Bantog Backpackers

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia, is the largest religious monument in the world, measuring 162.60 hectares. It is one of the eight wonders of the world and one in our bucket lists.

Giant Ibis Bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap

Our Angkor Wat adventure started with our bus trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap. We took the Giant Ibis Bus and booked online. And from our hotel in Siem Reap, we were picked up by the Klook tour guide by 4am and got our tickets at the official ticketing center for US$37 each. My seven year old is free from paying.

Bantog Backpackers in Angkor Wat waiting for sunrise

our super accomodating guide from Klook with our fellow tourists

An Angkor Wat tour guides visitors through Cambodia's most iconic temple complex, exploring its grand towers, intricate carvings, and vast courtyards. The tour typically begins before sunrise behind the temple's silhouette. Along the way, guides explain the history of Khmer Empire, the symbolism in the architecture, and the religious significance of the site

The second temple we visited is the Ta Phrom. Ta Phrom was built in 1186 and was originally known as Rajavihara or Monastery of the King. It is a buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of Jyavarman VII. Massive silk-cotton and strangler fig tress grow directly out of the stone towers and walls. Roots cascade over doorways, wrap around carvings, and split stone blocks apart, creating a surreal fusion of nature and ruins.

The third temple we visited is the BANTEAY KDEI temple. In contrast to Angkor Wat, Banteay Kdei is peaceful and quiet. It's name means "Citadel of Chambers". It has lots of passages and small chambers.

Bayon Temple

Bayon is famous for its over 200 massive stone faces carved into 54 towers. The faces are serene, with gentle smiles and half-closed eyes. They re widely believed to represent Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. It also stands out for its blend of artistic, historical, and symbolic richness.

Our trip to Angkor Wat was an unforgettable experience. Walking through the ancient temples felt like stepping back in time. The sunrise over the main temple was absolutely breathtaking, and exploring the carvings and ruins made us appreciate Cambodia’s rich history and culture.

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.