Spending a Summer Week in Siem Reap

During Summer people usually head out to to the beach. However this Summer, instead of going to the beach we planned an out of the country vacation. Our destination, Cambodia.

Located in the southern portion of Southeast Asia is the Kingdom of Cambodia. Cambodia has a rich past which very evident with its temples. The most popular place to visit in Cambodia is the Angkor Wat. Many tourist come everyday to visit this temple watch the sunrise and sunset over Angkor Wat. 

Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia and is considered as the largest religious monument in the world.

Flight going to Cambodia from Manila is limited. Flight is only every evening of Thursday, Sunday and Monday. We plan to tour Siem Reap and Phnom Penn but realized that it is a long ride going to Phnom Penn and back to Siem Reap. Instead we made an itinerary to go around the province of Siem Reap.


What I will share in this post is just a brief description of our itinerary I'll be posting a different story with more details of each place we have went to in Siem Reap.

Our flight was 7PM in the evening Manila time. Philippines is one (1) hour ahead of Cambodia. The duration of the flight is three (3) hours. We arrived in Siem Reap International airport at 9PM. Filipinos would not be required to apply for Visa in Cambodia. Filipinos just have to present their passport in the Immigration.

There are a lot of cheap hotels in Siem Reap. We booked our stay Cambo Boutique. Upon arrival in our hotel, we decided to have a dinner and have some drinks. We went to a restaurant that is just beside our hotel however we were surprised that it is not a restaurant but a beer house instead. There are no naked girls in the place and it was open but there are some ladies lined in the entrance. So we still had our dinner in the place and had some beer. They usually offer their local beers. The advertisement of their local beer is everywhere. There are a lot of billboards showcasing their local beers. If you are wondering the name of their local beers it is Angkor and Cambodia.

Our first tour in Cambodia is a visit to Phnom Kulen mountain where the largest reclining Buddha is located and the Phnom Kulen water falls. The place is approximately two (2) hours drive from our hotel. The place is already outside Siem Reap. Before heading to the Phnom Kulen, we bought our ticket from Angkor Hotel which is the only official place where you can buy the entrance pass to Phnom Kulen. Angkor Pass is not needed in Phnom Kulen.

After Phnom Kulen, our tour guide take us to a restaurant on our way to Beng Mealea. Beng Mealea is a distant temple which I think should be a must visit place in Cambodia. There is also a separate entrance pass for Beng Mealea.

Our second day is the highlight of our Siem Reap vacation. Our itinerary for the day is Angkor Wat and Small Circuit tour. We opted not to do the sunrise watching over Angkor Wat on our second day because we have not yet bought our Angkor Pass.

With the help of the receptionist in our hotel, we hired a tuktuk to bring us to Angkor Wat and the different temples. We first went to the ticket office where we bought an Angkor Pass for three days. The Angkor Pass for three days is much cheaper compared to buying two single day pass.

It can take two to three hours to tour the Angkor Wat depending on your pace. There are small food stalls around Angkor Wat where tourists can buy some foods.

After Angkor Wat, our tuktuk driver brought us to a restaurant to have lunch before we start our Small Circuit tour. Since we decided to have lunch first we tour the Small Circuit in reverse order. Usually the Bayon temple is the first destination of the tour. For us we first visit Banteay Kdei then because there was a drizzle of rain we just took a few pictures of Sras Srang which is just across Banteay Kdei.

Bantay Kdei

The next temple we visited is one of the most famous temple which is Ta Phrom. Ta Phrom is the temple where the Tomb Raider scenes were taken. After Ta Phrom is Ta Keo. Ta Keo has steep steps which is quite difficult to climb.

Ta Phrom

Our next temple is Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda Temple which is just across each other. These two temples are just small.

Chau Say Tevada

The two last temples we visited on our second day is the Bayon temple and Baphuon which is located in Angkor Thom. The Terrace of the Elephants is part of the walled city of Angkor Thom.

Bayon temple

Our third day is Siem Reap is still about temples. We woke up as early as 3AM to get to see the sunrise at 5AM. Our tuktuk driver brought us again in Angkor Wat. There are a lot of tourists who also go to Angkor Wat early in the morning to see the sunrise.

After the sunrise in Angkor Wat we went back to Bayon Temple to ride an elephant that will bring us around Bayon Temple. The elephant ride usually starts at around 8AM.

After the elephant ride, we did the Grand Circuit Tour. The Grand Circuit Tour is composed of Preah Khan, East Mebon, Ta Som, Pre Rup and Neak Pean. Each temple is unique so it is still worth the visit.

Neak Pean

We were able to finish early our temple tour so we decided to go back to our hotel and take some rest. In the evening we ask for a tuktuk driver to get us to the night market. Some stalls have not yet open so we went to the Pub Street to have our dinner first. After dinner, we went back to the night market to buy some "pasalubong".

The night is still early so we went to the famous Angkor What? bar which is also located in Pub Street. One thing I like in Cambodia is that their beers are cheap compared in the Philippines.

For our last day in Siem Reap we went to Tonle Sap. Now, Tonle Sap is not much of an attraction especially in dry season but it will remind you that Cambodia is still a third world country and Climate Change does really have a big effect on poor countries. To reach Tonle Sap you'll have to go to the Komphong Pluk village wherein the houses are built in stilts.

Our Tonle Sap tour ended before lunch and we were able to be back on our hotel an hour past noon. We took some rest in the afternoon. We left our hotel at 6PM for our 10PM flight back to Manila. Below is a summary of our itinerary.

Day 1
8AM - 11AM Phnom Kulen
1PM to 4PM Beng Mealea

Day 2
8AM to 11:AM Angkor Wat
1PM to 5PM Small Circuit Tour

Day 3
5AM to 6:30AM Ankor Wat Sunrise
6:30AM to 8AM Breakfast at Bayon Temple
8AM to 8:30AM Elephant ride around Bayon Temple
9AM to 3PM Grand Circuit Tour
6PM to 10PM Night Market/Pub Street

Day 4
8AM to 11AM - Komphong Pluk Village/Tonle Sap

Glamping!

I was trying to search for a different thing to do this Summer in celebration of my birthday. I told it to my sister and she hurriedly browsed the internet for something unique. She then came across to a list of glamping places in the Philippines, more specifically in Luzon. One of the places mentioned was Casa Antonio located Calatagan, Batangas. We decided to search more information about the place. Luckily they have a promo this Summer and we thought it was a great deal so we booked for an overnight stay in the place. Aside from the promo, the place is just near and its hassle-free because they will take care of your meals during your stay.

The staff was kind enough to give us direction on how to reach their place including the cost of each transportation. Our plan was to ride a bus going to Calatagan near MRT Taft station but we cannot find the bus terminal going to Calatagan so we decided to go to Coastal Mall bus terminal instead. In Coastal Mall a bus going to Calatagan is ready to depart. The travel time going to Casa Antonio should only take three to four hours however because of a road construction and some traffic it took us more than five hours to reach the place.

Upon reaching Calatagan market we ride a tricycle going to Casa Antonio. The tricycle drivers are very familiar with the resorts around the place. A tricycle ride going to Casa Antonio costs P200.00. The tricycle driver informed us that tricycle seldom passes the roads along Casa Antonio so he gave us his contact number in case we will be needing a tricycle going home.

Since it was a Sunday, most of the visitors have left Casa Antonio and only one couple was left in the place. We were able to choose a tent for our overnight stay. We chose a big tent that can accommodate five persons and is located at the far side of the place. The good thing about the location of the tent is that it's near the beach and far from the hut of the staff so there is less noise. The bad side is that we were far from the rest room. They have a rest room and shower room that is located at the back of the hut made for the staff.

Part of our package are three meals, free use of kayak and paddle board. The place also has a volleyball court in the water. Since there were only four of us in the place, it feels like we own the whole place.

The place was very quiet. You can just really relax and enjoy the view. In the evening, there were lightning me and my sister decided to packed up early and retreat to our tent. As we expected, it rained at night and there were strong winds. The tent was sturdy enough to keep us safe on a rainy night.

In the morning, me and my sister woke up early to stroll in the beach. It was low tide so we were able to walk at the other side of the beach. However, the water rises up immediately so we went back immediately to the camp site or it will be difficult for us if the water reaches the beach.

The food served to us is in generous serving. It is good for for four persons considering its just me and my sister. We usually has left over and even if we tell the staff to just give us small serving of the food, they still give more than what we can eat.

Overall, the glamping experience was nice. I've enjoyed staying in the place. The staff are very accommodating on your inquiries and requests. If you are not sensitive in places where to stay or on the bathroom piece, then this kind of vacation will work for you.