Korean Job Discussion Forums

[crazylemongirl]

I recently got back from two weeks in Cambodia. I paid a steep price to fly direct to Phnom Penh on Asiana, who flies there twice a week as I didn't want to waste my vacation doing transfers etc.

During my stay in Phnom Penh, I stayed down by the waterfront. There are a lot of stores, guesthouses, etc. in that area and it suited me fine (travelling without fuss). It is also lined with awesome cafes to get great food both foreign and khmer for cheap prices (CLG loves la Corrisant for its vietnamese coffee). It is also within easy walking distance of the national museum, and royal palace. The S-21 prision is worth a look, but unless you are totally obessed, there's not much point in making the trek out to the killing fields. The Mekong River Resturant (corner of Sisoworth and 110 Street) runs documentaries on Cambodia, and the one on Pol Pot showing video footage of an empty Phnom Penh is well worth a look.

I travelled by bus up to Siem Reap. I took the Mekong Express which also does trips to Ho Chi Minh, Battambang, and Sinoukville. Though they are a bit more pricey than some other places they are great, they pick you up from your guesthouse and then take you to the bus. The bus is airconditioned and even has a hostess who hands out breakfast that is of a far better standard that what they serve on some major airlines.

I burned money in Siem Reap. I ended up staying away from the market area in favor of a place a bit out of the way as I was planning on doing the temples. I just hired a tuk-tuk for the day to take me around which worked out well. I also chanced upon an artists that not only specializes in re-creating the angkor temples by minature, but also has a crocodile farm.
Siem Reap is IMHO, a better place for getting nice silk clothes at a decent price than Phnom Penh (I'm talking nice stuff, not that aweful hippy crap)

Temples. Don't hire a guide for the famous places. You know about them already. Sunrise Angkor Watt is full of backpackers, Sunset everyone is there or on the mountain temple, and you'll be there too because that's what you do. In some of the more famous temples you'll be tripping over waves of Koreans on a package tour, but this is good if you are travelling by yourself and want to take a cheesy tourist pic as for a few minutes of 'dance monkey dance' the Koreans will be more than happy to take your picture. But you can easily avoid the crowds, by reading what lonely planet recommends and showing up just before or just after and basically have the run of the place.

I also recommend going out to the far flung temple of Baeng Mela as hardly goes out there and you get to run around the ruins. Also Kpal Spleen (will check spellings later) is worth the hike to see carvings in the water during rainy seasons. But don't do Kpal Spleen in a Tuk-Tuk as the road is bad (also girls wear a good sports bra unless you want to be holding your chest the whole way).

That was my first week, it rocked.

Second week sucked balls.

I went back down to Phnom Penh and then onto Kampot by bus. Just a warning DO NOT take the bus to Kampot. At some point the bus goes off the national high way and does a tiki tour around the southern coast. It takes forever. Get a share taxi as it will cost about the same as a bus ticket and get you there much faster.

Anyway the point of going to Kampot was to check out bokor (old french mountain station). However, it was already raining by the time I got to Kampot. It rained so much the next morning I found my riverside guesthouse was now 50 meters in the river and the rain wasn't letting up. So a group of Aussies and myself made a break for it on a share taxi (30usd between the 4 of us for a 200km journey) and headed through flooded roads back to Phnom Penh just in time, as they closed the roads to the South Coast not long after that. Important lesson learned. Avoid the coast during rainy season, as it hardly rained in Phnom Penh and was dry as a bone up in Siem Reap. Also learned that if Toyata ever wanted to take on the SUV market, it would just need to show what a Camry can do on flooded, pot holed Cambodia roads.

Anyway I was looking at heading up to Battambang, when that night I ate some funky meat. I thought it was just 'hey this is foreign food' funky. It was not. I ended up with a severe bout of food poisioning and spent the rest of the trip hugging the toilet. Another life lesson re-learned, if it tastes funky, don't write it off as a cultural difference.

For girls (safety concerns)
I travelled to Cambodia by myself, and have to say that I cop far more flack being out and about by myself in Seoul than I did in Cambodia. Khmers see you as a walking dollar sign (buy, buy) rather than a hooker. So in my experience you aren't going to be as much of target for that kind of negative behavior as you would in Korea. That being said, I was safety aware. I didn't wander from the touristy areas at night, and built up a relationship with my drivers (eg, give them money) to ensure they watched my back.

Sum up
All in all, I loved Cambodia and would go back in heartbeat. And ext time I'll stay far away from the south coast during rainy season, and the mystery meat.

[here_for-_now]

Hi CLG,

Thanks for the interesting report. I myself am planning a trip there in a few months and was wondering about prices in Cambodia, I've been told it was more expensive than Thailand..so how much can one expect to pay for decent accomodation in PP and SR ?
Thanks

[crazylemongirl]

I was paying under $20US a night in both places which included aircon, hotwater and a TV. There are cheaper places around though. Look at travelfish.org

[Tiger Beer]

[crazylemongirl]

If they have satellite, it's your basic star world asia stuff.

[indytrucks]

Kbal Spean, Beng Melea, and Phnom Kulen were all worth the extra effort. Click the link in my sig to see pics if you're bored.

Between the 7 day pass, hiring a driver (motorbike with trailer whilst in Angkor Park, back of the motorbike for longer journeys), guest house and dinner I spent the better part of $350 US for 8 days. Well worth it. Tip: DO NOT, under any circumstaces, take the bus from Siem Reap to BKK, unless you're some kind of masochist.

Tip for photographers: think about the gear you pack and the bag you take. 2 hours on the back of a motorcycle to Phnom Kulen with 20kg of camera gear on your back is hard work.

[crazylemongirl]

Oh my god indy I love your pics... feeling very medicore by comparison.

[indytrucks]

Thanks!

[fiveeagles]

They are amazing. Do you have a really expensive camera, because the colors are over the top amazing.

[indytrucks]