Siem Reap Adventure Begins!

Some insights, tricks and tips from the Siem Reap leg of my short backpacking adventure.

Coming from Bangkok, I left for the Aranyaprathet-Rongklua border at about 5am since it would take us about 3-4 hours to get there. But the mini-van driver who drives really fast did a record of only two hours. Phew! From the drop off point, you have to walk across the border to the immigration counters.

Border crossing!

Getting through immigration is a breeze because Filipinos and other Southeast Asian nationals are not required to have a visa in order to enter the border, which is part of an agreement of the ASEAN. After my passport was stamped and my photo was taken, I am good to go!

However, it is still a four-hour bus ride away from Poipet to Siem Reap. A major portion of the road is newly cemented but the other parts remains to be a dirt road as it awaits to be developed. Make sure to cover your noses when you pass through the dirt road, especially for those who have allergic rhinitis  because the dust can get inside the bus.

The Cambodian countryside is a quiet place with only a few establishments lined up on the street. I checked-in at the Bou Savy Guesthouse, the only budget friendly place that I know so far to have a swimming pool. Actually, I wasn't even aware that they have a pool in the first place. Hrhr. They have a foreign exchange counter with fair rates. 

View from the balcony

IMPORTANT TIP: Make sure that you carry US Dollar bills in small denominations. Cambodia only accepts payments in Cambodian Riel (KHR) and US Dollar (USD). If you pay them in large denominations, some stores would give your change in the KHR equivalent. That may be useful if you're planning to stay for a long time in Cambodia but not for short term travellers and tourists. The KHR is considered of little value when you get out of Cambodia that's why you will have difficulty exchanging it or worse, you cannot exchange it into USD at all so make sure that you use all of your KHR while you're there.

Since I have the following day reserved for Angkor Wat, I decided to explore Pub Street, specifically the Angkor What? Pub which is famous for its crazy nightlife scene among travellers. From Bou Savy, I rode a tuktuk to Pub Street for US $2. I came in too early so the pub was still closed. I decided to skip going to the pub altogether because I wanted to cover more ground. And besides, I can't get drunk because I needed to rest for tomorrow's Angkor Wat adventure.

Pub Street at sundown

Next on the list is the Night Market, even if my goal was not to shop. I only needed souvenir ref magnets for our collection. Stalls carry pretty much the same merchandise as those of Thailand but the prices are cheaper. For example, the "genie pants" in Siem Reap costs KHR 8,240 (US $2) but in Thailand, it costs THB 120 (US $3.69). Haggling is a de rigeur, as in all markets. It pays to know the common price points when you haggle so you and the shopkeeper can compromise and walk away happy. To haggle, I usually slash the price in half. I know that's being too much of a cheapskate but this is where you and the merchant can meet halfway because I know they would want to earn some profit and at the same time I would also want to get the item at the lowest possible price.

Night (Market) lights 

I consider food in Cambodia as expensive although they have big servings. I ordered a stir fried chicken noodle for US $4.50 (PHP 205) at a hole in the wall restaurant in Pub Street. It was good though, albeit a bit oily for my liking. Another Khmer dish that I liked is the dried fish with mango salad for US $3.50 (PHP 160). Oh and another thing, The Blue Pumpkin is not kidding when they said that they have the best ice cream in town. I fell in love with their raspberry sorbet and mint choco chip ice cream.

Stir fried chicken noodles

Dried fish with mango salad

The Blue Pumpkin, my love. Chauxxx!

This is only a portion of their ice cream counter. I seriously love ice cream from The Blue Pumpkin. 

It also pays to talk to locals about other places to visit. There was only two days alloted for Siem Reap so just imaginge my disappointment when I learned from Bou Savy's owner about the existence of the River of The Thousand Lingams in Siem Reap. I thought that the Angkor Wat is the major attraction of Siem Reap but I was wrong. Ugh. Anyway, it's another reason to come back to this country. 

Sounds like a plan. :)