Adventure Accounting

I chose Bangkok as the final stop in this Indochina trip because BKK is notorious for a shopping adventure. I don’t want to carry around a heavy goodies-filled baggage during the trip, so it makes sense that BKK should be the last leg. I got a 20kg baggage allowance in my return trip ticket. Research says it takes 9 hours via bus from Siem Reap to Bangkok. I couldn’t research about a particular bus company (something like Mekong Express ) or where do we buy tickets, so I asked my fellow Pinoy travellers also staying at Bou Savy Guesthouse. They bought theirs at Bou Savy guesthouse for $11. It looks like it is a discounted trip ticket because the ticket’s printed price is $16. I thought they raised their prices because my initial research says the bus ride just costs $8. Apparently, the $8 fare is the bus from SR up to Aranyprathet-Poipet border only. The $11 is the fare all the way to BKK. Where exactly in BKK? I have no idea. We need to be dropped off near a train station. ...

Before this Indochina adventure, I was convinced that it was dirt cheap to backpack around the Philippines for foreigners. Cambodia proved that it can be more affordable. The accommodation, tuktuk rental and meals were relatively cheap. The expensive ones were the Angkor Wat Entrance fee and the guide. Siem Reap thrives on foreigners. I guess that explains why people are hospitable. They also speak good English. I was impressed that some of the local Angkor Wat guides can speak in Spanish and French. And here's the expenses of our Cambodia leg of the Indochina trip. Some costs are divided by two because I have a travel buddy this time. This covers Phnom Pehn and Siem Reap.

We walked going to the market because we were stingy to pay $1/way to ride a tuktuk. Girls will penny pinchfor some shopping adventure, yeh? It was a 15-20 minute walk going to the market. We found the Pub Street first and checked out our possible cheap dinner options. Dinner first! Shopping with an empty tummy is a miserable experience; you’ll end up buying anything at any price because you’re hungry. Do not shop hungry. Very touristy restaurants here We wanted something like how we ate in Phnom Pehn . Unfortunately, there were no cheapo food finds in that area. Ended up choosing a resto in the market, just across the Pub Street. Our budget was $5 max for this dinner. A lady handed us this really thick menu. Errrr....videoke time? I thought this was a restaurant. Song number? Sige, basa. Coz they patiently cooked and took pictures of all the food. Took us some time to order because we  were busy reading and laughing at the menu. The meal was su...

This was an easy choice. There are lots of budget accommodations in Siem Reap, but Bou Savy Guesthouse is so popular among tourists. It has excellent reviews in Tripadvisor and all the bloggers are very satisfied with their stay here.  The deciding factorssss? They also have a comprehensive website The owner, Bovorn, answers my emails promptly.  They offer free pick up from the bus station.  Hot water, aircon, free wifi, free drinking water, free breakfast  Swak sa budget. The decision was easy. The streets of Siem Reap Our smiling tuktuk driver, Ny, picked us up at the bus station. It was a hot ride going to the guesthouse. When we arrived, we were served with our yummy welcome drinks and cold towel. We underestimated the power of the cold towel. It wiped away all the stress and heat from our travel from Pnohm Pehn . Wasn’t able to take any pics. We trekked up to our room in the third floor while Ny carried our luggage. I booked thei...

Another sunblock-filled day in Siem Reap. Time to utilize our three day pass in the Angkor Wat Complex. So here's our camwhoring adventure continued. There are some really steep steps. Although it was "off-season" when we were there, the tourists are still everywhere! If you want a super solo shot, you have to patiently wait for everyone to go away.  

This is gonna be a long post. Not a long read. Just long because of the pictures. It took me considerable time to choose the pictures for this post. Is there a limit on the number of pictures in a blog post? Harhar. Enjoy looking at our happy camwhoring adventure!  Despite the twister-like weather the previous day , Siem Reap greeted us with lots of sunshine. We slathered ourselves with a healthy layer of sunblock. For touring the Angkor Wat complex, I decided to get a personal guide. The guide is different from the tuktuk driver. Angkor Wat guides are licensed, and their standard rate starts at $25. Quite steep right? It is actually one of the most pricey expenses in our whole Indochina trip . But I read that getting a guide can really help you appreciate the Angkor Wat complex more; plus you get the chance to help a local. The most important advantage: somebody will take our pictures. Bousavy guesthouse provided our English-speaking tour guide: Mr. Em Khemra. First sto...

Time to head to the main destination in Cambodia : The Angkor Wat in the province of Siem Reap. We rode Sokha Komar Tep Bus going it Siem Reap. It was heavily peddled in Fancyguesthouse . The Mekong Express costs $13 going to SR while this Sokha Komar Tep Bus just costs $8. That $5 costs a quite fancy dinner already. So we got the cheaper deal. Dun sa mura syempre . Bus with BFF Sarah , the serial photobummer in the whole trip The bus provided bottled water, and there was also a bathroom on board. We stopped once during the 6-hour trip for lunch. We weren’t particularly keen on eating yet so we survived with Oreos and their grass jelly drink. It was freakin hot during the bus ride, the aircon was working, but it wasn’t enough to combat the heat. Siem Reap is welcoming us. Yeo's grass jelly drink during the stopover: $0.60 We arrived Siem Reap at 3pm. Our tuktuk driver, Ny, had been patiently waiting since 2pm. He had a sincere smile on his face when he ...