Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and a little bit of Saigon - Part 3

Day 3 - Bliss Villa - Mekong Express Bus - Pratna Guesthouse - Royal Palace - Khmeroyal Hotel - Tonle Sap Riverfront - Convenience Store (Phnom Penh Beer)

Yesterday, we requested a Bliss Villa staff to buy us Mekong Express bus tickets for Phnom Penh. What I really didn't like about the staff was when they told us that the prices of tickets were high due to a holiday in Phnom Penh. Instead of the usual $12, we paid $14 each instead. They even cited other bus companies as a substitute. We stayed with Mekong and accepted the price. Later, we actually found out that there's no holiday and it is really better to buy tickets from the bus companies directly. :(

Anyway, so much of the drama. Haha. We were up early and settled in the hotel's main lobby. Our supposed departure time was 7 am. We waited in the hotel because Mekong Express would actually fetch you from your location. Amazing, isn't it? So, while waiting, I took some shots..

corridor

lobby

view outside the hotel

While we were busy talking, a staff of Mekong Express entered the hotel and looked for us. We handed our tickets for him to check, we bid goodbye to the hotel staff and boarded a mini-bus, together with the other foreign passengers. Before heading to the Bus Terminal, we fetched some more passengers from various hotels. It was kind of a free tour. Then, the mini-bus took us to the Bus Terminal. There were a lot of buses from other companies as well. 

the bus, the checkers and the passengers

Before boarding the bus, there are people who would check your tickets and handle your baggage (you would be given a stub to claim them). The baggage would then be placed in the bus' compartment.

lovely passengers

So, what made this ride worth $14? Well, Phnom Penh is 6-7 hours away from Siem Reap. This is an air-conditioned bus with a Khmer-and-English-speaking staff that would explain from time to time, where we are and what this is. There's a toilet inside the bus as well. Most of all, they serve SNACKS (bottled water and a pack of biscuits), together with a wet tissue! And needless to say, SAFETY. Mekong Bus has maintained its reputation of bringing passengers from Cambodia to any destinations safely.

So, you might wonder what do we see on the way to the capital? Well, not much other than simple houses, people wearing pajamas (I still don't know why) and a lot (as in a LOT) of rice fields. Just like this..

trees in the rice fields

Around 11 am, we stopped by in a certain district to eat lunch in a restaurant. The bus would give you around 20 minutes to eat. The driver and a staff would also eat in the same restaurant. Tip: Just don't think everything served to you which is not part of your orders are free. They charged us on this soup we didn't order. Thank God it was worth it.

So, after filling our stomachs, we went back to the bus. On the way, there are stalls selling some unusual snacks - fried grasshoppers and other insects!!! This is indeed Cambodia!

nope - this is not what we ate

So, our journey continued until we arrived at the Mekong Bus Terminal in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh! :)

Before heading to our guesthouse, we booked our tickets to Saigon first at their office.

cafe inside their office

while waiting for our tickets

We then hired a tuk-tuk ($3) to bring us to our booked guesthouse, Pratna Guesthouse. It's near the Old Market and the driver immediately noticed it. 

the facade

We did not waste time. After checking in and settling our things, we started our Phnom Penh walkathon. Haha. Yes, we walked all the way to the Royal Palace. It was actually around 10-15 minutes of walking. Not bad. We got to see and experience much of Phnom Penh that way. Just don't believe it when people say the Palace is closed. It was around 4 pm only.

Okay, here we are at our destination! We paid the entrance fee (sorry, I really forgot how much) and started exploring this grand place. 

The Royal Palace is actually a complex of buildings which serve as the royal residence of the King of Cambodia. The actual place of residence is not open to the public.

there it is!

The throne hall is used for several occasions such as coronation, royal weddings and meeting place of the King's guests but you can't enter. You can just see through the doors.

up close

Then, we went inside Wat Preah Keo or commonly known as the Silver Pagoda.

Silver Pagoda

 Actually, the name came from the 5,000 silver tiles laid in the temple. But only a small portion can be seen by the naked eye. This was the only temple available to the public.

a stupa in the royal palace

After enriching our sight with the grandeur of the Royal Palace, we walked ourselves out to a park adjacent the palace.

having a great time with the pigeons

It was dusk already when we felt hungry. We actually kind of thought to eat in KFC only to find out it's way too far from our current location. So, we explored the riverfront instead. A lot of restaurants and hotels line just opposite the river. As we hunger for western food, we settled in Khmeroyal Hotel offering burgers and sandwiches.

western dinner!

After eating, we strolled around the establishments in the riverfront. It reminded me so much of the Boulevard in Dumaguete City. But Phnom Penh was way more lively and crowded. You can see a lot of happy hours signs in almost all establishment! Let the drinking session begin!!!

so much life at night!

However, instead of drinking in one of these pretty establishments, we opted to explore the city as it's way too early for a drink. It's 6:30 PM only. We hoped to see a good place to drink the second beer of the trip, Phnom Penh Beer.

We were walking and stopping over some shops to buy something. I think you should be extra careful if you travel alone. There are just some streets which are dark, dirty and crowded. 

We were thirsty already and went to this street full of bars. Of all the bars and restaurants we asked, not one yes, NOT ONE, even sells Phnom Penh Beer!!! Can you imagine that? We were so disappointed and tried our luck in a convenience store instead. Well, thanks for convenience stores indeed.

at last!

We loved Angkor Beer in Siem Reap. So, our expectations were high on this beer. However, when we had our first sip, we all agreed and understood why these are not sold in bars or restaurants. It was by far, the most bitter beer I've ever tasted my whole life. It's one of the times I really appreciate Red Horse more.

We never really waited to finish our bottles before leaving - I think it would take much of our time if we did. We went out the store and hailed a tuk-tuk back to our guesthouse. So, Angkor Beer is still the best beer on this trip so far.

tuk-tuk to the guesthouse

Half-day is so short to roam Phnom Penh. We weren't able to go to other must-see attractions. But we're glad we stayed for a night here. A glimpse is all we needed. 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

Day 5 - War Remnants Museum - Jollibee HCM - Opera House - Ben Thanh Market - Koniko Backpacker's Hostel - Coffee Shop - MD Hotdog Cart - Mekong Bus Express - Vietnam Border - Cambodia Border - Flower Restaurant - Pratna Guesthouse - Riverfront Restaurant - Phnom Penh Night Market

Day 6 - Pra-Tna Guesthouse - Siem Reap Bus Terminal - Lucky Mall - Crocodile Products - Market 1- Old Market - Dinner - Siem Reap Airport