Penang Backpackers

A quick 10 days break to Cambodia via Bangkok in June 2009

Left Penang 2.20pm from Butterworth railway station arrived Bangkok at Hualumpung railway station 11am the next day (Always book seats in the middle of the coach, and lower bunk is more comfortable; Can ask for refund but within 24 hours; can change date but pay extra RM6, can change date only once;optional dinner will cost 150B, breakfast 90B,meals yucks !)

Took MRT (Mass Rapid Transport, in Thai- rot fai fah mahanakhon)to Silom, had lunch at a nice French coffee bar called Au Bon Pain. Later took a MRT back to Hualumpung, checked into a guesthouse next to the station called The Traininn. This guesthouse is clean and secure, no frills, with good internet access (but not wifi,just cable)

For backpackers who has more money to spare, you can take a MRT to Huay Kwang station, get off on the right side of the street and check in to Palazzo hotel A popular hotel, room rate ranges from 800 to 1500 B

Woke up early, took the 5.55am (1 hour behind, that means our time is 6:55am) non air cond clickety train to border town Aranyaprathet. Met a group of young Malaysians (my hats to them for willing to try this train ride!)

Took a tuk-tuk(60b for 1 tuk-tuk) to border casino town Poipet

Some apprehension on arrival, heard a lot about how the taxis and touts swindling unsuspecting travellers.

Fortunately I was able to squeeze in with the group of 7 Malaysians, we took 2 taxis with 4 passengers each, costing us usd 30 per taxi. Immigration clearance at both Thai and Cambodian went smoothly

So long as we are in the hands of these taxi or tuk tuk drivers, we are at their mercy. Our fears came true when the taxis stopped at a road side instead of straight to Siem Reap. We were asked to come down and change to the awaiting tuk-tuks. The tuk-tuk dropped us off at our guesthouses but not without their usual antics of trying to sell us this and that, a great nuisance really these tuk-tuks

Checked into Ancient Angkor guesthouse for usd 15, attached toilet and ac, very basic but clean and comfortable. Not my type of place. Stayed a night and moved to Goldern Temple guesthouse, an excellent place, value for money. At usd 14, I got almost all that I can bargained for in a guesthouse, plus free coffee, tea, banana and wifi ! Stayed 3 nights. My only complaint is the bed, its too soft

Hired a bicycle for usd 1, cycled to Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom (Entrance fee: daily 20usd or 3days 40usd. I would advice you to buy daily, there's not much to see after Angkot Wat and Angkor Thom). Along the way back I stopped by the river side under the trees to have a pulut wrapped in banana leaf, but this careless act of mine turned out to be a disaster for me as that evening I vomitted 4 times and berak almost 10 times ! I have broken the golden rules of backpacking for eating stuff like that and paid for it dearly! Was sick and bed ridden the next few days. (My pharmacist friends gave me some tablets but suddenly I remembered about plain porridge, instead of dinner I asked of a bowl of hot porride from the restaruant, it helped !)

Booked a bus ticket to Phnom Penh, for usd 5. Packed in a VIP double deckered bus, the ride was pleasant. Condition of the roads were ok but sights were not scenic at all. While in the bus I decided to try my luck to see if I could catch a friend holidaying in Cambodia. I sms him and to my great joy he was still in Phnom Penh but was about to fly off. I arrived before 2pm, caught up with him and his friends. Had coffee at FCC and later had dinner with KC Chan, the director of Vattanac Bank

Stayed at Indochin-2 guesthouse for usd 15. Clean but no internet ! The rooms at the top is usually quieter but the flight of stairs is a put off. Hired the boss bicycle for usd 2, went round to Central market bought some gemstones(hopefuly real ones), Russian market and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Cycling in Phnop Penh was quite fun ! I love it !

Took the Mekong Express bus to Sihanouville. The ride was good, partly because there were only few of us in the one big bus ! Again, like Siem Reap to Phnom Penh the scenes along the way were not pretty. Snack and water provided, plus some running commentaries by tour guide

Arrived in Sihanoukville before noon. Took a motobike to the Ochheuteal beach, checked into a guesthouse next to the beach for usd 9, no ac and hot like oven. I hired a motorcycle for usd 5, went round Sihanoukville...

Took a Virak Buntham Express bus to Bangkok via Ko Kong for usd 16.

The ride from Sihanoukville to Ko Kong was excellent, scenaries of forest and rivers of the wild section of Cambodia. Arrived in Ko Kong mid-day. The bus went pass Ko Kong town, over the bridge and stopped at the immigration office at Cham Yeam on Cambodian side and we walked a short distance accross to Had Lek, border town in Thailand.

Immigration was smooth and a minivan was waiting to pick us to a small town Khlong Yai where we changed to another minibus. Ride was not comfortable. At Trat, a small town between the border and Chantaburi/Bangkok, there were only two of us left, Otto, a French living in Sihanoukville and myself. We were dropped off and had to wait for an hour before a nicer van picked us up to Bangkok. (In future, the way to do it is to take a bus from Sihanoukville to Ko Kong, then take a tuk-tuk to immigration, and from there take a minivan to the town Trat before catching a long distance VIP bus to Bangkok. In this way we can save a couple of hours).

Arrived late evening in Bangkok Kao San, the whole journey took us about 13 hours ! Had beautiful vegetarian dinner with Otto at Mai Kaidee. Check into Top Inn along busy Kao San road, had to pay for wifi. Room cost me 500B, was clean and location very convenient, but you could hear the deafening music from the pubs around. To access the net, pop into next door, a guesthouse with restaurant, it provides free wifi..

Note: From Kao San you can take a bus shuttle to new Suwannabhumi airport for 150B or taxi to Hualumpung Railway station for about 60B. You can even take the shuttle bus from Hualumpung Railway station to airport, so convenient.. Buses in Cambodia