a glimpse of jan's photoblog;: Cambodia/Thailand Part I

Hi guys!

I should be turning in soon but I really wanted to share my holiday trip to Cambodia & Thailand with you guys so here's a snippet of our first day overseas.

Day 1: Singapore -> Siam Reap

In airport clothes, it's probably the only outfit I'll be caught in a pair of jeans.

My travel companion, thanks for being the one who carries our water supplies, my whining about the weather and long walking distances and bargaining for more shopping time.

We got to Siam Reap in 2 hours and it was time to get some grub! :)

This is their airport where there was a currency exchange booth. I read online about using Cambodia Riel to bargain for items at a cheaper price so I nudged N to change some money. Apparently, DO NOT change to their local currency cos you will definitely incur exchange loss. We changed at 3,800 Riels : 1 USD and realised that when we spent riel outside, they exchange it at 4,100 Riels : 1 USD! :(

Just stick to using USD cos everyone accepts USD anyway!

Waiting for our transport outside the arrival hall.

Most of the locals ride on motorbikes and their patrol prices are comparable to Singapore. However, there are "black markets" whereby they can buy patrol at a cheaper price. Our tour guide mentioned that there are dishonest people who mix petrol with water to dilute it so as to earn more money!

Our tour guide bought his Camry for USD10,000, pretty cheap but their average daily salary ranges from USD5-10 only.

We arrived at our hotel, situated not too far from the airport. Pretty cosy and with a friendly atmosphere, it was nice staying there during our trip.

Pub street - where you can find beer for USD$1 and cocktails for USD$2-4.

We explored a smaller lane right next to Pub Street and went into Khmer House for our first Cambodian dinner! :)

We had Amok fish, Spring rolls, Khmer curry & mixed vegetables. Each dish was around USD$4-5 and the spring rolls had alot of basil in it. Both me and N weren't fans of basil and we managed to down almost all the rolls dipped in some sweet peanut sauce.