Monday, October 31, 2011

Siem Reap (Cambodia) to 4,000 Islands (Laos) Bus Trip

vietnam, cambodia and laos 11th solo backpacking tour
August 24 - September 1, 2011

objective: to visit the best tourist spot that fits to my budget at limited amount of time.
additional tasks: lost half of my pocket-money in day 1... show must go on for the planned itinerary no matter how it takes

day 0: ho chi minh city arrival at night
day 1: ho chi minh to siem reap bus trip
day 2: angkor archaeological park solo day-tour


continued...


DAY THREE:
SIEM REAP (CAMBODIA) TO 4,000 ISLANDS (LAOS) BUS TRIP


Siem Reap Province to 4,000 islands bus travel time took approximately 11.5 hours including the stop-overs and crossborder checkpoint.

cambodian house beside breakfast stop-over

arrival card filling-up before laos crossborder immigration

woke-up as early as 0445H to be able to catch-up the earliest departing bus to southern laos. my mistake again. i thought i could save money if i go directly to bus terminal instead of booking to my guesthouse. bus fare in my guesthouse was only $22 including free pick-up against that in the bus terminal of $28 including tuktuk fare. but as per my research there was a rumored scam when you booked in your hostel especially lots of free service offered, that was the reason why i am hesitant to gamble my tight money.

on-going erection of laos crossborder immigration bldg

4,000 islands outgoing bus fares

CAMBODIA(dom kralor)-LAOS(voeung kam) CROSSBORDER IMMIGRATION CHECKPOINT

this time service charge costs $1 for bus conductor visa assistance wherein he will ask you to pay him $5 for visa fee ($2 for cambodia, $2 for laos and $1 for him). he will not mention this breakdown, i just discovered this since i'm the only one who did not took his offer due again of tight budget reason. he will tell only just sit down and wait for him to back in the bus. most probably i will grab his service also if i have enough money to spare.

no interrogation did by the two borders as i did personally apply the stamp. immigration approached was the same also as on how they approached the bus conductor. just around 10 mins i have already my passport with stamps needed, entering the 3rd country to visit on 3rd day of my week-long escapade.

boat going to don det (inside 4,000 islands)

boat along the mekhong river and 4,000 islands

arrived in 4,000 islands (si phan don) mainland port at 1700H. ask immediately the ticket boat personnel about everything i needed to know and fortunately he  happens to be also guesthouse owner and travel tour bussinessman so all what i need in this area have been package to him with a discount. afterwards, we aboard the boat to don det (most famous island in 4,000 islands).

night stroll, dinner then go back to my private room that costs only $3 a night. 

400 kips (php2) per minute charging of internet in don det

fried rice with chicken mix @ 20,000 kips (dinner in don det)

day 3 expenses: (@ php43/usd & php0.005/kip)
* motodup to bus terminal = $3 = php129
* bus fare to 4,000 islands = $25 = php1,075
* lunch = $1.5 = php64.5
* crossborder immigration fees = $4 = php86
* boat to don det = $3 = php129
* guesthouse at 1 night = $3 = $php129
* dinner (fried rice w/ chicken mix) = 20,000kips = php100
TOTAL : php1,626.50


day 4: champasak province (southern laos) solo day-tour
go back to main post



3 comments:

  1. hi, id like to verify, did you pay for Visa assistance? kasi no need for Visa if you're an Asian kasi Laos lang naman. :D

    i'm reading your Indochina trip series as it's very helpful for my adventure next year. excited na ako! :D

    -soloflightEd.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Edcel nope, kasi ako na mismo gumawa. actually sa lahat ng tourist ako lang ang gumawa ng diy visa stamp application due budget shortage... $1 lang naman, kung may pera lang ako sa kanila ko na din pinagawa ...

    wow, nice, many thanks ed!!
    looking forward sa adventure mo dun ... :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. love this post. very insightful. thanks for this post. I would want to go back to SR then do this trip too. I wanna sightsee Laos too.

    ReplyDelete

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