I will go to see Angkor Wat. Then the preparation was started. The necessary one is a visa from Cambodia, an airline ticket, a hotel, and “Chikyuu no arukikata”.
Air Ticket
I got an air ticket for a round trip to Bangkok, Thailand by using Northwest Airlines’s miles. I could spend six days on travel. In March 2008, tickets from Narita to Bangkok needed only 10,000 miles on any day. But the ticket from Bangkok to Narita needed 20,000 miles. After all, I could book a flight leaving Japan on 2nd March, and returning to Japan on 8th March. It needed 30,000 miles and 4520yen for Bangkok airport tax and oil surcharge.
Next, I prepared for a round-trip ticket from Bangkok to Siem reap. I searched with words such as “Bangkok air ticket arrange” by google, then I found travel agent Program D that I know its name. I decided to use this agent.
A round trip ticket for Bangkok/Siem reap had taken 9800 baht. I ordered by mail and got a reply within the day. It’s so convenient that you can pay by transfer to Program D’s account of a Japanese bank. You can decide any day before the ticketing limit as a day of transfer. Program D will email a bill the day before the day of transfer. The price is calculated with the rate of the emailed day. You can transfer to Program D’s account of a Japanese bank the next day. If you want to pay by credit card, you should pay an extra charge.
I had to pay 700B for Airport tax and 1470B for oil surcharge. The total price was over 42,000yen. Expensive!, 1470B for oil surcharge. The distance between Bangkok and Siem reap is near between Tokyo and Osaka.
Accomodations
Next, I needed accommodation. I would arrive at Bangkok at midnight on 3rd March and leave the next morning, so I need the hotel near the airport on 3rd March. I also needed the hotel on 7th March after returning from Cambodia.
I searched by the Internet, then I booked Avana hotel by HotelTravel.com. It’s $36 with breakfast. It isn’t near the airport because it’s located halfway between the airport and Bangkok. There were no cheap hotels near the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, except for an expensive airport hotel.
It took 20 minutes from the airport to Avana hotel by taxi. It’s 220B. The room was big. It’s good enough to just sleep. I took a buffet-style breakfast at a restaurant beside a pool on the second floor. It’s open-air and the wind was very comfortable. The hotel is located a little away from the main street. There are no shops around there.
I booked a hotel located in downtown Bangkok for 7th March. I would not go sightseeing but just buy Thai rice at the supermarket, so I searched for a place for shopping. I found Bangkok City Inn, it seemed to be good. HotelTravel.com said it’s full, and I had to search other booking sites. Finally, I booked the hotel at Octopus travel. 3900yen with Breakfast.
Bangkok City Inn is located between Pratunam and Central World Plaza, and there is a supermarket called “Big C” near there. It’s very convenient for shopping.
Next, I needed a hotel in Siem reap. It seemed to be OK to go without reservation. A guidebook, which I bought from a4trip.com, shows many budget class guesthouse that has websites or email addresses.
It seemed to be easy for booking on the Internet. I checked some guesthouses on the Internet and decided to book molly Malone’s because it is located convenient place and WiFi is free for guests. Molly Malone’s has a booking form page on their website, but it didn’t work. I emailed them to book. $20 / night, without breakfast.
This guesthouse is located in an old market area, it’s a very good place. There is a convenience store called “MiniMart”. Many streets stand for food open in the evening in front of the guesthouse, and along the street, there are many restaurants. It’s easy to get food or dinner. There are Internet cafes, massages, and banks also. Molly Malone’s provides free WiFi for the guests.
But the 1st floor is the Irish Pub, and at the night you have to listen to very loud music. It’s very noisy.
Cambodia Visa
You need a visa to go to Cambodia. That’s a bother to go to the Cambodian embassy. You can get the visa at the airport. But I found an e-visa and tried it. A normal visa takes $20 to get, but an e-visa needs an additional $5 for the processing charge. If you want to get a visa before leaving, an e-visa is so good that you need not go to the Cambodian embassy. You can apply from the web page with your picture taken by some digital camera, and credit card payment is available. Here is a link. http://www.mfaic.gov.kh/evisa
Guidebook
“Chikyuu no arukikata – Angkor Wat & Cambodia” is very good for Japanese.
I bought the following guidebook. It was also a good one. You can buy a discount price if you apply e-Visa.
