Seeing Siem Reap
I've always wanted to see Angkor and I never thought it would happen this soon! I am sooo happy I got my week-long vacation leave to go on this trip (even if I did blow all my savings away)
First meal in Cambodia: (literally) fried rice with chicken. Khmer food isn't great but it has a certain home-y feel/taste to it, which I love. Cost: $3.50 with a can of Angkor beer
The very first highlight of the trip was being welcomed by my Indian immersed friends together with gagamgirl in Bangkok and hearing bits and pieces of their adventures--from wobbling heads and "milkh and bahread" eating children, to douche-y men and vendors that cheat you to the very last rupee.
Siem Reap from Bangkok Via Land Transportation
212 Baht Bus from Mor Chit terminal to Aranyaprathet
80 Baht Tuktuk to the border
$45 Taxi from Poipet to Siem Reap (arranged with our guesthouse)
Note: Always ALWAYS research about your destination. Yes, it's fun to be spontaneous but not knowing what to do or what you're up against is just not practical especially if you're a budget traveler. Lonely Planet, although quite commercialized, can still prove to be very useful and a good read if you're not with a tour guide to tell you all about the historical facts and figures. My boss is really the best! She lent me her bootleg copy she got on her trip. That saved us $1. LOL.
The night before we left the country, I had been reading about the flooding in Bangkok and was worried that we wouldn't be able to get around.There was a 30% chance of us not going due to bad weather conditions in the area. Although Angkor was not that affected, some parts of Siem Reap had knee-deep flood including the Old Market and the area where our guesthouse was. I guess we really had bad timing because it's the first time in 10 years Bangkok or Siem Reap had experienced this kind of flooding due to the monsoon season prevalent throughout Southeast Asia. Kudos to our tuktuk drivers who spoke very good English.
When we arrived at Hak's House, we had planned to go to Angkor but it started to rain, really hard. So we spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around. And I took more pictures in sepia/B&W mode in an attempt to make them look more dramatic.
Day 1: Small Circuit
We almost didn't make it because it was still raining non-stop when we got up at 4:30 AM but heck we really had to rough it out or else sayang punta namin. But because of the rain, the temples seemed like they were not as photogenic as they could be. They were wet and in dire need of sunlight.
Day 2: Big Circuit
The weather was so much better and the smaller temples turned out to be as interesting as the big ones. It was an enjoyable day.
I would definitely come back to Siem Reap-- cycle around town, get templed out and absorb the simple probinsyana life.
When you're studying, you have all the time and energy but no money.
When you're working ,you have all the money and energy but no time.
When you're retired, you have all the time and money but no energy.
I should become an entrepreneur or something so I can sustain my wanderlust.
First meal in Cambodia: (literally) fried rice with chicken. Khmer food isn't great but it has a certain home-y feel/taste to it, which I love. Cost: $3.50 with a can of Angkor beer
The very first highlight of the trip was being welcomed by my Indian immersed friends together with gagamgirl in Bangkok and hearing bits and pieces of their adventures--from wobbling heads and "milkh and bahread" eating children, to douche-y men and vendors that cheat you to the very last rupee.
Siem Reap from Bangkok Via Land Transportation
212 Baht Bus from Mor Chit terminal to Aranyaprathet
80 Baht Tuktuk to the border
$45 Taxi from Poipet to Siem Reap (arranged with our guesthouse)
Note: Always ALWAYS research about your destination. Yes, it's fun to be spontaneous but not knowing what to do or what you're up against is just not practical especially if you're a budget traveler. Lonely Planet, although quite commercialized, can still prove to be very useful and a good read if you're not with a tour guide to tell you all about the historical facts and figures. My boss is really the best! She lent me her bootleg copy she got on her trip. That saved us $1. LOL.
The night before we left the country, I had been reading about the flooding in Bangkok and was worried that we wouldn't be able to get around.There was a 30% chance of us not going due to bad weather conditions in the area. Although Angkor was not that affected, some parts of Siem Reap had knee-deep flood including the Old Market and the area where our guesthouse was. I guess we really had bad timing because it's the first time in 10 years Bangkok or Siem Reap had experienced this kind of flooding due to the monsoon season prevalent throughout Southeast Asia. Kudos to our tuktuk drivers who spoke very good English.
When we arrived at Hak's House, we had planned to go to Angkor but it started to rain, really hard. So we spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around. And I took more pictures in sepia/B&W mode in an attempt to make them look more dramatic.
Day 1: Small Circuit
We almost didn't make it because it was still raining non-stop when we got up at 4:30 AM but heck we really had to rough it out or else sayang punta namin. But because of the rain, the temples seemed like they were not as photogenic as they could be. They were wet and in dire need of sunlight.
Day 2: Big Circuit
The weather was so much better and the smaller temples turned out to be as interesting as the big ones. It was an enjoyable day.
I would definitely come back to Siem Reap-- cycle around town, get templed out and absorb the simple probinsyana life.
When you're studying, you have all the time and energy but no money.
When you're working ,you have all the money and energy but no time.
When you're retired, you have all the time and money but no energy.
I should become an entrepreneur or something so I can sustain my wanderlust.