Cebu to Manila to Clark to Bangkok to Aranyaprathet to Siem Reap

I spent 36 hours travelling and waiting during our trip from Cebu to Siem Reap in Cambodia. It was the longest I spent to reach one destination. I guess that’s the challenge when you live in a region that doesn’t have a lot of options when it comes to flights to international destinations. Cebu Pacific Airlines used to have direct flights from Cebu to Bangkok but it stopped probably due to the minimal number of passengers going to that country.

In any case, we were lucky to get a discount due to promotional fares a couple of months before the schedule. Here’s a breakdown on how we got to Cambodia from Cebu.

clark airport wifi
online at Clark terminal

Cebu to Manila: We arrived 5 minutes late at the check-in counter so we had to pay the regular price and turned into chance-passengers at 5200 bucks more than the promo fare. Just mentioning it is already a pain in the buttocks since we already had a limited budget.

7000 Php (ouch) – Cebu Pacific Air Fare (original price was only 1800 Php)
200 Php – Terminal Fee

clark airport
Cebu Pacific airlines

Lesson learned, arrive 2 hours earlier than the scheduled flight! I never want to be pay extra again as these are circumstances that we can control.

Manila to Clark: The reason why we took a Manila flight is because of schedule constraints since our jump-off point to Bangkok is from Clark and there’s no available flight (from Cebu to Clark) on the same day. Instead of spending a night, we hopped on a Victory Liner bus in Pasay for a two-hour ride going to Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.

137 Php – (Victory Liner aircon bus fare) 2 Hours

victory liner bus
bus tickets to Clark

Clark to Bangkok: This flight was booked two months ago when Cebu Pacific had another promotion. Staying in Clark to kill time, we dropped by Beatico Coffee at SM and brought out our laptops to check our mails. Funny thing happened because one of the people in-charge asked if they could take a photo of myself as a customer as they’ll publish it in an SM magazine. I was wondering if I heard it correctly as I looked so tired and scruffy from the trips but what the heck. They gave me a complimentary drink for that.

bangkok airport
arrived in Bangkok. going to the Immigration center

Hired a jeepney near SM Clark in order to take us to the airport.

200 Php – Jeepney ride from SM Clark to the airport
600 Php – Terminal Fee at Clark airport (International rate)
1620 Php – Travel Tax
4200 Php – Clark to Bangkok (round trip) ticket

hua lamphong station
people sleeping as the train station is still closed

Bangkok to Aranyaprathet: Arrived in Bangkok around 11pm and waited for another friend to join us. After that, my brain gave in as it was telling me to sleep. All I could remember was a free bus shuttle from the Suvarnabhumi airport to a bus terminal to Mot Chit and another bus to Hua Lamphong Railway Station.

train to siem reap
6-hour train ride

You have two land travel options when you want to go to Cambodia from Bangkok. Either you take a bus or the train. We rode the latter as it was the cheaper option. By bus, you’d have to pay around 200 Baht (3-hours ride) whereas the train was cheaper albeit longer.

It was still the better option since I’ve never ridden a train before and the sights outside the window, once the sun rises, are nice. Just make sure you have a head cover as it can get really dusty in most parts.

34 Baht – bus terminal to Mo Chit bus stop
8 Baht – Mo Chit bus stop to Hua LamPhong Station
48 Baht – Train to Aranyaprathet (5:55am to 11:35am)

train to aranyaprathet
scenery outside the train to the Thailand-Cambodia border

Aranyaprathet to Siem Reap: Took a Tuktuk (taxi) to take us to the border of Thailand and Cambodia where they first dropped us at an agency telling us that we should register our names. Good thing I also did my research online. We knew that these were just scams waiting for us to fall as preys.

Warning: Be careful with these agencies. As a Filipino, there’s no need for a Visa to Cambodia. Men in long-sleeved shirts will tell you to register with a fee but you shouldn’t follow them. Tell the tuktuk driver to take you directly to the border as no fees are needed for us to reach the other side. By the way, you must insist.

tuktuk taxi
first Tuktuk ride

After the Immigration center at the border in Poi Pet, we took a 5-minute shuttle bus ride to the terminal wherein we negotiated with a taxicab to take us to our hostel (Bousavy Guesthouse). Doi was very good in reserving our hostel and communicating with them which meant that we didn’t have to worry about the transport anymore.

1 Dollar – Tuktuk to the border
1350 Baht – Taxicab from Poi Pet to Siem Reap (450 Baht each).

For solo travelers, the bus ride is 9 USD, taxicab is 12 USD.

bousavy compliments
fruit shakes compliments of Bousavy Guesthouse: just what we needed!

Arrived at the hostel very tired but relieved that we finally made it. This was the longest trip I had to make in order to go to one main destination. I guess I was not used to this that’s why I was complaining a bit.

bus bangkok
asleep inside the bus to the train station in Bangkok

I didn’t sleep while I was in Cebu so the whole time that we were commuting on buses and trains and airplanes, I was able to get some shut-eyes. I don’t know how many times my mouth hung open in different modes of transport but I’m glad that I have companions who were awake to poke me when it was time to get off the ride and move on to the next.

cambodia elephant
Can’t wait to post blog entries on Siem Reap!

Cebu to Manila to Clark to Bangkok to Aranyaprathet to Siem Reap. So many stopovers in between but I’m glad that we made it in one piece. Didn’t realize I was this much of a traveller until now! More stories about Siem Reap, Cambodia on my next posts.

Here’s a couple of comprehensive guides about Siem Reap:

Check out my other adventures here:


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soloflightEd.com is a travel blog by Edcel Suyo. He enjoys performing headstands and crazy stunts during his trips in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Now based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and working to earn a living, he takes time to enjoy the city and travel during weekends.
For updates, Like his page on Facebook or Follow him on Twitter.
For questions, advertising, and other concerns, shoot an email to ed@soloflighted.com.


33 thoughts on “Cebu to Manila to Clark to Bangkok to Aranyaprathet to Siem Reap”

  1. marathon byahe talaga ito, too bad about missing the promo fare medyo strict talaga ang Cebu Pac sa time, I almost missed my flight once, buti na lang wala akong check-in baggage at naihabol pa, (looking forward to your stories about Cambodia 🙂

    Reply
  2. My kind of trip, long tiring but worth it. The scenery from the train in Bangkok to Cambodia was awesome. Kudos for able to steal some sleep along the way.

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  3. grabeha gyud aning ed oi, What is it with you and magazines :p hahaha. artistahin kaayog dagway.
    I miss riding trains, i'm usually impatient when it comes to travelling but trains and planes make an exception.

    Reply
  4. @lakwatseradeprimera: yeah, sayang kasi 5 minutes lang. next time na lang. will post my stories next! excited din ako. hehe
    @marky: I've always been stealing sleep because I usually work an 8-hour shift prior to my trips. Will create a separate entry just for the train ride alone 😀
    @rome: umm, what's your blog rome? 😀
    @Photoblogger: haha, remember that these magazines are just FREE ones lang which means walay budget. hehe.

    Reply
  5. Hi Ed.
    Visited your blog for quite a few times already. 🙂 Most people are really going to Cambodia nowadays.  I'm sure you're next post will definitely be something interesting to read..  🙂

    Thanks.

    Reply
  6. cool! ang haba ng byahe ah! pero di mo naman nararamdaman na ang pagod kapag nagta-travel kc masaya ka… hehehe!!! thanks for sharing… this post is very helpful to those who are planning to do the same… more! more! more! =D

    Reply
  7. I super like the train ride! asteeg! didnt have the courage to take that, mejo malayo kase.  True enough, yung border scam na yan di pa rin matinag tinag, it's really helpful to research before you do the overland! ba't ang mahal ng airfare mu? naiwan ka?? ako din date, summer kase ako pumunta at wala ng sale so tumataginting na 11K ang pamasahe ko roundtrip to BKK lang. tsk tsk. It's better to avail of seat sale nga tlga.

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  8. Naku sir, bakit parang mas napamahal pa ata kayo papuntang SR from BKK? I guess kasi you took a cab from Poi Pet. That's really quite expensive. Nevertheless, still nice of you to share it. 🙂

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  9. Sikat na! May nagpapa-picture na sayo sa mga airport. Hahahaha.
    And I know how it feels to be late for a flight! Thank God for credit cards! Hahaha. But yeah, mapapaiyak ka. Sorry at pinaalala ko ulit. Haha.
    Cant wait for your Bangkok posts, halos lahat ata ng blogs na nabasa ko about Bangkok sinasabi na may mga oportunistang locals ah.

    Reply
  10. hi Ed tnx for the reply…i have a blog but have not posted  new entries…we love to travel with some friends pero most are local lang kc member ng mountaineering club ako.went to bkk last year and looking forward for more travels abroad… hehehe
    i enjoyed reading travel blogs and share to friends who travels to destinations that you have shared. tnx for sharing.
    plans to be active in blogging, am still thinking of a catchy name hehehehe

    Reply
  11. Wow! Ang haba ng byahe. Buti may kasama ka. Nakakapagod nga. Baka nawalan na ako ng malay sa ganyang set up.
    The train ride looks comfortable at ang ganda ng sceneries sa labas. Ibang experience. Astig na adventures.
    Ingat sa marami pang byahe.

    Reply
    • @JeffZ: thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment! sometimes i don’t know if the people who are visiting are just passing by or actually reading my entries. hehe. will post more next 😀

      @pinoy adventurista: haba nga ng byahe. I was not used to the commute that would take this long. Still, it’s definitely worth it when you’ve reached the destination! thanks!

      @thepinaysolobackpacker: hehe, onga malayo. good thing that Doi’s been to Siem Reap already so we just followed her directions :D. mahal ang airfare because we were late sa flight. buti na lang we still pushed through with the trip. Yep, wala pang makakatalo sa BKK fare mo gael! hehe

      @maryelogs: yep, we took a cab to poipet instead of the bus. Okay lang naman. not sure what’s the cheaper option as we didn’t want to take the bus because of having to wait for other passengers. thanks!

      @robbie: haha. sikat ba. free lang yun na mag. hehe. thank god for cards talaga. doble kayod na lang sa freelance para mabawi ang gastos. will be writing a separate post about those Tuktuk scams in Bangkok. For now, will be writing about Cambodia muna.

      @Rome: thanks for sharing my stories! glad that my blog proved to be useful in most cases. hehe. i like sharing my travel adventures too. hope that you can set up your blog soon so I’ll have another perspective to read about.

      @Rizalenio: haba talaga! yes, that’s one of the perks of having other companions during long trips. at least kung mawala ka, marami kayo! hehe. Will probably write a separate entry on the train ride alone. 😀

      @antoy: not sure from peso to Riel (Cambodian Money). most, if not all, shops in Cambodia use US Dollars when charging customers. to let you know, 1 USD = 4000 Riel.

      Reply
    • @smarla: haha. magazine ba. hehe. yeah, was able to check it out through other pinoy travel bloggers. tagal talaga pero sulit 😀

      Reply
  12. wow! the long way to Siem Reap! Worth it naman kaya ayos lang!!! i miss riding the trains. but i haven't tried the route from bkk to siem reap. also kasi marami nga daw manloloko.
    Also, thanks for posting a detailed fare breakdown! ayos!

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  13. There's the brother of my spankin' brand-new TNF backpack! That was a tiring journey. We'll be taking the Bangkok to Cambodia route (reverse) sometime in April 😉

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  14. hi edcel! been reading your blog about your Cambodia trip and your posts are really helpful as we are planning our itinerary. anyway how long does it take from the border to Bou Savy? 🙂

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    • @keith: hi keith! it took us about 2-3 hours (i think 3 hours including immigration check) from the border. but the taxi is just around 2 hours from the bus/taxi terminal.

      thanks for dropping by! hope you can subscribe to my feeds at the upper right corner! 😀

      Reply
  15. Hi edcel..nakakatuwa namang basahin tong very useful blog na to..pnta rin kami ng cambodia sa Last week ng october..halos pareho tau ng tatahaking landas..un nga lang from manila ako.. pati guesthouse pareho na din.hehe.. maraming maraming salamat sa info ult.. 🙂

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  16. ung elephant ba po was from thailand or sa siem reap na? hahaha.. stumbling upon ur blog is a gift from the skies, i'd really love to see angkor wat.. 😀

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  17. your blog is ok but you need to reearch more before you start travelling so you can guide those who want to travel properly, safely and ecomomically…you also have to be aware pf the dangers of travelling in places that you havent known anything about yet. ask those who've been there and experienced it….

    Reply
  18. Hello Sir! i would to ask if i can sleep sa DMIA airport because i'll be arriving from bangkok to clark at  3am in the morning..and it might be dangerous for me to commute ng ganun oras po and i live here in milan kaya wala po ako masyado alam sa tranportation sa phils.. thank you po..=) 
    i'm inspired to travel because of your travel posts..i hope i could own a travel blog 1 day..

    Reply
    • @SAM: Hi Sam, thanks for your comment. I’ve actually written a better article about the traverse from Thailand to Cambodia using the Aranyaprathet-Poipet border route. Here it is: https://soloflighted.com/avoid-scammers-from-aranyaprathet-to-poi-pet-border/. Btw, me writing these tips is more of a recollection for me to remember the things I’ve done. I suggest those who want to know more information about the place to research through different websites to rely on those information. Thanks for dropping by this blog! 😀

      @Cha: Hi Cha, they have seats pero sa labas na sya ng airport. That’s what we did at one point pero di sya masyadong comfortable since you’ll be sitting on the waiting area. Thanks for dropping by! You can actually start na magblog sa WordPress.com or Blogspot.com. Free lang sya. 😀

      Reply
  19. Inspiring stuff!  Just happily stumbled across your blog, thinking of doing the bus from Siem Reap to Bangkok (was at first sceptical, but your blog put me at ease..!).  People never often show respect for the journey but after all, that's all your doing in the first place.

    Keep posting, you've been some amazing places, (coming from someone that's moved to China),and thanks for doing it in English, makes me embarassed about my lack of a second language. many thanks!

    Reply

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