Text and Photos: Regina Gutierrez

For backpackers wanting to visit as many destinations as possible in just less than a week, touring from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Bangkok, Thailand is one of the most ideal options. 

Not only does this give you the unique opportunity to see the most interesting places in Cambodia and Thailand but also lets you experience a quick shift in culture that most adventure-seekers are fascinated with.

Together with my friends, we booked our Siem Reap – Bangkok trip six months before the date of the flight. This gave us ample time to prepare and plan our itinerary thoroughly which we can say is an extremely ambitious one. One of the best things about having friends who are frequent travelers is that they are knowledgeable about the ins and outs of fast travel, saving both time and money which is very important especially if you are on a tight budget. Moreover, the fact that you have people with you who are experienced with exciting adventures adds pure thrill to the whole trip. 

For backpackers wanting to visit as many destinations as possible in just less than a week, touring from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Bangkok, Thailand is one of the most ideal options. We arrived at Siem Reap at around 10:30 p.m. (local time in Cambodia) and one of my friend’s contacts picked us up at the airport. We rode in a tuk-tuk, which is the most common means of urban transportation in Cambodia. After arriving at the place we were staying, we rested for a while then headed out to the heart of Siem Reap’s Nightlife—the famous Pub Street. This is the liveliest area in town at night and offers a lot of venues and restaurants to eat, drink, and experience nightlife—the Cambodian way. Most local businesses there use US dollars as their main currency and very seldom that they use Cambodian riel. We ate our dinner, tried some local food, observed the place, and then decided to save our energy for the next day.

The Grand Angkor Temples

On our first whole day in Cambodia, our wakeup call was 6:30 a.m. so we could start our day early. After eating our breakfast, we headed directly to the most popular Angkor temples. Alongside our Cambodian friend who volunteered to be our tour guide for the day, we tour around the  Beng Mealea, Koh Ker, Banteay Srei, Bayon Temple, Angkor Thom, and the famous Angkor Wat. The price for a one-day grand Angkor Wat circuit is $20. We roam around the majestic temples for about four hours and every second of it was worth it. Just simply staring and standing in front of the largest religious monument in the world is such an out-of-this-world experience already and having the chance to actually walk inside it, touch the gigantic rock formations, and explore its surroundings are priceless. 

Of course, my friends and I did not let this one-of-a-kind opportunity just pass by without having our own photoshoot. Showing off our personal styles and flashing our fiercest smiles, we took each other’s photos as if we were real photographers in an actual photoshoot. 

Of course, my friends and I did not let this one-of-a-kind opportunity just pass by without having our own photoshoot. Showing off our personal styles and flashing our fiercest smiles, we took each other’s photos as if we were real photographers in an actual photoshoot. 

After satisfying our enthusiasm for temples in Cambodia, we went to the nearest restaurant to fill our desire for Khmer cuisines. We tried some of the local’s favorite delicacies like the volcano pot, which instantly became our favorite. After eating and resting for a bit, we rode in a tuk-tukto to visit the floating village in Kompong Phluk. 

Simple Life on the Water

We rented a boat to get through the floating village which cost $15 per person. As the boat started sailing, we could see the uniqueness of the community as it began to unfold in front of us. Floating houses, pigpens, schools, monastery—one could easily feel the simplicity of the community. As one of my friends said, who would have thought that there are people—a community, living down here. This is such an amazing view to witness. We looked at the houses and the people and watched as the sun started to set. What a truly wonderful experience!  It has been a very long, tiring day but we still got a lot to do on our itinerary for that day. We took advantage of our tuk-tuk ride to rest while heading out to Pub Street where we planned to take our dinner. And since we have yet to explore this area, we intended this whole night for Pub Street. We ate our dinner at the famous Red Piano Restaurant, which is known to be Angelina Jolie’s favorite diner in Siem Reap. The ambiance of the place is very relaxing and an ideal setting to enjoy Cambodian food and drinks. After, we went to Siem Reap Art Center Nightlife Market where we bought some pasalubong and ended the night with an interesting live show performance by some local entertainers. 

Discover Thailand’s Culture

The next day we woke up early at exactly 5:00 a.m. so that we would not be late for our bus trip to Bangkok. After we packed our things, ate our breakfast, we then said our goodbyes to our new-found friends in Cambodia. There are several ways to get to Bangkok from Siem Reap and the best option that our group decided is to go through Aranyaprathet – Poipet Border, which is approximately eight hours travel time. Normally, the departure time of the bus is 7:30 a.m. and is priced at only $10—one of the cheapest tickets available. 

Upon our arrival at the Aranyaprathet – Poipet Border in Thailand, a long line to the immigration check counters awaited us. It took us almost three hours to get through the entire immigration process. And it was already late noon when we officially entered Thailand so we took our lunch there while waiting for our bus (at that time we did not know that it will be a van that will bring us to Bangkok)  to Bangkok. There are a lot of stores and restaurants near the borderline so it was very easy to find a good place to eat. Also, the price of the food is very affordable, and there are so many varieties to choose from. After lunch, we traveled via van for almost four hours to Bangkok. It was passed 6:00 p.m. when we arrived in Bangkok. So after we settled our things and had a quick rest, we dressed up again and headed out for our first night in Bangkok. Our destination—the famous dome at Lebua Tower in Silom Road. 
 

This is where the Hollywood movie Hangover 2 shot some of its most memorable scenes in the film. We got a taxi and traveled for about 45 minutes from Bang Na to Silom Road. Even though we were all tired from a long day of the trip, we were very eager to enjoy the nightlife in Bangkok and relive the scenes from Hangover 2 that we’d been looking forward to. And it did not disappoint us. It was one of the best cityscapes that we have ever seen. The breathtaking city light from the 64th floor of Sirocco 
Lebua Tower is a must-see and the view instantly replenishes our exhausted body. 

Be Enchanted in Kanchanaburi

The following day, we had an exciting Kanchanaburi tour that we booked online a week prior to our flight. The tour package cost 1,100 baht. There are other tour options to Kanchanaburi and the price varies on the inclusions of the package. The call time for the tour was 7:00 a.m. but we were 30 minutes late because of the heavy traffic but fortunately, the guide waited for us. The travel time from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi is approximately three hours. When we arrived, the first destination was the war cemetery. Then we went to one of Thailand’s war museums—the JEATH War Museum. Just a few meters away from it is the famous bridge on the River Kwai, where the Thai-Burma Railway is found. At around 11:00 a.m., we left the bridge and headed to Pont Sur la Riviere Kwai for a thrilling bamboo rafting experience. Then after, it was time for the elephant riding. Only two people can ride an elephant so one of my friends got a solo riding experience. It was really fun to ride at the back of the elephant and tour around their mini forest. If you want to have a wider shot and a clearer view of the forest while riding the elephant, the guide who instructs the elephants offers to take the photo for you for only 10 baht. At around 2:00 p.m. we took our lunch then headed to Sai Yok Noi waterfall. After a few minutes, we were down to our last destination—the tiger temple. We had to pay 600 baht for the entrance fee not included in the tour package. There are different spots inside the area that feature tigers, but because it was already late in the afternoon when we arrived, the only tiger zone available at that time was the canyon tiger. We were given this one-of-a-kind opportunity to pose beside the tigers. We also got the chance to actually touch the tigers and get a closer look at them. And indeed, it was a very memorable experience. There is a monk present in the vicinity who has the ability to calm the tigers in case they get irritated. Seeing the monk inside gave us peace of mind entering the cave. It was very peaceful sitting with the tiger and posing beside them. 

Fall in Love in Bangkok

On our last day in Thailand, we decided to end our tour and spend the whole day discovering Bangkok. First, we visited temples such as the Wat Pho and Wat Arun then went to the Vimanmek Mansion—where we discovered and learned more interesting facts about the history of Thailand. We ate our lunch at the famous Siam Square. After lunch, we roam around malls and visited Scala Theater. We spent the whole afternoon walking around the streets of Bangkok and exploring its unique street life. 

And of course, many Filipinos are known for sharing their travel experience through giving pasalubong. We went to the Platinum Mall where the most affordable clothes, shoes, foods, and many more are being sold. With so many selections at very low prices, your limited budget will surely go a long way in Platinum Mall. After buying pasalubong, we ate street food as our dinner—and by the way, one of the best street foods we have ever eaten! What a great way to end the night and our whole Thai experience. Truly Bangkok captured our hearts. It was very easy to fall in love with the place and the kindness of its people.