Cambodia- basic travel info and tips
Angkor Wat
Trip Taken August 2009
After about 30 to 40 hours of research, the trip to Cambodia was a hectic and an intense experience. Information about the country from visa itself was a bit unsettling, so many sites claiming so much corruption in Cambodia that not only did I take more precautions than I ever did before, but most precautions, and even the first aid kit, went unused!
Visa on arrival took us all of 10 minutes; visa prices are printed on a board and the line moved quickly and smoothly: $20 tourist single entry, $25 business multiple entry. I can not really say about border crossing in a train or bus; those I spoke to didn’t complain of any problems, but they also looked like true back packers.
Baton Srey Temple
The negotiating starts when you walk out of the airport. Know that the only reason the town of Siem Reap exists is because around 4 million tourists go there a year to see the magnificent Angkor Wat ruins. So, as all tourist towns, the business people stick together and mind their own business; they are not going to tell you the true value of something or negotiate for you. For example, it cost me $70 to get from Phnom Pehn airport to Siem Reap. The cab was arranged by my guest house and he said he did not negotiate the rate since he was helping me out. I thought that was for an English speaking cab driver. But I had no email correspondence to prove it, plus the guy was already at the airport, so I went along. The ride would have cost me less had I looked for a cab at the airport and been smart enough to negotiate myself.
The people are very friendly and realize they live on tourism, so don’t panic. Check prices every step of the way. Although the guest houses arrange things for you, they are always at a higher price, you can just walk around the little market area and find out the cost of a tuk-tuk ($10-$12 off season, maybe $12-$15 during season), bicycle or a cab all day. And make the deal for 2 or 3 days on a per day basis. Their language is Khmer, and it is a poor country. So talk slowly and if you feel comfortable with the person, then proceed. If not, find another person to deal with. You won’t be frustrated and they won’t be upset. Whatever you do, smile and be polite. They are gentle people and are always smiling, so return the smile and that in it self will get you far.
Agnkor Wat
Rooms, dormitory style, are easily available for $5 per person. You can also find a/c rooms with attached bathroom with hot shower for two people for $12 – $18. Many people show up there and then find a room to their liking. If time is on your side, this works. If you are there for 3 to 4 days only, there is enough to do to keep you busy from 5am to 9pm, so plan before you go there. Here is a helpful website when it comes to checking out guesthouses and booking in advance : www.talesofasia.com. Another one is www.concierge.com.
I stayed in Siem Reap for three complete days, and that meant a heavy schedule the whole time. Angkor wat, with its sunrises and sunsets, and a trip to Baton Srey temple, will easily take three days in a normal way. It works out with the price of entrance to Angkor being $20 per day, but $40 for three days. Food in and around the temple is pricey for Cambodia, so ask your guide (around $25 per day) to take you to an inexpensive place for food if you are on a tight budget. Otherwise, Angkor can end up costing you over $75 a day with the balloon ride and all. A guide should be good for one day, just to get you a solid idea of the history and what there is to see. Then, it isn’t hard to go around on your own. The history lesson was helpful in understanding the significance of the architechture and the temples themselves.
The "Lara Croft" temple. But it is so much more than that!
A day trip to Kampong Khleang, a floating village about 30km away, will take half a day, from 7am to 2pm or so. There are other day trips you can make from Siem Reap, as it is the nicer and more touristy place to stay in around there, but Angkor Wat is the main attraction and many people don’t have the time to hang around there for more than three or four days.
Kampot
The next leg of the trip was to go south to Kampot. I took an overnight bus there. I was told later that that is not only an unsafe decision for me but also for my luggage that they throw in the cabin under the bus! I wondered how only ten of us, mostly tourists, were on a 50 seater nice a/c bus going cross country through Phnom Pehn. The guest house booked the bus ticket for me and did not say anything, so I thought it was safe, or at least, not unsafe. Assumptions are bad, they say, and what may be safe for the locals need not be for tourists!
There was a minor incident with a single female back packer who was being harassed by the conductor, who spoke no English but apparently was hoping for some action with her; then he proceeded to me and I ended up screaming which in turn scared him. Worse could have happened, so no regrets, really. Cost of 350km across Cambodia: $16. And it saved me a day travelling. Nothing is ever worth the risk, but in hind sight, this was fine by me.
Valley
When hiring a car for a day trip, make sure you are specific about the timings of the car, as in from 8am to 6pm, or whatever, whether the price includes an English speaking driver an a/c that works. Make sure who ever books it for you, even a small tourist company writes all this down on your receipt in English. Otherwise you may end up with a driver who says no more than “Hello”, and pay for air conditioning that does not work. More than anything, it wastes your time to go back and find a replacement, even if the company is willing to do it.
If you decide to book a share taxi, ask what kind of a car it is, and how many people will be going in it. In Cambodia, typically, a Toyota Camry will seat three people in the two bucket seats in front and four adults in the back. That is seven in a car, with luggage as it comes. Not comfortable, and not always possible. It may be a true Cambodian experience as some of the tourists think of it, but not fun if there are six guys and one girl going. If there are any delicate things you bought along the way, consider them broken if you go along with the driver slamming the trunk on your luggage to make it all fit! But it is definitely a cheap ride and faster than the city to city busses.
Phnom Pehn is the capital city and the largest city. Coming into Phnom Pehn from the country side will bring you back to the reality of the world. The remoteness and peacefulness and the people laying in hammocks under their stilt houses all vanished and the smells and sounds of a vibrant crowded city comes suddenly into focus. Civilization brings forth the evils of man, as girls walk the streets all night and little children sell flowers and books and other stuff along the River walk, the tourist central for bars and restaurants. The River Walk is a safe heaven for the tourists but the side streets show a side of why some go to Cambodia and the demand and supply cycle of life.
Goodies at the market in Phnom Pehn
I did not quite make it to Sihanoukville, another beach town in South Cambodia, but from what I hear, it is fast becoming a beach resort. It provides day and night trips onto several islands close to it, has snorkeling and diving trips, picnics and even a five star resort on one of the islands. Many tourists go there to relax and enjoy the sun and water games. I am dark skinned and had no time to relax in the one week I was there; plus someone pointed out that Kampot and Kep (where I stayed for two days) was the same thing with fewer tourists and less noise and pollution, so I willingly passed.
There are other attractions like a trip up the Mekong river to see the rare Irrawaddy dolphins in the Kratie province. Kampong Thom is another province not so spoken about and hence not given enough significance but it is definitely worth going to even for a day to see more Angkorian temples.
Shopping in Cambodia is fun and colorful. Silk is made here, so the thing to buy is a silk purse and maybe cushion covers. I did. If you are bad at bargaining, you will get good by the time you walk through one market, which will take you at least a couple of hours. Mostly, you can get the item for less than half the price the sales girl is quoting you. The cushion covers were $5 each in one place, and I ended up paying $1.50 each for sixteen! Even if I bought six, I would have got them for no more than $1.75 each. So that is the basic rule of the game. Each market sells pretty much the same stuff. So walk around and see what you like. Once you ask them for the price, it is difficult to walk away without buying anything at all as they keep saying they will discount it for you.
The internet is a wonderful thing these days. You may enjoy carrying a Lonely Planet book with you, but it is not easy to find answers to simple questions as it is on the net. So do some reading first, plan a bit, and be a little flexible. You may hear someone tell you of a great experience somewhere and decide that is a better option than the one you planned. Not to worry, changing course and finding a way to get there is not that hard. Once you are in Cambodia, the people will help you get where you want and do what you want to do.
Wikipidia is always a gold mine. It has details about every town, so much so that I found it scary once I got there! It may be your next online one-stop-shop like the Lonely planet book. Check it out and enjoy Cambodia. There is hardly anything you can do not to enjoy the country, its history, the people and their culture. Oh, and don’t miss out on the incredible massages after a long day in the sun. You won’t find a place that does them for better, cheaper.
Don’t bother carrying anything but USD in cash. Even traveller’s checks are hard to exchange and no one likes doing it except if they charge you 3%-5% fee. No one talks in riel, only change for less than a dollar is given in riel in most places in Cambodia. Maybe in very rural towns they use riel, but not anywhere I went! The prices are quoted in USD, you bargain in USD and if there is change to be given it is in riel. It is 4190 riel per dollar, but you loose on exchange because everyone just quotes 4000 riel to a dollar. Credit cards are rarely accepted in the smaller budget guesthouses but will do in larger hotels and nicer restaurants. You better ask before you eat, though!
My over all trip expense for seven nights and eight days including food, board, tickets, travel with in Cambodia etc. amounted to just over $600, which is not bad, I think. Cheaper is easily possible, just with cheaper food and renting a bicycle for $2 a day instead of a tuk-tuk for $10 a day, but that again would mean I had time on my side, and I didn’t! A wonderful look at the tip of the ice burg that is Cambodia will take two weeks. I plan to go back, and soon. Maybe I can polish the cheaper way to back pack then!
Drop me a line or any questions. There is no way you can not enjoy your trip to Cambodia, so don’t sweat the details.
Facts to compare:
Cambodia : 181,000 sq km, Population : 14 million
State of New York : 141,000 sq km, Population : 20 million
Mumbai (Bombay): 57,000 sq km, Population : 14 million.
