here we are now, waiting for our 7:45 PM flight. 3 hours
earlier is not really bad. Haha
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| checking in |
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| to the boarding gate |
We had dinner.. Coffee.. Then the boarding gate was finally
opened and tadan!
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| see you real soon Siem Reap! |
We’re just a 2-hour and 45-minute chikka away from the
Kingdom of Cambodia! There’s an hour difference, Cambodia being behind.
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| getting ready! |
Kingdom of Wonders!
Touchdown Siem Reap! We were greeted by a very serene
airport which was small and felt more like a spa. Seriously, with the lighting
and landscape you would really think so too.
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| touchdown! |
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| first group pic in Cambodia! |
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| see the lines? - that's the immigration |
After clearing through immigration, we started our photo ops
already!
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| small yet organized airport |
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| Kingdom of Wonders! |
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| we'll see.. |
We only stopped when it was announced not to stay too long
inside the airport. Haha.
So, there was a free pick-up service by the hotel. I saw my
name and met Noel, our driver. And our journey towards the center of Siem Reap
province started through a tuk-tuk, their main mode of transportation.
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| landscape on the way out the airport |
It was dark and raining. Their airport is far from the
center you would really get a glimpse of the very simple living there. And mind
you, water is just everywhere!
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| sooo dark! |
We stayed at Bliss Villa for 2 nights. We just checked
in and settled our things. Something unique about this guesthouse (or maybe
true for all accommodations in Cambodia) is that we need to take off our shoes
at the doorstep.
Our first time!
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| our simple room |
After a few minutes, we walked ourselves (just
around 300 meters away) to the infamous PUB STREET! It was not boring going
there as there were a lot of restaurants along the way.
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| not yet the pub street.. |
The Pub Street with its bright lights, various foreign
people and countless bars and restaurants is a sure contrast to what we have
just seen earlier on the way from the airport. There seems to be a different
life at night in this province.
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| wish the Philippines has this too.. |
We went to Khmer Family Restaurant and ordered their
best-seller, Family special pizza – Khmer
style. It was by far the best seafood pizza I’ve tried. The mozzarella cheese
tastes so good with the seafood toppings!
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| indeed! |
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| Khmer Style pizza! |
And who would miss the opportunity to drink their infamous
beer as well? We would just not. Haha
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| Beer No. 1 - Angkor Beer - of course during this trip, by far, the best |
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| finally, we'll be having dinner! |
So, we were planning to go to the Night Market but the rain
just poured so heavily, we ended up taking a tuk-tuk to the villa. First tip, do not think all tuk-tuk drivers
know your place no matter how near it seems to be. They would actually just
drive as if they know. Make sure you can
direct him. In our case, it was a blessing for him not knowing our place. We
had a free tour of the nearby streets for 3
USD.
That’s it folks. We’ll have to sleep well as tomorrow’s gonna be a
long day! Good night!
Day 1 – Cebu - Manila - Siem Reap Airport - Bliss Villa - Pub Street
Day 2 - Angkor Archaeological Park - Lucky Mall
Day 3 - Bliss Villa - Mekong Express Bus - Pratna Guesthouse - Royal Palace - Khmeroyal Hotel - Tonle Sap Riverfront - Convenience Store (Phnom Penh Beer)
Day 4 - Pratna Guesthouse - Mekong Express Terminal - Mekong River - Flower Restaurant - Cambodian Border - Vietnam Border - Koniko Backpacker's Hostel - Viet Restaurant - Saigon Post Office - Notre Dame Cathedral - Independence Building - Night Market - Sozo
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