Cambodia

KnocKnocKnock

Hi everyone, just looking for some advice.
I'm in Australia at the moment on a WHV and wanted to plan a trip to Cambodia at short notice. I was thinking of going in the next few weeks or so.. Can anyone give me any tips?

Tipperary animal lover

Just go, it's a well troddin tourist path, once in PP arrange your tours, head to the coast it's ok a bit seedy and head up to Angkor watt(siemreap) by boat from PP, bring american$ small notes are best but have to be new no marks or tears you'll find it hard to change. It's very easy to travel through just go and enjoy its very cheap!!!

JayC5

KnocKnocKnock wrote: »

Hi everyone, just looking for some advice.
I'm in Australia at the moment on a WHV and wanted to plan a trip to Cambodia at short notice. I was thinking of going in the next few weeks or so.. Can anyone give me any tips?

I've been twice to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Loved PP but I've had enough of SR, only spend a couple of days in SR if you plan on going, 3 should be enough to cover everything. Yeah the Angkor Watt experience is great but it can become too much after a while, touts pestering you all the time, kids hanging out of your legs trying to sell you postcards and so on. Plus, the ruins tend to all look the same after a few hours - "oh, look at that piece of crumbling wall over there!!!" .... "gosh, it looks just like that one we saw earlier!".. am joking by the way. One full day with a very early start should be about right to see all that's worth seeing of the temple ruins - pricey though. Apologies, I've been too harsh on Angkor , it's def worth seeing once, bring a reasonably good camera as there's some great photo potential.

Siem Reap appears small enough, most of the bars that I passed through were full of twenty-something backpackers, p*ssed out of their brains and dancing on table-tops to sh*te music. Whatever floats your boat I suppose... The street-beggars can be a bit intimidating also, they congregate at the ends of the main pedestrianised street (can't remember its name, near the Red Piano Bar, supposedly a hangout of Angelina Jolie when she was there. Food is not bad there either and nice street view from upstairs) and will slowly crowd around you like something out of 28 Days Later when you make your way past. I'm not making light of their circumstances I might add, it's just a bit freaky for a first-timer making their way home in the dark hours.

As mentioned by a previous poster, take the boat to travel from PP to SR, think it took about 4 hours or so and cost about 10-12 USD. Some amazing views and you'll see floating villages along the way. Bring food/water/cigs, and be careful sitting up on deck as it can be a tad deceiving with the cool breeze when you're travelling fast. Even tho the day was overcast I got burnt to bits and was in pain for a day or two. Bring mozzie spray as I couldn't find anything with the higher DEET levels there. Don't bother buying overpriced guidebooks before you go, check out wikitravel / wikivoyage and travelfish.org - plenty of info there. Plus, you can pick up great copies of LP guidebooks on the street there for $2. Avoid KFC at all costs, you have been warned! Don't bother with malaria tabs if you are sticking to SR and PP, I didn't and I'm still here

So, Phnom Penh (way better than Siem Reap in my opinion!). Some great markets and some excellent bars - do your research online and you'll find something to suit your tastes. In terms of clubs I enjoyed Heart of Darkness and Pontoon. A live music venue called Sharky's, if I recall, was pretty good - some good bands, nice food and plenty of pool tables. Check out the locals doing their aerobics by the waterfront in the evening, worth a look. Plenty of markets in PP also, I think the Russian market was the best, the one that's indoors anyway - that's what you should be looking for.

Negotiate with tuk tuk drivers and food stalls, they'll charge higher if you don't. Keep your bags out of sight and between your legs when in the tuk tuks, I was warned of a spate of bag-snatching incidents when stopped in traffic, I saw nothing of note however. I wouldn't advise flashing the cash or fancy gadgets, a lot of poverty about so would probably not be the wisest thing to do. ATMs were plentiful, again choose your time wisely to visit them. Exercise care about what you leave in your room also when you go out, the cheaper the accom you go for the more likely the risk of things going missing, in my opinion. Having said that, I had a ball there, had zero trouble, nothing stolen, witnessed no aggression and found the Cambodian people to be some of the friendliest people I've ever met.

I hired a tuk tuk to bring me around for a few hours to check out a few bars, clubs and ended up parked up on the street knocking back cans of Angkor Beer with the guy swapping stories, sharing photos on our phones and generally at one with the world. Just two guys, a tuk tuk, tunes and a bag of beer. A priceless experience! As for the pubs/clubs tour, not much worth seeing really further afield, the ones I mentioned earlier were the best in my experience, Pontoon especially, that really kicks off after 1-1.30. Heart of D stays open later so you can fall across the road to that place for a late one if you so desire. Don't be put off with the security running metal detectors over your drunken frame on the way in, it's standard practice.

S21, Killing Fields (Cheung Ek and Tuol Sleng) are really worth seeing in PP, especially if you like your history. Be prepared however, as it's not a happy way to spend a day, might lend some perspective tho. The landmine museum is quite interesting also, don't bother with going to any firing ranges - a waste of money. I heard Sihanoukville is a nice spot, never made it down there in the end as I went on to Hanoi. In terms of cash Cambodia is quite cheap, I stayed in a nice hotel for about $20 a night but I'm sure there's way cheaper than that available, bargained with them too and got a reasonable discount. You can find cheaper but I was too lazy to keep carrying a backpack all around the houses in the heat, especially after a late one the night before. Another good idea is that if you prebook a place then bring out a googlemaps printoff of the location, write down the address and bring the phone number. A lot of tuk tuk/taxi drivers will tell you they know where it is and will not have a clue, you'll end up driving around aimlessly while he rings his mates for advice! Hope this info is of use to you, if I think of anything more I'll update later. Enjoy, Cambodia is amazing, second to Thailand the best memories I have of travelling, I'd go back in a heart beat!


Check out Agoda.com (helpful reviews on there) for accommodation if you want to book in advance, if not you can just turn up on the day and probably find a place.

Get rid of all your Cambodian Riel before you leave the country, you won't be able to exchange it or at least that was my experience... not that it's worth much anyway.

Be prepared to be hassled by tuk-tuk drives every 10 paces, don't feel the need to engage with them or you'll never get anything done. Smile and keep walking, gazing into middle distance like a boss!

As for illegal substances, you'll prob be offered large quantities at some stage, I would steer clear, heard many horror stories of setups. Can you even begin to imagine what a Cambodian prison would be like... that or you'll clean out your bank account buying your way out of trouble. Not worth it IMO.

Travel light, t-shirts mostly and maybe a light shirt just in case. I never needed one, way too hot. Don't bother with any fancy stuff - jeans and a T are fine for going out - you're not in Monaco now buddy! Forget about shoes unless this is what you normally wear, I found converse to be the best footwear for travel in this neck of the woods.

Bring tunage - ipod + portable speaker (personally, I wouldn't go anywhere without my Jabra Solemate), have a couple of drinks in your room with some music to relax before heading out, save on some cash while you're at it, that's if you're budget conscious.

You could cross the border to Ho Chi Minh also, might make for a nice trip!

Gatica

In Siem Reap make time to go to the Haven Training Restaurant. It's not cheap by Cambodian standards but it's really good food and for a good cause. They train grown-up orphans in the restaurant business, chefs, waiters, etc... It's something for them to pursue when they're out of the "system".
I think it's good to take 2 days for the temples rather than 1, or you'll be rushing. It's a nice walk through the Angkor Thom, it's lush and green and worth enjoying. If you finish early with Angkor Wat, just head back to town and get a cheap leg-massage and a drink. It's a holiday, relax and enjoy!

roro2

I spent 3 days at the temples around Siem Reap, and wouldn't have spent any less. One of the best travel experiences I've had, but it depends on what you're in to I suppose. Go early in the morning, finish by early afternoon, and try and visit the less crowded sites.