Cambodia Thread 2

[foruiz]

^Oo yun nga, basta it is the third and last level. May improvised wooden stairs na to go up which made climbing easier although, yes it is still quite steep. Going up in the temples here is a breeze compared to my Ayuttaya travel 3 years ago where there were not handrails to grasp on on the way down. Haha! Maybe the temple na matarik without any improvised steps is Pre Rup or East Mebon which follows the mountain temple style like the Angkor w.a.t. =)

[melodymedley]

You can also opt to go back to downtown for a couple of hours break, but talk to your tuktuk driver. Some of them charge a minimal fee for the gas it takes to go back. We did this kasi sobrang init midday nung pumunta kami nung end ng April. We had lunch, rested and went back out again. This helped us not feel "templed out" by afternoon.

Hmmm... Oo nga no. Did you guys take a break while temple hopping?
Where do you have your lunch? Baon? Or there are restos/foodcards nearby? Do you also pay for the meal of your guide and driver?

We plan to do 2 days of temple hopping and get a tuktuk driver and a guide from Bousavy.

Out itinerary:
Day 1 - 1-2pm. Arrive in SR from PP
Day 2 - tour near temples
Day 3 - tour far temples

Question: Kelan maganda manood ng Aspara show? I am initially planning to do it on Day 1 evening after resting. Kaso, may charge yung sa tuktuk use no? Kaso, if I do it on Day 2 and 3, may charge din naman since di na sya kasama sa normal Angkor [textspeak!] Tour (?).


My friend and I will be there in August. Hopefully, hindi masyadong mainit at hindi rin bumabagyo. (Wishing lang naman for a "perfect"weather. )

[barefoot_taka]

^ based on my backreading before we went there no need to feed the driver pa. pero kami kasi gusto ni hubby kaya ayun kasama namin yung driver for lunch. daming makakain inside angkor w-a-t complex. your driver will point them out naman.
for apsara better to do it on your 1st night day. para di masyadong pagod since you'll be travelling lang naman for half day and you'll have the rest of the day for rest.

[yby2476]

although please bear in mind, na mahal ang food sa loob ng angkor complex daw..

[melodymedley]

^^Thanks for the advise sissies! Mukhang mahal nga food sa loob.  I guess no choice. Parang airport lang. Unless magkaroon kami ng super kuripot moment at magbaon ng  snacks from outside. Will definitely bring water.

[yby2476]

^pero sis, masarap naman yung mga food sa loob ng angkor...kami rin kasi no choice, so dun na rin kami kumain sa loob...

[foruiz]

Kami when we had our driver join us for lunch before going to Banteay Srei di naman siningil ng stall yun food ng driver, kaya naguiguilty naman kami ng cousin ko because noon Day 1 namin kumain kami agad without asking him. Baka nagutom na siguro yun. You can haggle naman dun sa listed prices sa menu nila. Kami pati sugar cane juice e tinatawaran namin...

[yby2476]

ang alam ko, parang free yung mga driver dun sa mga food stalls...kasi kami rin, yung driver namin nung kumain siya dun, di siya nagbayad eh...so ang feeling ko, eh parang ex deal na rin nila yun para sa mga tourist na dinadala nila sa mga food stalls...

parang supposedly sinama namin siya sa pag-order, kasi marami kami nun...tapos siya yung nag-declined...then bumaba na siya, sa second floor kasi kami nag-stay..tapos parang naisip namin, ah, baka ex deal nila...:-)

[paramore11]

thanks sa reply sis foruiz and sis barefoot_taka

wala pang target pero kung kakayanin sana yung pinakamagandang spot lang. pero nagbago na isip ko hahaha parang gusto ko din ng matagal na trip

[barefoot_taka]

sis foruiz pwede pala makipagtawaran portion sa carenderia dun? sayang! di naman alam yun! mahal pa naman parang kada order yata $5 eh!
free ba drivers? both times na kasama namin naglunch kasi kasama din sa bill namin food nila eh. although tumanggi naman talaga kumain pinilit lang namin ni hubby na sumabay na sa amin.

[foruiz]

^Yup sis natatawaran, hehe! Mga 2USD din per dish. Pati ang sugar cane juice nila is half the price. Kasi 6USD ang Amok sa food stall in Angkor Thom but we got it for 4USD. We ordered for the driver during our Day 2 in Banteay Srei because we asked him to join us and we were surprised kasi inabutan na siya ng food niya na iba sa inorder namin.

[s0fiamari]

Hi sisses, salamat sa lahat ng sumagot sa mga tanong ko. We just came back from Cambodia and surely nakatulong lahat ng posts ninyo. Sayang nga lang we didn't have a chance to tour the country.

We landed at HCMC, Vietnam around 12:30AM. Hindi na kami naghotel, we just stayed sa waiting area sa labas ng arrival area. Ang masasabi ko lang very safe ang lugar. Kami na lang 2 ng cousin ko natira sa area and some maintenance staff and a guard. Of course may discomfort sa pagtulog coz nahiya kaming humiga sa chairs but then nakatulog pa rin kahit papaano. At 6AM nagtataka kami coz wala pang mga cabs sa pila yun pala ang sched daw ng cabs dun 8AM pa. Buti na lang may isang cab na magpipick-up and he offered na ihatid kami sa lugar na maraming cabs. Well, we paid 2USD for that, nakipagtawaran pa si kuya. hehe. Nagpapalit pa kami ng USD30, rate is 1 USD = 20,000. before kami lumabas ng airport.

Hirap na hirap kami makipag-communicate sa taxi driver coz they can barely understand English. Ang sinasabi namin Mekong Express, ang tagal bago niya nagets although kampante naman kami coz naghahand-signal siya ng OK, meaning relax lang makikita natin. Tapos siguro mga after ilang minutes na kakatanong niya sa ibang drivers on the way, tinuro kami sa bus station ng SAPACO. So ako naman sabi ko no choice na rin kami coz we have to catch the 7AM trip. We paid almost 100,000 Dong sa fare. Nung nag-inquire kami sa SAPACO, 1 seat na lang available. Buti na lang nagtanong kami dun sa staff kung saan ang Mekong Express and kalapit lang pala. Dikit dikit lang halos ang mga bus offices/station dun sa area. Luckily, we were able to grab the last 2 seats sa Mekong Express.

Very comfortable ang ride namin kahit pa na sa last seat kami. Pansin lang namin nung papunta at pabalik, huli tinatawag sa immigration yung mga Philippine passport holders. No big deal naman coz aantayin naman ng bus. Nakarating kami after 7 hrs siguro coz of the stops sa borders (1 palabas ng Vietnam, 1 papasok ng Cambodia) then restaurant. Yung pupuntahan naming lugar fortunately dun mismo ang station ng Mekong Express, sa Sisowath Quay.

Pagdating namin sa station nagpapahatid kami sa Velkommen Backpackers coz dun kami magsstay (sa centro yun ng Sisowath), si manong tuktuk driver umoo naman. Nagulat na lang ako dinala kami dun sa plaza na maraming kalapati and sa Royal Palace. At that point talaga init na init na ako at gusto ko na magpahinga so tinarayan ko na si manong tuktuk, sabi ko TOUR TOMORROW, TODAY REST HOTEL. Inis na inis ako coz di pala niya alam yung hotel at gusto na kami pababain, tinuturo na lang yung way. So sabi ko, BRING US. DRIVE. Ayun after ilang ikot, nakarating rin kami. Sinisingil kami ng 3USD. Tinawaran ko ng 2USD, pumayag naman.

Yung hostel namin we got at 5USD/per night/per head. Double deck bed with pillow, blanket and towel, fan room sya. Decent naman coz bago yung room. Ang di lang namin ma-take is yung amoy, amoy kulob sya. Di rin naman kami dun natulog coz nag-stay kami sa apartment ng isang friend na dinalaw namin dun. Ang maganda lang dun is yung location niya nasa sentro, mababait din mga staff and may wifi sa bar kung saan lagi kami tumatambay to connect coz ang magaling na Globe telecom after a day pa inactivate ang roaming namin. Buti na lang dala ko ipad ko kaya nakatawag pa rin ako sa Pinas to update my folks.

So ayan ang aming Cambodia adventure. On my way back may nakatabi akong Pinay na taga UN. Sobrang natakam ako sa kultura ng Cambodia and I promised to be back to visit Siam Reap, Killing Fields, Royal Palace, then suggest din niya is pumunta sa Sokha Beach.

My discoveries: mataas ang tingin ng mga Cambodians sa Pinoy. Most Pinoy workers there are teachers,  engineers, entertainers (singers sa band), and mga padala ng gobyerno or NGO's.

- Pwedeng tumawad sa pamasahe sa moto or tuktuk, meals sa carinderia
- Ang daming Lexus! Status symbol daw yung sa mga Cambodian, sa dami nang nakita ko (parang Fortuner at Montero sa dami sa kalsada ng Pinas) naisip ko na ang daming rich dun.

Tips: On way back to Vietnam, pwede na bumaba sa Maximart yata yun para malapit na lang sa airport. Nasa almost 50,000 Dong na lang binayaran namin.

If you want night life sa Phnom Penh stay sa hotels along Sisowath Quay, sa Riverside. Malapit din sa mga pasyalan dun like Royal Palace and yun ngang plaza na parang Milan (because of kalapati). Lol!

1 USD = 4,000 Riels. Pag nagbayad ka ng riels mas actual conversion ang ichacharge sayo. Pag dollars binayad mo, ang sukli sayo riels na ang conversion 1USD=4,000 riels.

[inertia]

will be going to cambodia next week... i haven't had the time yet to go through this thread, baka this weekend ko pa mabasa lahat ng posts... in the meantime, i'm thinking of just getting yung Php 4,500 voucher sa metrodeal for 3d/2n...

has anyone availed of a groupon voucher for their cambodia trip?  sulit ba?  ... thanks in advance 

[melodymedley]

Thanks for the input sissies! Sige, tatanggalin ko na sa budget namin yung lunch ng driver and guide. Looks like free/complementary naman yung meal nila based on your posts. I have  a budget of $10 per day sa Cambodia. I hope that's enough. Free naman yung breakfast namin sa SR.

I booked the Fancy Guesthouse sa PP and famous Bousavy in SR.

Fancy Guesthouse offered me a mini-van transportation option going to PP. It will cost $10 and it will only take 5 hours compared to taking the Mekong Express for $12-13 and it will take around 6 houts. I am leaning towards taking the Mekong Express kasi baka kaskasero naman yung driver ng minivan. Anyone here who took another mode of transpo aside from the big buses? Cheaper kasi yung minivan pero nag-aalangan ako.

[barefoot_taka]

^ako i'd suggest mag mekong express na lang kesa sa minivan. parang mas safe yun. saka naisip ko baka puno din ang minivan mas comfortable ang byahe riding the bus.

[interruptedz]

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/08/world/asia/cambodia-children-disease/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

sis ingat po sa cambodia.unknown pa yung disease and how it spreads. pero they say it looks like its not contagious

[Crissy]

^I read it also in today's newspaper... I'll be there pa naman next week. Hopefully not that serious at hindi mag advise nang quarantine :-(

[melodymedley]

@thanks barefoot_taka! You have a point, parang mas comfy nga yung bus. Baka sa uncomfortable seat pa kami mapwesto kapag van.

Nakowww.... 3rd week of August naman kami dun. 

[honeyblue]

We won't push through with our Cambodia trip na. Medyo scary yung disease e kahit na mostly children yung tinatamaan. =(

[Crissy]

Do I still need to get a tour guide when going aound Bantea Srei? ....Wala na talagang atrasan to, Go na Go na!  sayang ang payment sa hotel & Plane :-P