I’ve been meaning to post a How to Travel in Cambodia while I was in Hong Kong but procrastination got the best of me. Anyway, I’m currently back in Manila Hong Kong (again for the second time) with a major sepanx from Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Astrid! I remember I called her while I was in HK to tell her that I ate fried rice but I didn’t get to finish it (story time: fried rice is one of our favorites and we were kinda obsessed with it). Anyway, I’ve decided to write a more personal version –  How I traveled around Cambodia in the meantime.

Hong Kong was not really part of the plan as I initially booked a return ticket from Laos to Manila but I’m so glad I did it! (Posting all about it on the next couple of days)

One major downside of this trip was getting the GoPro stolen. We didn’t even get to download all the photos and videos in it, including the tubing in Vang Vieng, Laos. Plus a good friend of mine just lent it to me. Lesson learned on not borrowing expensive stuff or just don’t borrow. Period.

Can I just say that this trip was the most spontaneous I had. Coming home from Boracay and meeting Astrid, I only had a few days to book and pack. We had little to nothing planned, just countries that we wanted to go to.

warning:this is a photo heavy post

As I wrote in my previous post, I flew to Kuala Lumpur to meet up with her, then our next stop together was Cambodia. We flew via AirAsia to Siem Reap and our flight was so early we were hating on our lives, but glad we did it because it means we don’t lose a day.

We booked a room at Babel Guesthouse and arranged an airport pickup. Here’s our tuktuk driver with our backpacks going to the guesthouse.

Babel Guesthouse Siem Reap, Cambodia Babel Guesthouse Siem Reap, Cambodia

What our room looks like. We were pretty happy about it because it was spacious and the bathroom was good too. Our room was inclusive of breakfast. Considering the price, I think we did alright.

Backpacking in Siem Reap, Cambodia

What it looks like from the outside of the guesthouse. This is where they have the bar and restaurant. The owners were Norweigan just like Astrid. They were really accommodating. We ordered Astrid’s favorite desert, Norweigan Waffles and she was very happy when she learned that they have Brunost (brown cheese). They expected me not to like the taste of it but I loved it, I even asked for more! They also gave us shots of Turkish Pepper.

Backpacking in Siem Reap, CambodiaBackpacking in CambodiaBackpacking in Siem Reap, CambodiaOne afternoon, we asked our tuktuk driver to bring us to a good place for lunch. He took us to this really nice but a bit expensive restaurant that serves Cambodian food. I reckon the style of cooking is similar to Filipino dishes, but I enjoyed the food in Cambodia. Next time we wanted to eat, we told him to take us to the place where locals eat so it’s cheap.

Backpacking in Siem Reap, CambodiaBackpacking in Siem Reap, Cambodia

The guesthouse offered two options for the Siem Reap temples tour. You can choose between what they call small tour or the big tour.

Small Tour:

  • Preah Khan
  • Neak Pean
  • Eastern Mebon
  • Ta Som
  • Pr. Prerup

Big Tour:

  • Angkor Wat
  • Bayon
  • Ta Phrom

We did the small tour on our 2nd day and the big tour on our 3rd day in the morning. Watching the sunrise in Angkor Wat was too beautiful for words.

Backpacking in Cambodia

After we did the temples in Siem Reap, we traveled to Phnom Penh via Giant Ibis. They have wifi on board, great legroom and they give bottled water and food. We stayed at a hostel also owned by a Norweigan man, as recommended by Babel Guesthouse. We arrived a little late at night and the tuktuk drivers were trying to rip us off. I think we ended up paying him $3 though.

Oh, in Cambodia they accept USD.

Mad Monkey Phnom PenhPhnom Penh is where we did a little bit of drinking. We met up with a couple of friends who were staying at Mad Monkeys, because they have rooftop bar. I did a shot of Bazuka over there just so I can put Philippines on the board haha.

Backpacking in Phnom Penh, CambodiaBackpacking in Phnom Penh, CambodiaBeer and fresh spring rolls because why not? Not the best mix though but it worked!Backpacking in Phnom Penh, CambodiaWe were walking around Phnom Penh and found a place along the streets where the locals were eating, we knew we had to try them too. Not sure what these were because we were just pointing it as the vendor didnt speak English.Backpacking in CambodiaThis is the local dish in Cambodia, it’s called Lok Lak. It’s made of Beef  which reminds me of tapas.Backpacking in Phnom Penh, CambodiaWe only stayed for a night in Phnom Penh, we weren’t able to do the Killing Fields and other tourist spots here but I’m planning to do it again next time soon!Backpacking in CambodiaThen we traveled by bus again down to Sihanoukville for some beach time. This was the place where we almost stayed at a hotel with bedbugs!Backpacking in Sihanoukville, CambodiaNot the best sand but it is still a beach! Walking around here, expect people giving you a piece of paper with bar details where you can get free drinks.Backpacking in Phnom Penh, CambodiaWe got a bit obsessed with fresh fruit shakes, especially avocados!Backpacking in Sihanoukville, CambodiaWe frequented this Turkish/Greek restaurant while we were there so the owner gave us discounts later on.Backpacking in Sihanoukville, CambodiaBackpacking in Siem Reap, CambodiaBackpacking in Sihanoukville, CambodiaFor some reason, we were spending so much money on food. We were always hungry! Backpacking in Cambodia Backpacking in CambodiaFriends we met in Phnom Penh who later joined us in Sihanoukville and Koh Rong.Backpacking in CambodiaWe stayed two nights in Sihanoukville then traveled to an island called Koh Rong.Speedboat to Koh Rong, CambodiaWe traveled with the slow ferry going there then the speed boat going back. The difference? The slow one takes an hour and the speed boat for about 15 minutes.Backpacking in Koh Rong, CambodiaThere were a lot of places to stay at by the beach, but dont expect something fancy. This was our room and we had to call someone to fix our door because it couldn’t be locked. Backpacking in Koh Rong, CambodiaThe weather wasn’t really the best so we only stayed for two nights too.Backpacking in Koh Rong, CambodiaAstrid was feeling sick on our first night so I joined these girls at a jungle party. Like literally smack in the middle of a jungle, like a 30 minute walk from the beach.Backpacking in Koh Rong, Cambodiaphoto 3They set up a DJs booth and bar in the middle of nowhere!Backpacking in Koh Rong, CambodiaBackpacking in Koh Rong, CambodiaLots of establishments in Koh Rong by the beach.Backpacking in Koh Rong, CambodiaBackpacking in Sihanoukville, CambodiaDogs and cats in Cambodia are so friendly and cute! We always end up petting and playing with them.Sleeper Bus in CambodiaAfter Koh Rong, we traveled back to Sihanoukville and up to Phnom Penh via a sleeper bus. It was such a funny experience we were just laughing the whole time, not advisable if you’re claustrophobic though.Backpacking in CambodiaThen from Phnom Penh, we took another bus going to Vietnam! I took this photo when we were near the boarder, lots of people on top of trucks from Vietnam going to Cambodia.

Note: I’ll edit this with the names of the places we stayed, prices, travel time, etc. I know I wrote it down somewhere but I couldn’t find the paper :/