Pho for breakfast (or lunch or dinner). We were based in District 1, near the Pham Ngu Lao street, an area considered as the backpacker’s district. Pho Quynh, one of the many restaurants in Saigon known for good pho, is along this street. Most diners are Vietnamese, but since the resto has been included in the guidebooks, a good number are tourists as well. Pho is a soup typically made with rice noodles, meat (usually beef or chicken), leaves of mint and Asian basil, bean sprouts, and a side of lime and some chilies. I had Pho Bo Chin (beef noodle soup with well-done beef). The broth was fantastic (light with very subtle flavors of the herbs) and the beef just right to the bite. We would have other bowls of pho, by the sidewalk, the hotel, and more sidewalks. Nothing though compared to our first bowl.

Pho at Pho Quynh

Banh Mi for merienda. Merienda means snack or a light meal in Filipino, eaten during the gap between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner. Most of us Pinoys prefer to eat rice for the main meals of the day, so sandwiches (unless those scary supersize versions) are considered light. Banh Mi was our go-to Vietnamese snack. It refers to a baguette sandwich filled with meat (it can be pork belly, sausage, other cold cuts, grilled chicken, pork meatballs, etc. depends on the stall you find), pork liver pate, fresh cucumber slices, cilantro, some pickled veggies and even Laughing Cow cheese. The ones sold in Saigon also add mayonnaise.

Banh Mi is unabashedly a street food, so if you’re particular about all those ingredients being exposed to the elements all day long, you might find yourself asking to hold off the mayonnaise. Or some of the meats? Or the pate? We had everything though and thankfully didn’t get an upset tummy. Some of the ingredients were not the best slices of meat, but the bread. Oh the crsipy and soft bread. P and I made sure to buy a couple and some cheese from the Banh Mi stall along De Tham street before boarding the bus for Cambodia. The Banh Mi stall near Pho Quynh puts slices of pork belly in her sandwiches.

The friendly Banh Mi lady along De Tham Street

A banh mi sandwich of pate, mayonnaise, cucumber, cilantro, carrots, onions, and slices of meat

Look for the Lunch Lady. It’s all thanks to Anthony Bourdain. He and Gastronomy blogger, who first wrote about the Lunch Lady (Nguyen Thi Thanh) back in 2008. She makes a different noodle dish or two for every day of the week. And every day, her noodle stall is frequented by local residents and office workers. It is located under a shady tree in a Saigon neighborhood that didn’t really lure tourists before–that is until Bourdain shared her with his millions of audience.

We went there on a Wednesday and wanted to make it before the lunch crowd descended upon it. We were there by 11. She was still cooking her mi ga tiem, a chicken dish with a sweet star anise broth and fresh egg noodles. But she was also serving hu tieu Nam Vang, which according to Gastronomy “is a Cambodian-Chinese concoction that the Vietnamese borrowed and made their own; it consists of a sweet pork broth and a number of odds and ends like quail eggs, innards and liver.” It’s also topped with fat pieces of shrimp and served with either egg noodles or rice noodles. Loved the sweet and subtle taste of the pork broth, which went well with the bold flavors of the liver and innards. We also got fresh spring rolls, which we didn’t order but made sense now after reading Gastronomy’s latest entry on the Lunch Lady. Didn’t really mind this extra dish that made its way to our table.

The famous Lunch Lady

A happy bowl of Hu Tieu Nam Vang with some fresh spring rolls on the side

While we happily ate our noodles, the Lunch Lady was busy cooking the mi ga tiem. P was getting seduced by the smell and wanted to wait and order a bowl. But by the time we finished our noodles, we were already more than full. (For more on the kinds of noodles she serves, check out Gastronomy blog’s Lunch Lady entries; Gastronomy also has a map of the noodle stall. We showed it to our cab driver who dropped us off Hoang Sa but we still had to walk down an alley or two before we found her stall.)

Once you get dropped off at the main road, look for the street with this noodle stall

Coffee by the sidewalk. One of the things I loved about Saigon (aside from how cheap a lot of things are–from hotel accommodations to meals) was how the people congregated outside their homes, to cook, to eat, to shoot the breeze. Many street stalls have plastic tables and stools to accommodate them hungry folks. Along Bui Vien St., just outside our hotel, you can find families, students, office workers having a meal by the sidewalk–a breakfast of noodle soup, a dinner of barbecued meats, or a tall glass of coffee.

Vietnamese coffee is brewed using stainless coffee filters. My friend Pinay Traveller writes in her very useful Top 10 things to do in Vietnam entry that this practice was passed on to the Vietnamese by their past colonizers the French. Do you think they might have also passed on the practice of enjoying their coffee by the side of the road?

On our last afternoon in Saigon, while P and I were roaming around backpacker’s area, we parked ourselves at Thuy Linh, one of the several humble coffee shops lining the streets. We ordered iced coffee with a bit of condensed milk to ward off the heat. When we were almost finished with our drinks, the owner gave us two cold glasses of tea. We appreciated all the caffeine we could have for our late-night flight.

Before you get the impression that all we did in Saigon was eat, drink and slurp many bowls of soup, P and I did go to the city’s several sights, haggled for some souvenirs, survived crossing the road, survived rude shop owners, and spent a fantastic evening watching water puppet theater. More on that in the next post!

Getting to Siem Reap after a day in Saigon and before heading back there for a couple of more days was a relief. Don’t get me wrong. I like the Vietnam city. The energy of the place, the urban sounds, the food, and most of the people. But when you get screamed at in the marketplace, get almost run over by one of the millions of motorcycles (how predictable, right?), and get screamed at by the driver of said motorcycle (because I’m the newbie at crossing the Saigon streets, hence my fault entirely) on your first day, it can get a bit overwhelming. Thank God for helpful hostel and hotel owners, nice Banh Mi ladies, sublime bowls of pho, and cold Vietnamese coffee. (More on Saigon in a future post.)

It was also a relief because we were finally in the town just outside the Angkor temples, a town that–at least for the next couple of days we were there–offered a little time of quiet and not a massive number of motorcycles.

We got things started on the right foot when we got to our inn. We booked a room at Angkor Discover Inn, a lovely little 2-story boutique hotel located in a quiet part of town, but a short 15-minute walk from the Old Market Area. The inn was supposedly designed in a traditional Khmer house manner. Loved how it look, loved the greenery around it, loved coming home to our room (though a bit small was still pretty and always kept clean), loved the very helpful staff, and how nice and quiet everything was. There were other people booked in the inn, but we only saw a couple of them during breakfast and while we were waiting for our tuk-tuk driver to pick us up before sunrise to head over to Angkor Wat.

Angkor Discover Inn

(Another point about Angkor Discover Inn, it’s got a low rating on Hostelworld because one traveler found that the place smelled after the flooding last year. That was back in November. I’m happy to report that we didn’t get that smell when we got there by December. Three out of its four ratings in Hostelworld are 90% and above. Also depended on Trip Advisor for the reviews. I would stay here again should I find myself back in Siem Reap.)

After almost an entire day of going around the temples, with the sun beating down on you, it was nice to come home to a quiet and lovely little place. And not have to pay an arm and a leg for it. (25 USD for a deluxe double room)

Each room has a little balcony, which is a nice place to have your breakfast or do a bit of reading or typing during the day

To take a break from all the temples we saw in the span of two days (seven in the first day, only three the following day–yup, we were getting all ‘temple’d out’ after only two days), P and I would go around Siem Reap–take in everyday sights in the laid-back town beyond centuries-old temples.

We would walk from our inn to nearby Pokambor Avenue, which runs parallel to the Siem Reap River. Running alongside the river is a little stretch of park where we found ourselves in more than one occasion taking a seat on one of the benches, watching monks passing by, or having a pancake from one of the street food vendors.

Scenic Siem Reap. It was a welcome break to stare at other sights after all the centuries-old temples

A couple of people were lined up at this food cart selling pancakes (more of like their local version of crepes) one afternoon so we decided to try it out ourselves. While I ate it, I just tried not to think about the fact that the guy kept touching the dough with the hand he used to give me change. It’s street food after all. (My friend OCMominManila would not be amused.) But it was still a nice little, sweet treat in the afternoon while we waited for the sun to set and pondered the very important matter of where to eat for dinner.

The Old Market Bridge over the Siem Reap River

There are a lot of dinner options in the streets of nearby Old Market Area. The popular Pub Street is there, but the other streets are also lined with a lot of restaurants, pubs, cafes and pizza joints. Pizza, ribs, and pumpkin soup in Blue Pumpkin and Le Tigre de Papier offered our taste buds a welcome break from all the traditional Khmer food in the eateries surrounding the Angkor temples.

One of the best meals we've had in Siem Reap was in Le Tigre de Papier

The Old Market Area is pretty quiet in the morning as most folks were probably exploring the temples or still asleep. At around eight in the morning, vendors were still setting up their wares in the market so you can pretty much do some nice and easy shopping. No vendor screaming at you and shooing you away from her store. (Yup, still stuck on that.)

A little retail therapy in the morning at the Old Market

We didn't lack options when it came to where to eat or have a couple of drinks

I know I probably just barely scratched the surface of Siem Reap, but I loved what I saw. I loved the easy-going atmosphere. Loved the everyday quality of walking in the park by the river. It was a great antidote from the overwhelming sights of many temples and a good and quiet way to recharge before another long bus ride back to busy, busy Saigon.

Angkor Discover Inn: #0126, Wat Bo Rd., Slorkrame Village, Siem Reap 855, Cambodia
Blue Pumpkin: 2 Thnou St., near the Old Market
Le Tigre de Papier: Pub St., Old Market area; they also offer cooking classes, where most of the profits are donated to charity

While another friend of my sister recommended it (we were at Borders in Bangkok and he got the last copy, damnit!), the “Mix tape” in the title did it for me. On the book: “Mix tapes: We all have our favorites. Stick one into a deck, press play, and you’re instantly transported to another time in your life.” Never a truer statement made. Like any kid growing up in the 80s and 90s, I had my share of mix tapes (eventually mixed CDs), some I made, others given. Almost all I can no longer find, probably buried in some shoebox.

Sheffield’s book is so much like a mix tape. Some references to a song or an artist make me remember. Childhood in the late 1980s spent listening to  Top 40 hits (Casey Kasem! Rick Dees!) and recording my favorites on a cassette tape, and getting shocked and seduced by grunge in the early 1990s, particularly by Nirvana.

In the chapter of August 1994,  Sheffield writes about the summer “when Kurt was dead but the promise of rock was raging on.” He writes about his fears as a husband, he writes about the MTV Unplugged special of Nirvana that kept airing over and over; Kurt singing “all through Unplugged, about the kind of love you can’t leave until you die… The married guy was a lot more disturbing to me than the dead junkie.”

I didn’t hear this back then when I was 13. All I saw and heard was this blonde guy and his band, with his guitar and scratchy voice, singing about feeling stupid and contagious, about being so lonely (and that’s okay), about a girl…so much angst, misery, love and being able to sing/shout all about it through the guitar riffs. My teenage heart was happy.

By the end of the chapter–and Sheffield writes it brilliantly, hitting the nail on the head when it comes to listening to Cobain–I was asking my husband for the iPod and shuffling through my closet for those shoeboxes. I wanted to listen to Kurt again. Maybe this time, decades older and married, I’ll hear through some of his songs about the kind of love you can’t leave until you die. Or just be transported back to that time when you felt nobody would understand what you’re feeling, besides some band from another part of the world.

“But when I listen to Kurt, he’s not ready to die, at least not in his music–the boy on Unplugged doesn’t sound the same as the man who gave up on him.A boy is what he sounds like, turning his private pain into teenage news… I hear a scruffy sloppy guitar boy trying to sing his life. I hear a teenage Jesus superstar on the radio with a song about a sunbeam, a song about a girl, flushed with the romance of punk rock. I hear the noise in his voice, and I hear the boy trying to scare the darkness away. I wish I could hear what happened next, but nothing did.” Thank you Rob Sheffield.

I think I was in elementary school when I first set foot in the shrine for an educational outing. Most people though go to the circle for the park grounds. It comes alive in the mornings when joggers run around the perimeter (there’s even a running clinic every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 am, Saturdays at 7 am, and Sunday at 5:30 am). On weekends, families bring their kids to the playground, fly some kites, ride a paddle boat or an aqua bike in the teeny man-made pond, and during the holidays, go the the carnival for some merry-go-round and Ferris wheel action. There’s also vegetable market, a zip line, a sad-looking soccer pitch (it looked like it needed some major work) and even a fish spa (dip feet in a water tank filled with fish and let the fish do the work.)

Should those activities make you hungry, you can also grab some grub afterward. People have breakfast in one of the many modest stalls and restaurants selling mostly Filipino food–breakfast favorites of various silog (fried rice with egg and meat of choice), lugaw or congee, champorado (chocolate rice porridge), all varieties of kakanin (rice cakes), barbecued meats, and so much more. Since it was December, there were the Filipino Christmas staples of bibingka (a type of rice cake made with coconut milk) and puto bumbong (a distinctly purple rice cake  traditionally cooked in bamboo). I prefer the salty, sweet taste and the fluffy cake texture of the bibingka, but bought some puto bumbong as well before heading home for my brother who recently discovered he loved it. There’s also the beloved ‘dirty’ ice cream. If you’re not familiar with Filipino food, it’s the cheaper and street food version of ice cream. ‘Dirty’ because it’s peddled on the street and street food typically doesn’t really score high in proper sanitation.  Never got sick from it when I was a kid though.

Quezon Memorial Shrine. Look up and you'll see the statues of three angels holding sampaguita wreaths on top of the three vertical pylons

Pick a balloon--Dora, Spongebob, or an Angry Bird

Mang Sorbetero or the dirty ice cream man. Local flavors include cheese, mango, ube and langka (jackfruit)

Bibingka being cooked with charcoal underneath and that tray of charcoal goes on top.

The Quezon Memorial Circle is the nearest open space from our house (closer than UP Diliman), but unfortunately P and I rarely go there. I suggested that we should spend more mornings there this year–to run, to eat, to just take a break from the usual mall-movie-restaurant weekend outings.

An impending new year always brings thoughts of what you want to start doing. A few changes you know would be good for you. To go outdoors more. Write more. Get distracted less. Keep running. Keep hoping. Save more. Bring an extra bag every time I go out. Cut down on plastic bags. Cut down on water bottles. Cut down on the Internet. Read more books. Be braver.

For all the planning in the world, sometimes the world has a plan of its own. I had to have a medical procedure done a little more than a week before we left for Vietnam and Cambodia and my doctor was not exactly too keen on me even running a 10k until we knew the result. It was something I wanted more than running in the race so even with our race kit ready to be picked up in Siem Reap and my running gear in my backpack, the day before the race, I finally decided not to run.

The day of the race though was not wanting of physical exertion (but not of a half marathon variety). Aside from having to walk around more temples, the day involved climbing up a hill and some of the steepest stairs known to man. I didn’t get a chance to cross a finish line that day, but did manage to find a speck of fulfillment in the day for not rolling down some steep temple steps.

Banteay Srei

Our first temple for the day was almost an hour away from town via tuk-tuk. Banteay Srei is around 38 kilometers from Siem Reap but many tourists still go out of their way too see it; it has been dubbed one of the most beautiful temples in Angkor for its very elaborate carvings and red sandstone walls.

Travel guides will tell you that it is best seen before 10 a.m. and after 2 p.m. We wanted to start our temple hopping a bit late: left town by 11 a.m. after going around the Old Market area and got there in the Banteay Srei right smack at noon. But even with the harsh high noon sun, you can’t miss the temple’s predominantly striking shade–different from most of the other temples’ walls.

Banteay Srei is only a small temple and it was built in the late 10th century when the Khmer empire was only starting to gain significant power

The inner enclosure of Banteay Srei was not accessible to tourists, but one can already appreciate the intricate carvings from outside...

...or take a look inside the inner enclosure for some more fascinating carvings and statues

One of the minor perks of going around a temple at noon--you don't have fellow tourists getting in all your shots. (Just most of them)

Red sandstone can be carved like wood so it's no wonder that the walls of Banteay Srei are so densely covered with beautiful and elaborate carvings

Pre Rup

We stopped at Pre Rup on the way back from Banteay Srei. The moment I saw it–its lofty towers, high stairways and people making their way to the summit–I knew I wanted to see it up close.

We just had a filling lunch of fish amok, spring rolls and rice and it was time to burn them calories. Similar to other Angkor temples, the stairways are pretty steep (higher than 45-degrees in angle) and the steps are narrow. I have small feet, but even I found each step quite small and ended up making most of the climb (and descent) sideways like the rest of the handful of folks going up and down the temple (a far cry from the number of people in our next stop, Phnom Bakheng).

The sight of people going up the temple from down the road

After going up a flight of stairway you get to this level faced with more steep steps

Go to the very top and when you get there, take in the view of the surrounding countryside and have a much-deserved breather. Particularly since walking down those steep steps later on seem more precarious–with a view of the ground below. A tourist slipped and fell a few steps when I was going down. Fortunately, her guide who was in front of her caught her.

After the long flight of steps, climb a few more steps to the topmost tower...

...for a good view of the Angkor countryside

Pre Rup ended up being one of my favorite temples in Angkor. Beyond the beautiful carvings, the reddish sandstone walls, and the view, I surprisingly enjoyed the climb and got to breathe a sigh of relief that I also managed to get down without stumbling over the teeny steps. It’s good to appreciate the small things.

Phnom Bakheng

If Angkor Wat is the most visited temple during sunrise, Phnom Bakheng is the most popular temple during sunset. To get there, you have to briefly walk up a hill for around 10 to 15 minutes, then climb some more steep steps to get to the top of the temple. Travel guides and bloggers will warn you about the crowd. Sure, Angkor Wat during sunrise attracts a lot of people, but it also covers a whole lot more area. Phnom Bakheng is a small temple and there’s only one part of it where you can view the sunrise, at the top.

When you get to the hilltop, climb to the top of the temple

We got there more than an hour before sunrise, which was apparently a good decision since the walk up the hill was pretty quiet and there was no line to get up the temple…not like this:

When you get to the top, (from the stairway) people walk over to the leftmost corner on the other side where the sun will be setting to get some good seats. But if you want to see Angkor Wat, just turn left when you reach the top, look past all those trees and you’ll see in the distance Angkor Wat’s recognizable towers. And no, you won’t see the sun setting with a view of Angkor Wat or any other temple. You’ll see the sun setting over the Angkor’s jungle. It was a bit underwhelming, but I ended up doing the next best thing: watching fellow tourists, waiting and watching.

If you’re the type who can’t stand hordes of tourists, you’re better off not going to Phnom Bakheng during sunset. But it is a chance to exercise some people watching: exhausted tourists taking the time to catch some Zzzs, some fellow Asians reaching the temple with their high heels (I don’t know how they did it?!), a big group of sprightly Japanese seniors talking animatedly, an Australian family of five with a very fashionable mum giving her kids biscuits to munch on, a TV crew of a travel show, and just a continuous flow of tourists determined to see an Angkor sunset.

One of the few brief moments atop Phnom Bakheng were a space was without any tourist

It was a cloudy day that day though so it was no surprise that some people were no longer waiting for the sun to set. It’s a good thing since more tourists were still going up on the other side. I can only imagine how more crowded the temple can be if everyone waited for that famous sunset. If you’re going down past sunset, you might want a little flashlight with you. The steps of the stairway down Phnom Bakheng are the most narrow compared to some of the temples I got a chance to see in the past two days. One step was just two inches in width so make sure you’re ready to get intimate with a side of the stairway like you’ve never been before. At least there’s the sunset to help set the mood.

Goodbye, Phnom Bakheng

Since we only had four days in Cambodia, and days one and four were going to be spent on the road, we decided to take a tour of the Angkor temples on both days. Friends had told us that three days of temple hopping would be enough, beyond it and you might find yourself all ‘templed’ out. (Unless of course you’re an Angkor or archaeology enthusiast, then you can be there for weeks.) Two days for us regular tourists meant exploring Angkor Wat and the other temples in its vicinity for Day 1 and going to the farther temples in Day 2.

After spending the early morning in Angkor Wat, we told our tuk-tuk driver Savin (from Angkor Discover Inn)  that we wanted to see Ta Prohm and Angkor Thom for the rest of the day. We appreciated it that he also suggested additional temples along the way.

The ruins of Banteay Kdei and Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm was on top my must-see list in Angkor. It’s most known for those eerie images of massive centuries-old trees staking its claim on temple ruins with their massive roots draped over the walls and corridors. It was probably all those Indiana Jones movies growing up that had me fantasizing about walking through a jumble of ancient ruins and jungle.  (Ta Prohm was also one of the locations of the little known movie called Tomb Raider)

On the way, we passed by Banteay Kdei and Savin suggested we also take a look inside. It’s supposedly built in much the same style as Ta Prohm. A look at the free Siem Reap Angkor Visitors Guide will tell you that it was also “built using an inferior grade of sandstone and using poor construction techniques,” which has lead to much of its deterioration. That and the jungle.

Love this particular small detail of an apsara carving

The biggest tree we saw in Banteay Kdei was thrice this size

Banteay Kdei had some areas closed from tourists and a look at the scaffolding or the sorry state of some of the towers and corridors should have anyone in their right mind steering clear of them. (You don’t want centuries-old sandstone falling on top of you–even if they are of inferior grade. But signs such as “Do Not Touch” on certain bas reliefs or walls apparently do not have the same effect to most as other fellow tourists still kept touching them.)

But if I thought Banteay Kdei was in a bad state, it seemed a much larger area of Ta Prohm was in worse condition. It was undergoing major renovation so more areas were inaccessible to tourists. After a few minutes walking within the temple, I started wondering in which part you could see those huge trees. Though they’re probably the reason why much rebuilding or restoration was happening. Those ancient temple walls and doorways and corridors do not stand a chance against massive trees. Unless of course there’s a chain saw involved.

(A 2003 New York Times story on the architecture/art in Angkor mentioned the dilemma: “Faced with collapsed or collapsing structures, should one rebuild, restore or simply conserve? Whether to fill lacunae with newly quarried or recycled stone, and how much to decorate them, are all crucial questions. Ta Prohm’s voracious trees present a further problem: to chop or not to chop? The fate of each tree will be debated before chain saws arrive.”)

The fate of this tree seemed to have been decided. The root looks like it had been chopped off.

The roots on this tree remain intact. This is such a famous part of Ta Prohm that there's already a platform for photos...and a sign that says, Do Not Climb. So it seems people have made attempts?

On the way to Angkor Thom from Ta Prohm, we stopped at Ta Keo (a temple-mountain like Angkor Wat, but smaller and without much carvings), and the small temples of Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon, which are just right across each other.

A steep climb to the top of Ta Keo

Chau Say Tevoda, built in Angkor Wat style

Thommanon, also built in the Angkor Wat style. It was at this stop that I thought the temples were starting to look like each other. So we decided to take a break and have our late lunch nearby.

Angkor Thom: Bayon, Baphuon, Terrace of the Elephants

Angkor Thom was the last capital city of the Khmer empire and it covers a vast area of the Angkor Archaeological Park. It was our last stop and my sudden onset of temple fatigue vanished when we climbed up to the Bayon and saw the huge giant faces carved on its many stone towers. You’re not sure whether they are smiling or smirking down at you, but you can’t help but stare. When you climb to the top and you’re surrounded by all those carved faces on each tower–it’s truly an impressive sight. (Supposedly, the face bears a resemblance to Jayavarman VII, the legendary Cambodian king who was behind the construction of Angkor Thom back in the late 12th century.)

One of the 216 huge faces of Avalokiteshvara in the Bayon

In one of the narrow corridors of the Bayon

A walking distance away from the Bayon is the temple-mountain of Baphuon, which was undergoing extensive renovation

Then we walked over to the Terrace of Elephants, a 350-meter long viewing platform with carvings of elephants. It looks out to the road, where colorful parades used to take place

One of the gates of Angkor Thom

One of the statues that stands guard in front of the gate

Our Angkor route for the day: sunrise at Angkor Wat, inside the grounds of Angkor Wat, back to the inn for breakfast, Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm, Ta Keo, Chau Say Tevoda, Thommanon, late lunch nearby Angkor Thom (14 USD for 2 people), Angkor Thom in Bayon, Baphuon and Terrace of the Elephants. Time 5 a.m to 3 p.m. Cost of tuk-tuk 20 USD (5 USD more than the going rate of 15  USD for the nearby temples, because it had an early calltime for the sunrise viewing)

With hundreds of other sunrise-over-Angkor 'devotees'

For years, I’ve wanted to see Angkor Wat. Sure, it’s become one of the most touristy places on earth and watching the sunrise is one of the most touristy things you can do when you visit Angkor (another is the sunset at Phnom Bakheng, more on that in another post), and you’ll be among hundreds of others who made the trip, most of whom will likely be blocking your “perfect sunrise over Angkor shot”, but that doesn’t really matter. It doesn’t take away the fact that you’re right in front of something beautiful that has withstood centuries, including the decline of an ancient empire and genocide. I could only imagine how many sunrises this 12th-century temple has seen.

After the sun rises, most of the people right in front us disappear to have breakfast and we took the advice from this travel blogging couple: that the best time to explore the grounds of Angkor Wat in relative solitude was right about that time. We had water, crackers and nuts in case we got hungry, so explore we did.  You won’t find yourself alone in the temple, but there weren’t hundreds of people in there as well.

Called a "library", this freestanding building (placed in pairs on either side of the entrance) is a common feature of Khmer temple architecture... it's also a favorite vantage point of many to watch the sunrise.

From inside the temple--a look at the outer area. The other library is the structure in the middle.

Even before entering, you’ll see that there are areas closed off for restoration. Trips to the other temples later on would reveal that Angkor Wat is the best preserved temple within the Angkor Archaeological Park, primarily because it was never abandoned and it has remained to be a religious center. It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple then served as a Buddhist temple when Buddhism became Cambodia’s dominant religion back in the 14th century.

We begin our exploration in the Bas Relief Galleries that cover the exterior wall of the first level. The fine carvings highlight scenes from Hindu mythology. (If you think that's still a lot of people, you can take your time and most will move on pretty quickly)

Some of the statues inside the temple have been defaced or beheaded, a result of looting in the past

A pathway at the side of the temple when you head out

The structures to the left of the temple is where you can find souvenir shops, food stalls, toilets and a lot of people trying to get your attention to buy something.

After almost two hours of going around Angkor Wat, we decided to head out to have the complimentary breakfast back in our inn before venturing to the other nearby temples for the day: the vast Angkor Thom, Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm, Ta Keo, Thommanon and Chau Say Thevoda. I didn’t get the perfect sunrise-over-Angkor or even the requisite Angkor-reflected-on-the-pool photos, but being there was perfect enough.

Getting there:
* Before you see any of the temples, you have to get a ticket (day pass 20 USD, 3 days 40 USD, one week 60 USD) at the ticket booth, which is open from 5 am (right in time for sunrise) to 5:30 pm. Tickets purchased after 5 pm are still valid for the next day.
* To go to the different temples, you can hire a tuk-tuk for around 15 USD (for the small tour circuit, which can include Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and a few other smaller temples nearby) to 20 USD (for the grand tour circuit, which can include Banteay Srey, a temple 37 km away from Siem Reap). Just be sure to agree on the rate before you start the tour. Almost all hotels and guesthouses (preferably where you’re staying) can recommend a reliable tuk-tuk for you. You can also go around the Angkor Archaeological Park on a bike. Most guesthouses have bikes for rent for around 2 USD.

When I was making arrangements for the Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and Siem Reap trips, finding reliable overland transport choices available between the two cities was one of the things I spent a great deal of time on researching online.

The Sinh Tourist bus from Saigon at the Vietnam-Cambodia border

A friend who backpacked through Asia many years ago recommended Sihn Cafe (now known as Sinh Tourist). I also looked at the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree travel forum to find out what other travelers were recommending. In the end I decided to book tickets with the Sinh Tourist online, to go from Saigon to Siem Reap; and to book Mekong Expess (highly recommended by people in forums) when we got to Siem Reap for our trip back to Saigon. I hope this post can help folks planning to travel to these cities and trying to figure out how to go from Saigon to Siem Reap.

From Saigon to Siem Reap
Bus line: The Sinh Tourist (17 USD)

The bus company popular with backpackers since the early 1990s reportedly decided to change their name after many other tour companies started using “Sinh Cafe” in their names as well. Unlike Mekong Express, you can book your tickets with Sinh Tourist online.

Under the Open Bus category, I booked Saigon to Phnom Penh for 6:30 am (10 USD), then Phnom Penh to Siem Reap for 2 pm (7 USD) on the same day. (You may want to stay a day or two in Phnom Penh if a 12-14 hour bus trip in one day sounds like torture–because it can feel like it.) It takes around 6 hours to get to Cambodia’s capital from Saigon, so there was enough time to make it to the 2 pm Siem Reap-bound bus.

If you’re booking online, you have to do so three days before your preferred date.

After booking the tickets, Sinh Tourist emails the link to the eTicket, which you need to print out and bring with you to their office in Saigon.

On the day of departure for Cambodia, we were advised to be there by 6 am to check in. Line up at the check in counter and hand over our eTickets and passports. Afterward, you’ll be given your boarding pass and baggage tags, somebody will put the tags on your baggage and put them in the baggage compartment of the bus. Then you can enter the bus and take your designated seat. Once the bus leaves, the bus attendant will collect all the passports.

After about two hours, the bus will reach the Vietnam-Cambodia border. You will be asked to get off the bus and collect your baggage. Then you will go through immigration and baggage inspection. If you’re from the Philippines,  Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Singapore and Malaysia, you don’t need a visa to enter Cambodia. Otherwise, you need to get a visa (at the border) and to pay the 20 USD tourist visa fee.

An hour before reaching Phnom Penh, the bus goes on a ferry at Neak Loeung to cross the Mekong river.

We arrived at the Sinh Tourist PP office by 12:30 pm, with the trip being a little under 6 hours, with border stop. (We were not so lucky going back.)

Once at the Sinh office, bags were brought down and passengers heading to Siem Reap were asked to wait inside for the Siem Reap-bound bus to arrive. You can order lunch inside the office while you wait or just go next door to the nearby restaurant where the food is cheaper. When the bus arrives at 2 pm, you get your bags and load it again in the new bus.

Other than the 1 1/2 hour wait for the second bus (and the border crossing), Sinh Tourist bus took short 5 to 10-minute stops for toilet breaks. We arrived at Siem Reap a little past eight in the evening and the bus dropped off the passengers at the less chaotic Sinh Tourist office and hotel (and not at the Siem Reap bus station).

From Siem Reap to Saigon
Bus line: Mekong Express Limousine Bus (25 USD)

Although it was more expensive, we decided to take Mekong Express because some online travel guides and forums mentioned that this was the ‘best’ bus company and that you don’t need to change buses at Phnom Penh. This wasn’t the case.

You still have to change bus. You also need to go inside the ticketing office in PP, show your ticket, have them make a mark on it or something before being allowed to go inside the Saigon-bound bus. The only perk is that they don’t stay at the station for 1 1/2 hours like in Sinh Tourist. But they do have a couple of 20 minute restaurant stops, aside from the PP and border crossing stops. The toilets at the Mekong Express stops are a little more decent compared to the Sinh Tourist toilet stops.

Regarding toilets, one of the things going for Mekong Express is that they have a toilet inside the bus. So no, you won’t need to hold it until the next stop. They also have a bus attendant who sometimes acts like a tour guide, pointing out any historic sites you’ll be passing by.

Where else does the eight dollar difference go? You get a little box of snacks (a small savory bun or turnover and some baked sweet) for both trips. (Both Sinh and Mekong also give complimentary bottled water so no need to lug your own.) Mekong Express also has an option to be picked up from your hotel along with other passengers. We were scheduled to leave for 7:30 but after all the passenger pick-ups, we got to the bus station and on the bus at almost 8 am.

The trip was uneventful, save for the very un-express-like speed of the driver from Phnom Penh to Saigon. And just as luck would have it, the Vietnam police randomly picked our bus at the border after all the immigration procedures were done to inspect each and every passport of the passengers to make sure we had all the necessary stamps. We got to Saigon past 9 pm. The bus dropped all the passengers along Pham Ngu Lao Street in District 1. We couldn’t get on a cab and get to our hotel fast enough. Bath, bed, thankyouGod.

If I would have to travel between Saigon and Siem Reap again, I would probably stick to Sinh Tourist, just because it’s cheaper and based on this one trip, there’s really not much of a difference in terms of the the travel time. If you’re particular about toilets though, pick Mekong Express. Let me know if you have other suggestions or if you have any questions.

Japan is a lot of things. Land of high-tech cities and bullet trains, anime and geisha, sumo and sushi… it is also the land of vending machines.

It’s found in almost every street and according to the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association (via japan-guide.com), there is one vending machine per an estimated 23 people. That’s a lot of vending machines if you consider that Japan has a population of over 127 million.

I started thinking of vending machines in Japan  after seeing this video (below) in fellow blogger Genki Jason’s page on some very amusing finds on anything Japanese. While I saw the usual vending machines for all sorts of drinks (both hot and cold), canned soup, and even yakitori (not good at all though), there were still a lot I didn’t get to see–like the vending machine that dispenses ramen! And not the instant cup noodles variety.

The guy behind the videos has an entire channel devoted to different vending machines all over Japan. This video shows a machine that dispenses onigiri and hamburgers!

Vending machines are said to be found all over the cities and even in rural towns. The ones in the video below seem to be somewhere desolate and forgotten. And the machines look decrepit and abandoned, but turns out, they still work and get checked every day! And look what it dispenses:

It seems like in Japan, you can be in the middle of nowhere or walking home late at night in an empty street and there will be a vending machine beside you. Glowing.

Some of the places in the footage feels a bit isolated though. You don’t have to interact with anyone to get your drink or meal. I still find it a bit foreign…maybe because I come from the Philippines where buying a bottle of soda and chichirya (snack) can mean stopping by a sari-sari store (literally translates to “variety”) or the Pinoy’s humble version of a convenience store, which is constantly populated by people–from the tindera (vendor or store owner) to kids playing nearby to the tambays sitting by its benches shooting the breeze. It’s an integral part of the average Filipino community.

Vending machines offer convenience. Maybe someday it will offer conversations as well. (And if it’s in Japan, it’s never far off)

When my sister and I went on our Bangkok trip last June, we both knew we wanted to see a muay Thai match. It wasn’t because we were big fans of kick boxing. We liked boxing in general. We grew up watching my dad watch boxing. Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya type of boxing . They were the names we got to know on Sundays whenever there was a big boxing match in Las Vegas. You couldn’t talk to my dad during those Sundays. He would be parked in front of the television, his eyes never leaving the screen. He watched intently, though never quietly.  He would shout, groan, whoop, and curse at the TV. All the while, my siblings and I would sit beside him, watching the match and watching him. Enamored of both.

When we booked our tickets to Thailand, I knew I wanted to watch a muay Thai match. Seeing a kick boxing match live was going to be be a different way of experiencing a part of Thailand’s culture and it was my chance to watching a boxing match ringside. Kick boxing but still boxing, I thought. Of course, we didn’t know ringside seats for tourists would cost 2,000 Baht (65USD), an amount, which after spending a couple of days in the budget paradise of Bangkok, was relatively pricey.

But all thoughts of “I can spend that in shopping” vanished the minute one of the ticket ladies of Ratchadamnoen Stadium opened the door and led us down to boxing ring “just to take a look.” My sister was right. We were goners the minute we saw it. That ring, harshly lit and all, that stadium, which has obviously seen better days, was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. My sister said it best when she wrote that it felt “both church and home.” I felt like I was back in the living room of our old place in Manila, beside my dad, just watching.

Watching the match thisclose, just behind the judges, was definitely worth it

We got settled behind the judges. Most of the audience (not surprisingly) were men, locals and groups of Americans, Japanese, Australians, etc. My sister and I pretty much kept to ourselves, watching intently, every strike and kick, being our father’s daughters.

If you’re thinking of seeing a muay Thai match live, here are a few things to take note of to help you appreciate the match (below is an excerpt from the muay Thai story I ended up writing for Smile magazine):• In the old days. Before muay Thai became the internationally-recognized sport that it is now, the centuries-old tradition was originally a form of hand-to-hand combat used by Siamese soldiers to fend off invading enemies. (It was quite effective too if you consider that Thailand is the only South East Asian state never to have been colonized.) It played a significant role throughout the country’s history, with the victory of national hero and muay Thai warrior Nai Khanom Tom over Burmese opponents the most legendary, that it’s yearly celebrated as “National Muay Thai Day.”

• Combat sport. Even when muay Thai evolved into a competitive sport, it was formerly practiced with no safety gear of any kind. But with the punches, kicks, elbow and knee strikes that characterize it, muay Thai was never really for the faint-hearted. When it went from the battlefield to the ring, rules along the lines of boxing regulations were enforced. This didn’t in any way diminish the brutality in the ring. But one of the fascinating things about muay Thai is that as much as there is violence like in any boxing match, there’s also a homage to the respectful nature of Thais and their faith.

One of the fighters performing Wai Kru

• A prayer and a dance. Before a fight begins, the two fighters perform a ritual called Wai Kru. According to Kru (master) Billy Alumno, a muay Thai instructor in Manila, this ceremony is unique to the sport. “They pray and ask Buddha to bless and protect them.” It’s also a way for the fighters to pay respect to their masters or teachers. Aside from kneeling in respect and prayer (we are after all used to seeing our Pinoy boxers kneel and pray in every corner of the ring like Manny Pacquiao), Wai Kru also involves dancing. Wearing a headband called a mongkhol (blessed by a monk or the fighter’s master and worn for luck), the fighters put their hands on their chest, and do a long sequence of dance moves that they have to learn by heart before they can even step into a ring.

• Where to watch. As boxing rings go, the ones in the stadiums in Bangkok are considered the ultimate dream for any muay Thai fighter. Lumpinee and Ratchadamnoen Boxing Stadiums are the biggest and most popular in Thailand, holding professional bouts alternately almost every night. Lumpinee is open on Tuesday and Friday evenings, from 6:30 to 11 pm; and Saturday afternoons and evenings, from 4:30 to 8 pm and 8pm to 12 mn. Ratchadamnoen has bouts on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 6:30 to 11 pm; and every Sunday, from 5 to 8 pm and 8:30 pm to midnight. Each bout has around 8 to 10 matches and a main match.

If you want to catch a muay Thai fight in all its harshly-lit and gritty glory, it’s best to catch it in one of these stadiums. But yes, you have to sit ringside and for foreigners this means a whopping 2,000 Baht (around PHP2,800). In return, you’ll get to watch an exciting and quality match as muay Thai fighters who compete in these stadiums are considered the cream of the crop. 

• When to watch—for free. If you refuse to part with a good deal of your shopping money to watch men beat each other to a pulp, but remain curious at seeing the spectacle of a muay Thai fight without the admission fee, find Channel 7 Stadium at Chatuchak Park. It becomes a muay Thai venue every Sunday, starting at around 1 pm.

For a grander scale, wait until December for the King’s Cup Supreme Muay Thai Tournament (or August next year for the Queen’s Cup). Kru Billy, who’s gone to these events to participate, shares that amateur fights are held for a week. The King’s Cup is typically held in Sanam Luang Park in front of the Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Some of the best foreign fighters compete in these tournaments. (Best to check online before December when the exact dates are posted)

• Time for some kicks. After Wai Kru’s few somber minutes, the fight begins. In professional bouts, expect to see five three-minute rounds, and four two-minute rounds for amateur fights. The first round or two is usually uneventful with both fighters assessing each other’s techniques. Then the action bursts in the middle rounds with the fighters aggressively throwing kicks, punches and strikes. By the last round, the intensity dwindles with neither fighter engaging the other. Muay Thai experts will tell you it’s because both fighters don’t want to give the impression that they think they’re losing. Those used to the western-style of boxing might find it odd, but considering that the concept of ‘saving face’ is strong in Thailand, this final-round behavior makes sense.

• Live soundtrack. To keep up with all the raucous action—both inside the ring and outside—a live musical ensemble provides a live soundtrack. For a boxing fan like myself, watching a fight accompanied by live music that keeps up with the action in the ring is like being in a concert. The band of drums, clarinet and cymbals provides the music that carries you throughout the fighters’ entire performance.