Phnom Penh Riverfront Photos

Here in Phnom Penh one of the places to be is the riverfront. Officially known as Sisowath Quay, the riverfront is a great place to stroll, to join those ever popular mass tai chi and aerobics sessions, eat in the numerous cafes and restaurants lining the street, feed the pigeons in the park right in front of the Royal Palace, to shop for some souvenirs, and to simply sit and enjoy the river views.

As for us, we like driving around this place, getting ourselves a place to sit and people watch for an hour or two, just taking in the vibe of the place. It has been something like our favorite weekly ritual since we started living in Phnom Penh.  I always have a camera with me, a digital camera if I’m toting a handbag with me, or my phone with a camera if I just have my favorite wrist pouch with me. So since I’m compulsive about taking photos, I didn’t realize I’ve collected a good number of photos of Phnom Penh riverside. Let me just share..

The Royal Palace… taken before 7 am, the best time to take photos here I think..

Rows of Flags.. Chinks likes these. She gets to name which country a flag belongs to..

The other side of the road.. lined with hotels, cafes, restos..

Viewing deck…

Chinkee loves feeding the pigeons..

Newly revamped riverside park right before the port..

More on my PHOTOS page..

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Koh Kong Trip, Part 2

Another long overdue post.. This is the sequel to my Koh Kong Trip, Part I, which I know I should have posted ages ago but due to combined reasons of laziness, procrastination, convenient memory gaps, on top of Facebook addiction, well, I am now months late in posting this update.

After that refreshing Koh Kong Tatai Waterfalls picnic and swimming, we all piled ourselves in the van and headed towards Koh Kong City. This was another scenic drive and in just thirty minutes we were in Koh Kong town proper. Hmm, a very typical Cambodian town, the only difference was that the roads were wider or maybe it was because it was 12 noon and no one wants to beat the heat of the sun and stay on the road..

Photo above is the riverfront and that long bridge going towards the Thai border – Had Lek. After a few minutes driving around and checking guesthouses, we settled on Bopha Koh Kong Hotel. Not exactly five star accommodations but the rooms were huge and comfy. We got a twin room with ensuite bathroom with hot shower, a TV with lots of channels though mostly Thai, a personal ref and AC. Not bad at all for $18 only per night. In Koh Kong, Thai Bahts are generally more acceptable than the US Dollars or Cambodian Riels.

It was already 1 pm and you can bet I was hungry already. Thankfully, our relatives were done with their quick showers and we all piled up on the van again to have lunch somewhere. We stopped in a small resto, no signs on it, but its right on the riverfront, with several vans parked in front. I was pretty apprehensive about eating on the shack-type restaurant but I went along as this seemed to be the choice of my sister-in-law. But wow! I shouldn’t have been that scared. Let me just put it this way, that must have been the tastiest Khmer  and Thai food I’ve ever had, and I’ve had plenty. To this day, I could still imagine savoring that spicy Tom Yum soup we had, and I’m not even exaggerating. It’s just too bad I wasn’t able to take photos and I was also shy about asking them to wait before sampling the food whilst I was taking pictures of it. They already think I’m plenty weird so I settled on not having photos of the food.

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Air Asia’s Big Sale is ON!

Time to score more travel deals with Air Asia’s Big Sale. Booking period is March 3-7 2010 for travel period September 25, 2010 to February 13, 2011. Flight fares are as usual at all time low.. Read more about the Big Sale..

Living in Phnom Penh: A Day Trip to Kirirom National Park

Last Sunday, Hi-ace got a call from his best friend inviting us to spend the day at Kirirom National Park. Chinkee was ecstatic coz she misses playing with Noel,their 2-year old son. So we set off for the 3 hour drive at around 8 am.

This is actually my second trip to Kirirom, though last time we went there it was raining hard, so no good photos and I also forgot to write about it. This time though the weather was awesome so I have plenty of photos. If you’re living in Phnom Penh, this is one of the places to escape to if the chaos of Phnom Penh gets a little unbearable.

Ok, so what’s with Kirirom? Its a National park located about 112 km from Phnom Penh, with a lush forest and pine trees. If you’re from the Philippines just imagine the place to be a little similar to Baguio or Tagaytay but with a lot less people around . It’s a very popular picnic area for Khmers as it allows them to escape the hustle and bustle plus the heat of Phnom Penh. Most Khmers go to several waterfalls near the area  and these usually have picnic huts you can rent. I noticed though that the streams were a little dried out so swimming is a little out of the question. Must be because its summer time.

Going there by public transpo is a bit hard I was told but its still possible. I saw some foreigners there too and they hired motorbikes to get there. The best way still is to have your own transportation. National Highway 4 (NH4) is pretty scenic but I was very much on my toes as there are lots of cars, taxis with kamikaze drivers. And not only that, there plenty of cows roaming around the highway so things are interesting. Once you turn towards the National Park, there are less cars, more greens…

We reached the place around 11 am, picked a picnic hut near the stream. Khmer picnic huts are usually elevated, with some nipa thatch for roofing, and mats for lounging around. Khmers love eating sitting lotus-style so its hard to find huts with tables in their picnic places.

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Scenic Cambodian Countryside and a Visit to a Pagoda..

A few months back, Ma, my mother-in-law asked us if we wanted to go to a pagoda to get a monk’s blessings for the coming new year. Though, I am not Buddhist, I would usually come as a sign of respect and also so I could observe and learn closely their customs and traditions. After all, my husband is a Buddhist and its a big factor for both of us to understand each other’s religion.

Anyway, the trip promised to be scenic as the pagoda is located somewhere in Kampong Chhanang. The day started really early and at 6 am we were already on a tuk-tuk speeding towards Sisowath Quay near the riverside and going towards National Road No. 5. This was my first time to take a really long ride in a tuk-tuk. Ma and Hi-ace says its the best way to go, we get to enjoy the breeze and take in as much scenery as we want to. The price of the round trip ride on the tuk-tuk was unbelievably just $8!! I really am seriously in awe of Ma’s bargaining abilities.

So, it was me, Hi-ace, Chinks, our nieces Sokna and Cheng and Ma in the tuk-tuk.. The ride was really so enjoyable and I almost fell asleep being lulled by the wind and the not so bumpy ride. We had been traveling for about an hour when we turned left (lol! don’t ask me where..) towards a small market then onwards. The road became smaller and unpaved and both sides mostly lower with lots of water and some houses on stilts. We stopped for a bit to buy some lotus seeds (Ma and the nieces loves snacking on these..) and also some lotus flowers to offer in the pagoda.

The views were absolutely fantastic and so rural.. Then we reached a place with lots of cows being herded we turned right, then suddenly there was a bang! We had a flat tire and it was in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but the cows, ponds, lotus flowers and rice fields. The nice tuk-tuk driver told us to wait by the roadside and he’ll go look for a vulcanizing shop. So then, we proceeded to occupy ourselves by taking photos of ourselves and the stunning rural landscape.

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Cebu Pacific’s Feb 18-21, 2010 50% Off Seat Sale

Hurry! Hurry! Cebu Pacific’s System Wide Sale is ON! Valid for all domestic and international destinations, get 50% off the fares if you book from February 18-21 2010 for travel period June 1 – December 31, 2010.

Also get 50% off on hotel bookings for their FunTours and Hotel Bookings travel services.

Grab this big savings, there’s 2 million seats up for grabs Click on the image to visit Cebu Pacific’s Online booking website.

Travel Saving Tips to Reduce Your Hotel Bills

We love to travel around Asia ( for now!) and having a tight budget won’t really keep us from doing some traveling. I found ways and means to go around a small travel budget. That’s why I love budget airlines for short hops and I am always on the lookout for their latest promotions.

When traveling two of the biggest expense would be for:

• Air fare – but these can taken care by booking budget airlines like AirAsia,  Bangkok Air, Tiger Airways, Jetstar, Cebu Pacific and others. Book well in advance and get really great discounts. Check out my regular updates on Asian budget air promotions.
• Hotels – this can be really pricey, moreso if you stay longer.

I discovered some great ways to save on your hotel bills. Let me just share our practical saving tips:

• If you have your schedule down pat, then book ahead. Oftentimes, hotels give discounts to early bird bookings.
• Check for hotels with free night stays. Example, there are lots of hotels who gives 1 night free stay if you book 3 nights and up.
• Book online. I find Agoda and AsiaRooms to have really cheaper rates than most hotel booking engines for Asia hotels.
• If you want to go really budget, book hostels! This is what we usually do whenever were staying in a place for several days. Most of these places turn out really well and besides we only use it really to sleep.
• Where to book hostels? Hostelworld or check AirAsia’s GoHostel travel service.

One of the best things I love about booking hostels via Hostelworld.com or through AirAsia is that you can pay your hotel booking using your credit card, debit card and get this – some accept PAYPAL! I’ve started listing out hostels who accept Paypal and will be posting the listing soon.

I’m all set to book a hostel for a holiday in Ho Chi Minh this April and I’ll be  using a debit card or Paypal just to give it a try if the service works well. We’ll be out for about a week so this will be a big saving and more moolah for shopping and I also heard salons in Vietnam are top notch so I wanna try some hair pampering or some hair loss treatments.

My Khmer Coffee Addiction

It’s a fact. I’m addicted to it. I can’t start a day without coffee and I usually have it a couple more times each day. When I first visited Phnom Penh last 2004, I was fretting and thinking that maybe I’ll be on a coffee-diet. Lol! I was really really wrong! I discovered that Cambodians are more than passionate about their morning cup. In fact, they have coffee anytime of the the day!

A few doors down my mother-in-laws house in Toul Tompoung area, there is a Khmer restaurant (corner resto St. 432 and 163) serving espressos and iced coffees at a fraction of the price of famous coffee houses. And the taste? Whew! One of the best brews I’ve ever had. Not only that, I was amazed to find out  that most of these local cafe’s roast their own local beans so you get freshly roasted coffee which, believe me has the best taste. Khmers prefer their beans roasted really black and adds a little fat or butter making the taste a lot richer. They would usually roast their beans every other day around 2-3 pm and just the aroma is heavenly!

So, though I still frequent nice cafes around Phnom Penh (I do enjoy their plush seats, free wifi, pastries..) but every so often you can find me sampling coffee from these small restaurants found all over Phnom Penh. These shops mostly speak very little English so come prepared and have this memorized (lol! I even have a small note always with me with Khmer translation of this just in case..)

• hot black coffee – caa-fei kh’mav (khdow -hot)
• coffee – caa-fei
• iced coffee – caa-fei teuk koh
• ice coffee milk – caa-fei teuk koh tuk duh koh

Khmer coffee is usually served hot – black or with milk / iced – black or with milk. There’s also a place inside Russian Market (Tuol Tompoung Market) serving what they claim to be the Best Iced Coffee in Phnom Penh. It does taste really good, and since there are a lot of tourists in the market they can speak English, so ordering a glass of iced coffee is a breeze.

It’s located right in the food hall, just look for the sign..

And to tempt those iced coffee lovers..

I’ve already shared this passion for Khmer coffee to some of my friends and also my sister. Ouwie is now also a certified Khmer coffee addict. Lol ! I can still remembered when she first tried it, she found it so good, she had too many glasses and found herself unable to sleep and was looking for natural sleep aids. So, though its tastes really good, just have it in moderation

Happy coffee drinking!

O’Russey Market, Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh has several large traditional markets selling all kinds of goodies and its advantage over supermarkets? you can also haggle to get a good bargain. As an expat, I’m more used to supermarkets and it took sometime for me to brave these traditional markets on my own. I first got hooked with the Russian Market (Tuol Tompoung Market), then I began exploring other big markets.

One of my all time favorite Phnom Penh Markets is the O’Russey Market. It’s a six-story building, market stalls are on the first three floors, and on the surrounding streets. O’Russey Markets is a well-known wholesale market for food ingredients, seafoods,textiles, and clothing. You can also find some gardening items, mechanical tools, and electronics. Toys and food stuff you usually see being retailed in small stores across Phnom Penh are usually bought from here in bulk.

Be forewarned, this market is huge, and the pathways in between stalls are very narrow so be prepared to squeeze your way in. I always make sure I’m in my best (Divisoria-Manila like) mood whenever I venture to this market. It also helps if you can take walks for extended periods of time as there are limited resting areas around the market so best prepare with your joint supplements, a bottle of water, and something to wipe the sweat off your face. And do be careful also with your valuables.

The first floor contains mostly food items, goods for reselling, electronics, gardening supplies. But what interests me the most about this market is the upper floors. The second/third floor houses wholesalers of books and other school materials, clothing, accessories. You can also find textiles, tailoring supplies, ready-made clothing, tailoring shops and some hair and nail salons.

The best part for me is the second-hand clothing/shoe/bags/home items. We Filipinos call this UK or ukay-ukay  and this is where you can find designer items @ bargain prices not to mention unique pieces. O’Russey’s Ukay-Ukay/Second Hand stores holds a lot of great finds. I found some cute bags and shoes here but what I really really love are the curtains I discovered here. Second-hand shopping can be a bit difficult and only for those who has the gumption to sort though all the piles, but its very rewarding too..Try it for once and you’ll get hooked and one place to start your ukay-ukay hunting is the O’Russey Market.

I found this really interesting video on YouTube featuring O’Russey Market and the surrounding streets. Video courtesy of MSA Production

O’Russey Market on Google Maps

View Larger Map

Khmer Language: Counting and Amounts the Cambodian Way..

I’ve been amiss writing posts about learning the Khmer language. Truth is, I haven’t progressed that much but I can now (though I’m hardly an expert yet) get a ride on a motodup, bargain in wet markets..

Khmer numbers

I’ve been trying hard to learn some basic Khmer so I could get around and I decided to share this to everyone. So learn with me Aside from the basic greetings and form of addresses (see my previous post – Basic Khmer Language for the Traveler) , I believe its a must for any expat living here in Cambodia to learn about the numbers, amounts and their counting system. Why?

• Majority of the streets in Phnom Penh are in numbers. So if you want to be more mobile or you want to easily learn your way around, then first learn the numbers. Check out Canby Publications map and you’ll get what I mean.
• Yes, there are plenty of supermarkets now where prices of goods are tagged in dollars and you don’t need to haggle but all markets and some restaurants quote their prices in Khmer. I’m sure you don’t want to miss the opportunity to haggle and score bargains.

** Note that these are just approximate ‘English’ translations so we can get the closest sounds to Khmer words. These are less than perfect so to improve pronunciation and to get ourselves easily understood, its best to listen well to Khmer native speakers and practice..

• 1  -   muuy
• 2  -   pii
• 3  -   bai
• 4  -   buhn
• 5  -   phrum
• 6  -   phrum muuy
• 7  -   phrum pii
• 8  -   phrum bai
• 9  -   phrum buhn
• 10 – dop
• 11 – dop muuy
• 15 – dop phrum
• 16 – dop phrum muuy
• 20 – m’pai
• 21 – mpai muuy
• 30 – saam-suhp
• 40 – sai-suhp
• 50 – haa-suhp
• 60 – hok-suhp
• 70 – jeut-suhp
• 80 – paet-suhp
• 90 – kau-suhp
• 100 – muuy roy (* hundreds use ‘roy‘)
• 101 – muuy roy muuy
• 200 – pii roy
• 1000 – muy puan (thousands use ‘puan‘)
• 1,000,000 – muuy lian (millions use ‘lian‘)

Tips:

• Cambodians count in increments of five. After you reach the number 5 (phrum), you just then add one to five (phrum muy for 6) and so on. When you reach 10 (dop) , the cycle begins again by adding one (dop muy for 11).
• You will also often encounter some Khmers who reverses the orders of the numbers especially for numbers between 10-20 and they usually insert dun between the numbers. Example, for 12 – instead of saying dop pii, they usually say pii dun dop.
• Khmers usually also use shortcuts like instead of saying ‘muuy roy‘ for 1,000 they would say ‘ma’puan‘..
• The trick is to listen well. If you simply don’t get it, you can ask them to speak slowly, say ‘Sohm, niyeay yeut yeut..’

Flights on Sale: Cebu Pacific @ 50% Off All Destinations

In a bid to promote early bookings, Cebu Pacific, one of the Philippines budget carriers is having a half the price seat sale for travel period May 1-July 31, 2010. You can avail 50% off on your fare if you book from February 5-8, 2010.

This is a really fabulous deal since its applicable to all destinations and also on Fun Tours Packages and Hotel Plus bookings.

Cebu Pacific flies to 14 international destinations – Hong Kong and Singapore , Osaka, Incheon, Pusan (via Cebu), Taipei, Macau, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh and Jakarta. It also flies to over 30 domestic destinations.

Hurry and book now! Bookings can be done online, through www.cebupacificair.com or call the reservation hotlines at (02) 7020-888 or (032) 230-8888.

Loner..

Recently, Ouwie and I have been doing walking exercises often walking several kilometers every two days. A few days ago we walked from our house in Boeung Tompoeun to St. 271 and stopped at Monivong Bridge near Phsar Chhar Ampoeu. From the bridge,  I was gazing down the quietly flowing waters of Tonle Bassac  river, I saw this and I just took a shot with my mobile phone camera.

I don’t know. For some reason, it made me feel lonely and so solitary. Like I’m in the middle of nowhere with nothing around me but just the vast expanse of water. Perhaps, it simply struck a cord with me since I’ve been feeling some homesickness lately..

Cambodian Rice Porridge – ‘Bobor’

Typical breakfast for Khmers is a French baguette with fillings or plain with coffee or a bowl  of kuyteow (white noodle soup in beef, pork or chicken) or a bowl of porridge called ‘bobor’.

‘Kuytwew’ soup is Chinese but has been adapted by Khmers. I’ve tried it countless times already and its really delicious. But I am more interested in the Khmer version of the porridge, the ‘bobor’ . Actually, ‘bobor’  is an all-day meal for Khmers. Porridge shops are open @ dawn every morning till early afternoon. Those wanting to eat ‘bobor’ again in the evenings can still get it from traditional Khmer restaurants as well as those vending carts that set up near the markets. My fave ‘bobor’ places are those that set up @ around 6 pm near the Tuol Tompoung (Russian) Market parking lot (the one adjacent to St. 163).

Cambodian Porridge - Bobor

Sorry the photos is kinda blurry LOL! I guess I was too hungry to care. Here’s a close-up..

Cambodian Porridge - Bobor

The Cambodian ‘bobor’ is made of rice cooked soft with lots of water, then mixed with either chicken, beef, fish. You can also request to add chicken liver, gizzard, blood. Then this is topped with roasted garlic, chopped mint leaves, onion leaves. And it just tastes so good! Super nourishing, an explosion of flavors, an all around comfort food. And it’s cheap too, a bowl would cost about 5000R or less than $1.5. If you’re here in Cambodia, don’t just take my word for it, it’s a must-try!

Living in Phnom Penh: Snippets Of Yesterday

Sunday, around lunch time…

Again, lunch @ Ma’s house. My mother-in-law called us early coz she cooked my favorite Khmer dish fish amok! Ok, so we lost no time going there =).Ouwie wanted to have brewed Khmer coffee again so Hi-ace brought her to a stall serving coffee and noodles and there she had her fill of strong black coffee..It was really funny to see how the one’s who makes the coffee, the stall owner and the waiters all gathered around her to see if she liked it. No doubt she loved it! Verdict? A lot better than pricey espresso’s in designer cafes and it just cost 2000 Riels ($.5). The downside is, she wasn’t used to the strength of the coffee so she could barely sleep a wink last night.

Cambodian Fish Amok

Amok was so delish as usual. I ate a lot of rice and afterwards I felt so guilty hehe. Nothing surprising there, so I just dragged Ouwie to walk around the Tuol Tompoung Market and we also checked out the new store right across it – WImports. It’s airconditioned so we stayed a while but it was so crowded with Korean tourists in bus loads. The shop has good stocks of factory overruns with name brands mostly for American market, but its a bit pricey compared to the ones you can find inside the market stalls and the price is fixed but shopping is more convenient because of the bigger space and cooler temp..

Late Afternoon..

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Subtle Mayon Volcano..

For some it’s scary, for some a spectacle but for me its a  part of my childhood. Home. Familiar. That’s what I would describe Mayon Volcano. I was born and raised in Albay Province, and there the majestic Mt. Mayon just looms all over us. The whole province sits just below its almost perfect cone.

Everyday from my hometown in Bacacay I would travel to my school in Legazpi City and Mayon Volcano is always in the background, a familiar scenery.  It’s just there, and there are times it gets easy for me to ignore it, but there’s no denying its beauty. And awesome power.

My father used to tell me stories about eruptions in the past when residents near the base of Mayon would know when eruptions are imminent. In times where volcanology is a science at its infancy, warnings and safety products almost unheard of, these residents relied on warnings given by nature. Wells would dry up, the smell of sulfur getting stronger, wild animals coming down from the slopes, all signaling for residents to relocate – the ever subtle Mayon is getting ready to unleash its fury.

Oftentimes Mayon Volcano would erupt subtly. Perhaps that is why its name was taken from the Bicol phrase – “Daragang Magayon” meaning beautiful maiden. It seldom erupts with strong and violent explosions. Just recently, Mayon Volcano woke up again and  went on to display some really subtle, picturesque but dangerous eruption. Now that I’m living in Phnom Penh, I could just content myself with watching this on the news and checking out videos on the net.

Found this clips really so awesome ..

A video shot along Padang, Sto. Domingo, Albay. A small where previous lahar flows from the volcano has totally leveled and left almost like a ghost town..

Airfare Promotions Updates

Awhile back, I’ve started to post updates on airfare promos and deals from airlines servicing Asian and mostly Southeast Asian city routes. I have lots of relatives and friends who share my love for backpack traveling and would constantly ask me about airfare deals (simply because I’m always online =)). Anyway, I’ve been getting emails from them as well as some blog readers to keep this going so I’m going to keep it up..

Hope you guys can grab a good deal! =) Just click on the images and it will redirect you to the airline’s website.

CEBU PACIFIC Promo – System Wide Sale

Book Cebu Pacific Seats on January 6-8 2010 for Travel Period of February-April 2010 and get 50% off New Year seat sale to all destinations.

I always get great deals with Cebu Pacific, but the thing is, you have to book really fast and if you can on the first day the promo runs. These seats run out really fast so grab it as fast as you can =)

AIR ASIA Promo – ‘ a New Year Gift For You’ Promo

Book Air Asia seats from Jan 4, 2010 – Jan 10, 2010 for travel period Jan 11 – Feb 4, 2010. Applicable for all seats, all flights from Monday, 12pm to Thursday, 12pm.

Same with Air Asia. Great deals but hurry when booking. This is one really good value airline and is really popular not just among backpackers.

TIGER AIRWAYS AirFare Deals – ‘Tis the Season to Book Your Getaway’ Promo

Book Tiger Airways flights to Jakarta Indonesia, Bangalore and Chennan India, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Kuching Malaysia and Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi Thailand and get low, low fares..

Book your 2010 flights from Clark, Phlippines for only $85 (including tax) OW for Travel from Mar 28 to Oct 30, 2010.

Also, Tiger Airways Early Bird Savers Deals are still on. Flights till October 30, 2010 is still on sale.

BANGKOK AIRWAYS Cheap Flights – Best Buy Plus

This Bangkok Airways promo is valid for online bookings only via www.bangkokair.com only. Booking period: 16 November 2009 to 31 March 2010 and Travelling period: 16 November 2009 to 15 April 2010. You can find good deals for domestic flights in Thailand as well as flights from Bangkok to Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Luang Prabang (Laos)

HONGKONG AIRLINES Early Bird Saving Deals

Hongkong Airlines bargain airfares on sale till January 15, 2010 for travel period February 22, 2010 to March 27, 2010. Bargain flights to Sapporo, Denpasar, Hanoi, Harbin, Kunming, Okinawa, and Beijing are up for grabs.

HONGKONG AIRLINES Special Online Offers

Low low airfares for flights from Hongkong to Changsa, Sapporo, Denpasar, Haikou, Hanoi, Hangzhou, Harbin, Kunming, Guiyang, Guilin, Manila, Nanning, Okinawa, Beijing, Shanghai, Sanya, and  Xiamen.

MALAYSIA AIRLINES Special Offers

Great service and facilities at fabulous prices? Yes you can have that even if you are on a budget. One of my favorite airlines, Malaysia Airlines usually has great deals on their website. Sign-up for their Get-The-Deal Alerts for airfare sale alerts, check their Stimulus Packages as well as their Holiday Packages.

Latest special offers:

• Bandar Seri Begawan – Kuala Lumpur Only BND 80 (OW)
• Ho Chi Minh – Kuala Lumpur Only USD 85 (OW)

MALAYSIA AIRLINES -ASEAN PASS (Not actually a promo, more like a regular service  but a great bargain nonetheless..)

One really fabulous deal! Imagine flying an airline with all amenities and perks but at budget prices.. This is what I thought  of when I first chanced upon Malaysia Airlines ASEAN PASS.

ASEAN Pass gives you the freedom to enjoy up to 4 flights within ASEAN countries at a truly amazing price – 1049 MYR (roughly US $310). Up to 6 months travel validity. You can use it for 4 flights within Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar. Easy to use – just buy the pass, then if you get the itchy feet, then exchange it for your travel tickets!

Eating @ Khmer-Thai Restaurant

A couple of days ago, we went to CityMall to do some Christmas shopping. It was really crowded coz there was this concert about to start at the Olympic Stadium which is right next to the mall. I guess those who were waiting for the concert to start figured its much better to wait out in the air-conditioned comforts of the mall.

We were done shopping around 7pm and the restos inside the mall were all jampacked. Both Hi-ace and me doesn’t like eating in crowded places and we were also craving for some Thai food that night. We found ourselves cruising around Tuol Tompoung Area for a new place to try and we first decided on going to Tonle Bassac, eat-all-you can Khmer/Thai food but it was full of dining Korean tourists and was too noisy. Then we saw this little restaurant right across Tonle Bassac along St. 163 right at the back of the gas station.

It’s smallish, with just a couple of tables downstairs and had a sign Khmer-Thai Restaurant. We’re both lovers of Khmer and Thai food so we decided to give this one a try..

We were in for a surprise! Though the place is small when you get in, they have a very spacious 2nd floor dining area, where you get to lounge around on cushy cushions and dine in leisure. Good ambiance, decor not too overboard like Khmer Surin..(Sorry photos are kinda blurry.. I just took them with a phone camera..) Chinks loved the cushions so much she kept bugging me to buy one like it the next day. She says it’ll be great while she’s watching cartoons..

They have a good menu, mostly Khmer and Thai favorites. We settled on Mixed Seafoods Salad, Morning Glory in Oyster Sauce,Fish Amok (we usually try out Amok in Khmer restos..), and Pad Thai. The verdict? I love the Mixed Seafoods Salad! I can’t seem to get enough of it. The Morning Glory in Oyster Sauce was good too as well as the Pad Thai Noodles. The Fish Amok, not the best but it was okay.

Mixed Seafoods Salad

Morning Glory aka Kangkong in Oyster Sauce

Pad Thai Noodles

Their version of Cambodian delicacy - Fish Amok

Another thing I liked about the place is that you can eat as much rice as you can and pay only $.25/person. Haha, obviously I eat a lot of rice.  They also have free pandan tea which is great coz you’ll surely be drinking lots of it to chase off the spicy flavors.

All in all it was a great dining experience for us. The prices are good, mains costs about $3-$8, and there’s a lot of space to sit, relax and enjoy the meal. And though there were other diners there, it was quiet and the seats arranged in a way that you still get your space and privacy.

Suffice it to say, well be back there again. I’ve already made a promise to try out all their salads =)

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Update to Direct Flights: Manila – Phnom Penh

I must have missed this one I’ve been watching out for updates to the agreement between  Cambodia and the Philippines to establish direct flights. You can read my previous posts here and here.  Anyway, here’s an update to the to-be launched direct flights between Manila and Phnom Penh.

Check out the article about this on the Phnom Penh Post..

Philippine budget carrier Cebu Pacific has been given the go ahead to fly direct routes to and from Manila to Phnom Penh to start on the spring of 2010 (no specific launch date yet) . This was announced by the Minister of Tourism Thong Khon.

“Cebu Air is authorised to start flying to our country in March or April next year,” he said, citing a memorandum of understanding signed by Cambodia’s State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on September 16 to open the airways between the two countries.

SSCA Cabinet Chief Long Chheng said the two sides were currently working on ironing out the details of the flights. “I am not sure of the exact date the flights will commence because I have received no confirmation,” he said, adding that an Air Service Agreement (ASA) still must to be signed by both parties.

Now at least there is some developments…Hopefully, these the direct flights between Manila and Phnom Penh will be a reality soon.. Spring months are March, April and May, right? I’m still crossing my fingers. Obviously I hate the stopovers and connecting flights, well its a big waste of time =)

Koh Kong Trip, Part I

Part 1 – On to Tatai Waterfalls, Koh Kong Cambodia

Tatai Waterfalls, Koh Kong Cambodia

Better late than never. That’s my motto. Hahaha! For this post anyway. I keep forgetting to schedule posting this.. Forgive the memory gaps.Anyway, this is all about our trip to Koh Kong, Cambodia last August? Seriously, I even forgot the date already .

We were looking at another boring weekend that time and Hi-ace suggested we go over to Kompong Som (Sihanoukville) so we could roast ourselves a bit (I really mean we could have a good rest at the beach). So that was the plan, till my sister-in-law heard we were going and pretty soon there were about 10 more people wanting to join us. I so appreciate my Cambodian family, they are almost always having itchy feet. You know, they are what my father usually calls ‘layas’ that’s a Bicolano word meaning ‘wanderlust’.

Instead of taking a bus, we all just decided to rent a van. Then we just realized all of us had been to Sihanoukville several times already, and since we had a van at our disposal, why not go someplace else we all haven’t been to. We picked out Koh Kong, mainly because it has beaches too, less touristy, plus we all wanted to see the Mangrove forests. Koh Kong was IT then. Our Mondulkiri travel was a superlative for me, so I was really excited too about this Koh Kong Trip since well a lot of people had been raving about the place.

Koh Kong is at the southern part of Cambodia, and the city is about 8 km from the Thai border. Krong Koh Kong has also been dubbed before as Cambodia’s Wild West. This province is just so vast, with little houses around, sparse population, lots of beaches, rainforests, mountains etc. Simply a great place to explore (I just wish we had more time, but we could always go back )

Traveling with my Khmer relatives was fun and educating as well. Well, educating for me anyway, in terms of their culture and made me realize more how Cambodians are really into picnicing. Anyway, we took off early morning, the van was all packed, lol! we were almost bursting full (not with people!) but with the goodies and foodies my mother-in-law insisted we take. You know, she knows how much we love eating and what if we get stranded or something, in any case, lets just say if we get stranded in the middle of nowhere, we had enough food and water to last 10 of us for 2 days with more to spare.

My nieces and nephews were also lugging in luggages and I did wonder what’s in there coz we were only going for two days. I know, this kinda weirded me out, since I usually travel light, with just the essentials. Another thing I noticed, most of them were dressed to the nines and for a minute I felt left out. I mean, two of them were wearing heels and dresses, others were wearing pants and long sleeved shirts like they were going for a job interview or something, and Hi-ace, Chinks, me and another niece, well were the only ones wearing shorts, shirt, and slip-ons. Ok, so I thought maybe that’s just how they like to travel.. No sweat.

One good thing about going to Koh Kong is that the road condition is excellent. I could still remember how numb my butt was when we went to Mondulkiri so this was a great thing for me. And once you get past the intersection between National Highway 4 (going to Sihanoukville) and National Highway 48 (going to Koh Kong) the views are just stunning! Everything is all green and there are a couple of bridges you have to pass through and the water is all clear and reflecting all green colors of surrounding lush mountains. The road is mostly winding, carved from mountains, with very little houses almost all the way.

A few kilometers before we reached Koh Kong, around 10 am, the driver said were stopping for a swim at Tatai Waterfalls. The van traveled on something like a dirt path away from the main highway for something like half kilometer, then we came upon a small er and really steep path and the driver told us we just had to go on by foot. Okay, I’m a total klutz and I just keep imagining myself simply tripping and rolling over and just finding myself plunging on the waterfalls.

None of that happened though, thankfully Hi-ace had the good sense to order me to remove my slippers so I could go down barefooot. God! Even Chinks got there ahead of me. It was really that steep and I wasn’t even carrying anything. You could guess how amazed I was when I saw my nieces carting their luggages (which they told me has their clothes so they could change after swimming), and they were going down the steep hill like it was nothing.

And was it worth climbing down? Totally! The water levels were not so high so the river was gently flowing. We had to climb down a couple more rock formations, and wow! just wow! something like 4 meters of thundering water and it was awesome! The water was crystal clear, you can actually see little fishes swimming all over.. The kids had a great time swimming and of course, we adults had a picnic! I think any Cambodian outing is incomplete without this… I know my description won’t do justice to Tatai Waterfall, so here are the photos..

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