Maiden trip to Cambodia -Siem Reap, 11 May 09

1. Have never thought of going to Cambodia, and frankly, it has never been in my travel radar as a compelling destination to visit until I got to learn more about it, established contacts with the first Cambodian official in Singapore and gained interests with its history when helping Neo Chian and Sunny in getting the travel permits for their 2-month driving adventure Asean On Wheels from Apr-Jun 09. Since the 2 of them would be there in May, I decided to take the opportunity to join them and explore one of the 7 wonders in the world – Angkor Wat.

2. On May 11, I boarded the SilkAir plane and commenced my journey to Siem Reap. Surprisingly, the plane was full, majority are tourists, and I asked myself - where is the recession? When landed in Siem Reap at 3.45 pm, I was surprised to see the airplane parked so near to the arrival hall (within 3 min walking distance) which looks more like a resort-style accommodation than a terminal. We all know that first impression is very important, and Siem Reap Airport terminal gives visitors a very comfortable, serene and relax feeling that you are coming here for holiday, and I like it straightaway. My luggage was one of the first on the conveyor belt and I passed through the immigration counter smoothly.

3. I am completely new to Cambodia and Siem Reap and worried of not knowing how and where I would end up if 2 of them didn’t arrive in time, so i was advised to pre-book the accommodation @ Ei8htrooms Guesthouse and it turned out to be a lovely place to stay in with very friendly people around us. It was US$20 a night plus free airport transfer, unlike the 3-star hotels which I asked Singapore travel agents to check and that cost as much as US$65. I was glad to see the airport transfer done by a tuk-tuk, the main mode of transport here. Even though I have been traveling around in China and nearby regions for some years, first time taking tuk-tuk from airport to city, anyway it was a nice, sunny and windy (a little sandy) ride to the guesthouse by their contracted driver Heang, a young man who is polite, friendly and knows what he wants to do in the next 3 years.

4. I like the setting of the guesthouse the moment I arrived at the lobby which reminds me of a spa lounge with a garden courtyard and the rooms come with mosquito netting bed.

My first time sleeping on a bed with mosquito netting, everything seen to be new and fresh to me in Siem Reap. A good start. All visitors are to take off shoes before entering, so the entire place is clean and neat. To us, it is really value for money, plus their service is prompt and efficient with soft-spoken receptionists. Most importantly, they provided us with an essential facility – secured parking place for the Pajero.

5. Our coordination and timing are pretty good even though they were late a little due to a wrong turn. I am very happy to see them in the foreign land safe and sound after a 2 weeks’ drive. After a quick wash up, we walked across to the pub street (like our Clarke Quay) to look for food, and happened to see a very nice boutique hotel named Be with only 4 rooms coupled with an art gallery and western restaurant, and another Hotel named One with only ONE mega beautiful suit just next door (same owner), then had dinner at the nearby buzzy restaurant alley, a very touristy place full of angmos, souvenir shops and little children selling flowers and seeking donations.

6. We learnt that the recent financial crisis has affected the tourism traffic by at least 30% as we can see some of the hotels are quite empty and in total darkness. The Massage outlets are not crowded at all, and we had a good bargain for an hour body massage @ US$5 at the street near the Little India Outlet.