Bantog Backpackers

Thursday, August 21, 2025

The Entrance to PH Euro Park

From Bangkok, we crossed the border going to Siem Reap for six hours (402 kilometers). From Siem Reap we again traveled by land to Phnom Penh for five hours (315 kilometers). We comfortably crossed the border from Bangkok to Siem Reap to Phnom Penh by riding the Giant Ibis Bus.

tuktuk ride from our hotel to PH Euro Park

Phnom Penh is the largest and the most populous city of Cambodia. Phnom Penh became its capital since 1865. It's former official name is Krong Chaktomuk Serei Mongkol, and it means City of Four Faces. The official language is Khmer. The state religion is Theravada Buddhism. The currency in Cambodia is Riel but the US Dollar is widely used. When you pay in US Dollar, the change can be a mixture of US Dollar and Riel.

Cambodia is known for offering budget-friendly hotel options. Our hotel in Siem Reap have 2 rooms paying only US$40/night and in Phnom Penh for US$40-50 per night. The food, transportation and tour entrances are relatively low. Cambodia when compared to Bangkok, it is much cheaper in the latter. But we had our unlimited breakfast in Phnom Penh at US$4/person.

Because of limited time, we choose the happiest place to visit in Phnom Penh than the usual Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek Genocidal Center. We went to PH Euro Park in Phnom Penh.

PH Euro Park is open to the public without any entrance fee. You can get here along National Road 1, about a 20-minute drive from BKK 1 (city center) accessible via tuktuk.

What to see inside the PH Euro Park are the reduced scale European icons like the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, windmill, Sydney Opera House and Venus de Milo alongside the half-timbered buildings, a drawbridge, scenic canals, gondolas, and more. You can feel that you really are walking in Europe.

Venus de Milo

PH Euro Park's views are highly instagrammable, The fanciful and quaint replicas and European vibes make for fantastic photo backdrops.

Thursday, April 17, 2025

Ho Chi Minh City, historically and still famous as Saigon, is the largest city, business and financial hub in Vietnam. It is also the most populous city in Vietnam of around 10million in 2023.

We planned to travel this Christmas season to Indochina. We entered through Bangkok and exited through Ho Chi Minh. We booked all our bus trips and attractions through Klook, and our hotels through Booking dot com.

Our first stop, Vin Thrang Pagoda

Vin Thrang Pagoda

My five kids, 5Js

coconut-candy making family run-business as part of the tour

The distance from Ho Chi Minh to Mekong Delta River is around 75 kilometers and it took us more or less two hours to get to our destination. I arranged our tour through Klook at Php 1103. Our guide, Mr. Khun, was knowledgeable enough and toured us in English language. He's so funny and really took care of each one of us. The tour is superb and is a must when visiting Ho Chi Minh. Everything is included in this trip including all mode of transportations, entrance fees, buffet lunch, free taste of coconut candy, beehive and snake experience, crocodile farm, Vietnamese singers in Unicorn island with free fruits of different kind, and a lot lot more.

rowing the boats along the Mekong River

the sumptuous lunch as part of the Mekong River itinerary

my brave kids holding the friendly snake

free tasting of local honey with a pinch of bee pollen

free coconut while cruising the river

Touristic places to go in Ho Chi Minh

1. War Remnants Museum

2.Ben Thanh Market

3. Cu chi tunnels

4. Saigon Central post Office

5. Notre Dame Cathedral

6. Binh Tay Market (Chinatown)

7. Nguyen Hue Walking Street

8. Landmark 81

9. Jade Emperor Pagoda

10. The Coffee Apartment

11. Ten Thousand Buddha Pagoda

Saturday, March 22, 2025

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg. Austria is popularly known as a "City of Mozart" because it is the birthplace of the renowned composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The city celebrates through the city's museums, festivals and concerts.

Salzburg is also popular as the "Sound of Music" city because of the movie based on the real Trapp Family, who lived in Salzburg and later emigrated to the United States.

The filming locations of the 'Sound of Music" in Salzburg are the Mirabell Gardens, Schloss Leopoldskron, and Hellbrunn Palace.

Salzburg is filled with the memories of Mozart's life and music in Salzburg's museums, concert halls and guided tours. Tourists can also visit Mozart's residence in Makartplatz.

The Historic city center of Salzburg became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997, with its unique baroque architecture and narrow streets. Salzburg is also as an example of a European ecclesiastical city state, exhibiting well-preserved ecclesiastical buildings from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.

There is a hop on, hop-off sight seeing tour bus with Yellow and Bule Lines. Yellow lines tour around Mirabellplatz, Hanuch Platz, Herbert-Von-Karajan Platz, Leopoldskron palace, Hellbrunn palace, Kleingmain, Justizgebaude, Mozartsteg.

The blue line explores Salzburg Mirabell Square, Hellbrunn, St. Leonhard Untersberg Railway, Hallein Old Town, Saltz World, Celtic Experience Mountain, Bad Durrnberg Zinkenlifte, Eagle's Nest, Berchtesgaden Market, Konigssee and Berchtesgaden Salt Mine.

The tour fee is 29euro for adult and 16euro for children.

Gosau is a picturesque village in Upper Austria, situated along the Gosaubach stream in the Salzkammergut region and a UNESCO World heritage site, and is nestled in the center of Dachstein mountains and is popular for its astonishing and impressive scenery.

We stopped by Hallstatt a day before our visit here in Gosau. Hallstatt is only 14 kilometers away from Gosau. We were accommodated in Sonnenalm less than two (2) kilometers from Gosau.

my brother Raymond and me

Gosau is a hiking favorite by mountaineers with numerous trails ranging from easy walk to challenging treks that leads to the picturesque alpine pastures.

Gosau is also popular as a place of happines or "Glucksplatze" in the Hallstatt Duchstein Salzkammergut region, with locations like the Kalvarienberg church, Lockernmoose and Gosaulacke bringing panoramic views and lake famous for its tranquility.