Trip to Siem Reap

The Siem Reap Trip Series

The Making of our DIY Family Trip to Siem Reap-HCMC
First Glimpse of Angkor and the South Gate of Angkor Thom
Visiting the Bayon Temple

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I was so excited that I was not able to sleep until 2:00am.

Our family left our house at 4:00am to catch the first Philippine Airlines flight to Manila.

While we were packing up the night before, we agreed to have everything handcarried so we won’t be wasting time at the baggage claim in Vietnam. We only had 2 hours in between our arrival from Manila to Ho Chi Minh and our Vietnam Airlines departure from Ho Chi Minh to Siem Reap not counting plane taxiing, immigration, customs, transfers and check-in. While it took a while for the plane to get to its assigned tube, immigration up to the Vietnam Airlines check-in procedures were a breeze. Among all my out of the country travels, Vietnam was the first country not to require filling-out of arrival/departure cards nor customs questionnaires.

Our flight for Siem Reap was delayed for about 30 minutes which was somewhat a good thing since we had ample time to unwind in the business class lounge (free food!).

Vietnam airlines airport lounge

Plane snacks which served as our dinner already

It only took an hour from Ho Chi Minh to Siem Reap.

We arrived at sunset. Siem Reap International Airport with its traditional Khmer architecture was beautiful. I was physically tired, but excitement suddenly rushed in as soon as I stepped out of the plane.

Immigration was a breeze. Filipinos didn’t have to pay for the Visa fee, so we were told to go to the “Cambodian passports” line. I was pleased to find out that they have the same finger printing and picture taking facilities as that of Japan and the USA. Impressive.

Mr. Kim Leang of MotherHome Inn was waiting for us outside the airport. Unfortunately, though, they had some problems with our reservation and they had to look for another hotel where we could temporarily stay for the night before transferring to MotherHome Inn the next day. We spent the night in Monoreach Angkor Hotel and slept soundly, recharging our energy for the full day ahead.

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