Come travel with me!: Mana Mana Friends.......With Mao & the fruit seller in Siem Reap

Last December i went with a group for girlfriends or popularly called '' rombongan cik kiah" to Siem Reap, Cambodia. That was my 1st trip with them as i normally meet them only during birthdays, or "khenduris", Hari Raya gatherings or open houses or during our "Kutu nights"
There is only 1 flight on Air Asia to this former French Colonised city, Siem Reap. The flight AK 1481 departs at 0735 am from LCCT and arrives at 0835 am local time.

The immigration procedure was fast as they don't have many flights arriving at that hour together with us. For foreigners, you can apply Visa on arrival but please read up carefully on the internet regarding the requirements .You have to have the precise photograph size and also the photocopies of documents.
I learned about this when i went for the second time when Bekhruz & Sitora came from Uzbekistan and together with Tengku Munirah & Rehan Harun we went for short holiday here.

One important thing to remember, you must always get your entry card from the airplane. Just keep extra in your bag. I must have doze off in the plane when the air stewardess passed by with the entry cards and i thought i will just pick it at the immigration counter upon arrival. Boy! i was wrong . They pushed me from one counter to another and gave all kinds of excuses and even said they have run out of cards. They even ask for money! I said i can go back to the aircraft if you allow me too, but off course that's not possible. Finally after almost everyone is out of the arrival hall, one officer came and gave me a copy which has been used . That i will never forget and insyaallah this December i will be traveling with some friends again, i will definitely be careful with their entry cards.

I am writing not about my travel in Siem Reap but about my friend i met there. He is Mr Mao !
When i was there the 1st time, we arrived early at the hotel, too early and we could only check in after 2 pm which is quite normal in hotels all over the world. Its free & easy for everyone till we leave for the Angkor Watt tour the following day.

So, i decided not to waste my morning sitting around at the lobby and i set myself to explore the city on my own. When i came out, this tanned & friendly looking guy was calling for me. Tuk Tuk Ma'am.! City tour Ma'am. He looked okay to me and i feel i will be alright as his Tuk Tuk is parked at the hotel entrance so he must be a reliable driver. So we agreed on the price, off i went. Guess where??!!

To the market off course! I went to look for fruits of which i know they have lovely sweet pineapples, mangoes, and also other fruits which are familiar to our country. They had mangosteen & rambutans too at that time. But besides these fruits i actually was locally for the cut fruits like we have at home to eat with salt & "sambal rojak"which i have brought from home. Until today i really wonder how i could escape the security check point as they could have just thrown it in the dustbin. Anyway, I explained to Mao in details what i was looking for. So, he drove me near the French Quarters and found a lady selling it. Wooh! talking or rather writing about it is enough to make my mouth watery now.