How to Travel to Four Countries Within Four Months

…and still maintain your full-time job.

No, I didn’t take my job with me when traveling in those months but I filed for vacation leaves in between. From October of last year to January of this year, I visited four countries within four months; all of which happened in different times. It was no easy feat considering that I have a day job in a BPO industry. I was apprehensive too, if all my plans would push through considering the number of vacation leaves that I had.

Hong Kong, Macau (Ok, Macau is not a country but just a region of China along with HK, but my passport was still stamped), Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand. I visited these five places which makes me wonder if what I did was a rare opportunity to achieve or if everybody can do it as well.

Friends would ask me if I’m still working in my current company due to my constant travelling. I tell them I’m just lucky to also have a boss that understands my needs to get away from the office environment once in a while. Sure, you may not be able to choose your manager but there are other circumstances that you can control.

kuala lumpur monorail
KL Monorail, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Here are four basic tips that you can take note of so you can travel while keeping your job.

  • Book Ahead – Check out budget airline websites for dirt-cheap promotions which they hold regularly. You’ll be able to save a ton of money because of booking in advance at ridiculously low prices.

My trip to Hong Kong cost me 1200 Php and those are round trip tickets already. (Cebu to Hongkong)
My trip to Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia cost me 850 Php; and that’s riding four planes! (Cebu to Clark to Kuala Lumpur and back)
My trip to Bangkok cost me 6000 Php; actually it’s 5200 bucks more because of a huge mistake of being late at the airport but you understand the point of booking during promo fares.

Suggested websites are CebuPacificAirlines.com and AirAsia.com once in a while to what they’re offering. Better yet, subscribe to their feeds to notify you on their next big airline ticket sales.

venetian hotel macau
Venetian Hotel, Macau

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Cambodia Trip: Pre Rup, Banteay Srei and East Mebon Temples

Second day of our tour of the temples in Cambodia. We were supposed to meet with our driver at 8am but we departed at around 9. The destinations were far from each other which explains the early call time. But it didn’t matter, we still ample time. I wanted to rent a bike (1 USD … Read more

Cambodia Trip: Walking Barefoot at Angkor Wat Temple

I removed my sandals and went barefoot in Angkor Wat. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision which wasn’t a big deal as dirt already gathered inside my footwear. I was hoping to connect with the temple when my skin touched the stones of the shrine but I was unsuccessful. It wasn’t the day to reflect as … Read more

Cambodia Trip: Trees in Ta Prohm Temple, Siem Reap

Trees, tall trees are abound in all the temple areas in Siem Reap, Cambodia. But one can noticeably distinguish Ta Prohm from the rest because of how these trees grow from  stone ruins. After Angkor Thom Gate, Bayon Temple and Elephant Terrace, we proceeded to this temple which is known for having a lot of … Read more

Cambodia Trip: Angkor Thom Gate, Bayon Temple and Elephant Terrace

We took advantage of the 2 days/3 nights package of our guesthouse wherein we paid for our room (which includes free breakfast) as well as a tour of the temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia. My friend was the one who booked the reservations in advance as I didn’t really give the whole trip much thought except for the expenses. I give props to her for ensuring that we were settled properly.

Siem Reap Temples Tour
January 20, 2011

Angkor Thom Gate
Bayon Temple
Elephant Terrace

bayon temple
elevation

Woke up late in the morning as we were still tired from the travelling during the previous day. Rode the Tuktuk and we started our tour. At around 10:30am, the weather was cold even if the sun was high up. There were a number of trees surrounding the road to the temples which explains the cool atmosphere.

buddha statue
one with the statues

Pon, our tuktuk driver, brought us to the ticketing booth for the temples. In Siem Reap, for you to go inside the temples, you need to purchase Temple Passes. They come in 1-day, 3-days and 7-days tickets wherein you’ll have your picture taken and you can use this pass to enter the temples. This is only good if you want to go inside as guards will check them before you can enter the temple premises.

temple pass
a three-day ticket pass to the temples at 40 USD: don’t forget to smile for the camera

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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.

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Siem Reap and Bangkok Chronicles

Siem Reap in Cambodia and Bangkok in Thailand was fun. I’m glad that we didn’t rush into scenes and had time off to retreat. Most of my travels usually were getting to different tourist spots and other famous destinations. Sure, we also did some sight-seeing in Siem Reap and Bangkok but we weren’t in a hurry which made it all the more worthwhile.

temples
temple-hopping in Cambodia

I was able to travel to two cities in two countries over the past week and I thought I could easily update this site with pictures and snippets just to give out glimpses of the places and things we did. However, I’m having difficulty where to start. With so many pending entries and backlogs from different trips, it’s a challenge for me to maintain this site and keep it current. But I’ll figure out a way.

fish spa
fish spa at 3 USD

For now, let me just post a few photos of scenes in these countries. Each place has its own charm and story to tell which enriches one’s knowledge on how people go about their way of life.

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Quick Update from Bousavy Guesthouse in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Just sending out a quick update from the Bousavy Guesthouse in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Yeah, soloflightEd is in Cambodia!

It was an extremely long travel (36 hours from Cebu to Cambodia) and actually the longest I’ve ever had in order to reach one destination. Usually, I’d spend one day in one place and then head to another spot. From Cebu to Manila to Clark to Bangkok to Siem Reap, this was our route and I’ll most likely write a guide of my experience from the whole thing.

Aranyaprathe train
Aranyaprathet train to the border of Thailand and Cambodia

My friend Doi,who’s been here, said that it would be a better option to head directly to Siem Reap and just spend the remaining days of this one-week leave in Bangkok, Thailand. This is to maximize the time that we have for this trip.

The good thing is that we’ll be able to spend time in each country and it won’t be that rushed.

cambodia border
photo courtesy of Den
jump shot at the border in Cambodia

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