Angkor Wat

What to Bring

As I bid the office goodbye that busy Tuesday afternoon, Ms. Maita saw my computer bag and asked me if that’s all I’m bringing for the 5-day trip. Yes, madam, traveling light is one of my talents. (There’s no computer in that bag though; and now, three days into the trip, I realized that I still have five extra shirts; I can still improve on this.) Tip to those traveling to Siem Reap: bring an umbrella/cap and light clothes because it is very hot. Bring a pair of good walking shoes, too.

Save on the cost of money; no need to change to KH Riel, just bring small dollar bills. US Dollars circulate alongside the local currency (US$1 = KHR 4000 = PHP40).

Same electric socket as Manila’s

Moving Around

Upon touchdown, take a tuktuk to your hotel ($5). Most hotels provide free pick-up with prior reservation. Tuktuk (which functions like the Philippines’ tricylcle) is the most common mode of transportation in Siem Reap, perhaps also the best means to explore the Angkor Archeological Park, especially for a group of 2-3 ($15/day). Bicycle for rent, motorcycle and car taxis are also available.

Dining and Shopping

Cheap eats start at $1.25 (fried rice or noodle soup, with free tea) in the Old Market area. There are classy Khmer and French cuisine as well ($3-12/meal). Famous diners include Khmer Kitchen and Blue Pumpkin in the Old Market. For souvenirs, I got some shirts 3 for US$5 in Angkor Wat, which is also available at the Old Market where I got a batik summer dress for $6. I bought Khmer curry powder, lemon grass and cookies for pasalubong. The shops also sell scarves with a lot of colors and materials to choose from. They have trinkets, the usual 5-for-a-dollar Angkor Wat keychains, magnets, postcards and elephant coin purse. There are also paintings, wood carvings and crocodile leather goods, but they’re not my cup of tea.

Where to Stay

Siem Reap offers a wide range of accommodation for all types of travelers. Hyatt is opening in 2013.

My hubby and I stayed at Mandalay Inn, which was recommended to us by my officemate who visited the place last year. For US$16/night/room, we got basic amenities like free airport pick-up, hot and cold shower, queen bed, a/c, wifi in the room, free maps and guidebook, and the staff are really friendly. It’s located near the roundabout (rotunda) in the Old Market area. reservation@mandalayinn.com

We wanted to go to Laos or Thailand or Vietnam, but decided it’s too far and inconvenient, so we just moved to another hotel with prospects of finding a better deal for our friends and family (and my blog readers); we found a fan room with two double beds for $8/night at Angkor Park Guesthouse, just across the street with wifi, h/c shower, fresh linen and bottle of water daily, option for a/c +$4. angkorpark@gmail.com

The Angkor Tour

Guidebooks say “if you’re visiting only two temples, Angkor Wat and Bayon should be the ones”. Bayon is in Angkor Thom, a 3sq.km.walled city which was the last capital of the empire. Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm (where giant roots hug the temple ruins) are the most photographed areas in the park; the three combined with other nearby attractions is a good one day tour called Small Circuit ($15 for the tuktuk service). Sunrise at Angkor Wat (alternative: Sra Srang); sunset at Phnom Bakheng (alternative: Angkor Wat); must-see but crowded. My personal favorite is Bantaey Srey (Citadel of Women) which lies 38km from Siem Reap, needing an extra 45min travel time; it is usually combined with a trip to Kbal Spean, but you must be really fit for the 1.5km uphill trek to see the carvings on the river bed. Do this in the morning, plus the Grand Circuit in the afternoon for day 2—mostly brick temples outside the Small Circuit; $30 for the tuktuk service. Entrance fee to the Angkor Park is $20/day; $40/3days; $60/week.  

Verdict

This is the most convenient, most interesting, and cheapest among the 7 ASEAN countries we’ve visited so far. We only spent $300/pax, including airfare, for the 5-day trip!

Sagada!

Dear Ms. Mims,

Here's the photo of Sagada map which I took last Jan.30, 2012. It was posted on the wall of the municipal hall, where all tourists must register. The cafe I was talking about is Yoghurt House, on South Road (left side in the map). There are many basic inns along this road. I stayed at St.Joseph's some 10 years ago. I heard Sagada Guesthouse is also ok. The bus terminal is located near the church somewhere along central road. Yoghurt House to the church is a good leisurely walk :) 

Best regards,

E

Of flight delays and air traffic

You are waiting to board the aircraft back to Manila from one of the Philippine islands. Then you hear an announcement: your flight is delayed. Would you blame the airline? 

Most often than not, we do. After experiencing domestic flight delays several times, some of us even associate certain airlines with delays. But do you know that it is not always the airline’s fault? Sometimes, there are just too many flights scheduled to arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) all at the same time. It does not matter whether your flight goes to NAIA Terminal 1, 2 or 3, because NAIA has only one runway—technically there are two but because of the design, only one aircraft can land or take off at any given time.

And when we say ‘arriving at the same time’, it is indeed possible for several flights to indicate the same expected time of arrival (ETA). Hence, if there are ten airlines with ETA at 12:02, then our air traffic

controllers have this challenging task of scheduling which airline lands at exactly 12:02, and who gets to land a few minutes before or a few minutes after. Thus, even if the turnaround plane arrives on schedule, the cargo is loaded and all other preparations done on time, it is possible that the pilot could not get the permit to depart because of the traffic in Manila. Hence, there are cases when passengers are kept from boarding and asked to wait at the terminal instead.

Note that holding airlines at the departure airport is only possible for domestic flights, since international flights get to confirm ETA earlier because of the flying time. So according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), only domestic flights ‘share’ this ‘delay’, by dividing the number of minutes by the number of domestic airlines with the same schedule.

Some airlines try to get ahead of the others, especially when some of its passengers have connecting flights; but because of this, this airline’s share of delay  is passed on to the others. Thus, it would help if airlines cooperate.

NAIA is congested, 40+ flights a day at peak. The number of flights increases, but NAIA cannot expand. The adjacent lands have all been developed, and there is no more space to for a new runway. While the government of the Philippines is looking for a long term solution to this problem, it also tries to provide an immediate solution.

This is the job of the Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) Center. The ATFM assigns and divides the time of delay among domestic airlines. With proper management and cooperation from all concerned, it is possible to lower the length of delay to as low as the internationally accepted time of less than 10 minutes. It is not wishful thinking. According to CAAP, the total number of airborne holding from June to August this year averages at 1,905 minutes in total for these three months, compared to 2,891 minutes for the same period last year. We are also able to achieve the average delay per flight that is lower than 10 minutes--6.13 minutes to be exact.

This improvement is partly attributed to the ongoing technical cooperation project entitled “Capacity Enhancement for Safety and Efficiency of Air Navigation System”, which is supported by JICA. Through this project, Japanese air traffic experts help CAAP improve air traffic management. Experts from Japan train air traffic flow managers on the collaborative decision making (CDM) approach, a technique that recognizes sharing of updated operational data to reduce delay as a result of ground delay programming. Aside from congestion, the CDM approach also helps during adverse weather conditions. On September 14, domestic airline operators and other stakeholders met at the CAAP to discuss the CDM. JICA also conducted the Greater Manila Airport Study, to assess how the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark, Pampanga can complement the operation at NAIA. The Philippine government continues to find ways to address the need for improving our country’s gateways. For the passengers, faster boarding and kind understanding would help ease the situation. #

Sugarland Bacolod!

Bacolod is famous for Masskara Festival, a Mardi-Gras of painted faces and masks that attempted to reverse the lull in this sugarland when the industry was down. I hate the crowd of festivals, thus Bacolod was not in my radar until work brought me there, and boy to say I fell in love is now an understatement. Let me name the reasons:

Nostalgic Silay, where the old meets the new and the high-so.goes eco. What am I talking about? For one, the new airport is in Silay, while downtown is lined with a lot of beautiful ‘bahay na bato’ (some loosely translate this to ‘old Spanish houses’). One of which is Balay Negrense, a house fit for a sugarcane plantation landlord, now turned into a museum. The church and its rich history is also quite an attraction. If you have time and stamina, climb your way up the mountainous Patag (not flat at all) where there are beautiful waterfalls and a mysterious lake. Visit the tourism office in front of the church for more information. My favorite nook, however, is not in the city proper but in the outskirts called Balaring, where a 700-meter bamboo bridge takes you into a dense mangrove forest. Balaring is synonymous to seafood feast, too!

Going to Bacolod from Silay, you might as well drop by the hidden treasure of Talisay: the Ruins. This skeleton of a house is getting more and more popular these days. It is hidden deep inside a vast sugarcane plantation (which residences are slowly eating up). The building is as intriguing as its romantic story and tragic ending.

Bacolod City is the capital of Negros Occidental. Like any metropolis, it has shopping malls, call centers, posh hotels and traffic. But what I love the most about Bacolod is the food!! And the people, classy, friendly. Don’t miss the museum and the organic market in the city.

Tucked away in the mountainous region of Negros is a place called Mambukal where hot sulfuric water springs eternal. Take a dip, while communing with nature in this lush park. Aside from the hot springs, the place offers overnight cottages, too, as well as other attractions like butterfly garden and kayaking lagoon.

And what’s Negros without going to the beach? Go to Carbon Reef or down south to Sipalay.

Visit OISCA Bago Center to shop for silk and mulberry jam; and

Squeeze in a trip to a sugar mill, too, I tell you, it’s unforgettable!

www.cebupacificair.com flies 7-8 times daily from Manila (and Cebu), while www.philippineairlines.com flies 4 times daily from Manila. 

Seoul, Korea

We learn so much about Korea from K-pop and K-drama. Don't you think it's about time we learn about the country through an actual visit?

Transfers

It's easy to commute in Seoul. From the airport in Incheon, just take a bus to one of the hotels in Seoul. You may also take the train to Seoul from Incheon. Transfer is just a piece of cake, there are English signs everywhere. Here's the rail map from http://www.urbanrail.net/as/seou/seoul.htm for your advance reference:

Take the train to Myeong-dong Station for shopping and to go to the Seoul Tower. The Seoul Tower is a popular dating place. This is where you'll find the observatory with love knots and the bear museum. There's a cable car to climb up or you may choose walk through the lush winding road HHWW with your date (tip: girls, don't wear high-heeled shoes).

There are many hotels in the area, too. So from the airport, you can just fly and go to Myeong-dong to get a room. For me, I went to Seoul on a business trip so I stayed near the Express Bus Station (the Express Bus Station is also a train station).

Gyeongbokgung Palace 

Must-See

Must-see places include palaces. One is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyeongbokgung (directly north of Seoul station, encircled in the map above). There's a lot to do here: see the change of guards ceremony, dress up in palace attire, dine, shop and take photos--the palace ground is sprawling!

For dining, I'm sure all you K-drama fans aren't new to popular chows in Korea. For those traveling on a really tight budget, you may grab rice fills in convenience stores ^^










Visa

It's easy to apply for a visa to Korea for Philippine passport holders. Moreover, visa is gratis/free of charge for tourists who wish to stay in Korea for 59 days or less. For more information, visit http://embassy_philippines.mofat.go.kr/english/as/embassy_philippines/visa/issuance/index.jsp
or call the embassy through tel. (+632) 8569210.
(This is information as of June 30, 2012)