Repeat Cambodia

#RepeatCambodia

Date: 30 January 2015 - 2 February 2015 (4D3N)

KUL - Siem Reap - Phnom Penh - KUL

8 pax

Alhamdulillah. My wish to revisit Siem Reap is granted. As my birthday gift, mom booked a trip to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. We spent 2 nights in Siem Reap and 1 night in Phnom Penh. Instead of arranging everything ourselves, we took a tour package so everything was pretty much included. Well, except for my 'special tour'. Will tell you more about that later.

30 January 2015 (Friday)

Arrived in Siem Reap at noon and immediately bought the Smart SIM for US$5 (data 5.5 GB). Tour guide took us for lunch at the Wau Restaurant in the Angkor Shopping Arcade. They have another branch in Phnom Penh. 

Note: the one in Siem Reap recently moved to the SR Shopping Arcade so don't use the old location on Google Map.

The restaurant staff announced the sambal with flourish. Unfortunately my tour group members weren't the type who need sambal while traveling.

Somadevi Angkor Resort & Spa

After lunch, checked-in to Somadevi Angkor Resort & Spa before going to Wat Bo, a quiet temple near the Moon Boutique Hotel which I stayed in during my first trip to Siem Reap. Our tour guide Mr. Sam told us that the right way to visit a temple is by going clockwise. Anti-clockwise movement is for funeral procession. 

Wat Bo

Artist in one of the workshops

Next, we visited the Artisans d'Angkor, a craft workshop. You'll get to tour the workshops in the centre and buy the final product at the souvenir shop. We didn't buy any as I was rushing the group so I could get to the Angkor National Museum and spend enough time there. The rest of the group went to Tonle Sap lake for the river cruise and to see sunset instead.

Photo credit: A. Dali

At the Angkor National Museum, I skipped the introduction video, the first few galleries and went straight to the Great Khmer Kings gallery. I've done a post on the museum earlier so I'll be updating that post instead of posting a new one. You can check it here.

Stayed until the museum closed and forced to go back to the hotel. Only 15 minutes walk according to Google Map. Started walking and got lazy half-way so I hired a tuk-tuk to drive the rest of the way :D Traffic was kinda scary and I hate crossing roads in general.

Showered and refreshed, met the group at the hotel. They were boasting about gorgeous sunset but too bad they had to skip shower as tour guide ushered us to dinner at D'Halal Cafe next to the Explorers House. You can find the place on Waze. 

My sister's favourite tom yam

After dinner, my parents and siblings went shopping while I opted to sleep early.

31 January 2015 (Saturday)

No sunrise chasing this time.

Tour guide took us to get the tickets for Angkor Archaeological Park. I've arranged a special trip for myself with Salim, our tuk-tuk driver/tour guide from my first trip. The group was going to Angkor Wat, Ta Phrom, etc. - those temples I've seen and I had arranged a separate tour to see the Roluos Group Temples and Banteay Srei. Banteay Samré was on itinerary as well but I got lazy :p

Lolei

Preah Ko

Bakong

Banteay Srei
Photo credit: A. Dali

It was in time for lunch when I finished with Banteay Srei and so I asked the tuk-tuk driver to skip Banteay Samré and drive me to D'Halal Cafe to meet the group and have lunch. After that, we continued the tour with Angkor Thom and the whole shebang, ending at one of my favourite place - Bayon Temple.

Dinner was at D'Wau Restaurant and at 7.30 pm we were taken to the Amazon Angkor Restaurant for Apsara dance show. Amazon Angkor Restaurant offers buffet dinner, meant to be enjoyed while watching the show. Unfortunately (or fortunately because I don't really like queuing with huge crowd) for us, the food was non-halal.

Apsara Dance Show Opening Band
Photo credit: A. Dali

Photo credit: A. Dali

Apsara Dance
Photo credit: A. Dali

Another night of shopping for mom and another early bedtime for me. 

1 February 2015 (Sunday)

Early check-out and off to Phnom Penh by road. The poor road condition made a somewhat very interesting journey.

Photo credit: A. Dali

Photo credit: A. Dali

Photo credit: A. Dali

We made a few short stops at the Prey Pros Restaurant with the beautiful lake view in Kampong Thom, a local market in Kampong Cham to get/see fruits, spider on stick and lemang, and the roadside vendor selling lotus seeds before reaching Phnom Penh at noon.

Prey Pros Restaurant

Bidding goodbye to Mr. Sam and our driver, a different tour guide named Mr. Kun took over. 

Siem Reap Guide

CHAN SAMNANG 

(+855) 17 673 586

lgsrp99@gmail.com

Phnom Penh Guide

KUNTHUL VANN

(+855) 12 66 22 51

(+855) 93 97 70 70 (Viber, LINE, WhatsApp)

kunthul@gmail.com

vannsokun (Skype)

Honestly I pun tak tau mana first name, mana last name mereka. Suka hati je dia bubuh.

Telur dadar ni macam menu wajib for this trip

Lunch at Ah-Man Green Restaurant before a very quick refreshing up at the Green Palace Hotel. No idea what's up with the green obsession. Good luck kut?

Green Palace Hotel

First tour was the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. They are in the same complex- one entrance fee in short. Unlike other places, they actually observed proper dress code here. No sleeveless, no shorts. 

Royal Palace

You don't get to wander the palace of course, since the royal family still live there but you'll get to see the coronation room, some exhibition on royal outfit and lifestyle and the pagodas. Hire a guide so you'll be able to understand and appreciate the place.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

A depressing place but one that you should visit none the less. Great place to learn a bit of Cambodia's history and a lot about humanity. Couple this place with the Choeung Ek Killing Field and you'll get the perfect dark tourism package. I didn't get to visit the killing field so I'll have to return. 

Learning from our 'short' refreshing up session after lunch, Mr. Kun didn't allow us to go back to the hotel and took us for a drive around town while waiting for dinner to be ready =p

Dinner was at the Phnom Penh branch of D'Wau Restaurant where we had the opportunity to meet the nice and friendly owner.

The restaurant was on the top floor though, not the ground floor.

Traditional Khmer Massage <3

Back at the hotel, it was spa time for me while mom and aunt who had an earlier spa session went for another shopping trip at the local night market. So much of "there's not much shopping (can be done) in Cambodia!" *roll eyes*

2 February 2015 (Monday)

Sunrise from Green Palace Hotel

Buffet breakfast in the hotel (got pork so pandai-pandai la pilih pastries and fruits only) before we were off to the airport for flight home.

***

It's nice to have the opportunity to compare the experience between taking a tour package and arranging things on my own. I prefer the latter for Cambodia as it gave me more flexibility in terms of cramping as much tour/activities as I want in a day. Also, the food on this tour package is too 'Malaysian' whereas on my first trip we got to taste some local dishes like amok and their take on fried rice (which is different and tasty!). 

But for places like Indonesia, I prefer to take the tour package and have everything pre-arranged, sorted and handled by somebody else.

Bangkok Bachelorette Party

#BangkokBacheloretteParty

Date: 13 - 15 September 2014 (Saturday to Sunday)

Bangkok is famous for the delicious Thai cuisine, rejuvenating Thai massage and that unique Thai nightlife. Always in the top spot for a party destination, it offers a little bit of something for everyone. Made total sense to us as we're avoiding the sand & sun before the big day(s).

Hello Bangkok!

Upon arriving in Don Mueang on late Saturday afternoon, we took the airport cab to our accommodation in Sukhumvit. Only 700 Baht excluding the tol charge which was about 100 Baht.

It's true that in Bangkok, taking cab is easier and cheaper if there are more than 3 people in your party.

Check-in at Waterford Diamond Tower was a breeze. The 2-bedroom junior suite accommodated 4 of us comfortably. FREE WiFi available for 2 devices and additional access can be purchased at 100 Baht per device.

2-Bedroom Junior Suit - the master bedroom

Bilik bibik =p

There was only one shower room but luckily none of us was a bathroom hogger! The hotel/apartment has an okay swimming pool which we didn't get to enjoy as we were all on our time of the month :'(

Right opposite the main road was a boutique shopping mall called Rain Hill. I kept thinking of Rain Tree. Love the jungle concept!

Oh, cars stop for you when you cross the road using the pedestrian walk. I was muy impressed & amazed!

Anyway, there are plenty of bars and bistro in Rain Hill. There are a couple hair salons, nail parlours, a grocer (Thai version of AEON) and a couple other shops. We had our tea at Au Bon Pain and did our hair/nails for the night.

First night in Bangkok, we went for Indian food near Nana BTS. For the first time in my life I tasted spicy papadom. Not my cup of tea. Love the chicken tikka and saffron rice though.

Food we ordered were generally spicy but quite delicious, unfortunately slow service. The manager said they prepare everything fresh. Even the bottled water we ordered, I guess :p Those bottles arrived way after the dishes were served.

Next, the highlight of the trip, the main reason for choosing Bangkok, the rooftop bar! That first night we went to Above Eleven in Fraser Suites. 

Gorgeous view.

A somewhat smart casual outlet, this is the place where you can sit, drink and chat with your friends while enjoying the music and the view. 

Yes, works for a romantic date too :)

We stayed till late and I mean really late, the staff were cleaning up the place already.

Next day right after much needed beauty sleep, we headed to Chatuchak Market for what else... SHOPPING!!!

If you're familiar with Rantau Panjang and Pengkalan Kubor, you'll notice that there are some similarities between the two places and Chatuchak Market. Only better because Chatuchak Market offers variety (and I mean variety) of goods from cheap clothes to gorgeous home decor. Stock up on souvenirs here.

Another reason to visit Chatuchak Market  is the food. Like seriously. My girlfriends went looking for the coconut ice cream from street vendor (no they didn't get stomach ache later) and my favourite- a halal shop selling one of the best tomyam I've ever had!

Coconut Ice Cream

And the cherry on top?

A massage parlor with free WiFi right next door! 

Foot and back massage

Done for the day? Haha far from over. From Chatucak Market we took a cab to Terminal 21, an airport-themed shopping complex for *cheap* dresses and accessories. Oh and coffee. And delicious cake.

Gorgeous dresses are on Tokyo level, accesories on Istanbul (I think). Your usual familiar brands like Nike, Jaspal, H&M, Charles & Keith and Levi's are on level G- Rome and M floor- Paris. Plenty of props for photo opp and... the longest (and scariest) escalator I've ever seen.

Once we've got everything we needed, we headed back to Waterford Diamond Tower for our nap in anticipation of another late night. It rained. And some parts of Bangkok flooded. So our date, I mean... host, arrived later than planned.

Luckily we didn't have to take the rescue boat or anything. Our part of town wasn't affected and we got to Lebua at State Tower fine via cab. After dessert in Breeze, our charming host took us upstairs to the famous Sirocco Skybar where unfortunately the outdoor area was closed due to poor weather.

Last day in Bangkok, we lazed around until check-out time, took some photos at the swimming pool area, left our luggage with the front-desk and went for Thai Massage. Plenty of spa to choose from and the cheapest we saw was 200 Baht for traditional Thai massage almost as good as the one in Thai Odyssey. Minus the fancy foot scrub, ambiance and tea of course.

Lunch was at Usman Thai Muslim Food in soi 22. If you love Thai food, you wouldn't want to miss this place. Delicious food, friendly owner and free WiFi.

<3<3<3<3<3

Happy and well-fed, we took a cab to collect our luggage and then off to the airport~ All for only 500 Baht. 

In the Don Mueang airport, we had a couple of hours to kill so we had blow & dry at the only salon in the airport (you can skip this, unless your hair REALLY need a wash), did last minute shopping and ate. Don't bother hanging out outside, just get into boarding lounge already. The shops are better and seats more comfortable inside. Well... except for that they don't have a salon.

And that wrapped our Bangkok Bachelorette Party!

Coffee O'Clock, Kota Damansara

Coffee O'Clock

No. 28-1, Ground Floor, 

Jalan PJU 5/5, 

Dataran Sunway,

Kota Damansara.

+6012 973 5360

8 am - 12 am

Tried this place with Hajar Kamal the other day for brunch. First impression, super-friendly! They greet their customers the moment a customer steps into the place. Very good start to win my heart :)

You can choose a table or go straight to the counter to order and pick an available table later. Select something from the blackboard behind the counter or the dessert display and make your payment. Then go to your preferred table and wait quietly, chat, read a book or snap pics of the place.

Those framed arts on the wall are for sale!

Sit outside

or inside. There are plenty of tables for all~

Order & pay there. Go peep at the desserts too!

Remember to fill the tip jar near the cashier for this lovely crew!

Wasn't long before our drinks and food arrived. Looks delicious eh? Good portion too!

My lasagna. I forgot to ask beef or chicken =P

Hajar's English breakfast. Pic credit: Hajar Kamal

"Latte satu... nak cute coffee art eh!" Pic credit: Hajar Kamal

Time stops here. Tau-tau over 2 hours of gossiping already.

Pic credit: Hajar Kamal

Taste - #iLove my lasagna, guava juice & orange juice
Ambiance - Cosy, Artsy
Price - only RM36 for all we ordered. I say that's reasonable.

You can Waze this place. Apa lagi? Go lah!

Facebook: Coffee O'Clock Dataran Sunway

Twitter: @coffeeoclockDS