Cambodia forum

That aside, I havent confirmed if I'm gonna take the US$60 taxi ride 1 way or stick with the US$10 Mekong Express.

Although I did read somewhere, private taxi can save you 1/2 the time. Possible to get you from PP to SR in 3 hours. How true is that? I havent been to Cambodia and I have no idea on how's the roads/jam/traffic there.

Go to Siem Reap! Yes, it may be a bit more touristy, but you can't miss Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom... I still can't believe they let people climb all over these magnificent ruins. The floating villages, the central market, and just walking around meeting the locals was the best part of our trip.
You might be able to get a cheap flight with Air Asia between PP and SR as well... the bus is a long 6hrs, but decent and cheap. good luck

Yes a bus would be about 6 hours (including a 1/2 hour stop and phaffing around time at the beginning). It's a pretty good run once you get going and I don't believe a taxi would save you much aside from the 1/2 hour stop, and maybe another 15-30 mins travelling time.

I agree with Nokka - I would allow 1-2 days in PP max, and head to Siem Reap. One day at the temples is good, but 2 would be better. If you got the early bus from PP to SR, you could go to the temples at 5pm (or is it 4pm? - I keep forgetting), buy a 1-day ticket and they will let you in for the sunset that night. You can then come back the next day for a full-on day of looking at the key temples.

Alternatively you could travel with Apsara Khmer by Ford Transit minibus; only 1 stop in Kompong Thom and quicker than the bigger buses at 4-5 hours...

1. No, these buses are not of the real local variety with chickens and overcrowding etc. Same number of people as seats and in general decent and comfortable with aircon. Most buses are however imported from Japan or Korea and legspace and seats not huge but if I remember correctly Mekong Express is alright and one of the better ones.
2. Those minibuses are slightly better but not much faster. When those minibuses are full however they give more a sense of crowding than a normal bus. Perhaps better for low season than high season.
3. Don't know about the minibus. The better bus companies will send a minibus or tuk tuk to collect you at hotel. I assume the minibus will do a pick-up

I personally would go for a private taxi (at least 1-way) for more comfort and efficiency. Keep in mind that a pick-up from hotel also picks up other people and that quickly adds another 30-45 minutes to your trip. Usually you also wait 10-15 minutes before the bus departs.
Also upon arrival you need to take a tuk tuk to your hotel. A door-to-door service from a taxi I find well worth it and the extra $20 you can save by drinking a bottle of wine less or so.

That sounds about right as a guideline for budget

- If you don't eat at the main tourist area you prices will even be lower. At a real roadside stall (near local market areas) you can have a noodlesoup for a dollar or so. In a local restaurant (outside tourist area) prices are also low (think $2-5) for a simple meal.
- in the main tourist area that they close off at night there is a lot of competition between restaurants and you can find nice sandwiches/khmer/western food for $5 (and upwards) as well. Plenty of choice and good quality.

So you should be fine if you budget like that.