a4trip in Angkor WatWhat? Yes, we did.

Recently, a4trip’s crews were in Siem Reap. We planned our itineraries by referring to our own guide. We stay, we eat, we drink, we walk around…to collect new information to be updated in our guide.

It so happended that we drop by at Angkor What? in Siem Reap bar street. There was a white board behind the bartender saying “This is not a tourist information centre. So shut up and drink”. We all agreed with that statement. Perhaps, you should refer to a4trip Siem Reap guidebook if you need Siem Reap travel information

9 Oct 2008 Evening Banteay Kdei– Siem Reap
Shopping Rule of Thumb from Lily: Keep pretending not interested.
We were sitting along the lakeside opposite Banteay Kdei in Angkor Archeological Park. The golden sunset reflected from the lake surface and the windy breeze were comforting our exhausted body. Wherever we were in the Angkor Archeological Park, there are children and adults selling souvenirs or books. We used to say “No, Thanks you” with a wagging palm and walked away. However, we are too weary to walk this time. Our conventional way of “No Thanks and palm wagging” didn’t seem to work anymore.

There was our best seller I have ever met in Cambodia. At her age of 8 to 10 year olds, her ability and sincerity to sell out her souvenirs had impressed me.
“Buy something, Mr. Blue? “ She smiled to Wei Kiat in blue t-shirt, holding some postcards in her hands.
“No, thanks” Wei Kiat grinned.
“Mr. White?” She looked at me.
I didn’t say anything. Wearing a sun glasses, I acted a serious face and rejected.
“Where are you from?”
“Malaysia” I replied.
“Ok lah, Buy Something lah….”
We busted into laughter instantly after hearing our own English slang spoken by the little Cambodian girl.

“How about you, Mr Blue” She was looking at Nicholas who was in blue too.
“How much?”
“1 postcard, 1 usd”
“….”
“Ok, 1 usd, 2 postcard.”
The conversation goes on and it was a successful deal as I saw Nicholas has paid the little girl a few bucks for the postcards.

Meanwhile, Lily at the other corner was telling us that the quality of the t-shirt was actually good. She managed to bargain until one t-shirt at 1USD. However she insisted to pretend that she had not interest on the t-shirts to any sale-girls.

It’s almost time to leave. After getting into the tuk-tuk, we noticed that Lily and her hubby were not following and were inside one of the stalls. We waited patiently for few minutes and she came back cheerfully. She winked and pointed seven fingers out and continued with six fingers, gesturing that she managed to buy seven t-shirts with six USD only.

10 Oct 2008 Evening Old Market – Siem Reap
Shopping Rule of Thumb from Elaine: Bulk Purchase
Elaine planned to buy Karma – Cambodian Silk Scarf, as souvenirs for her family and friends. After asking all of us on the number to be bought, she planned to use bulk purchase for bargaining tartic.

Pointing to pieces of colorful Karma, she asked the lady owner of a stall in Old Market, “How much are these?”

The lady owner was a bit panic when seeing more than fifteen of us gathered in her stall. Since she heard we are speaking Chinese, she asked her favorable daughter, Ah Hua, to entertain us. Ah Hua has a fair complexion and is unique comparing to most of the Cambodian we had met. With her sharp-pointed nose and oval shaped face, she managed to speak a fluent Mandarin as a Chinese. Hence, our bargain sessions were in Mandarin.

“USD 3 per piece” Ah Hua replied.
“If we buy likes 20 pieces, any discount?”Elaine continued.
“Aiyooo… USD 2.50 per piece, I didn’t earn anything, didn’t cheat you.” Ah Hua insisted.
“We buy so many, give more discount, USD 2?”, Elaine gestured her disagreement on the price.
“These are USD2, those are USD 2.50”, Ah Hua directed us on two different quality of Karma. “USD 0.5 to you is like so cheap back in Malaysia, please have sympathy for us.”
“USD 2 per piece” Elaine insisted and intended to leave if her piece is not met.
“Deal, deal…” Ah Hua replied, “USD 2 then.”

Ah Hua started to grin and busy putting the all the selected Karmas to plastic bag for us.
“You speak Mandarin so well, where do you learn it from?” I asked.
“It’s from local language center”
“Do you have magnets?”
“Yes, certainly, come over here…”
After paying all the souvenirs, I joked with Ah Hua “You have an awesome earnings today!”
“Aiyooo.. I didn’t earn anything, didn’t cheat you” Ah Hua grinned while patting on my right arm.
We left Ah Hua stall after Daniel taking photo for Ah Hua and me.

10 Sep 2008 Night Market – Siem Reap
Shopping Rule of Thumb: Check out the better bargain in night market
It was our last night in Siem Reap before traveling to Phnom Penh next morning. After surveying around, it was found that the night market offers a better bargain than the Old Market. The better quality of Karma is selling USD2 in night market. Some of the adult and baby t-shirt are selling cheaper.

12 Oct 2008 Sorya Shopping Center – Phnom Penh
Shopping Rule of Thumb: Buy groceries in shopping center as locals do
Strolling along the grocery market of Sorya Shopping Center, I was looking for mineral water for drinking and Coke cans for collection. Since the market is visited by locals mostly and the price is fixed, I managed to purchase some groceries with a fair price as a local did. Normally, Cambodians intended to sell some products to tourists starting from 1 USD. The locals used to get a lower price.

13 Oct 2008 Evening Russian Market – Phnom Penh
Shopping Rule of Thumb from Siew Ling: Ask for the half of price given
It was our last market visit in Cambodia. Daniel and Siew Ling had planned to grab the last chance to purchase some pictures in Russian Market for their house decorations.

“This Angkor Wat picture is USD 20” the stall owner informed on the price.
“USD 10, USD 10” Siew Ling replied boldly.
“No, no, USD 18.”
“Ten, Ten” Pointing out all of her fingers, Siew Ling repeated.
“No, no…” the stalls owner declined the price, and lowered the price.

The final deal of the purchase didn’t go to USD 10 though, however, the price has been marked down much lower than the original price.

Transportation, accommodation, visiting, dining and shopping can be costly if you don’t plan wisely. In total, we have spent USD 330 per person for our 6 days Cambodia trip and this is excluding the airline tickets. In average, we spent USD 50 per day and following are our itemized expenses to be shared:

The price of our guesthouses:
Room rate of Mandalay Inn in Siem Reap:
$20 USD per night for family room (3 persons),
$18 USD per night (2 persons)

Room rate of Golden Mekong hotel in Phnom Penh:
$15 per room per night for all room types

Day 1 – Siem Reap:
Transportation from airport to hotel:
- It’s Free! Mandalay Inn provided us free pick-up from airport to its guesthouse.
Walk from hotel to Old Market, Central Market, Royal Garden and National Museum
- It’s Free! But it took us more than 40 minutes.
Entrance Fee to Angkor Museum
- USD 12, trust me it is worthy! A place you must visit before trekking the Angkor Archeological Park.
Tuk-tuk fee back to hotel
- Usually USD 1 per destination, however we had paid usd 3 on that day.

Total: Around USD 40 spent on day 1 including guesthouse, meals and mineral water purchase.

Day 2 - Siem Reap:
Transportation for Angkor Archeological Park day tour:
- We hired 5 tuk tuk to Angkor Wat from the manager at Mandalay Inn during our trip. Usually each Tuk Tuk will cost $14 USD per day (normal hours starts from 9am), but since we departed on 5am for sunrise, they charged us $17 USD per tuk tuk. Note that 1 tuk tuk can fit 4 persons. Tuk Tuk for 3 persons will cost $14 USD per day.
Entrance Fee to Angkor Archeological Park day tour:
- USD 20

Total: Around USD 60 spent on day2 including guesthouse, meals and mineral water purchase.

Day 3 - Siem Reap:
Tour to Floating Village
- USD8 per person, not really recommended taking this tour.
Visit to Artisan d’angkor
- Free and introduced by a friendly tour guide.
Shopping and meals
USD 30

Total: Around USD 50 spent on day3 including guesthouse, meals and mineral water purchase.

Day 4 – Phnom Penh:
Bus Fare from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh
We ordered from the manager at Mandalay Inn.
Mekong Express Limousine from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh will cost $11.75 USD per person. This includes shuttle service from Mandalay Inn to bus station. However, this only applies to big group for our case.
If you buy directly from the Mekong Express Limousine Sales Office at the Central Market in Siem Reap, it is $8 per person for the locals (or if you ask a local to buy it for you) but usually they will charge tourist $10 per person. However, shuttle service from guesthouse to bus station is not included.

Price of tuk-tuk to Killing Field and S21:
We managed to bargain from $25 USD to $15 USD per tuk-tuk. One tuk tuk is good for 4 persons.

Entrance fee to Killing Field
Normal price USD 3, there was a discount as we went there late evening.
Entrance fee to S21:
Normal price USD 2, there was a discount as we went there late evening.

Total: Around USD 60 spent on day4 including guesthouse, meals and mineral water purchase.

Day 5 – Phnom Penh:
Walking tour around Phnom Penh includes, Wat Phnom, Central Market, Sorya Shopping Center, Royal Garden.
- Wat Phnom will charge USD 1 for foreign visit.
Motodup to night market
- USD 1 per person
Tuk tuk from night market back to hotel
- USD 2 per 4 person, after several attempts of haggling.
Entrance fee to National Museum
- USD 3
Shopping:
- USD 1 for sewing Cambodia name to shirt
- USD 3 for face sketching in night market

Total: Around USD 50 spent on day 5 including guesthouse, meals and mineral water purchase.

Day 6 – Phnom Penh:
Entrance fee to Royal Palace:and Silver Pagoda
USD 6.50 per person
From Hotel to Russian market, Cambodia Daily Office and Airport:
We manage to get a help from Mr. Neou Ty from Cambodia Daily to hire a van at USD 50, which is good for 10 persons each.
Shoping in Russian Market:
USD 20 for picture, karma and miscellaneous
Airport Tax:
USD 25
Total: Around USD 70 spent on day 6 including meals.

Siem Reap is a province located in northwestern Cambodia, seated on a fertile river delta along the shores of the Tonle Sap Lake. Siem Reap, which literally means ‘Defeat of Siam’, is rich in history and culture, and is today, one of the major tourist hubs in Southeast Asia. Its main hive of activity is Siem Reap city, the provincial capital. This bustling town grew out of a cluster of villages along the Siem Reap River.

Siem Reap’s architecture is an interesting blend of colonial and Chinese influences, particularly in the Old French Quarter and around the Old Market. The town boasts of hundreds of accommodation possibilities, from low budget, family-operated guesthouses to 4 and 5 star international-class hotels. There’s also a wide variety of food choices available, including Italian, French, German, Russian, Indian, Thai, Korean, Japanese and Burmese to satiate any foodie’s appetite.

While the town’s nightlife is becoming more vibrant, with western-styled pubs and bars, much of the town’s image and identity has been preserved. The many phsars or markets offer clothes, jewellery, souvenirs and antiques to fervent shoppers. Yet, for all its retail therapy, Siem Reap has more to offer than just shopping. There are cultural attractions, craft centres and silk farms, and for nature-lovers, there are parks, bird sanctuaries, sprawling country sides and quaint fishing villages.

Siem Reap’s main attraction is of course, Angkor Wat, the ancient temple built by King Suyavarman II during the early 12th century. The site, which was first rediscovered in the 19th century, is one of the most important archaeological finds in the region. The sprawling complex, which encompasses some 400 square kilometers, bears testament to the magnificence of the Khmer civilisation. Not to be overshadowed is another important historical site, known as Angkor Thom. This royal city also dates to the late 12th century and was built by King Jayavarman VII.

More modern historical attractions in Siem Reap include the Cambodia Landmine Museum and Angkor National Museum. The former is dedicated to highlighting the plight of Cambodia’s landmine victims. It is one of the most important heritage sites in the world, as it provides a grim reminder to the terrifying consequences of war. The museum’s relief fund seeks to aid children who’ve endured overwhelming hardships by providing them education, medical care and a safe place to live.

Despite its tumultuous past, however, Cambodia has seen rapid progress in the last decade, and Siem Reap is one of its fastest growing cities. As a gateway to bygone eras, Siem Reap exudes the irresistible allure of the old world. Its greatest asset, however, are not ancient monuments nor bustling city markets, but lies in its charming people, their smiling faces and warm welcomes.

Siem Reap city is located about 7 kilometres from the Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport and is accessible by direct flights from most major cities in Asia. You can also reach it by land from the Thai border or from the neighbouring city of Phnom Penh.

All types of Visas for entry into Cambodia can be applied at Cambodian Embassies, upon arrival at major check points, or online at their official e-Visa website. A 30 day single-entry Visa costs USD20, with an additional USD5 processing fee. The Visa will usually be issued within 3 business days and it is important to note that visitors from Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore do not require a Visa.

Angkor Wat Tour Map using bicycle or Tuk-tuk

You can start cycling from early morning to evening using the suggested route. Alternatively, ask a tuk-tuk driver to make a tour to Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat Map

Siem Reap Map

• PhnomPenh

Siem Reap Airways International Co., Ltd is an airline based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It operates domestic and international services. Its main base is Phnom Penh International Airport, with hubs at Bangkok International Airport and Angkor International Airport, Siem Reap.

Visit Siem Reap Airways International’s website here:
http://www.siemreapairways.com/