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Items need to be considered:
I am looking for someone to create a blog or face book for this web site so we can collect all member ideas, information before, during, after the trip.
Please take pictures of PASSPORT, VISA , AIR TICKET info, zip them then email to yourself, your parents AND to one member of your group.
Someone will sum up our schedule + member passport/visa info to inform our US embassy of whatever country we travel in
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OPTIONS we have: For budget issue, our trip cost depends a lot on the price of round trip air plane ticket from to US, some time they have big ON SALE roundtrip SEATTLE-BANGKOK (Case 1) sometime they do on SEATTLE-SAIGON city (case 2), hopefully we have a good deal SEATTLE-BANGKOK then we do transportaion our self to SAIGON then fly SAIGON-SEATTLE (Case 3) The next following section we planning for case 3, if we fall to case 2 then we have to modify our plan to go to Siem Reap from Vietnam and back to Vietnam for Nha Trang thus we have to pay about 50 dollars for reentry Vietnam and also forget about Bangkok :( If we fall to case 1 then we do like case 3 but pay extra 100 dollar for air plane ticket from Saigon to Bangkok :( We try our best to make us fit to case #3 which will be outlined as below |
Trip outline case #3: We will land at Bangkok, Thailand spend couple days to do sightseeing & visit attractions as taking boat along the Chao Phrya River and stop at The Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), temple of the dawn (Wat Arun), Royal Grand Palace and more... then we say goodbye to Bangkok by taking train to Thailand-Cambodia border (Poipet) to stay at Siem Reap (Cambodia) 3-4 days to visit Angkor Wat (World Wonder) then taking boat on Tonle Sap lake to reach Phnom Penh, hopefully we have enough time to visit The Cambodian Killing Field (you know this movie ?), We will stay at Phnom Penh at least one night then taking bus to cross Cambodia-Vietnam border (Moc Bai) and stay on bus about 40 miles more then you can rest few days at Saigon for shopping then head North for Nha Trang Beach please take few minutes to learn where are the Bangkok, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Saigon and Nha Trang on the maps before reading the detail trip plan section, put little attention around border area (names) to have rough idea what we are going to have fun.
The air plane tickets from Seattle to Bangkok and from Saigon to Seattle is around 1200 dollars, the transportation cost for Bus, Taxi, Boat, Train on Bangkok, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Saigon, Nha Trang and back to Saigon (and VISA for crossing borders) is about 300 dollars, each day at Siem Reap you have to pay 20 dollars for enter Angkor Wat, 10 dollars for renting electrical bike, 10 dollars for hotel and food, 10 dollars for ..snack (+ drinkable water etc..) so it costs you around 50 dollars in Siem Reap a day, the cost per day at Bangkok or Phnom Penh should be the same, for our 20 day trip, 10 days at Thailand & Cambodia will cost you 10 x 50 = 500 dollars, you will spend about 25 dollars a day for 10 days in Vietnam so it cost you 10 x 25 = 250 dollars, so the total trip for each person should be around 1200 + 300 + 500 + 250 = 2250 dollars for 20 days, in that 20 days you cross pacific ocean and cross 4 country borders USA - Thailand - Cambodia - Vietnam - USA again.
When: after done with summer work, leave Seattle at some time in the first days of September 2009 and must return back to US before the end of September for school, make sure enroll all wanted class before you go. trip about 20 day long
To make your time become effectively in this trip, one week before you come to Bangkok, Kim's parents will fly to Saigon first and cross Vietnam-Cambodia border to scout Phnom Penh and stay couple day on Siem Reap then cross Cambodia-Thailand border and take train to Bangkok. Kim parents will meet you at Airport and take you to hotel in Siam Square shopping center, but keep in mind we want to rent hotel in this area not because for shopping but because for transportation convenience, taxi boat, bus, sky train to the Chao Phrya River etc ... sightseeing and visit attraction places are our goal, do not buy stuffs even it was very cheap, you have to carry whatever you bought in this looong trip :) Below is our trip in detail
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Day 1 Kim parents pickup
kids at Suvarnabhumi air port, this is a
flexible day. US citizen do not need VISA to enter Thailand
Suvarnabhumi Airport covers an approximate area of 32 sq.km. Located at Km.15 on the east-bound Bangna-Trat Highway in Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan Province. It is about 29 km. from Bangkok's downtown. All international flights (arrivals and departures) and some domestic flights are operated here Airport Express: There are four express bus routes from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok downtown. The cost is 150 baht for entire route. (Service hours: 05.30-24.00 hrs.) AE 1: Suvarnabhumi Airport-Surawong Rd.-Silom Rd. Bus stops: Phetburi Soi 30, Central World Plaza, (BTS) Ratchadamri Station, Lumpini Park, Sala Daeng (on Rama 4 Rd.), Montien Hotel, Tawana Ramada Hotel, Plaza Hotel, Surawong Soi Kamjai Lamsuri, Charoen Krung Soi 47/1, Loet Sin Hospital, Central Silom, Silom Soi 26, Narai Hotel (Silom Soi 18), Sofitel Hotel (Silom Soi 12), Bangkok Bank (Silom Soi 6), (BTS) Sala Daeng Station AE 2: Suvarnabhumi Airport-Khao San Rd. Bus stops: Phetburi Soi 30, Platinum Fashion Mall, Phetburi soi 20, Phetburi Soi 10, Uruphong, Saphan Khao, Thai Airways (Lan Luang), Wat Ratchanadda, Democracy Monument, Royal Hotel, National Theatre, Phra Athit Rd., Phra Sumen, Khao San Rd. |
AE 3: Suvarnabhumi
Airport-Sukhumvit (Nana) Bus stops: Sukhumvit Soi 52-50, Phra Khanong Market, Eastern Bus Terminal, Sukhumvit Soi 38, Sukhumvit Soi 34, Sukhumvit Soi 24, Sukhumvit Soi 20, Sukhumvit Soi 18, Sukhumvit Soi 10 (Bangkok Bank), Sukhumvit Soi 6, Sukhumvit Soi 2, Central Chit Lom, Central World Plaza, Phetburi Soi 25, Phetburi Soi 35, Soi Nana AE 4: Suvarnabhumi Airport-Hua Lamphong Railway Station Bus stops: Victory Monument, Soi Rangnam, 99 Hotel, (BTS) Phaya Thai Station, Department of Livestock, (BTS) Ratchathewi Station, Siam Discovery Centre, Ma Boon Khrong (MBK), Chulalongkorn University, Mandarin Hotel, Bangkok Centre Hotel, Hua Lamphong Railway Station For more details about Airport Express services, please call +66 (0) 2134 2443, 2134 8030 2. Public Buses in Bangkok 24 hour public bus service is provided from the Bus Terminal at the Transport Center. Take a shuttle bus (Express route) to the Transport Center Bus fare is 35 baht.
Bus Number 551 - Suvarnabhumi Airport
- Victory Monument (Expressway)Bus
No.551 connects Suvarnabhumi Airport to
the Victory Monument via New Bangkok -
Chonburi expressway to Srirat expressway
for exit at Rama 9 toll gate to continue
further along Asoke-Dindang Road and
Rachawithi Road for the final stop at
the Victory Monument. (then Walk to sky
train)
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Day 2 Sky train to
boat station drive boat along Chao Phrya River, will stop
to visit The Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), temple of the dawn (Wat Arun),
Royal Grand Palace, "window" shopping at night, wondering in night market
and more...
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Day 3 Continue do
thing first day you missed, Kim mom will guide kids around other
attraction areas, do not forget do taxi boat, wow! a lot fun ehh , Kim
Dad taking care about Train/Bus tickets for next day crossing
Thailand-Cambodia border, go to bed early
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Day 4
Must be at train station at 5 AM or we have
to pay 70 dollars for taxi, people said taking train is a lot of fun, if
we are late the second train will start at 1:05PM in
which
means you're either going to spend the night in Aranyaprathet (Thailand
side)
Thailand / Cambodia borders Aranyaprathet / Poipet This is, by far the most popular, and the most dysfunctional border crossing between Thailand and Cambodia. Cambodian visas on arrival are available and eVisas are accepted. Crossing times can be in excess of three hours depending on the whims of the border officials, but crossings can also be mercifully fast. Poipet (the Cambodian side of the border) has a major touting problem and it can be difficult to organise onwards transport to Siem Reap at a reasonable price. The Tales of Asia website has an excellent section dedicated to this crossing.
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The train is cheap, 48 baht (about $1.45). The trains are third-class
only (not so comfortable, but people do seem to enjoy the ride) and take
about five and a half hours. There are only two trains a day. The first
train leaves at the insane time of 5:55 am (#275), the second train
leaves at 1:05 pm (#279) - which means you're either going to spend the
night in Aranyaprathet and not save any money after all or cross the
border too late to get anywhere else but Poipet. Trains leave from
Hualamphong station. You can navigate the Bangkok public bus system and
get to the station for just a few baht or you can take a taxi. There is
sometimes a second-class carriage on the train but to quote a traveler,
"The only 2nd class carriage is the last one on the train and you can
upgrade your ticket by boarding this carriage and paying the extra 113
baht to the conductor on board, you cannot buy a 2nd class ticket at the
ticket booths."
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Day 5 Flexible day, if we
on time then we already stay in Angkor Wat, if we were late then we are
now crossing border to Siem Reap Siem Reap City is the gateway to the Angkor Archaeological Park. There are no hotels within the Park grounds and most visitors stay in Siem Reap where almost all of the area's hotels and restaurants are located. Siem Reap City is just south of the Angkor Archaeological Park with the Park entrance located only 3km north of town. With the exception of the Roluos Group of temples 13km east of Siem Reap, the most important temple ruin are within 6-25km north of town, the closest major temple being Angkor Wat. To arrange your visit to the Angkor Archaeological Park you will need to decide how long to stay, purchase an admission pass, arrange transportation to the temples, obtain a guidebook or tour guide and plan out your temple itinerary.
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Day 6 and 7 Angkor Wat
and more...
The Angkor Archaeological Park is home to the magnificent Khmer temple ruins of Angkor, including the legendary Angkor Wat, Bayon and dozens of other ancient ruins of the Angkorian-era (9th-13th century) Khmer Empire. The Park encompasses more than 400 square kilometers just outside Siem Reap City in northwestern Cambodia and is a World Heritage Site. The temple ruins of Angkor contained within the Angkor Archaeological Park represent the remnants of the millennium-old Angkorian-era capitals of the ancient Khmer Empire. The Khmer people were and are the dominant ethnic group in Cambodia. The name Angkor refers to the Angkorian-era Khmer Empire that stretched across much of mainland Southeast Asia between the 9th and 15th centuries A.D., and also refers to the capital city of the Empire that was centered north of Siem Reap Cambodia. The Angkor Archaeological Park encompasses the main temple ruins of the Angkorian capitals located in the Siem Reap area
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Admission / How Long to
Stay
Visiting hours are 5:00AM - 6:00PM. Angkor Wat closes at 6:00PM, Banteay Srey closes at 5:00PM and Kbal Spean at 3:00PM. Always carry your ticket. It will be checked upon each park entry and at major temples. There is a significant fine for not possessing a valid ticket inside the park. A regular admission ticket is not required to visit Phnom Kulen, Koh Ker or Beng Melea, but there is a separate entrance fee of $20, $10 and $5, respectively.
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Day 8 Take boat on Tonle Sap lake
from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh (6 hours on the boat :)
) Cambodia's Great Lake, the Boeung Tonle Sap (Tonle Sap Lake,) is the most prominent feature on the map of Cambodia - a huge dumbbell-shaped body of water stretching across the northwest section of the country. In the wet season, the Tonle Sap Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia, swelling to an expansive 12,000 km2. During the dry half of the year the Lake shrinks to as small as 2500 km2, draining into the Tonle Sap River, which meanders southeast, eventually merging with the Mekong River at the 'chaktomuk' confluence of rivers opposite Phnom Penh
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The lake sits only about 15 km south of Siem Reap town. If you take the ferry between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap you will cross the lake and dock at the village of Chong Khneas. There are several ways to see the culture and wildlife of the lake area depending on the amount of time you have and your interest ... FMI: http://www.canbypublications.com/siemreap/srtonlesap.htm |
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Day 9
Phnom Penh:
Capital of the Kingdom of
Cambodia A mixture of Cambodian
hospitality, Asian exotica and Indochinese charm await the visitor to
Phnom Penh. Situated at the confluence of three great rivers - known as
the 'Chaktomuk' (four faces) or 'Quatre Bras' (four arms) of the Mekong,
Tonle
Sap and Bassac rivers - Phnom Penh is a city of more than 2 million
people, the capital of Cambodia and the country's
commercial, economic and political hub.
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   Cambodian Killing Field: On April 17th, 1975 the Khmer Rouge, a communist guerrilla group led by Pol Pot, took power in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. They forced all city dwellers into the countryside and to labor camps. During their rule, it is estimated that nearly 2 million Cambodians died by starvation, torture or execution |
Day 10 Taking early bus to cross
Cambodia-Vietnam border (Moc
Bai) and stay on bus about 40 miles more then you can reach
Saigon about 2 PMCambodia-Vietnam border / Moc BaiThis was the first crossing between Vietnam and Cambodia to open to foreign travellers and it remains easily the most popular. Daily buses regularly ply the Saigon - Phnom Penh route and the service is both fast and affordable. Cambodian visa on arrival is available here, Vietnamese visas must be arranged in advance. We can apply Vietnamese VISA at Phnom Penh, but weekend or holiday might delay our group schedule |
 
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| Day 11 Enjoy Saigon 1 day, do not listen to Kimberly one day is enough for now, we will come back to Saigon later to fly back to US | Will be updated, Kim Ben know a lot about Viet Nam click the link below for their Vietnam trip in 2007 (some picture belong to their parents trip to Europe in 2008 |
Day 12 Taking early bus to
Nha Trang Beach will stay at
Hotel walking distance to the beach |
 Will be updated, Kim Ben know a lot about Viet Nam click the link below for their Vietnam trip in 2007 (some picture belong to their parents trip to Europe in 2008 |
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Day 13 Enjoy Nha Trang Beach +
swim + relax
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Day 14 Boat trip to 4 islands +
dancing on a boat, jump and swim arond the boat ... fun fun fun
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Day 15 Water Slide park -
WoW fun fun fun
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Day 16 Enjoy Nha Trang Beach +
swim + parachute + water motocycle
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Day 17 Sorry guy you have to go
back to Saigon, (I wish if we have 22 day trip, we will use to stop at
Dalat so we can feed and drive elephant, fun fun fun ehhhh)
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| Day 18, 19 Enjoy shopping in Saigon, a lot of cheap lousy stuffs to buy, you feel free to buy | Will be updated |
| Day 20 Get on air plane fly from Saigon back to USA | Will be updated |
