Arriving at Siem Reap, Cambodia

Did I already mention that there is no direct flight from Manila to Siem Reap? Well since I mentioned it (again), we booked a flight to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), Vietnam.

I mentioned previously that I took the econo-light promo of Philippine Airlines (PAL). I was able to bought it at a low price but of course with less benefits. For one, I don't get to have a meal. Also, I can only check-in 15k of my baggage. Another thing is that I can't transfer seats even if there were dozens of available vacant seats. A disgruntled passenger? Nah, it's just a forewarn to all those who are planning to take said promo.

Anyway, my friend was able to get us a ticket via Vietnam Airlines for our flight from Saigon to Siem Reap. It costs us $290.00 for the round trip fare. The travel took us only an hour. Visa is not required for ASEAN countries. So it wouldn't be really hard to visit Cambodia.

I guess all airports have the same process when it comes to departure/arrivals of foreigners or be it locals. You present your disembarkation card together with your passport (which you fill up during your flight) to the immigration counter. Then the immigration officers usually asks you a thing or two otherwise they just process and stamp your passport and then you're in.

I knew then that we have a pick-up service which was confirmed thru e-mail. By the time we went outside the arrival area, we were met by the driver who was holding a placard with my friend's name on it and it read "Ms. Tete Cruz, Philippines". Actually her name is Teta. Our driver's name is Rithy and his sporty vehicle...Tuktuk. I thought we were going to be picked-up by a car or a van. I was laughing to myself when I saw our service. I didn't know then that this was the mode of transport in Cambodia. How ignorant of me! I guess I didn't have the luxury then of reading about the culture of Cambodia which is pretty sad because I could have appreciated things more had I known a little about this beautiful country.

Surprisingly, Rithy knows how to speak english but he is not that fluent so it did take a while for us to grasp some of the words that he was saying. Rithy is a very pleasant person, he always have a smile for everyone.

He brought us to the Bou Savvy Guesthouse where my friend have spotted a promo. Her friend recommended it to her. We paid only $45 for a 4-night stay. The guesthouse was just a 30-minute drive from the airport.



Rithy asked us what our plans were. He laid out his terms and the service that he can offer to us. What he explained were the different sights to see and the tour packages that can be availed. As the discussion went along, we also clarified things because it was advised that we should be clear in all negotiations so we wouldn't be caught off-guard with hidden charges or other charges that may not be understood.

In my next blog, I will discuss the different temples that we've visited and the costs that we've spent so more or less readers will have an idea on how much they should allocate if they would travel to Cambodia.