Backpacking South East Asia - Saigon (Part 4)

The next time I would cross the border would be to Ho Chi Minh City. I bought an bus ticket for 10USD. The trip from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City takes about 6 hours. At the proving of Neak Loeung,  around 60km from the capital the bus had to be ferried across the Mekong river.

At Ho Chi Minh City, I settled for an inn with a room that costs 6US Dollars a night with a single bed.  Though I would have preferred a cleaner bathroom at this point in my trip, the room came with cable tv and a fan.  Being in a city once again encouraged me to just kick back and relax, thats why I opted to arrange for a one day package tour just to take a break from the grueling bus rides I have been enduring the past days.  It turned out to be a rainy day tour that's why I decided to keep my lucky streak traveling alone and spend two more nights in Ho Chi Minh City.

The streets of Saigon are teeming with motorcycle riders.  There are scenic bus trips that will take you away from the bustling capital city to My Tho, one of the provinces at Mekong Delta.  I this point I have sort of fallen off the map and I am just aimlessly traveling to nearby towns.

The downside of going on a trip on a free plane ticket is I have to fly in and out of Bangkok.  So I retraced  my steps and found myself once again in the now familiar city of Bangkok.  As usual, instead of going on a tour package,  I decided to explore the area spending my transportation expenses the same way local Thais normally do.  Take for example, a package rate for a one day Ayutthaya  tour costs 450-1,000 Baht.  

However a backpacker can spend as low as 200 baht, which includes a round trip train ride to the province of Ayutthaya for not more than 60 baht, a 40 baht a day bicycle rental, a 3.50 baht to transfer the bike from the train station to the temples.  One should not hesitate to walk to certain temple sites like the Wat Arun (temple of dawn) and Wat Po (reclining Buddha).  Traveling in Thailand would not be complete without visiting the  famous floating market of Damoen Saduak.  

On a tight budget, I got  a two-week adventure in the Southeast, souvenir shirts, a bunch of gift items, a genuine Thai massage, incredible photographs and a wider perspective of the world.

Backpacking South East Asia - Phnom Penh (Part 3)

I bought a bus ticket to Phnom Penh for 7USD.  I left Seam Reap lunchtime and reached the capital at 6:28 in the evening,  covering a distance of 251 kilometers.  There where no delays along the way for we only have a stop for a short break.  Phnom Penh's tourist attractions for a tourist visit for there are a handful of tourist spots present.   I stayed in Phnom Penh for 2 days and stayed near the central market in a guest house spending 5US Dollars a night.

Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Great Lake is the largest freshwater floodplain lake in the world, increasing and decreasing in size annually . It is one of the places or one is with the more meadows of the Kampuchean everyday life and their reality.

One of Phnom Penh famous attractions is the gruesome reminder of the country's past. The famous "Killing Fields" of Cambodia's Cheong EK. Cheong Ek is at least 15 kilometers from the Central Market of Phnom Penh. In 1975 and 1978, as many as 17,000 Cambodians were tortured and killed. The event is immortalized in the movie "The killing fields".

One of Phnom Penh famous attractions is the gruesome reminder of the country's past. The famous "Killing Fields" of Cambodia's Cheong EK. Cheong Ek is at least 15 kilometers from the Central Market of Phnom Penh. In 1975 and 1978, as many as 17,000 Cambodians were tortured and killed. The event is immortalized in the movie "The killing fields".

Backpacking South East Asia - Siem Reap (Part 2)

My journey begins on the following day after my overnight stay at Travelers' Inn for only 5.5US Dollars a night, a small single bed room with a fan. I bought a cheap bus ticket to Siem Reap Cambodia for only 11US Dollars from a popular travel agency along Khao San Road the night before.   A little hunting around resulted in finding what was possibly the most affordable passage to Thailand's neighboring countries.

As a backpacker, my travel intention is to cross the borders in the Southeast on a tight budget. It isn't the luxurious hotels or the rich cuisine that I am after. For me, the experience of capturing the grandeur of any new place in a photograph is the ultimate reward in itself.   Stories of scammed tourist abound online.  It isn't uncommon to hear such stories straight from a fellow traveller on a long bus ride to the border. No matter how intimidating or discouraging the stories may be every picture I take only leads me forward as every photograph becomes richer and more interesting. 

Any thought of taking the easier route is overshadowed by the nagging thought that every picture is going to come out better than the last.  

          

There are three ways to the border of Aranyaprathet, Thailand, by taxi, bus and train. I opted to take the bus because for me it is more relaxing and the fare is rather affordable.  Aranyaprathet is 300 kilometers from Bangkok.  Our bus left Khao San Road at 8:00 in the morning.  

The road is a paved highway and the journey to the border is scenic enough to keep the mind pleasantly pre-occupied, keeping the boredom at bay during the four-hour ride.  The bus ride ends a few meters before the Thai border and the driver inform us to transfer to another big bus which will take us across the border of Cambodia which is Poipet.

Everyday thousands of Cambodians and Thais cross the border. On a rainy season there are not western tourists.  The trip from  Poipet to Siem Reap is a bumpy one because of the partially constructed highway damaged by the rain and mud.   Such slow progress took the bus six hours to reach Seam Reap, the sight of the magnificent temples of Angkor.

I arrive in Seam Reap with a couple of buddies I met on the bus.  Henry, a Korean from San Diego, USA, and Killian from Germany. I spend the night at the Golden Village guesthouse for only 6US Dollars, a fan-bungalow hut with a clean toilet, a washroom and a mosquito net.  What  amazes  me most about this lodge was the internet use is for free and there were 5 working computer units for travelers to use. The next day the three of us arranged for a tuktuk (a popular 3 wheeled taxi type ride in Bangkok and  Cambodia) to take us around the temples of Angkor for 10 US dollars a day, the cost to be divided among the three of us.

Seam Reap is famous for the hundreds of temples of Angkor built by ancient Khmer empire. Visitors have three choices to visit the temples: 20USD for a day pass, 40USD for two day to three day pass and 60USD for a week pass. I paid 40US Dollars for a two-day pass which is enough for me to take pictures of the beauty of Angkor.  

I stayed in Seam Reap taking pictures of the temples Angkor Wat, Ta Phrom, the Bayon and other temples.  While in Siem Reap I rented a bike for 2 US Dollars a day and enjoyed the sights along its streets.  My next stop is Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. 

Backpacking South East Asia - Thailand (Part 1)

It all started by a free round-trip free ticket to anywhere in South East Asia. What I didn't realize was it was enough to go on in an adventure of a lifetime. I picked Khao San Road to begin my journey. What would be more fitting than to head first to what is considered as the mecca for travelers?

Khao San road is a short road in central Bangkok, Thailand.  It is located in the Banglamphu neighborhood about 1 kilometer from the Grand Palace with Wat Phra Kaew.   It has developed over the years into most probably the most profound worldwide example of a "backpacker's ghetto".

This isn’t exactly taking the road less travelled which is more befitting of a backpacker like myself, but I have chosen Khao San Road out of curiosity having read about its supposed popularity among Western tourists. Many tourists prefer to stay on this short road because of the affordable accommodations and proximity to some of Thailand’s famous temples.

Hua Lamphong Railway Station ( Bangkok Railway Station ) is the main railway station in Bangkok Thailand.

Though there are several cheap and affordable tour packages available for travelers to explore Thailand’s neighboring countries like Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, I prefer the challenges of traveling alone not just on planning and discovering itineraries as I go but also of budgeting and making the most of every buck. Of course it also allows me to take as much time in any place taking pictures as much as I want and getting to know the locals.

Damoen Saduak has a daily floating market and is located 100km. from Bangkok Thailand.

Damoen Saduak has a daily floating market and is located 100 kilometers from Bangkok, Thailand.  The traders sit in their boats and sell their goods and other food products to people living in the houses as well as to each other.

I am always conscious of following the old cliche that I must be a traveller and not a tourist.

My journey begins on the following day after my overnight stay at Garden Village  lodge for only 2.5 USD a night in a cool dormitory room with a personal fan. The guesthouse is popular amongst the tourists because of the warm accommodation and hospitality. I bought a cheap bus ticket to Seam Reap Cambodia for only 11USD along Kao San Road the night before. A little hunting around resulted in finding what was possibly the most affordable passage to Thailand's neighboring country Cambodia.