Today's flights:
VN 650 SIN-SGN (A-321)
VN 813 SGN-REP (A-321)


After an efficient check out at the Marina Bay Sands and an eerily quiet taxi ride out of town, we found ourselves at Changi Terminal 4.

Changi Terminal 4

As you can see, there wasn't much activity here in what seems to be an outpost to the much busier main Changi Terminals. Although there was a sleepy vibe to Terminal 4, I'd still take it over just about any domestic airport in the USA. Check in and concourses where wide open with plenty of shops and eateries. Even though it was removed from the main hustle of SIN, sweeping views of the Terminal 4 apron were available. The Terminal also provided many different and funky furniture styles to lounge about and people watch.

So.....Vietnam Airlines. While figuring out the interior legs of out trip I Google Flight-ed myself into a tizzy trying to put the right pieces of the puzzle into the right slots. There were plenty of options. I wanted to avoid LCCs due to the cattle call nature of their typical customers and, obviously, wanted the flights to be efficient. SilkAir probably had the most efficient route as it was a direct flight. A few more clicks, however, led me to a price from Vietnam Airlines that was less expensive yet had a layover in Ho Chi Minh City. I thought that was exotic enough to justify the extra two hours (layover) of travel time so I booked two one-way tickets in Y for under $340, all in. I didn't want to bother with an added seat selection, checked bag, carry on, or meal fees and this flgith had it all included. A few days earlier I had received an offer from OptionTown, a third party contractor for VN, to upgrade to Business that included lounge access for both legs of my trip. Each leg was only an hour so it wasn't the end of the world sitting in coach. A few clicks later I had opted in for an upgrade at what I thought was a lowball offer. Turns out I requested upgrades for both of us at the full ask, $392 EACH. Nearly $800 added onto our original $340 fare. I tried frantically to back track and find my way out of it but I could not figure out how to undo it. Once they have you hooked in, the don't let go. I was resigned to the fact that I was out the money but at least I'd have good seats and lounge access.

On to check in. We arrived at the airport at around 10am for a 1:10pm departure. The lady looked at my ticket and asked me to come back in 20 minutes to speak to a supervisor. I assumed it was due to our upgrades and they had to be processed on site by a higher up. I parked my wife and our bags and mosied off to get her her medicine (Cafe Americano). In my absence, a few tour buses had deposited dozens of travelers at the VN desk.



VN Check In

Frustrating but we still had plenty of time. After about fifteen minutes, they opened a few more kiosks and I was up to the counter to check us in. Turns out while our bid was accepted by OptionTown,it was not accepted by VN. I was relieved, of course, but confused about the process. All checked in, we headed through immigration with only a minor hiccup (wife breezed through, my fingerprints weren't cooperating so I was off to another counter to get stamped out).

As I said, airside section of Terminal 4 could easily compete with any US domestic terminal. We walked around and shopped for a bit (who knew tiger balm came in roll on form?). We then made our way to the gate for:


VN 650 SIN-SGN

Both flights were uneventful with both departing and arriving nearly on time. We were sat mid-cabin in an aisle (me) and window (wife), with both flights having the seat between us open.



Leg Room-meh


False Advertising


Cartoons

Arrival into SGN was to a remote gate. We were than bused to the main terminal on a rather circuitous route. We passed countless old cargo containers from airlines I didn't even know flew to Vietnam. I was also able to witness the underbelly of the baggage operations. I was entertained, to say the least. We arrived to the terminal and exited the bus. We then made our way down a series of non-descript corridors to immigration/transit. I had intended to go landside to get a picture of the front of the airport. I had applied for and received an eVisa. I took one look at immigration and, instead, chose to head right to transit and find the gate for my next flight.


SGN Immigration

We made our way to the transit entrance, cleared security and ascended to the main terminal. The international terminal at SGN does offer some good views of the apron, there just isn't a whole lot of activity. I did see a few 777's (Thai, Eva, VN) but anything other than widebodies was at remote gates, I believe. The concourse is elevated above the boarding area and filled with kiosk after kiosk of the exact same knick knacks sold by people wearing identical uniforms. The entire concourse was lined with these stands. The were one or two high end stores in the middle and a smattering of food vendors located in out of the way areas. I tried to buy something, I did. I just couldn't find anything that stood out as anything other than junk.

After that disappointment, it was off to the gate to await our bus. Scanning and boarding the bus went surprisingly smooth and we were off to the same area remote stand that we had previously disembarked. Off to Cambodia we go.......



REP

Siem Reap, Cambodia

We were finally arriving to a place where we could hang our hats for a few days. We exited the plane via the stairs and headed into the terminal. Cambodia requires a visa, typically valid for 30 days. There were lines for visa holders, residents and then a line to purchase a visa. I applied for eVisas for my wife and I one evening before bed and they were in my inbox the next morning before I awoke. They request you carry your hard copy with you. I printed our visas onto 3"x5" stickers and affixed them to our passports. About 2/3 of our flight needed to purchase on arrival and those who didn't were digging for their hard copies. We breezed right through, clearing in less than five minutes.

We were met by a representative of our hotel after clearing customs. Her greeting and smile were a harbinger of the type of people we were to encounter over the next few days. She guided us to a nearby pick up area where a driver rolled up to grab the three of us and whisk us to the hotel.

Golden Temple Boutique Residences

My criteria for choosing this hotel included wanting to be within walking distance of the Night Market and Pub Street, had to have a pool, and had to have airport pickup/drop off (I hate not pre-arranging ground travel). The reviews of this place were outstanding and it was one short block to all of the action. After reading reviews on several different sites, I decided to book three nights using the American Airlines portal (earning 6,000 miles). Siem Reap is a late entry into the destination market and there is no obvious central hotel zone. Some have been/are being built on the road to the airport, others on the outskirts near the thoroughfare to the Temples. This place was just in the heart of this funky little city.



Hotel Entrance


Lobby Pool


Lobby


Shower


Our Suite


Loo


Hotel Lobby Offering To The Gods


Lobby Entertainment


In a nice touch, we were seated in comfortable chairs and offered a plate of food and drinks during our check in process, truly feeling like a guest. We checked out the room and decided to grab a bite to eat. As I said, we were within a block of Pub Street and headed there for dinner. Pub Street is, basically, a block or so of western restaurants and clubs with a few spas and vendors thrown in. This sits amidst the larger Night Market, which has store upon store of trinkets, clothes, jewelry and Cambodian folk art. And tanks to stick your feet into so fish can eat the dead skin off of your feet (we passed).



Pub Street


What We Should've Eaten


What I ate


What She Ate


Token Alcohol Photo


After dinner we headed back to the hotel to actually unpack. We had a driver scheduled to pick us up the next morning at noon and we weren't sure we'd sleep an hour or 12 hours.


Next Up: The Temples of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom