Phnom Penh Part Deux

The Travelling Beruang

Well,  hello again.

Look, I've told you that I'm such a sloth when it comes to update the blog. But, I will surely get it done. As promised, this is the second part of my so-called adventure in the land of Tomb Raider.

Where was I... I've covered the arrival and the airport and how to stay connected. Now, let's move to accommodation and others.

1. Always, always (repetition here meant it is significant) do some background check and research on the place you are heading to. With internet, there is practically no excuse at all not doing so. Worst case scenario, there's twitter, FB and other social media accounts with whom you can interact and get some information. Imagine what it's like back in the 80s or 90s where the internet was still unreliable and inaccessible. I had that experience and trust me, it takes double or triple the effort to look for information. What more the latest ones.

The Tuk Tuk

2. Ok, enough ranting. I've booked the accommodation through Agoda.com (you may also want to try trivago.com or booking.com - both are reasonable good). Since the payment and confirmation has been made in advance, the check-in process went very smoothly. I stayed at New York Hotel for good 7 days and 6 nights. The good thing about NY Hotel is that it is situated at the heart of Phnom Penh. So, you won't face any problem going in and out. Plenty of tuk tuk around for short excursion and the receptionists are exceptionally friendly. More importantly, they can understand and speak English.

3. IMPORTANT: I forgot to mention this. From the airport to the capital; on a normal, hassle free day it's going to take you 30 minutes. Since we arrived during peak hour (about 5 pm), the traffic was bad (well, not as bad as Bangkok). It took us 1 hour to reach the hotel.

NOTE: Leave early to the airport especially during peak hour. Trust me, you don't want to miss your flight.That is just bad.

4. Did I tell you about what happened to our taxi driver on our way to the hotel? He made a daring move by making an illegal U-turn in the middle of the main road. Perhaps, he didn't realize that there were few Traffic Police by the road side. As you guessed it, our taxi was stopped just when he made the turn. To our surprise, everything was settle in less than a minute. He gave the traffice USD1 and called it a day. Efficient deal but ethically wrong. Hmmm.

The helmet free motorists.

5. For motorist, helmet is a requirement but not a necessity. I would say, more than 80% motorists that I saw were without helmet. And the police seem to care less about it. So, why bother?

6. Here in Phnom Penh, there is no such a thing as one way or two way road. Anything and any way works. Motorists, again, happily ride in every direction. The best thing about this whole experience is, there was no cursing, no middle finger, no angry face and not even a honk. It's more like a mutual understanding and everyone give way to one another. Well, so long you don't hit anyone. hehehe.

7. Like Vietnam, it's a challenge to cross the road. The motors are never ending and waiting to cross  is like an eternity. Just be brave and use the power of hand to stop and stall and slow the traffic. Trust me, they'll happily oblige. You will be safe.

To be continued.... again.

apekTravels

Pergh at Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA (Part 1: The Arrival)

Standing tall at Wat Phnom

This is the third or fourth trip overseas that I made during fasting month. It started off as work assignment and later was extended to kinda sorta backpacking adventure on my own. Considering this is the first time I stepped foot at the worldly famous Angkor Wat (I didn't get to go to Siem Riep though), the excitement almost blew my mind.

My initial plan was of course to go to Siem Riep and stroll along the famous Angkor Wat. But fate has it, my boss seemed to sniff my plan and assigned me to another meeting that kind of screw the whole road trip. Well, what to do. When you travel on assignment, these things are almost expected to happen (and it did).

1. I boarded MH762 (Yerp, Malaysia Airlines). Well, when you travel with company, why not use the perks right? And the flight departed from KLIA at 1520 hours. Since I fast, the air crew kindly 'tapau' for me.

MAS over Phnom Penh

2. Despite all the bad lucks with MAS, the service and inflight entertainment were updated with selection of new movies and good songs.

3. I arrived at about 1630 hours, Phnom Penh time. Smooth immigration process and entry. Prolly because of ASEAN country and heck , there's even ASEAN lane. That cut off queuing time because there were few more flight arriving at the same time and it caused a bit of congestion with few immigration officers resulted in shouting and giving instructions to unruly white tourists. The funny thing is, they shouted in Khmer. Well, that kinda beat the purpose and obviously none of the foreigners understood what they were shouting about. Hmmm.

Phnom Penh International Airport

4. For an international airport and the main entrance to Cambodia, the Phnom Penh International Airport is surprisingly small. I was thinking if not big, it should be as spacious as Yangon Airport and I was wrong. The walk from the flight to the immigration gate was around 5-7 minutes or so. And to the exit, it was just a dash of another 5 minutes. Yup, that is all.

5. Oh, while you are fresh from Malaysia, don't forget to get local simcard. The aisle of telco and internet provider readily awaits for you as you exit. And yes, you can get the simcard for FREE here. Use SMART. With free simcard, all you need to do is to just top up USD5 which will allow you for call, sms and most importantly, 1.5gb worth of internet. It is more than ok for me.

The rate for SMART Simcard

You know what, I didn't even ran out of data on for the whole 6 days in Phnom Penh. Power tak? Power tak? :P

I survived!

I dunno whether this is true or not. But poking fun at ourselves is always good. Reality check too!

Ok now. In relations to the previous post, I think it's about right to write a little bit more about travel essentials. This time around, Imma write about:

Gila time nih. Just arrived at Moi International Airport, Mombasa. Masa arrived ni la coincide dengan IAAF Mombasa International Marathon. Waiting time: 3 hours. Pastu naik Kenyan Air yang mana sangat scary cos condition of the seat and lighting yang kelip-kelip. Macam dalam twilight zone.

 SURVIVING LONG HAUL FLIGHTS 

[crazy transit, unexpected delay, re-time and everything unimaginable in between]

You gotta remember. Dalam ketawa dan sengih tu kena pahatkan dalam diri yang kita kena berubah. Jangan nak forever last minute packing. Even in previous entry pun I've reminded that last minute packing could cause catastrophe and even more so if you travel in group - your problem would become everyone else problem. Kat airport dah buat hal... that kinda set the benchmark of what to expect for the rest of the trip, provided your group doesn't leave you la kan. hehe. Consider this my other warning. 

happy people, happy time, happening at the Buddha's Bar

Anyway, sharing from my personal experiences, traveling long haul flights are really exhausting. It tire your body and mind and by the time you reach the destination, you'll be half alive or half dead - depending on how you look like upon arrival.  Hiks.

Seriously. I've been to African countries with back to back trip with change of airlines to re-purchasing flight tix on the spot to spending the night at the airport countless times. After a while, you kinda get the hang of it and your body would adjust to the circumstances. 

Muka penat gila sampai kat Jomo Kenyatta Airport, Nairobi. Pastu kena tunggu lagi 45 minutes or so for the bus to the city. Bayangkan lah!

For instance, one of my trips to Kenya with 8 hours transit at Dubai and arriving at Nairobi very late in the evening. Spent 2 days in Nairobi then off to Mombassa with another flight before heading to Oman. We did it all in a course of 7 days. 

Well, although it's not a 24 hours long haul flight, the rush and the dash and the run from one airport to another was just insane. All that because of improper planning - this is another story to tell. Nanti-nanti la. You see, I am digressing, AGAIN.

Ni masa flight delay kat Dubai. Stranded kat airport for more than 7 hours. Gila! Dah mcm pelarian.

My point here, with you do not take care and prepare the body and mind properly before arriving, it may screw your travel plan. Pegi jauh-jauh.... in the end lepak kt bilik hotel. Baik tayah gi memana, dok KL je lah. 

Now, rules of thumb when travel. I am sure you've heard of this plenty of times:

1. DRINK LOTSA WATER

Advisable a glass for every one hour in flight to stay hydrated and active. Dah kenapa aku salin ayat atas? Demmit! hahah. Anyway, apart from allowing you to stay active and alert, it'll also prevent your skin from drying out. Dalam flight to air-cond and god knows what else in the confined cabin. Water reduces, if not eliminate any unwanted skin irritation and keep your skin moist. 

Korang mesti nak keluar dari flight looking FLAWLESS and RADIANT and GLOWING and FRESH and what not kan. Barulah cantek and macho. So, MINOM AIR! Tayah fancy drinks. Plain water is enough. Now, go and bother the flight attendant tu.

2. CARRY ON

So, what's a carry on? Well, basically it's the important stuffs you carry onto the flight. This is quite tricky in the sense that I could not tell what you should bring. Well, we are all different and have our preferences. But this,  I just have to shove it to your face. It is that important: BRING CHANGE OF CLOTHES ON YOUR CARRY ON for journey of more than 8 hours (include transit, change flight, etc.). 

To me, headphone or walkman is the utmost important item!!!

We often like to pack all of our clothes in the luggage and have it checked-in. There has been far too many cases nowadays that the airlines mysteriously lost your luggage or it reach to different location and this is a nightmare at its best. 

I've always packed additional clothing in my backpack to carry on flight. This is especially important during long flight and when you encounter delay. Urghh. I know. Annoying.  

Been there. Done that. Once bitten twice shy kaedahnya. Never again. Some individuals even change their attire once the seat belt sign is off. They dash to the washroom and change to pyjamas or track bottom or anything that allows your body to flex its muscle and relax. 

Tapi, jangan la buat camni, huduh sangat!

You want to relax, not to scare the bejezuz out of everyone else! Kang ada yang kena tangkap dengan air marshall pulak. 

Anyway, as long as you are comfortable, to hell with everyone else. I've seen many mat and minah salleh did this. Maybe we ought to give it a try too. Change back to your normal attire before the flight land and you'll be looking all fabulous again.

Your typical day at any international airport. I've been to many airports with many circircumstances and plenty of stories to tell. But, let it be another entry post.

 

3. FOOTWEAR

This may sound cheesy or unimportant but if you observe well, your footwear helps a lot in your travek. In fact, they are the unsung heroes during many of my travels. You gotta choose appropriate shoes for the kind of travel you are embarking in. Pakai Converse to snowy place is a no-no even though you are peminat susah mati. Kang ada yang kene gangren. 

It's cold in Edinburgh. Demi Converse and making mark punya pasal, I braved the cold weather pakai Converse. Pakai two layers of stockings ye FYI. Hehek. Crazy things people do kan!

Same goes wearing heels when you know that you are climbing the Great Wall of China. Walaupun ada boipren sado, agak-agak la nak menyusahkan orang pun. That is not the acid test of your relationship whether he is willing to carry you all the way or not. It's just a plain stupidity and the dumba** is you. Jangan sentap la kalo kena tinggal or worse kene humban pulak nanti. hahaha. You've been warned.

Hi-Tec Sierra. Bought in the UK with the assistance from Julie; friend studying there. Simply because Malaysia does not have this model. It comes with Vibram Technology - reduce foot fatigue. It works!

Ok2, coming back to footwear. I have few, well few is understatement of the year. haha. I've plenty of shoes to fit in my travel style. Before flying off, buat la research sikit on the type of weather you'll be experiencing upon arrival. 

Yup, Nike sandal pun sedap pakai buat travel

For beaches and islands trip, it's always good to bring sandals or buy one. In flight, sneaker is suffice. 

This! Simple, fast and easy. Converse for life. Eh.

 

If you are going to cold places, then boot would be my weapon of choice. But the ones with heat trap so that you won't get cold feet. Like, literally cold feet. I like Hi-Tec. They have range of footwear for travelers going to different type of weather. Visit their site here for range of products:

http://www.hi-tec.com/

Hi-Tec : My weapon of choice when traveling across Europe in 2013

Ingat: KAKI YANG PENAT, AKAN MENGGANGGU PELAN PERJALANAN ANDA. 

Below, some of the footwear that I have over the years:

Ok, selain kasut, flight socks juga equally important. It helps with your blood and muscle circulation especially when you moves too little in flight. Ye la, sitting in the middle or window aisle susahnya lahai nak bergerak fearing you are disrupting other people. So, the answer is, use flight socks. Readily available in travel shops or even Guardian and other pharmacies. A bit pricey but helps a lot. Ala, spend ribu-ribu on tepon boleh. Yang ni cost less than 100 buck je pun. Tamo berkira pls! 

Hah, read below for thorough explanation:

I hope this snippet shed some light and provide some useful tips to you guys (chewah, macam la ada yang membaca. hahaha). Until next post, tata!

[apekTRAVELS]

Souvenirs

Since I'm too lazy to re-write my post on Pangkor, I am just gonna share some of the souvenirs collected for the past 10 years or so whilst traveling from one country to another. 😂

This need no caption, right? 3 eiffels to mark my three visits to this city of light. eh love. which is it?

The wooden camel I bought in Doha, Qatar in one of my business trip. Stop short for 2 days. Didn't get to really enjoy the city except its mall and eating places and desert view. heh. The stupa and the miniature temple I bought at Candi Borobudur and Candi Prambanan respectively. Stayed and enjoyed the city whole heartedly as I stayed there for 7 days and 6 nights. Managed to cover Jogjakarta and Solo. Visited the famous UNESCO certified Borobudur and Prambanan. Went to Gunung Merapi and visited the eerie site where the people was burnt alive. 

Ah yes, visited the mytical Kratons in Solo. Yup, there are more than 1 Kraton. Take your time and savor these two cultural infuse city. Don't forget Maliboro for some signature batik shopping. One thing I regretted was that I didn't have the time to go to the famous South Sea beach or Laut Selatan where the legend of Ratu Laut Selatan / Roro Kidul originated. They said it's a site to go especially at dawn for some twilight zone moments. Perhaps later.

prize item. statue of Medusa from the land of gods and myths and legends, Greece

I especially treasure this not only because its bloody expensive for a miniature (EU40), also because it's a souvenir from Caine, France. The site where Normandy beach was the entry point for the allies entering Europe in WWII. Simply put, remember Saving Private Ryan? 

This is not quite a rare item but I love it nonetheless. It's the  key chain to my car and office. I bought it at Kildare in Ireland. I was your typical cold and windy day in Athlone that we bravely drove about 2 hours to reach Kildare (similar like JPO here). There's this Cath Kidston store and I found this key chain made of copper. There were 3 left and I bought them all. Gave away 2 and kept 1 for myself. It has the dog and Union Jack flag to mark the brand's origin and Cath Kidston signature engraved on the other side.

Now, let's see whether you can guess which came from which country? 

I have plenty more but it's in the boxes tuck away at home. These are some souvenirs hanging around in the office. 

Hehehe