9 Oct 2008 Evening Banteay Kdei– Siem Reap
Shopping Rule of Thumb from Lily: Keep pretending not interested.
We were sitting along the lakeside opposite Banteay Kdei in Angkor Archeological Park. The golden sunset reflected from the lake surface and the windy breeze were comforting our exhausted body. Wherever we were in the Angkor Archeological Park, there are children and adults selling souvenirs or books. We used to say “No, Thanks you” with a wagging palm and walked away. However, we are too weary to walk this time. Our conventional way of “No Thanks and palm wagging” didn’t seem to work anymore.

There was our best seller I have ever met in Cambodia. At her age of 8 to 10 year olds, her ability and sincerity to sell out her souvenirs had impressed me.
“Buy something, Mr. Blue? “ She smiled to Wei Kiat in blue t-shirt, holding some postcards in her hands.
“No, thanks” Wei Kiat grinned.
“Mr. White?” She looked at me.
I didn’t say anything. Wearing a sun glasses, I acted a serious face and rejected.
“Where are you from?”
“Malaysia” I replied.
“Ok lah, Buy Something lah….”
We busted into laughter instantly after hearing our own English slang spoken by the little Cambodian girl.

“How about you, Mr Blue” She was looking at Nicholas who was in blue too.
“How much?”
“1 postcard, 1 usd”
“….”
“Ok, 1 usd, 2 postcard.”
The conversation goes on and it was a successful deal as I saw Nicholas has paid the little girl a few bucks for the postcards.

Meanwhile, Lily at the other corner was telling us that the quality of the t-shirt was actually good. She managed to bargain until one t-shirt at 1USD. However she insisted to pretend that she had not interest on the t-shirts to any sale-girls.

It’s almost time to leave. After getting into the tuk-tuk, we noticed that Lily and her hubby were not following and were inside one of the stalls. We waited patiently for few minutes and she came back cheerfully. She winked and pointed seven fingers out and continued with six fingers, gesturing that she managed to buy seven t-shirts with six USD only.

10 Oct 2008 Evening Old Market – Siem Reap
Shopping Rule of Thumb from Elaine: Bulk Purchase
Elaine planned to buy Karma – Cambodian Silk Scarf, as souvenirs for her family and friends. After asking all of us on the number to be bought, she planned to use bulk purchase for bargaining tartic.

Pointing to pieces of colorful Karma, she asked the lady owner of a stall in Old Market, “How much are these?”

The lady owner was a bit panic when seeing more than fifteen of us gathered in her stall. Since she heard we are speaking Chinese, she asked her favorable daughter, Ah Hua, to entertain us. Ah Hua has a fair complexion and is unique comparing to most of the Cambodian we had met. With her sharp-pointed nose and oval shaped face, she managed to speak a fluent Mandarin as a Chinese. Hence, our bargain sessions were in Mandarin.

“USD 3 per piece” Ah Hua replied.
“If we buy likes 20 pieces, any discount?”Elaine continued.
“Aiyooo… USD 2.50 per piece, I didn’t earn anything, didn’t cheat you.” Ah Hua insisted.
“We buy so many, give more discount, USD 2?”, Elaine gestured her disagreement on the price.
“These are USD2, those are USD 2.50”, Ah Hua directed us on two different quality of Karma. “USD 0.5 to you is like so cheap back in Malaysia, please have sympathy for us.”
“USD 2 per piece” Elaine insisted and intended to leave if her piece is not met.
“Deal, deal…” Ah Hua replied, “USD 2 then.”

Ah Hua started to grin and busy putting the all the selected Karmas to plastic bag for us.
“You speak Mandarin so well, where do you learn it from?” I asked.
“It’s from local language center”
“Do you have magnets?”
“Yes, certainly, come over here…”
After paying all the souvenirs, I joked with Ah Hua “You have an awesome earnings today!”
“Aiyooo.. I didn’t earn anything, didn’t cheat you” Ah Hua grinned while patting on my right arm.
We left Ah Hua stall after Daniel taking photo for Ah Hua and me.

10 Sep 2008 Night Market – Siem Reap
Shopping Rule of Thumb: Check out the better bargain in night market
It was our last night in Siem Reap before traveling to Phnom Penh next morning. After surveying around, it was found that the night market offers a better bargain than the Old Market. The better quality of Karma is selling USD2 in night market. Some of the adult and baby t-shirt are selling cheaper.

12 Oct 2008 Sorya Shopping Center – Phnom Penh
Shopping Rule of Thumb: Buy groceries in shopping center as locals do
Strolling along the grocery market of Sorya Shopping Center, I was looking for mineral water for drinking and Coke cans for collection. Since the market is visited by locals mostly and the price is fixed, I managed to purchase some groceries with a fair price as a local did. Normally, Cambodians intended to sell some products to tourists starting from 1 USD. The locals used to get a lower price.

13 Oct 2008 Evening Russian Market – Phnom Penh
Shopping Rule of Thumb from Siew Ling: Ask for the half of price given
It was our last market visit in Cambodia. Daniel and Siew Ling had planned to grab the last chance to purchase some pictures in Russian Market for their house decorations.

“This Angkor Wat picture is USD 20” the stall owner informed on the price.
“USD 10, USD 10” Siew Ling replied boldly.
“No, no, USD 18.”
“Ten, Ten” Pointing out all of her fingers, Siew Ling repeated.
“No, no…” the stalls owner declined the price, and lowered the price.

The final deal of the purchase didn’t go to USD 10 though, however, the price has been marked down much lower than the original price.

Gear you should pack – Medical Mask

As you travelling around Cambodia with a motordup or a tuk tuk or walking, especially to the floating village in Siem Reap, and the Killing Field in Phnom Penh, the journey will be very dusty. You are advised to wear a medical mask during the journey. Most of the locals are doing so.

Food you shouldn’t miss – (Kuyteav) Chicken rice noodle soup (5000 Riels, 1.25 USD)

You should try this yummy rice noodle early in the morning at the Soup Dragon, inside Old Market Area of Siem Reap. Take a slurp on the hot rice noodles in the morning with a sip of local brewed coffee.

Budgetary place to eat- Chao Praya Cafe/Restaurant

Situated opposite of the Angkor National Musuem in Siem Reap, the Chao Praya Cafe is the best place for you to chill out after a lengthy walk in the museum. Enjoy the air-conditioned and Wifi (USD3 per hour) access cafe, with comfortable sofa. You must try the cold Frappe (Ice Blended Mocha and Chocolate) and the stir fried basil with chicken (USD 2.50) in this restaurant.

Riverfront of Phnom Penh

There is an on-going project for flood protection and drainage improvement at the Riverfront of Phnom Penh. This project is planned to be completed at year 2010. Riverside walking pathway are expected to be constructed by then too!

Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda opens at 8am to 11am and 2pm to 5pm everyday.

There is a Night Market inside the Old Market Area of Phnom Penh at night during Saturday and Sunday. It is visited mostly by locals. Experience the lifestyle of Cambodians while shopping in the night market.

If you would like to experience the city view of Phnom Penh, you are suggested to go to the top floor of Sorya Shopping Center. Grab a Grilled Chicken Burger at the Mc Grill and enjoy the city view of Phnom Penh. It is a great hang out place for teenagers who like roller skating.

If you like the calligraphy of Cambodian, you are suggested to walk along the Street 53 south of Sorya Shopping Center. Along this street, you will see a lot of locals sewing Cambodian names with a sewing machine. Students in Cambodia are required to wear uniform with their name sewed at the top of the right pocket of their shirt. Hence, if you would like to get your name sewed, you can ask the local to get your name translated and sewed on your shirt at USD 1. Their dexterity in handicraft can get your name done in minutes.

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Visit www.a4blog.com and www.a4friends.com to find out more of our multilingual goals and other catchy side stories that are sure to pique your attention. In these sites you will find stories that will provide you with insights into traveling overseas such as what cuisines to savor to what basic words that would be good to know a foreign land. This and much more are just mouse-clicks away!

If you have any inquiries or want more information about our services please visit our website. You may just be making the best choice in starting your journey to wherever you may be heading.

A dining experience at MAHARAJAH will make you believe that exclusivity with a touch of simplicity is important in the creation of every delicious dish. Along with the assurance of a wide range of delectable dishes and maculate service, a meal at MAHARAJAH restaurant inspires interactive dining. Here is a priceless range of all finger licking royal Indian vegetarian & non-vegetarian dishes, serve with fine yellow rice, Pickles and Gourmet Chutneys.

We always ready to receive great reviews from customers. “The one & only Authentic HALAL food in town”, “Fresh, Hygienic & Authentic”. All dishes are prepared with vegetable oil, vegetables are cleaned with drinking water and the ice made with purified water. We located next to Pub Street Between CAB bank & Provincial hospital, Old Market Area.

Samlor Kako
A Khmer soup that uses Prahok or fermented fish as one of the main
ingredients. Its complex, flavorsome and one of Cambodia’s favorite
national dishes.

Amok
A traditional Khmer dish with chicken, fish or shrimp and vegetables
cooked in coconut milk curry. It is usually served in a hollowed-out
coconut with rice on the side.

Kuyteav
A famous Cambodian noodle soup usually consisting of rice noodle
and beef or chicken broth. Kuyteav is usually served as breakfast with
lime juice, chili powder, sugar or fish sauce flavorings.

Loc Lac
A stir fry of cube sized beefsteak with red onion, served on top of
lettuce, cucumber and tomato. Lime juice or pepper is provided for dipping.
It’s best served with your favorite red wine.

Num Ta Leng sap – Khmer vegetarian pancake
Khmer vegetarian pancake stuffed with tofu, jicima, mung beans and
bean sprouts. Absolutely delicious!e

Siem Reap Travel Guide

Phnom Penh Travel Guide

Over the past few years, the waves of cheap airline have been growing and aimed at conquering the traditional airlines market. Cheap flights such as Air Asia, Jetstar, etc are getting popular. Everyone can enjoy the convenience of booking the airline tickets online.

Air Asia from Malaysia is the pioneer of low cost traveling in Asia. It has recently launched a ZOOM promotion. What’s so special about this promotion is that it offered fares that are as low as RM9* one-way from Kuala Lumpur hub to exciting domestic destinations. According to AirAsia’s Regional Head of Commercial, Kathleen Tan, the launch of the ZOOM promotion was a mark of support to the Tourism Ministry’s effort to promote domestic tourism. The booking period for this promotion begins on 28 July – 5 August 2008 for the travel period of 1 September – 13 November 2008. Find out more of the promotion. Also, the AirAsia X’s network focus cover destinations which are more than 4 hours in flight duration from Kuala Lumpur.

FireFlyz is Malaysia’s first community airline and is wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysian Airline System Berhad. It currently offer extra flights for Subang – Kota Bharu from 29 & 30 september to 3,4,5 &6 of Otober. One could save more if purchase the airline ticket together with the package of the destinations.

Tiger Airways is based in Singapore, with its primary hub at Singapore Changi Airport. It offers a series of real cost savings Tiger Add-On products such as Luggage Upsize, Sports Equipment Check-in and Seat Selector. These Tiger Add-Ons are designed to ensure passengers can enjoy more convenience, assurance and comfort.

Jetstar Asia is based in Singapore. Jetstar Asia Airways and Valuair merged on 25th July 2005. Both airlines operate out of Singapore and fly to most major cities in South-east Asia. Valuair is now having a promotion from Singapore to Medan, Indonesia from S$128. The newly launched ‘Booklovers on Board’ programme provide a selection of short story books that are recommended by the Singaporean National Library Board as part of its nationwide READ! Singapore campaign. Books will remain on board till the end of August 2008.

Lion Air had the largest market share in Indonesia and was once the official airlines for Miss Asean in 2005. It served various domestic destinations and international destination including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Ho Chi Minh City. Besides, Adam Air is a privately owned airline based in Jakarta, Indonesia. It marketed itself as an airline that is in-between low-cost and traditional carriers by offering onboard service with meal at competitive price. This is an advantage that make it outstand from others. Citilink is another airline company based in Indonesia. You could booking the tickets online for domestic destinations – Balikpapan, Bandung, Batam, Jakarta, Medan, Pekanbaru and Surabaya.

Cebu Pacific Air is based in Manila, Philippine. It is the nationl flag carriers. It scheduled flights to both domestic and international destinations in clude Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, etc. Air Philippines transfers to terminal 3 starting 24th of July 2008. All arrival and departure of Air Philippines and Pal Express will be at the NAIA Terminal 3. It served for domestic destination in Philippine.

Bangkok Airways is a regional airline based in Bangkok, Thailand. It scheduled services to 20 destinations include Thailand, Cambodia, China, Japan, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam. Apart from that, there are Nok Air and One Two Go airline served for domestic destinations in Thailand.

Siem Reap Airways is based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with hubs at Bangkok International Airport and Angkor International Airport, Siem Reap. It operates services at both domestic and international destinations including China, Laos and Thailand.

Tips when booking cheap airline tickets
Book early
Book as earlier as you can. Some budget airlines only allow booking the next three-month, so you should book within the limitation. Besides, some airline companies also used tiered pricing strategy where a small number of airline tickets are sold at a cheap price while the rest will be charged at a higher price.

Fly during the week
During the weekends or the school holidays period, the price of the flight tickets will increase considerably. There is bound to be crowded too. So try to depart and return during the week. It can save you lots of money.

Get to the airport on time
Most budget airline companies will try to reduce number of employees in order to save costs and provide cheap flight tickets to customers. This means that check-in staffs do double-checking as gate staffs. So be sure to get you more time to get to the airport.

Try the conventional airlines
Many conventional airlines sometimes offer cheaper flight tickets than the low cost carrier.

Baggage allowances
Additional fees will be charge on you if your bag has exceeded certain kilograms.

Be sure to check where you are going
Some low cost flights will be landed in the airport that is far away from your final destination.

Sources: asiaforvisitors, Budget airline tips from the BBC in Shropshire