Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ma cherie]

A few things:

You can get a visa to Cambodia online with a great e-service that they offer. The URL is: http://evisa.mfaic.gov.kh/

You simply fill out the application form, pay $25 via credit card and send them a scanned passport photo and voila, you have it within a day or two (or even faster). However, keep in mind that it's only single entry, so if you're entering the country twice, like I did, you need another visa. Still, the procedure is easy, and it's fast.

Also, correction about the Angkor Temples pass; a 3-day pass is $40, not $50 like someone had stated. I also recommend taking the Mekong Express tour bus for $10; it's only six hours, and mine ended up arriving in the city a bit early.

For accommodations, check out the Buoy Savy Guesthouse in Siem Reap (www.buoysavyguesthouse.com). Nice people; fan rooms were only $6/night. I hired the tuk tuk driver there to take me to the temples; service was wonderful, respectful and polite.

Also while in Siem Reap, go to the Blue Pumpkin. Don't ask; just do it.

Phnom Penh -- not as nice as Siem Reap but worth a visit. You gotta see the Killing Fields and pay respects, as well as Tuol Sleng Museum. But don't expect a happy time there.

[ma cherie]

It's Bou Savy Guesthouse (www.bousavyguesthouse.com).

[articulate_ink]

I flew from Phnom Penh to Siem Riep last year on Siem Reap Airways, which is a subsidiary of Bangkok Airways. The plane was actually painted with a Bangkok Airways livery. This is an excellent carrier. I had flown them from Bangkok to PP as well. Not the cheapest option on any route, but the best. I think the intra-Cambodia flight was US$40 or $50. I'm prone to motion sickness, so the idea of taking the bus or the ferry wasn't something I considered for more than, oh, like 15 seconds.

I agree about the Blue Pumpkin in Siem Reap. It's a great place to chill out after you've been stomping around in the temples all day.

Some of PP's main attractions are about bearing witness to the atrocities that happened under the Khmer Rouge. They're worth seeing, but be good to yourself while you're there. Give yourself time to reflect and recover afterward.

Good food at the Foreign Correspondents Club in PP, btw.

[desultude]

[deadman]

Tip for the temples:

A lot of people do Angkor Wat at dawn - a really nice time of day, and worth doing, but gets a bit crowded. I find crowds ruin the temples' atmosphere easily. To me it's all about quiet overgrown ruins in the jungle.

Immediately after sunrise, take your transport from Angkor Wat to another temple, where you should have a good hour or two to yourself in the cool of the early morning - magic.

I recommend Ta Prom for this - it has some nice trees and vines growing over the crumbling walls. I did it, and that, for me, was the experience that I was looking for there. The only thing missing was some sort of natural hallucinogen to really make it special!

Guesthouse recommendation (if that's allowed) - Earthwalkers

http://www.earthwalkers.no/

Really cool. I stay there every time I pass through.

[desultude]

[Leavingkorea]

Siem Reap air is alright. Fly baby!!! Why lose a whole day of your trip on buses or crappy boats?

As for time there. If I did 6-7 days I'd not buy the 3 day pass. I'd buy 1 day passes each day and spend 3-4 total days seeing the temples. It's good to get a little break between them. You appreciate them more and don't get templed out. With other time make sure you visit the landmine museum and the war museum is alright too. Their culture world (forget the name but it's a brand new park) is worth a walk through too one day. Take a trip to the lake to see the village on the water and walk through town a bit and there you go all 7 days are gone.

Just have your hotel arrange a tuktuk or taxi for you for your trip. I preferred the tuktuk honestly. Once he meets you at the airport work out a deal with him and let him drive you around each day. If you don't like him, let him drive to your hotel, pay him say thanks and try again.

BTW I'd never stay at Earthwalkers. Too far from the main town. Stay down near the old market. You can walk around at night and eat well, have a drink, hang by other temples, walk along the river or whatever.

[billyg]

sianoukville was definitely worth skipping... actually just left it a few days ago... in phnom penh right now... been going into the shanties everyday and taking pictures, hanging out... one of the best experiences i've ever had in my life. been posting photos if anyone wants to have a look.

billygomez.blogspot.com

[cwemory]

So, is there a good place to relax or "chill out" in Cambodia? A Vang Vieng of Cambodia? I have my itinerary planned out and I have a few days left to spend somewhere relaxing and low-key (if possible) before retuning to the rigeurs of Korea .

[deadman]

[cwemory]