First Visit to Cambodia with Mom

In Dec 2014, a few of my friends from the Junior College days were visiting me in Myanmar for 4 days 14-17 Dec.  Only after their trip was planned, I learnt of a trip to Cambodia from 17-22 Dec.  I had to accompany my mom and a few of her clients to attend a training course in Phnom Penh. Fortunately for my friends, the overlap between 2 trips was just 1 day! Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but feel bad to leave them alone on their own.  Like a mother hen, I was quite worried if they could find their way around, if they got cheated, if they managed to get to the airport on time for their flight and so on :D I can share more about Mister's Myanmar trips and my friends' trip in the future if you guys are interested. I also went on the most epic trip of my life in Sep & Oct 2014 to the States but as it was a month-long trip, there will be many posts and let me share about it at a later date too. For now, let us focus on Cambodia.

Angkor Wat - 8th Wonder of the World

Cambodia as a state was the most successful during the Khmer Empire and its remnants can be seen in the mighty scale & grandeur of the Angkor temples today. It was colonized by French in the 19th century and the country again suffered the Khmer Rouge's horrifying regime from 1975 till 1979. Despite the extensive damage to several of the country's heritage and artifacts during Pol Pot's harsh rule, we could still marvel at the country's rich culture, especially in Siem Reap.  There are 2 cities with international airports - Siem Reap & Phnom Penh.  Myanmar citizens do not need visa to enter Cambodia. However, there is no direct flight between our two countries so we had to transit in Bangkok. 

Their 2 full-day course was to be held on 20 & 21 Dec so sightseeing was first on our itinerary. My usual free & easy style tour wasn't an ideal choice as it wouldn't do to tire them out before their intensive training course. I really didn't want to be responsible for them being too tired to learn XD However, we were not a fan of group tours either. So the solution was a private tour. We engaged "All Cambodia Services" tour company and we were happy with their service. Our contact person was Ms.Naren (sale@allcambodias.com & allcam@online.com.kh ) and she was really nice, helpful & responsive to our many queries. Hotels, restaurants, mini buses & guides that she arranged for us were all superb!

Here is the summary of our trip:

17 Dec 2014

      Arrival at Siem Reap airport at 2:45pm by Bangkok Airways

      Check-in & rest at hotel

      Dinner at Siem Reap Night market

18 Dec 2014

      Siem Reap Tour (Angkor Wat, Ta Promh, Bayon, South Gate of Angkor Thom, Elephant Terrace, Royal Enclosure & the Terrace of Leper King)

      Souvenir Shop

19 Dec 2014

      Bus travel to Phnom Penh (7-hour traveling time by a private mini bus)

      Independent Monument & Victory Monument (along the way, view from the bus)

      Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda

      Sunset boat ride

20 & 21 Dec 2014

      8 of them attended training course while I went to market & S-21 prison camp (Tuol Sleng Museum)

      Phnom Penh night market

22 Dec 2014

      National Museum of Cambodia

      Killing Field

      Departure from Phnom Penh  Airport at 3:40pm by Bangkok Airways

We also loved the two hotels we stayed at.  Angkor Paradise is a 4-star hotel, located in the middle of Siem Reap. The rooms were spacious & clean, albeit a bit old.  The hotel has a swimming pool, gym and massage facilities as well. The selection of items for breakfast buffet was quite extensive. It was exceptionally easy to visit markets since there were many tuk-tuk outside the hotel. No matter where you want to go in Siem Reap (within town area), each tuk-tuk ride would cost you 1 USD per person, per ride. It helped to have fast wifi too!

Angkor Paradise Hotel

Once we reached the capital city, we stayed at the Phnom Penh Hotel (also a 4-star), where the training course will be held so that participants could save on travelling time. We got a great deal - just USD 77 nett per double room per night! The verdict was the same as Angkor Paradise Hotel - the rooms were spacious & clean, albeit a bit old. You gotta bargain with the tuk-tuk drivers here though.  And you need to be clear whether the fees quoted are for per pax or per trip.

So come back here for detailed blog posts about Cambodia. See you soon!

Adios!

xoxo

Missy