need to get this done before I can go traveling!
DESTINATION: Siem Reap – Phnom Penh – Ho Chi Minh City (29 Nov – 5 Dec 2009)
GETTING THERE AND AROUND:
Miri – Kuching – Kuala Lumpur – Siem Reap: AirAsia
Siem Reap – Phnom Penh:
bus – I will forever remember this bus journey as the ‘hell-iest’ bus ride I’ve ever been on….the so-called National Highway is full of potholes…the bus is some kind of a double storey bus with spaces for storage below. My seat is at where the tyre is so I can feel every bumps on the road. Not to mention the aircond is not working properly, so I feel suffocated (no windows either). What made it worse was the so-called “in-flight entertainment”. I was excited to see that they’re playing George of the Jungle, but crushed when it is dubbed in their language. It’s not exactly soft spoken like the hotel staffs, you know. The “icing-on-the-cake” is the blaringly loud speaker that is located right at my ear! I had to live in agony and temperamental state of mind for 6 hours, but at USD5, it’s the cheapest way to get to Phnom Penh.
Phnom Penh – Ho Chi Minh City:
PP Sorya Transport Company bus. It’s the only bus company that provides non-stop bus service to HCMC, for the others you have to change bus at the Bavet-Moc Bai border. There is a person in charge that will assist you and they also provide mineral water. I was expecting the worst after the previous bus journey, but it turned out to be an enjoyable one. At USD10, they fulfilled their promise of good service (one of them is no chickens are allowed onboard). The road conditions are much better, being built by the Americans, after the Vietnam War.
Ho Chi Minh – Kuala Lumpur – Miri: Air Asia (was very lucky to get RM0 for the HCMC-KL leg for this trip!)
Around Siem Reap:
Bicycle – it’s a bit awkward at first because they drive on a different side than us and I’m not quite sure what the rules are, but Siem Reap is very easy to cycle around.
Tuk-tuk – a motorcycle-drawn carriage that can carry up to 4 people. You can negotiate with the tuk-tuk driver and get them to bring you around Siem Reap for USD8-10 per day.
Car/taxi/van: Since there are 5 of us, we took an air-conditioned van for one whole day to visit the temples of Angkor and other attractions for USD25 a day.
Else, you can just ride at the back of a motorcycle for USD1!
Around Phnom Penh:
We only took tuk-tuks. The going rates are slightly higher than Siem Reap, so put your negotiation skills to good use! When you got down from the bus from Siem Reap, disoriented and grumpy, then you will be bombarded with tuk-tuk drivers. Take a deep breath and if you couldn’t find a good deal (in our case, one of the tuk-tuk guys insulted us by saying that we don’t have money, coming from Malaysia)….just walk to the next block and find a different one. Chances are it will be a lot cheaper (even though you might only find one, and have to be jam-packed into one tuk-tuk, 5 large sized people with bags!). The fare from point to point within Phnom Penh city itself is USD5, but if u want to go as far as the Cheung Ek Killing Fields, it will cost about USD20 return.
Around Ho Chi Minh City:
Except for the tour bus that we took to the Cu Chi Tunnels, we just walked everywhere. Oh yeah, taxi fare to the airport is cheap and it’s metered.
THINGS TO DO:
Siem Reap in 3 Days
Visit Angkor Temples – One-day temple pass costs USD20 per person, and you can use it to watch the sunset until sunset on the next day. No need to prepare passport photos. They will take a photo of you when you buy the pass. Each of the temples have their own unique-ness and story, so do a little bit of research and decide which temples you want to spend more time on.
Visit Cambodia Cultural Village. I just love this place! At USD11 per person, it is more worthy than going to the Angkor Museum (USD12). It’s a living museum with displays of the different ethnic groups in Cambodia. There are also live performances throughout the day.
Visit floating village and flooded forest: We paid USD20 each for the boat ride and tour of Khmpong Phluk. But honestly, I think it’s better to just go to Chong Kneas and cheaper. The boat stopped us at the village itself and we visited a school there. We were “coerced” to buy pencils and exercise books for the school kids. My advice is, if you really want to be a Good Samaritan here, buy the exercise books and pencils back home, as the price that they sold to us is ridiculous. Anyway, I don’t really mind it when I saw that the lady who sold us the exercise books was finally able to go home with the sick child after making us part with our dollars….plus the chance to interact with the locals are priceless!
Shop: Angkor Night Market and Psar Cha (Old Market). I just love the vibrant colours of the markets. Souvenir T-shirts are cheap here and of good quality material. It’s only USD2-3 for one T-shirt. The colourful traditional Khmer headscarves (kroma) is also a must buy as both guys and girls can wear them.
Phnom Penh in a Day
Visit National Museum – the relics from the Angkor Wat are displayed here, it’s a very beautiful red building and the entrance fee is cheap (USD3).
Walk along Sisowath Quay. It’s a long waterfront facing the Tonle Sap River. Good place to take pictures.
Visit Royal Palace.
Visit Wat Phnom: it’s a temple on a hill. A lady called Penh found something (was it a golden bell? a Buddha statue?) in the tree that floated in the nearby river, and built/founded a temple on the hill. That’s how Phnom Penh got its name. I think “Phnom” means hill. I need to check my facts as I only heard it from our guide at the cultural village.
Visit Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. It used to be a high school before it was turned into a prison during the Khmer Rouge era. A lot of sad things happened here. Imagine all the tortured souls who have walked along the corridors.
Visit Chung Euk Killing Fields. We got a tour guide who experienced losing all his family members during the Khmer Rouge time. He told us before the memorial (that house the skulls and bones) were built, he could listen to the cries of the tormented souls at night. It is such a sad and depressing place to be in. Too many people were killed at this place that you still could see pieces of clothes and bones fragments on the ground. Sad, sad, sad.
Ho Chi Minh City in 2 Days
Visit Cu Chi Tunnels: Since our time is limited we went for the half-day tour. Our tour guide is a Vietnamese war veteran (he’s Vietnamese by the way, but fought on the US side). I was amazed at how resourceful and clever the Vietcong were, despite their lack of technology. But the pro-US tour guide made us see things from his side, which is also interesting. (Tour bus to Cu Chi – USD5, entrance fee – USD4)
Visit War Remnants Museum: if you want to feel angrier after the visit to the tunnels. (entrance fee: USD 0.80 – can’t remember how much is it in dongs.)
Walk around the city on foot. No worries about the traffic coz the motorists know how to avoid you. But of course, it’s common sense to be vigilant. J
Have a drink on top of Sheraton Saigon: it’s the tallest point where you can have a bird eye view of Ho Chi Minh City. The city at night is so amazing with all the lights from the buildings, cars and motorcycles alike. The drink (fruit juice) costs USD6 each, and nobody actually cares that much about your appearance (hey, I spent the whole day walking and visiting places, what do you expect I should look?) as long as you can pay for it.
Shop at the night market and Ben Tanh Market. Apparently, Malaysians do a lot of shopping here. Most of the traders here know a little bit of Malay like “beli”, “belanja”, “murah”, “lima puluh ringgit”. I went crazy looking at all kind of bags that I laid my eyes on. ~Sigh.
Go for the Mekong Delta Cruise: we didn’t have enough time to do this though. Another reason to come back. Maybe will travel from Hanoi and go all the way down to Ho Chi Minh city for the next Vietnam trip.
WHERE TO EAT:
Siem Reap
It is generally cheap to eat in Cambodia, if you don’t go to a proper restaurant, but the problem is (a) halal-ness, (b) the fact that you are charged 4 times higher because you’re a tourist…yeah I know, that’s how much the difference is when we asked our tuk-tuk driver to buy canned drinks for us.
As most of the time we ate in halal Indian restaurants, this is the longest period of time where I had to survive on briyani almost every day. When briyani is hard to find, we opted for vegetarian meals.
Some of the places we ate in Siem Reap:
- - Kentucky Fried Chicken: yes dear, your favorite KFC is here and it is certified halal (in Cambodia, not Vietnam).
- - Curry Walla: there’s a couple of these restaurants in Siem Reap. A meal with drink costs around USD4 but the gourmet factor is so-so.
- - Maharajah: the food here at least did honor the name – it fits for a king! The price is almost double that of the Curry Walla though.
- - Traditional Cambodian dishes – we went to this nice restaurant that serves local dishes. The fish “amok” is nice, taste like the ‘masak lodeh’ a bit. Your driver would most likely recommend you to go to a fancy buffet dinner with apsara dance performance et al. The choice is yours.
- - Stalls at Angkor Wat area – breakfast starts at USD3, and they are just your usual kampong stalls with questionable hygienic practices.
- - Café de la Paix – we went here for ice creams (Lonely Planet’s recommendation). It’s in the Hotel de la Paix and they also serve breakfast ala Carte. Guess what? The price is similar to the kampong stalls with questionable hygienic practices. But who can blame the locals for trying to make a living out of the flocks of tourist that come to their country?
Phnom Penh
The best food that I had during this trip is in Phnom Penh! Since it’s just a short one-day stop in Phnom Penh, we only managed to eat at these two places:
- - Friends: Lonely Planet recommends this as well. They served Asian and western cuisine. The food is delicious! This restaurant is opened by Mith Samlanh in effort to reduce the number of street children and teach them skills on hospitality and culinary. Next to the restaurant is a school/academy where they learn and there’s also a gift shop where their crafts are sold. The ambiance and décor of the restaurant is very lively and you may have to book ahead to avoid disappointment.
- - Boddhi Tree Umma: this place is located across the small road from the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, so it is already a popular place to eat. They have a large variety for vegetarian selections and they are all yummy! Boddhi Tree is also an association that helps street kids. We ate here all the time when we were in Phnom Penh (except for the one time in Friends) because it’s just so mouthwatering licking good!
Ho Chi Minh City
- - Taj Mahal: the food is delicious and reasonably priced. It’s mentioned in the guidebook and it’s exactly 25 steps (my steps) from the place where we stayed.
- - VN Halal: a good place to try halal Vietnamese cuisine like pho, the beef noodle. A bit pricey, but the food is good and nice.
- - Mumtaz: Lonely Planet recommendation. Enough said.
- - Try the Vietnamese coffee. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I love it! That should be a good thing, right?
SLEEP:
During traveling, it is very important for me to have a good sleep. After tiring myself the whole day, a good quality sleep is crucial, or otherwise I’ll turn into one grumpy Godzilla. Therefore, I try to choose a budget accommodation with maximum comfort at a lowest price as possible. For this trip, I budgeted for USD9 per person per night for accommodation.
Siem Reap
Golden Temple Villa – nice, clean place. They offered free 20 min massage, which came very useful after a full day exploring the temples, and if you want more it’s only USD3 per hour! The only minus point is the room does not come with breakfast. However, they have a nice restaurant downstairs and free drinks and bananas all day round. (Rates: USD18 / double room, USD30 / triple room with A/C, attached bathroom, cable TV. Cheaper for the fan only room). Near to a masjid. Bicycles are free of charge. Free WiFi on every floor, computers for use at lobby.
www.goldentemplevilla.com
Jasmine Lodge – this option is a lot cheaper (only half of the price of GTV). We can get a basic room, with fan and attached bathroom for USD8 per night with breakfast. I was really torn between choosing this one or GTV as over the period of my planning for this trip, Mr Kunn, the owner has been sort of a friend. In the end, I chose GTV but use the van services from Mr Kunn.
www.jasminelodge.com
Phnom Penh
Boddhi Tree Umma – as I mentioned before, the Boddhi Tree is an association that helps street youths. This is a really great place to stay. The room is spacious and classic, and free WiFi connection is provided. It costs us USD14 (double room, fan, shared bathroom). The only thing is it’s right in front of Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. If you have an overactive imagination, it gets creepy at night. But then, it’s part of the adventure, right?
www.boddhitree.com
Vy Khanh Guesthouse
I was looking for a place in HCMC that costs less than USD9 per person and have good reviews. I found this on Hostelworld. The proprietor is avery friendly, sweet and helpful lady. We even exchanged our money with her and she gavce us good rates. She also took us to buy coffee to bring back at such a cheap price!. The place is basic and very clean, and it’s located in the Pham Ngu Lao (District 1) area.
I hope you will find it useful!
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