Just let me start off with OMG Siem Reap spells out S-P-E-C-T-A-C-U-L-A-R!
This was the first time I was on a trip that is not well planned and it was all
about the so-called “new adventure”. At least it turned out awesome! This
backpacking trip was initially planned on my DPS – KUL flight with my mates' Din
and Raja. It was really random. At first, we wanted to do Boracay or Australia
but those were too ambitious. A week after the Bali trip, AirAsia was having
their promotion on their flights which includes Siem Reap and guest what I
managed to book the tickets for MYR312/pax! Good deal hey!
Let me be honest, we did not do any planning apart from
reading bits of information here and there. I only managed to compile everything
a day before the flight. Even for our currency we only managed to grab our USD
only on the last day before the flight (it was really tiring as we walked all
over Bukit Bintang for the best rate only to end up with MYR3.60 for a dollar).
Anyway, in Cambodia, although their currency is called Riel but USD is widely
used. Tips: Make sure you get small
changes of 1, 5, 10 and 20 instead of 50 and 100.
Siem Reap here we come!
Flight was as early as 0655H and we took the second earliest
bus shuttle at 0330H – SUPER EARLY! Tips:
If you have ample time always take the bus as it’s the cheapest option
available (MYR10/pax). Normally it’s even cheaper if you buy it online on Airasia’s webpage
when purchasing your flight tickets. Unless you hate bus rides, there are cabs
which can come up to MYR100/cab and the KLIA Express which is MYR35/pax for a 33
minutes train ride.
We arrived one hour later and reprinted the boarding pass.
For AA international flight, it's free! We killed time at the departure hall
catching up with a bit of sleep. Our flight departed slightly late and the
flight time was approximately two hours. Siem Reap International Airport was a
small and a very simple airport but believe it or not, per year this airport can
receive around 2.5 million passengers! Upon arrival, all passengers on board
were requested to declare a health form before checking out at the immigration
– Tedious pfft!
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| Arriving safely at Siem Reap International Airport |
We headed immediately to the arrival gate where our hotel pick-up guy
was already waiting for us. Being in Cambodia it is not official until you get on a remork/tuk-tuk! A remork is a 4 seaters carriage attached to a
motorbike where it is one of the most convenient and cheapest public
transportation to get around Cambodia.
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| Remork or Tuk-tuk |
On our way to the hotel, I was speechless with the amount of vast
land surrounding me! Although it was a bit hazy but the scenery reminded me of
Kenya. No tall buildings and just small shophouses. Tips: It is advisable to prepare yourself with a face mask to avoid
the dust while on the remork. Everyone looks so stress-free and remorks are
like everywhere on the street.
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| Sunrise on a vast land |
It was a 25 minutes ride from the airport to the hotel. If you
are a first-timer you might find it hard to locate the hotel. You need to pass
a small road before getting to the front door of the hotel. For this trip, I
have booked the
Bayon Shadow Villa Hotel using
booking.com. It was a very cosy
hotel with very interesting Khmer interior designs. The main reason for this
selection is because this hotel can accommodate all three of us in one room for
a very reasonable price, USD63 for three nights. Also, it includes breakfast.
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| Our welcome drink and snack at Bayon Shadow Villa |
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| The triple beds |
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| Ensuite toilet |
Tired and exhausted we bluntly decided to hire Hong our
hotel‘s pick up a guy to be our remork driver – talking about taking risk and
seeking for adventure. We requested for Hong to pick us up at 1300H for our
first excursion that was Tonle Sap. His service includes picking and waiting so
you do not have the hassle to hire another remork. A remork can accommodate a
max of 4 passengers but I highly recommend only two for total comfort.
Tonle Sap – Beauty VS Scams
Tonle Sap is the biggest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.
The word Tonle Sap defines “large freshwater river”. The journey took us
around 35 minutes. Once again along the way, the land is just vast with paddy
fields but one thing that really caught my eyes was the houses were having
really tall and big stilts. There were lots of lotus farms as well where apparently
the seed is harvest and sold.
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| Tall and big stilts on most of the houses |
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| Paddy field |
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| Lunch by the pier |
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| My lunch: fried vegetables served with rice and a refreshing coconut to get hydrated |
After our lunch at a restaurant by the pier, we headed to
the counter and purchased our tickets. The entrance fee was USD20/pax and it
includes a boat ride along the river into the floating village Kampong Phluk. Tips: BEWARE OF SCAMS and TRAPS! We were victims!
As we were
walking to the pier to catch our boat a guy by the name Nong approached us and
immediately brought us to another boat separating us from the other groups.
Nong was super friendly at first but by the end of the tour, his
enthusiasm plunged! These are the highlights and the happenings during the
tour:
- Nong introduced himself as
a staff for the Boat Association and he comes from the floating village.
He mentioned that poverty is the main issue in his community – which we all agreed. Luckily the government developed the area and provided them with job opportunities. He also pointed out that the entrance fee collected does not belong to him but will go to the fund for developing the area.
- As we approached the
floating village, with a very persuasive tone he suggested us to go on a
mangrove tour for USD20/pax! We refused politely and immediately I felt the change in his tone.
- Next, he instructed the
boat boy (apparently he’s only 16 years old) to go closer to a floating
Catholic School. He explained that this school served as a shelter place for orphanage kids. He informed us to help these kids by donating not by cash but by giving them rice. He persuaded us to stop by a grocery to purchase some rice and I politely informed him that we are seriously on a tight budget.
- At this point my touring
mood was a bit off. He finally gave up and we were brought to a souvenir shop cum crocodile and catfish farm. Honestly, the view is amazing but as an animal lover it was really sad to see these animals being caged in small vicinity. I felt like releasing the crocs and let them roam freely in
Tonle Sap.
- After almost 30 minutes
spend enjoying the scenery, we headed back to the pier. At this point our
guide Nong ignored us and he only talked to us when we asked questions.
Before hopping off the boat, our guide Nong emphasised again that he was poor and tips are highly appreciated. We decided to give each of them USD1
as tip for not chucking us in the water!
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| The ticket counter |
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| The boats used by the Boat Association |
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| The Catholic School |
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| This is really sad! I wish I could let it GO! |
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| A panoramic view of Tonle Sap |
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| Cobra wine! Wanna try?? |
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| Nong |
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| The lotus farm |
The outcome: For Nong,
it was a big SCAM failure – hey we are Malaysian and we are on a tight budget! and
for us, although we were annoyed with Nong’s very forceful marketing strategy,
we enjoyed Tonle Sap for its beauty!
We headed to
Muslim Family Kitchen for some “
daging lembu naik bukit” because we were
starving BIG TIME! This restaurant is located at Steng Thmey Village where the majority of the people living here are Muslims. There is even a mosque named Masjid
An Neakmah.
Tips: For those Muslim
backpacker travellers seeking for economical meals, this street is highly
recommendable.
Hong charged us only USD7 for the Tonle Sap trip which was a great deal!
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| Muslim Family Kitchen |
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| Masjid An Neakmah |
Night Market and Pub Street
Around 2000H we headed to Night Market. Our hotel is
actually located in the heart of the tourist spot. Walking to the night market
took us only 3 minutes. There were so many things to see and buy but nothing
really caught my eyes as these souvenirs can be normally purchased on a night
out in Krabi, Bangkok or in any other Asian countries. However, I really did
enjoy my street food including TARANTULAS and SNAKES.
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| Night Market |
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| TARANTULAS & SNAKES anyone?? |
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| The famous Pub Street |
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| Pancakes which is more like roti canai at USD1 |
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| Fried vegetable noodles for USD1! Highly recommended! |
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| Cheap, easy and fast! |
