Tips and Things to Know about Siem Reap, Cambodia

siem reap soloflight

Aside from the Tomb Raider temples, I didn’t know much about Siem Reap, Cambodia. That changed when I visited the city last January. All the way from Cebu to Manila to Clark to Bangkok to Aranyaprathet to Poi Pet to Siem Reap, it took 36 hours of commutes and stops to reach the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Looking back on our trip three months ago, I’ve written so many stories about this quaint city more than any adventure I’ve experienced (so far). In line with my goal to provide insights on the countries I’ve been, I’ve created this definitive guide to share some tips and things to know about Siem Reap based on my experiences.

angkor wat
Angkor Wat Complex

By the way, I’ve interchanged Khmer and Cambodians in my past articles but don’t confuse yourself between the two, they’re one in the same (e.g. Khmer food = Cambodian food).

Tips and Things to Know about Siem Reap, Cambodia

 

Temple Overload

Angkor Wat is the most famous among the lot but Siem Reap has many temples! So many that we weren’t able to tour everything with the three-day pass that we purchased. Angkor Thom Gate, Bayon Temple, Elephant Terrace, Ta Prohm, Pre Rup, Banteay Srei, East Mebon; each of these temples have their own distinction. These were enough to keep our eyes full for the two days that we had available.

siem reap temples
temples with their own characteristics

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Total Budget Expense in Siem Reap, Cambodia

So how much can one usually spend in Cambodia for 3 days and 2 nights? Minus shopping and other unnecessary expenses? Around 7866.15 Php excluding air fare.

The amount is inclusive of expenses in the Philippines (taxis, buses and travel taxes from Cebu to Manila to Clark – around 3000 Php), transport from Bangkok to Siem Reap and going back to Bangkok, 2-days tour around the temples and some food trips on the side.

Also, this computation is based on 3 people who shared a budget for the hostel and transportation which meant we were able to divide the cost of important expenses.

cambodia riel
Cambodian Riel

 

Philippine Expenses: (Airline Fees, Transportation, Food)
150 Php – Taxi to Mactan
200 Php – Terminal Fee Cebu
50 Php – Breakfast Food
137 Php – Bus Ride from Manila to Clark (Victory Liner Bus)
180 Php – Snacks at Beatico Café in SM Clark
100 Php – Jeepney from Clark to Airport
1620 Php – Travel Tax
600 Php – Terminal Fee
——————————-
3037 Php

Thailand Expenses (Transport and Food)
* Free Bus Shuttle from Suvarnabhumi airport to Bus Terminal
34 Baht – Bus from Shuttle Terminal to Mo Chit Bus Stop
8 Baht – Mo Chit Bus Stop to Hua Lamphong Railway Station
32 Baht – Noodles Shop in Hua Lamphong
48 Baht – Train from Hua Lamphong to Aranyaprathet
1 USD – Tuktuk from Aranyaprathet to Border
40 Baht – Lunch at Aranyaprathet Border
——————————-
162 Baht and 1 USD

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Travel Gear: How Headware Keeps My Head Happy

Note: This is not a sponsored post. I love the product so much that I’m recommending it to everyone. I usually bring a cap or hat whenever I go out of town. Aside from protecting my head from the elements of nature, it also keeps my hair from getting messed up. Call me a little … Read more

Bangkok to Siem Reap: Avoid Scammers from Aranyaprathet to Poipet Border

I received an email from a reader asking for tips on how to get to Siem Reap from Aranyaprathet. She was hesitant because of scammers that are prevalent in the area which I’ve also read about. I already wrote an article about it (read article here) however, it seemed as if I haven’t fully tackled our story. Hence, this post will serve as a guide for those travelers who will opt for the Bangkok to Siem Reap route via train and avoid touts in the process.

How To Avoid Scammers from Aranyaprathet (Thailand) to Poipet (Cambodia) Border

After taking the regular train ride from Bangkok and arriving in Aranyaprathet, we freshened ourselves in the huge bathrooms at the station and let everybody go first. We’ll all just meet each other at the immigration office so there was no need to rush.

thailand border scammers
tuktuk taxis and pseudo-agencies

Tuktuk (motorized taxis) are abound, waiting for passengers and you can ride one of them to take you to the border. We aranyaprathet borderwere charged more but we insisted on paying only 1 USD for the drive. There were three of us inside the tuktuk and it was full but it didn’t matter. The drive to the border lasted only for 10 minutes.

Prior to the driver bringing us to the border, he made a side trip and brought us to an office where long-sleeved men asked if we were going to Cambodia.

Take note: Do not believe them!

These men wearing long-sleeved shirts will convince you to get inside their office agency so you can apply for a Visa for Cambodia. However, if you’re a Filipino, there is NO NEED for a Visa as it is NOT a requirement. It’s sad but this is a protocol for tuktuk drivers in Aranyaprathet to hopefully earn extra income.

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Cambodia Trip: Engrish and Random Sights in Siem Reap

I’m almost done with my articles about my trip last January in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I figured I’d post some random snapshots of different signs and other observations of sights captured during this break. It would be a waste of shutter if I just kept them inside my computer.

As we were hopping from temple to temple, signs and directions were present to warn people or dogs (see 2nd photo below) where to enter and how to behave to avoid destroying these monuments.

cambodia sign
three-way

Somehow, I had to take second glances to verify if the instructions were clear enough. Engrish phrases, they break tension and alleviate stress that one acquires from walking all day.

cambodia signboards
Warning Signs

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My Adventure Partner: An Ode to My Feet

My feet, I’ve big ones and I’m insecure when people stare at them. But through the years and over the course of my adventures, not once have they complained.

I’m thankful for my feet. Every time I feel that my legs can’t handle another step, I think about people who cannot walk–literally and figuratively. I’m reminded of people who don’t have the privilege to wander because of not having this basic ability.

 soloflighted feet

No number of gears and gadgets in the world can replace our feet. Seldom do people realize that it only takes one step and they’ve already traveled. A couple more and that’s already an adventure. I vow not to wait for the day to lose them (heaven forbid) until their value is appreciated.

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No Ordinary Train Ride from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet

We took a train ride from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet so we could reach Siem Reap, Cambodia the cheapest way possible. On land, you can either take a bus or a train, the former is faster though more expensive. 200 Baht vs 48 Baht, it was a no-brainer for us since our funds were already depleted back in Cebu, Philippines.

Aranyaprathet is a district of Sa Kaeo Province in Thailand that borders Cambodia to the East. Riding the train was an experience that is foreign to me. Unless you include those small train rides in theme parks, I can say that I’ve never ridden this mode of transport before.

Bangkok Railway Station
Hua Lamphong

hua lumpong station
Hua Lamphong Train Station

Around 4am in Hua Lamphong Railway Station, we waited for the 5:55am train schedule by eating Thai food and buying snacks at a 7/11 convenience store. It was going to be a 6-hour ride, and we’ve been traveling and stopping from Cebu to Manila to Clark to Bangkok for over 24 hours. You can imagine how stressed I was considering that I wasn’t used to long journeys. But it would’ve been useless to give up knowing how far we’ve already come.

hua lamphong station
Station 6

The sign said it was an ordinary train going to Aranyaprathet. But after the whole traverse, there was nothing plain about it. In fact, it was one of the most notable experiences of the trip.

ordinary train to aranyaprathet
Ordinary Train? Didn’t see this one coming.

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Sagada Trip: Crazy Toploading from Banaue to Bontoc

Toploading from Banaue to Bontoc was an adventure itself as we headed our way to Sagada, Mountain Province. Imagine the wind brushing the sides of your face. You see a spectacular view of the mountain and rice fields. You inhale the scent of tall pine trees and see a couple of waterfalls every now and … Read more

Cambodia Trip: A Guide to Eating Cheap Khmer Food in Siem Reap

During our stay in Siem Reap, we mostly ate on the streets and nearby eateries. Because of having a limited budget, food is one of the things we had to compromise when eating in Cambodia.

We spent 3 days and 2 nights there but we did not starve ourselves during that trip. However, we didn’t splurge either. Average food costs around 2 to 2.50 USD but we really went in for those cheaper alternatives such as 1 dollar meals.

Breakfast Meals in our Guesthouse
Breakfast food were already provided during our stay in Bousavy Guesthouse so we saved a lot considering we had three meals in total.

What I like best is that they always have a banana and some pineapple slices on the side to go with the breakfast. A simple meal can look great when you know how to present it. With the big servings, my friends were not able to eat it all so lucky for me, I got to take the remaining portion of their food. hehe.

bread omelette khmer fried noodles cambodian
Omelet with Bread (Baguette) | Stir-Fried Noodles with Vegetables and Meat

cambodian pancake waffles ice tea cambodia
Pancake with maple syrup | Iced Tea

Dinner Meals at Bousavy Guesthouse
Apart from the free breakfast meals, we took advantage of a package that included one free dinner meal of our choice. It was great that we were able to choose from a wide set of choices. I apologize if I was not able to write down the actual names written on the menu.

fish soup
Milk Fish Soup | Pork Curry

khmer cuisine
Pork Meat in Coconut milk — not sure if this is Amok

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Moalboal, Cebu: A Beach Fix from the Office and School

One of the easier beaches to access when you have limited time in Cebu is Moalboal. It’s a quick beach fix whenever there’s a need for you to get away from the city while enjoying the sun, sand, and water.

I’m a beach boy at heart. I used to spend weekends with my cousins in different beaches in Davao which may have resulted to my fondness of taking a dip in salt water when opportunities arise. With so many beaches I’ve featured in this blog, I wonder why I haven’t been able to create a write-up about this nice retreat when it’s very much accessible from the city.

moalboal cebu beach
hut under the heat of the sun

I also have a couple of fond memories of Moalboal. Those occasions were spent with colleagues at work and with classmates in school – both of which I was able to do at the same time. Remembering those times when I had to work at night and then study during the day, I found my much-needed stress buster in this beach.

moalboal beach
Moalboal beach
photo by Bangbang

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Cambodia Trip: Insightful Conversations Over a Fish Massage

Meet Suti, he wants to be tour guide when he grows up. He’s only 16 years old and yet he’s been working as a fish massage attendant for awhile. Working at night by taking care of the fishes, he also persuades customers to try out the massage service. He currently lives with his grandmother as his parents are no longer around. He does this in order to provide for her as well as support his studies.

Pub Street
Siem Reap, Cambodia

khmer boy
Suti, a Khmer kid making ends meet.

It was our last night in Cambodia. After a long day of walking and after a stressful experience of haggling with vendors at the Night Market, we decided to spend the remaining hours at the Pub Street looking for a massage service.

massage siem reap
fish tank

Massage parlors: foot massage, body massage, spa services. Cambodia has lots of them at ridiculously low rates. If Philippine massage spas are cheap, you haven’t visited Cambodia. You can get a body massage for a dollar but I’m not too sure with the quality. Still, there are so many services and shops available that everybody’s competing with each other to attract more customers.

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Cambodia Trip: Land Mine Victims

Walking past the pathways in the temples and night markets in Siem Reap, I couldn’t help but notice traditional music being played in the background. Upon further walking, I was greeted by a sight of individuals playing musical instruments. Sitting in one corner while waiting for my companions to arrive, I listened attentively while taking a break from all the trekking. I didn’t observe it at first but only when I read a signboard did I realize that these people playing stringed and percussion instruments were all disabled. The label said that they were land mine victims in Cambodia.

“You mean to say that there could be bombs underground from where we are standing?” I asked my friend who’s been in Cambodia twice. She lifted her eyebrows to answer my question which made me terrified at the thought that an explosive device could be lurking anywhere from where we were. It even came to a point where I wondered why we visited Siem Reap in the first place.

landmine victims cambodia
Walking past the temples, this sight greeted me.

To this day it is estimated that there may still be up to six million land mines scattered around the Cambodian countryside which cause around 35 deaths a month. Already 40,000 people have lost limbs due to land mines giving Cambodia the unenviable record of having the most amputees per capita (about one in every 275 people have lost a limb). – Land Mine Victims in Cambodia – Wikipedia

After further research, I found out that the number of casualties have dropped every year which is a good sign. Still, one must be careful not to trek those off-the-beaten paths and one should consult the locals if it’s safe to go for a walk in remote areas.

khmer victims
I sat and took a break while admiring their music.

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Sagada Trip and the Movies

Just came back from a trip to Sagada, Mountain Province and I still have to sort my pictures according to albums but let me post this quick teaser of this recent break. I’m more of a beach person but I also appreciate a different scene once in awhile. Sagada was able to do that for … Read more