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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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

photo courtesy of Den
jump shot at the border in Cambodia

I didn’t get to take a lot of pictures last Sinulog 2011 because I was busy selling homemade ice cream; even if it was raining!

Last year (Sinulog 2010 blog article), I took part on the street parade and took a number of photos which was a blast because I got to practice my skills in photography. However this year, I only took a few. You can blame it on the bad weather as the water poured hard during lunch time.

Tumbler’s Ice Cream in Cebu

Weather predictions were clear that it was going to be a wet Sunday for Cebuanos but it never hindered the people from going out on the road and party. I went out with a couple of friends until I stopped by a former colleagues’ ice cream stall somewhere in Mango Avenue.

crowded

Working in a Cruise Ship

One of the things that I contemplate on doing while I’m still young is to work in a cruise ship. I’ve always wanted to get paid while travelling to places. I get to hit two birds in one stone. Being in a customer service industry wherein you cater to clients in a moving ship seems tempting because of the escape that comes with going out of the country.

“You’ve never eaten balut?” – people were asking in unison as if I’ve committed a crime and were waiting for me to explain myself. But I didn’t know how to respond in defense. Rather than coming up with a lame excuse, I surrendered in admission.

I confess, I’m a Filipino but I’ve never eaten balut.

I get these dazed looks from people whenever I disclose this information. A silent pause is what comes next which serves as a signal for me to clarify the statement on why I’ve never tried this famous Philippine delicacy. I tell you this is a great ice-breaker during conversations.

crack it open

BALUT is a popular (if not the most) Filipino street food which is a fertilized duck egg or chicken egg with an almost-developed embryo that is boiled and eaten in a shell. It has been considered as a trademark of Filipino culture because they say you can’t call yourself Filipino unless you’ve eaten one.

Now that it’s so popular, how come I haven’t eaten one? Probably because no one has really forced me so. I also haven’t forced myself too. When I finally had the chance to try it because this was the topic of our Facebook Group’s Blog Carnival, I was able to satisfy my curiosity.

veins

You might’ve thought that after my bungy jumping experience in Macau, I wouldn’t dare do anything extreme for awhile. However, when I visited Kuala Lumpur a month after our Hong Kong trip, I was able to do another bungee jump at Sunway Lagoon in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I don’t really have any wishes to die … Read more

Beach, Cave and Cliff at Villa Igang Resort in Guimaras

Had fun enjoying the different sights at the Villa Igang Beach Resort in Guimaras island. We only stayed there for a couple of hours as we had another set of places to visit during our day tour of the island. However, I wish we could’ve stayed longer.

Villa Igang Beach Resort
Alubihod, Nueva Valencia
Guimaras Island

under talisay trees.

There were just too many scenes aside from those pigeons in Villa Igang that I wish we had more time to spare so we could relax and enjoy the moment.

tree on a cliff

Kuya Jun (our driver/guide) recommended this resort as it was less crowded. When we got there, we were the only people there sans for the caretakers. We were able to see some caves as well as jump off a cliff

Aside from the beach, the resort has a butterfly garden, beautiful rock formations and caves. You can also spend the night on cottages that were set up for tourists.

swimming in clear waters – peace y’all

2010 in general, has been a blast for me. Although there were times where I got lost figuratively, it’s always nice to look back at the positive things that happened. This has actually been my mantra every time the year ends.

I can’t remember everything but what I do to recall memories is browse through photos in my hard drive that are neatly arranged. Putting them all in this entry would just be too much. Hence I’ll just list a few points that made the whole year worthwhile.

Trips

some trips

Apo Island in Negros Oriental, Boljoon in Cebu, Adventure Café in Balamban, Wordcamp in Manila, Nalusuan Island in Mactan, Alona Beach in Bohol, Shopping in Hong Kong, Bungy in Macau, Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Seair and Microtel Tour in Boracay, Blog Summit in Iloilo, Island Tour in Guimaras — I think this rounds up my trips this year.

I had my first trip outside the country! It took me a year to prepare it but I was really hyped up when it did happen! Considering that the prices for the round fare tickets were really cheap (1200 Php from Cebu to Hong Kong and 850 Php from Cebu to Kuala Lumpur), I was able to save a lot of money while getting my first stamps on my passport!

I also bungy jumped from the world’s highest platform during this trip which made the whole event really worthwhile. That alone is already an experience to remember.

Craving for some CHEAP Japanese food here in Cebu? I suggest you try JoEd’s Lutong Hapon in Mabolo.

I first read about this small eatery on Carla’s blog which was also what an office colleague also mentioned in random. I was able to check a thread of this store in a local forum on how you can really find value for your money because of how affordable the prices are.

JoEd’s Lutong Hapon in Cebu

I’m not a big fan of Japanese cuisine but I like to try out different food places when they’re new; most especially when they’re cheap. So during our lunch break, my officemates and I headed to Juan Luna Extension from Asiatown IT Park.

California Maki – 65 Php per plate

I received another email from the Philippine Blog Awards team saying that I was chosen as a finalist of the Travel Category for the Main Division. I was surprised again because I did not expect to be part of a list of very notable bloggers. I mean this blog used to be just a personal one, I never knew it would evolve into a Travel Blog. But when it did, I started embracing it which now got me hooked!

It’s nice when you get to help out other people by sharing your experiences of the places you’ve been to. In my own way, I hope to inspire people to get out of that comfort zone and start travelling! I am also honored to be lined up with very good travel bloggers. There are also other travel bloggers not listed but are great and these are people I admire. I’ll probably join the wagon and create my own series of interviews of them so I can learn more about the people behind these blogs.

I’ve developed a relationship with rocks during my short stay in Guisi beach in Guimaras Island. No, I haven’t gone psycho but I was feeling all adventurous when I climbed and felt good when I reached the top.

It was our last day of our five-day trip in Iloilo but we had to check out the beach in Guisi because of recommendations from fellow travel bloggers. We just visited the Guisi Lighthouse and Ruins (more of this on future posts) when we stopped by Kenyama Beach resort.

Kenyama Beach Resort
Guisi, Nueva Valencia
Guimaras Island

Guisi Beach, Guimaras

I have a penchant for doing extreme stuff during my travels so when the opportunity arose to climb some rocks, I immediately grabbed the chance and began climbing.

man on top

Cambodia Trip: Trees in Ta Prohm Temple, Siem Reap

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

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

Siem Reap and Bangkok Chronicles

Quick Update from Bousavy Guesthouse in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Selling Tumbler’s Homemade Ice Cream last Sinulog 2011

Working in a Cruise Ship

Confessions of a First-Time Balut Eater

Bungy Jump at Sunway Lagoon in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Beach, Cave and Cliff at Villa Igang Resort in Guimaras

2010 Highlights: A Year-Ender Blog Post

JoEd’s Lutong Hapon: Affordable Japanese Food in Cebu

Philippine Blog Awards 2010 Travel Category

Rocks at Guisi Beach, Guimaras Island