While on the flight from Manila to Bangkok, I was able to get myself to sleep past my pre-trip anxiety, which has always bugged me in each big trip I’ve had. It’s like an anticipatory anxiety mixed with the thrill of adventure and fear of the unknown … more pronounced if I’m traveling solo. The only way I get rid of it is actually setting foot in my destination and shifting my mental thought process into the mode where my sleepless nights of itinerary planning is slowly being realized. When I woke up, the plane was already turning in circles, which means that it’s already preparing for landing.
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Siem Reap City in Cambodia was the primary destination for my trip. Since there are no direct flights to Cambodia from the Philippines, I had to choose another nearby country/city to fly into with direct transportation links to Siem Reap. There are quite a number of ways to go at it but I ended up buying a plane ticket from Manila to Bangkok, Thailand and then traveling overland (by bus) to Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Cebu Pacific International Check-in Counters in NAIA Terminal 3
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Now for the Thailand Leg (Part 2) of my Thailand and Cambodia Itinerary. If you haven’t checked out the first part yet, I suggest visiting the Cambodia Leg first.
Watching the sunset with the view of Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) at “The Deck” of Arun Residences
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Here is my itinerary journal during my recent trip to Thailand and Cambodia. From Manila, I flew into Bangkok, Thailand first and then traveled over land to Siem Reap,Cambodia by bus via the Aranyaphratet-Poipet Border Gate. I got to visit a lot of the major sights and will be posting more of a general journal rather than a detailed day-to-day itinerary (like my Hong Kong and Macau Tour last year) since my visit was primarily a business trip and I wasn’t in control of my time. I would’ve loved to visit places outside Bangkok and Siem Reap but I guess that would just be reserved for my future visits to Thailand and Cambodia.
Monks in formation during an opening presentation for a corporate gala dinner at the East Gate of Angkor Wat
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Travel to Asia for FREE! If you’re a frequent traveler, then you’d want to get in on this great promotion by Air Asia, a popular low cost airlines based in Malaysia (Asia’s largest budget airline in fact). Air Asia flies to almost all major airports in South East Asia and because they’re practically giving away flight tickets for free in their latest promotion, booking your flights now will be a great way to explore Asia on a budget. The Air Asia Free Seats Promotion is ongoing from May 18 2010 - May 23 2010 only with the travel period from January 3 2011 – May 8 2011.
photo by carworld
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Bangkok is beautiful! It’s a shame that I only got one full day to tour this huge metropolis. I was able to take photos of the Grand Palace, former residence of the Thai Royal Family, and a few of Bangkok’s major temples like Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn), Wat Pho (Temple of the Giant Reclining Buddha), and Wat Indrawihan (Temple of the Giant Standing Buddha). I also encountered a large Red Shirts Demonstration in Lumphini Park and a lot of Thai Government Army Men stationed behind barbed wire barricades in Silom area.
Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) just after sunset
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Here’s a gallery of photos I took during my recent trip to Cambodia. Most of them were taken in Siem Reap, where the famed Angkor Temples can be found. Due to the nature of my visit, covering a corporate event, I was able to visit a few high-end hotels and see some sights the usual tourist might not be able to experience like this picture below of an Australian string trio performing for a gala dinner with the Angkor Wat, illuminated by gigawatts of lights, as its backdrop.
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Just as I thought I would be going back home to get a long rest and start blogging about my trip to Thailand and Cambodia, Aliwan Fiesta 2010, and Banaue, a sudden turn of events came my way and a day after my flight from Manila to Iloilo, I was back on the road again, this time to spend a week in Boracay Island. I was so pumped to visit Boracay again during the summer or peak season. Last time I went there was October last year and although it was also a great trip, visiting Boracay during the summertime is still, in my opinion, the best way to experience this tropical paradise.
Station 1 in White Beach at Noontime
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The Banaue Rice Terraces should never be missed when traveling in the Philippines since it’s definitely one of the most famous icons of the Philippines. Thailand or Vietnam might be the first place that most people associate with sprawling rice paddies but there isn’t any other place in the world where you can see them built on entire mountainsides forming grand terraces at a scale like the Banaue Rice Terraces. At first, I was quite concerned about visiting Banaue during the dry season due to fears of possibly seeing the damaging results of the worst El Nino the Philippines had ever had especially after discovering the rice terraces being in-scripted into the List of UNESCO World Heritage sites in danger. I was thinking of documenting how badly the terraces for my trip but as my wish of visiting the Banaue came true, my fears quickly died down. My trip was so worth it and I’m so happy that, despite the negative pressures, the rice terraces of Banaue is still a sight to behold and the people of the town has done a great job at preserving its beauty and allure.
Elder Igorot Native watching over the Rice Terraces in Banaue
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Every April, a couple of festivals representing provinces and cities from all over the Philippines gather at the nation’s capital to perform their local dances during the Aliwan Fiesta. In my opinion, there aren’t any other time where one can witness a more diverse sense of Philippine culture than the Aliwan Fiesta so I’ve always made it one of my biggest agendas in my travel calendar. It’s now my second time experiencing the Aliwan Fiesta and, sans the almost unbearable summer heat, it was so worth the airfare!
Halamang Dilaw Festival of Bulacan
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Ambot-ah is a blog about my life as a travel blogger, nurse, and freelance photographer. After graduating in college, I decided to make a living out of blogging and live out my many passions. Join me on my travels around the Philippines and South East Asia. Read my helpful backpacking journals, budget travel trips, do-it-yourself itineraries, blogging pursuits (making money online), and photography tips.
