I wanted to post about a recent trip so South East Asia and Ankgor Wat.
Information about us:
We are a married couple in our late 20%26#39;s. I like to think of us as half backbacker and half normal American traveler. I try to save money where ever i can.
We flew Korean Air from Washington to HCM city. We loved Korean Airlines, they had mini TV%26#39;s for everyone with video games and movies. The only part we did not like was the 9 hour layover. We got into HCM at 10 pm and after the typical communist customs, we took a cab to the Marriott on the river. I have a family connection at marriott, so i stay there whenever i have the chance.
OUr first full day we took a cab to PHO 2000 and i had my first dish of PHO, beef noodle soup with many herbs and spices. It is amazing and whenever i get the chance i will have PHO. I was in Atlantic city the other weekend and had it there. I paid $20 for it in a high class restaurant. It cost 50 cents in Vietnam. We took a walking tour of the city then jumped in pedal rickshaws for a wider tour of the city. This was the first and only time i was ';ripped off'; on the trip. The wasted our time by taking us to random shops, and over charged us by $30. I am a veteran of many trips (over 25 countries) and can not stand when that happens, so be careful.
Next day we took a tour to the CHU CHI tunnels. It was a great trip. Later in the day i took a cab to the bus station and got tickets to Chau Doc, a small town on the cambodian border. That night we went out on the town and had a great time at the many bars listening some great country song by locals.
We woke up the next morning and made it to the bus station just in time and jumped in a mini bus to Chau Doc. Most tourist do not take these modes of transportation but it was fast(4 hours) and cheap ($5 each). OUr hotel told us all tourist take private cars ($110) to Chau DOC. When we got to the station, we took a pedal rickshaw to our hotel, The VIctoria Chau Doc.
THe hotel was amazing. It sits right on a the Bassic river where is meets to Mekong. It has a pool and is the only 4 start hotel in Chau Doc.
We went on a walking tour our first day there, and met up with a tour guide. Our next three days we spent on a tours of Sam Mountain, floating market, islands, and pictures tour of the countryside. We fell in love with Chau Doc and is the BEST place i have ever traveled to. IF there is one thing you take from this post, please visit Chau Doc.
We took a river boat from Chau Doc to Phenom Phen in Cambodia. The trip cost $25 per person and took about 3 hours. It was a great trip and was the first time i crossed a border on a river.
We arrived at PP in the afternoon and checked into the FCC hotel. Great location, funky room, but really load, i cannot recommend it. We took a quick taxi tour of the city and saw the killing fields. PP surprised me because it is a much nicer city than you think, and it is just surreal seeing such horror in a great city. Half way through our tour my wife got sick. We think it was from a sugar cane shake street vendor in Chau Doc.
OUr plan was to take a bus to Siem Reap, but since she was sick i got a taxi to take us. It was $100 for the 4 hour ride, but worth every penny with a sick wife. We went directly to the Bopha hotel in central Siem Reap. GREAT town and great hotel. We had the suite which was a huge room, great bed and pool right outside our door. All for $50 a night.
I could go on for hours about how great the temples were. We spent the next three days taking moto rickshaw tours of the many temples. See as many as you can and get a tour guide for the main temples, only $20 a day. At night we would go to bar street. CHeapest beers of the entire trip, and we would get hour long foot massages every night for $10. YOu can not beat it.
After cambodia, we flew to Bangkok to rest and relax before our flight home. We had been to Thailand 3 years before and loved Bangkok and our hotel, the Marriott resort which is right now the river and amazing. I do not think it is worth the american prices, but i get a huge discount. There is a shuttle ferry to the main peer where you can catch the sky train or a tourist boat which can take you anywhere in the city.
Three years ago Bangkok was great, but after Cambodia and Vietnam it does not compare. It felt closer to NYC than HCM.
Hope this wasnt too long, but it was a great trip and if anyone has any questions please ask. If you get one thing from this post, please try to include Chau Doc into your itinerary. Machu Picchu is NEXT!!!!!
Trip report for Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand
Thanks for posting your trip report! I%26#39;ve been thinking about traveling HCMC to Phnom Pehn overland/water, so this gives me a better idea of the journey. I%26#39;ll consider a stop in Chau Doc.
Best regards,
Carrie
Trip report for Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand
If you have any specific question just ask. I will never forget that boat trip to PP.
Great report rickphillys! I am hoping to do the reverse trip going from PP to Chau Doc, and onto HCMC during my trip this summer. How did you go about booking the boat from Chau Doc to PP? Was it the speedboat?
Thanks again
Nice to hear you had a good trip and great report and I hope your wife is now better. My wife %26amp; I are off to BKK(2 days each way) and 16 days in Cambodia next week, never been to either(other than Don Muang airport via Manila) so a couple of questions;
Did you feel safe in PP and not hassled too much?
Is bar street about the best place for nightlife?
You mentioned about sickness I hear the hospitals are not so good as Thailand so have you heard about getting access to any good hospitals? I suppose PP would be the best, any info.
Did you feel sometimes you were getting ripped off using US dollars?
How was the English language there among Kyhmers?
Where did you find the best food in Cambodia? and finally did you go to Sihanoukville? One day were head into Vietnam, and if we get time this trip seriously thinking about crossing over from Vietnam, as my mate whom I%26#39;m meeting knows Cam and Viet well, Good luck in future travel!
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