Difference between revisions of "Cambodia"

Revision as of 11:20, 22 June 2010

Cambodia is a country in Southeast Asia that is home to some fabulous temples such as Angkor Wat, as well as a fairly dark modern political history.

Places

Sihanoukville

Beach town on the south coast. The beaches are pretty rubbish here, to be honest and the town itself is a little seedy, but if you aren't visiting any other beach areas in SE Asia, and want to chill out on the beach for a few days, this is the place to go. There are plenty of cheap guesthouses around, and I suspect you will have no problems rocking up to places and finding a bed for the night - unless you have a special place in mind I guess. There isn't a huge amount to do in Sihanoukville, but again, if you want a few days on the beach, this is probably the place to go in Cambodia.

Kampot

A super mellow town east of Sihanoukville. The scenery here is lovely - you are just under the Bokor Mountains and the village is so relaxed that it seems to be permanently horizontal. The main reason to come here, other than escaping the heady freneticism of Sihanoukville or Phnom Penh is to relax or visit Bokor Hill station. You should be able to organise a trip up to Bokor through whatever guesthouse you stay at in Kampot. Also some nice hiking/walking spots nearby. The riverside here is really pretty and a nice place to hang in the evenings. You will no doubt be befriended by random locals who want to practise their English. People were super friendly here. You can take a 40 min moto trip out to Kep-sur-Mer. Kep was a former getaway for the colonial high-rollers and there used to be loads of casinos here and cool buildings. A lot of it was largely destroyed when I visited but it's a super relaxing spot to spend an afternoon. There are some interesting buildings to look at, the waterfront is really nice for strolling, and you can sit in a bamboo hut that overlooks the sea and feast on seafood or tropical fruits etc...

The moto ride from Kampot to Kep was beautiful. The road is pretty good too. You should be able to get a round trip super cheaply from Kampot - including waiting time.

Phnom Penh

Crazy city!! I quite liked the vibe here though - some charming old buildings, interesting temples, the most cosmopolitan city in “Indochina” (I think anyway). The markets are really cool too- esp. the Russian market and hanging out on the riverfront at dusk is a nice way to let the afternoon disappear over icy drinks. The National Museum was pretty interesting - and informative as a prelude to visiting Angkor temples in Siem Reap. Tuol Sleng Genocide museum is, unsurprisingly pretty sobering. It was a former prision, set in a former school in central PP. And perhaps you can combine this with a trip to the Killing Fields at Cheong Ek (?), which is just outside town. Wat Phnom is a really nice Wat too. And defo check out Silver Pagoda - which isn't really silver!! Pretty much all of this you'll find in a guide book. I stayed at a dive of a hostel called "Top Banana". If you meet a moto driver called Yaya - don't go anywhere with him...my friend and I ended up in a Cambodian beer hall in the boondocks of PP and it was a little sketchy...

Siem Reap

Like I said above, you can either boat or bus from PP - the boat is awesome. It drops you maybe 30mins out of Siem Reap - though I think the actual drop off point depends on the water levels. From here you should be able to pick up a moto into town for 50c-$1 (quite possibly more now - see if you can check with another traveller in PP).

Also, I can almost guarantee you that whichever driver you get will try to tout you the business of whichever guesthouse he is receiving commission from. So it's good to have a place in mind and make that very clear to the driver. Alternately, you could pre-contact the guesthouse in Siem Reap and get them to get someone to pick you up - it's unncessary, but at least helps reduce the hassle. But then of course you don't get to check out the place before you arrive. Some of the lads I travelled with in Laos told me that they pre-booked with an affiliated hostel in PP and were picked up by driver's wielding signs saying "Daffy Duck", "Mickey Mouse" and "Bugs Bunny". funny :)

Siem Reap is where you go for the majority of Angkor era temples (there are also some minor ones in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam as the empire was pretty awesome). You can get 1/3/7 day (consecutive) passes for $US20/40/60 respectively. You need a passport-sized photo for your pass, and you might have to bring your passport along when you buy the ticket (can*t remember). If you visit temples outside the SR province, e.g. Phnom Kulen, you need to pay for an additional ticket (another $20). I felt the 3 day pass was ideal - time for a sunrise/sunsets at a few different spots, time to explore the main temples and a bit of time to head out to more distant temples like Banteay Srei/Roulous.

Angkor Wat is obviously the most famous, and arguably the most interesting, though other awesome temples include Angkor Thom (a few temples in this complex, Ta Prohm (with the roots of trees weaving through it), the Bayon (more than 200 faces looking at you from different angles) and Banteay Srei are also amazing. Banteay Srei is really worth the effort to get to. It's kinda far, and an hour each way on the back of a motorbike in the hot sun is kinda hard-going, but it's totally worth it. It's beautiful, unique and well-preserved. It's made of pink sandstone and the bas-reliefs are perhaps the most interest of all the temples (IMO). The Rolous group is also out of town, but unless you have a particular interest in that group of temples, I don't think it's worth the effort. The nice thing is that it's really seldom visited and you can have the place to yourself....unless a kid pops out of nowhere and wields a knife and demands money...(he didn't get any!).

I never made it to Phnom Kulen, but it's the most sacred place in Cambodia and I suspect it's well worth the trip - additional fee of $20 to visit, and it's kinda far, but if you have time, check it out.

If you want to get a nice view of sunset over Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng is the place where EVERYONE (literally) goes. It's a bit manic up there - not exactly a place to tacitly contemplate the grandeur of Angkor and its once-great empire - but it's a pretty amazing view. You can also get a lovely view from high up in Angkor Wat itself - it's a bit quieter. You can use your 3 day pass on the late afternoon of the day before you activate the pass. Hence, if you buy the pass on a Sunday afternoon, you can go into the Archaeological park after about 5, see sunset, and then continuing using the pass for M-W.

There is a land-mine museum/school in SR which is really interesting. It was founded by a guy who was a former child soldier with the Khmer Rouge and his story and the stories of many others affected by the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge are told there. It's really worth a visit. There is also a school there for orphans of landmine victims and landmine survivors. If you like, they are always looking for volunteers here, so if you fancy a bit of work, this is an option.

You can get super cheap massage in Siem Reap - a good lunchtime activity as it'll be scorching!! Be cautious of which establishment you access services at - unless that's your thing...

The Children's hospital in Siem Reap used to hold frequent concerts in the evening with all funds going to help provide medical treatment for the local kids. The Swiss dude who started the concerts is a really good cellist, and it's a nice way to spend an evening. I presume it's still running?

Battambang

A decent enough stop if you are heading back to Bangkok. It's the second most populous town in Cambodia but it's like some teeny tiny Japanese village in reality!! Not a lot in Battambang itself, but the countryside here is absolutely beautiful - some pretty villages and temples around the outskirts. Maybe worth it to get a moto driver for the day to drive you to check out as much as possible. Nothing specific to see. I just like cruising around the countryside on motos!! It is really, really lovely here.

Elsewhere

A friend of mine did some travel up into Ratanikiri and Mondulkiri- she said it was rough on the body but thoroughly awesome!! Kratie is perhaps also worth a look. There is also a village famous for eating spiders - Skuon. I think it came out of the extreme famine post Khmer Rouge years - people were eating anything they could get a hold of, including spiders. If you are thinking of Ratanikiri and Mondulkiri, the roads may still be bloody awful so be warned!! The dry season is from November to April so perhaps the best time to travel. After that, the monsoon can make the roads significantly less traversible. If you want to see the Irawaddy Dolphins (endemic to the Mekong area that straddles the Laos/Cambodian border), you will need to head right to the border of . Boat trips will take you into no-man's land to see them. To be honest, you can't see a huge amount, but when you do, it is pretty cool and it is a very unique experience seeing this endangered species.

Links

• Cambodia - Wikitravel