PRACTICAL INFORMATION
VISAS AND FORMALITIES
One-month tourist visas are easy to arrange (usually $20, 24 hours). They are available on arrival at the airports in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (two photos, $20), and at the two main border crossings with Thailand (1000B, ie around $25 but payable in Thai currency).
At the land borders, officers often demand to see a cholera vaccination certificate, or else you pay a 50B/$1 fee: despite the official appearance, this is a scam according to long-term residents – a blatant way to intimidate money out of first-time visitors. You’ll get through if you confidently stride past saying ‘no thank you!’ – don’t listen to their dire warnings (no, the paper they give you won’t be checked on exiting Cambodia). If that sounds too confrontational, show them almost anything official-looking – eg a European medical information form or kidney donor card and say that that covers it!
If you’re coming by land from Laos or Vietnam you should apply for the visa in advance but as late as possible before hitting the road. That’s because the one-month validity and period of stay are the same for most Cambodian visas – ie from the moment your visa is issued the month starts to tick away.
Going to Laos overland, you need a border permit that you can get in Stung Treng immigration office (check with other travellers if this is still the case). The cost varies from $2 to $25 according to who helps you get it! Going the other way you don’t need a permit, but either way there are ‘tips’ to pay to the border guards. Ironically these were cheaper when the border was officially closed but they can now total $25–30 per person, mostly on the Cambodian side – clean bills are required!
There are several border crossings with Vietnam but until very recently only the Moc Bai crossing was open. Following the completion of the Kampong Cham bridge at the time of writing, the Xa Mat border will hopefully open allowing Phnom Penh–Saigon traffic to take the easier route via Tay Ninh. The boat service between Chau Doc and Neak Luong allows you to head straight into Phnom Penh from the Mekong delta. For several years, false alarms have claimed that the Kep–Ha Tien border had opened – when I checked it certainly hadn’t, but fresh reports in late 2002 claim it really has. If true this would be excellent news as you could link Kampot in Cambodia to Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island without back tracking. The border between Pleiku and Banlung in Ratanakiri remains closed as of 2002, though the road has been upgraded – a good omen?! As we went to press the border between Anlong Veng and Chong Chom (for Surin, Thailand) had reportedly just opened.
Visa extensions are possible through several travel agencies and guesthouses in Phnom Penh, and generally cost $50 for one extra month, $90 for three.
Onward visas Sihanoukville and Battambang (but not Phnom Penh) are the best places anywhere to get your Vietnamese visas – they are issued within minutes, you can get long stays, and the consulates are open seven days a week! If you insist on getting Vietnamese visas in Phnom Penh (P2) ironically it’s sometimes cheaper to use visa services than to go to the embassy (426 Monivong; P2 tel 720022, 362531, open 8–11am, 2–4:30pm, a visa takes three to five working days). That’s not the case, however, for Chinese visas (256 Mao Tse Tung, P2 tel 720022, 720920) or Lao (15-17 Mao Tse Tung, P2 tel 720022, tel 426441/982632) visas.
MONEY
Cambodia’s official monetary unit is the riel. However, the de facto currency for most transactions is the US dollar (but see over). Prices are often quoted in dollars and greenbacks are accepted (and preferred) virtually everywhere, except in markets and small villages. Only small change is given in riels.
There is no black market so, generally if you pay for a 1000RIs item with a $1 bill, you will get 3000RIs change. No discussion is needed. Nonetheless one feels less like a tourist if not well stocked with riels and having the right money makes for more convincing bargaining. Thai Baht are easily exchangeable for riel throughout Cambodia, and is the currency of choice in Poipet, Sisophon, Koh Kong and, to some extent, Battambang.
Travellers’ cheques (preferably in US$) are awkward but can be changed for 2% commission at a few banks in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Battambang and Siem Reap. In the same towns you can get credit card cash advances (2%) at the Cambodia Commercial Bank and Mekong Bank. As yet there are no ATMs, though things will change rapidly as tourists start flooding in.
TRANSPORT
Buses and pick-ups Many ‘roads’ have potholes that will kill a car at 20 paces. So the bus system is limited to the few paved sections of highway (notably Phnom Penh–Sihanoukville). This is likely to change very quickly as a major road-building programme is underway. But for now public transport on most routes is by pick-up truck. Unlike the covered vehicles in Laos, these are simply open-backed flat-beds into which bodies and luggage squeeze themselves as best they can. If it rains, a plastic tarp is thrown over everything/everyone as a makeshift shelter. If you stump up the extra cash you can ride inside the cab. Generally there will be six passengers squeezed into that claustrophobic cab (two beside the driver, four in the seat behind). If you can afford it, it’s worth having two people pay for three of the latter spaces (or three for four). Even if you don’t want the luxury, consider that Westerners usually do take up an unfair amount of space and fidget into the bargain. So it is only fair on your fellow passengers. NB Negotiate the price (and write it down to confirm) but don’t pay till you arrive! Tourists are often asked for money up-front – don’t be pressured!
Most departures are in the mornings when there’s a chaos of competing trucks and their touts trying to bundle you aboard. But whenever there’s sufficient demand more trucks will run, some leaving Phnom Penh for Battambang as late as 4pm.
Where bus services do run, eg Phnom Penh to Takeo, Kampong Cham, Oudong and Sihanoukville there is a choice of companies: Genting generally offers the best range of departures and nicest vehicles, albeit at a slightly higher price. Capitol Guest House runs several tours and its own Sihanoukville bus service, which is useful if you’re staying nearby.
Bangkok–Siem Reap tourist offers Now that the Sisophon–Siem Reap road has been repaired (meaning a two-hour journey in 2002 instead of seven hours in 2001!) the Bangkok–Siem Reap route is easier than ever. Several tourist services are available to/from Kao San Road. Such services used to involve changing vehicle at the border with many people disappointed by the rough Cambodian truck they’re thrown on to!
With the road rebuilt, everything changed and the cost ($15–30) of the trip plummeted – some eastbound fares fell as low as 100B ($2.50)!!! There is, of course, a catch. The cheapest journey may be dragged out for many extra hours to give you the appetite for meal stops at commission-paying restaurants. And on arriving in Siem Reap late in the evening you may be a virtual captive of the guesthouse where you arrive, the owner of which will have subsidized the fare and will be very reluctant to let you ‘escape’. If you accept these hassles, it’s a bargain. But do-it-yourself is easy, despite the very annoying touts in Poipet.
Taxi and share taxi Where buses are infrequent but the roads are good enough not to need pick-ups (eg Phnom Penh to Kampot), share taxis are the most sensible form of transport. For six times the one-way fare you can rent the whole car, as long as you leave early enough for the driver to get passengers for the return leg. This can make a lot of sense if you have a small group but make sure the driver knows both the route and the stops you want before departing as this will affect the price: eg Phnom Penh–Kampot direct would cost about $15 for a car, via Takeo with two long stops en route would be about $30.
Train Until recently trains were a regular target for the Khmer Rouge who enjoyed blowing up the tracks for a bit of sport, or test-firing bazookas at passing locos. Until 2000 the front carriage was thus used as a ‘sacrifice’, clearing any mines on the line by simply running over them. Anyone brave/foolhardy enough to ride in it could travel for free. Things have settled down these days: trains remain slow but generally arrive intact. And you even have to pay (though only 45Rls/km).
There are two lines: Phnom Penh–Battambang and Phnom Penh–Sihanoukville via Kampot. Both run three times a week leaving Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Phnom Penh at 6:30am returning 6:30am Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, around 12,000RIs. The most popular section for tourists is the Kampot–Sihanoukville run (4365RIs) which is beautiful and saves the dreadful stretch of mud ‘road’ east of Veal Renh. Despite many maps which suggest the contrary, there is no cross border service between Sisophon and Poipet/Aranyaprathet, Thailand.
Air Royal Air Cambodge, once the country’s national airline, went bankrupt in October 2001. However, three mainly domestic services remain: RPP (Royal Phnom Penh Airlines, Phnom Penh tel 217419, www.royalpnhair.com), SRA (Siem Reap Airways, Phnom Penh tel 720022, www.siemreapairways.com/) and PrA (President Airlines, Phnom Penh tel 720022, 212887). Each operates one or more flights daily between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap – it is whispered that well-placed shareholders in the various airlines are behind the long delays in resurfacing of the nation’s roads ... in a small country like Cambodia, good roads would destroy the airline business.
RPP also links Phnom Penh to Battambang (daily), Koh Kong (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday), Mondulkiri/Sen Monorom (Monday, $55), Ratanakiri/ Banlung (Sunday, $55), and Stung Treng ($45, Monday, Wednesday, Saturday).
PrA flies Siem Reap–Koh Kong (twice a week) and has been known to run very handy flights between Sen Monorom and Banlung.
There has been an exponential growth in international flights to Siem Reap notably from Bangkok, but also from Saigon, Phuket (inbound only returning to Sukothai on Bangkok Airlines), Vientiane via Pakxe (Tue, Fri on Lao Aviation) and Singapore (Silk Air). Departure tax is $4/8 (local/int’l) from Siem Reap, $10/20 from Phnom Penh.
Boat Despite some foreigner markups, speedboats are cheaper than flying (though not a giveaway), more comfortable (despite the bumps) than the awful roads and usually much faster too.
The main routes go up the Mekong from Phnom Penh to Kratie (and beyond to the Lao border when water is high), Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (a very popular backpacker route to Angkor), Siem Reap to Battambang (mini boats at a scary lick and the gorgeous coastal run from Sihanoukville to Koh Kong (dangerous if there’s much surf). There are also a plethora of other boat services hopping between smaller river towns.
Slow boats generally cost about half the price and take two to three times longer. This would be painfully slow on the rather dull Phnom Penh–Siem Reap run, but is worth considering between Kratie and Kampong Cham where there’s somewhat more river life to enjoy. Downstream is obviously faster than upstream. In the dry season many rivers can become too low to navigate (including certain sections of the Mekong north of Kratie).
For a real desert island experience get dropped on one of the desert islands off Sihanoukville or Kep – be sure to arrange pick up details carefully and don’t forget to take enough food and water!!
Motorbike and moto (motodop) It is increasingly easy to rent mopeds from as little as $4–5/day and trail bikes for $6–10, not just in Phnom Penh but also Kampot, and Sihanoukville. Beware that you are responsible if the bike is stolen – a real danger particularly in Phnom Penh. Also, in the countryside, be very aware that there may be land mines mere inches off the tarmac even on brand-new roads! Renting in Battambang is more difficult and in Siem Reap pressure from moto drivers means that rentals are generally not allowed. This rule changes with the wind, but even if you can rent, for visiting the Angkor temples, a moto is a cheaper and safer option.
Drivers of the ubiquitous motos (chauffeured motorbike taxis) charge $4–10/day (usually $6) depending on the distance travelled and how much the driver reckons himself to be a guide as well as a ride. In Siem Reap competition is so fierce for customers that, on arrival, a moto driver will often be prepared to drive you around town for free looking for a hotel. This is not a scam – the idea is that, in return, you’ll use his services to tour Angkor next day. If you don’t like him and don’t plan to employ him, it’s only fair to give at least a tip for the hotel ride. Motos at the airport work on a similar basis: note that the $1 fee you pay to the Tourist Transport Association is not given to your driver.
Motos are the normal means of city transport too with drivers generally recognizable by their trademark base-ball hats – short hops are usually 500–1000Rls (5-10 Thai Baht in Koh Kong, Poipet, Sisophon). If you’re arriving in a town and already know where you want to stay, either walk or get the moto to take you to a nearby café or landmark, not to the guesthouse itself. That way you can save up to $1/night that the guesthouse would have to pay in commission to the driver!
Bicycle A few bicycles are finally becoming available for rent in Siem Reap, but although cycling around Angkor Thom is a brilliant experience, the first 7km from Siem Reap to the archaeological park entrance is sweaty and the whole site of Angkor is so spread out that a moto is generally more convenient.
ACCOMMODATION
The majority of guesthouses are brand new and built to a pretty decent standard with en suite facilities and, often, air-conditioning. These are a good deal at around $10–15/double B&B but for ultra-budget travellers the cheapest $2–5 options can be pretty miserable. Nonetheless, with backpackers flooding in, it’s likely that more dorm accommodation will spring up in the next year or two. Couples can often save money by sharing a ‘single’ room – the term implies that there’s one bed but that’s often a double bed in mid-range places.
FOOD AND DRINK
Both the riverfront in Phnom Penh and the old quarter of Siem Reap have some delightfully-atmospheric restaurants with dollar prices aimed at expats and wealthier tourists: these are worth the splurge and good value in global if not South-East Asian terms. Elsewhere, eating is a rather hit and miss affair – with the best deals almost always coming from roadside food stalls and markets where women ladle out unidentifiable but generally excellent concoctions from unmarked saucepans: 500Rls a scoop, plus 500RIs for some rice and you’re set. Junction towns and river ports bring out more snack sellers, including the infamous fried spiders of Skuon and roast beetles in Neak Luong.
Bars range from the delightfully cool, neo-colonial atmosphere of Phnom Penh’s FCC or Siem Reap’s Red Piano to a range of disgraceful whorehouses where armed brawls are not uncommon as the clientele get drunker. These ubiquitous ‘karaoke’ places were officially closed by presidential decree in early 2002 but it is unlikely that they’ll remain shut for long.
SEX AND DRUGS
Cambodia is trying to clean up its ‘new Thailand’ sex image and in April 2002 was reported to have considered expelling Gary Glitter who has spent several months there since his release from British jail (he’d been charged with downloading child sex material from the web). While ‘happy’ pizzas are liable to get you very giggly, there is not such an obvious opium scene as you’ll find in Laos.
STAYING IN TOUCH
The postal system does function but postcards sent from the Phnom Penh GPO certainly didn’t catch the plane prominently advertised, taking over a month to arrive in Europe. The poste restante doesn’t have a fail safe record for holding mail, either.
Domestic telephone calls are easiest from the ubiquitous little roadside stands which advertise the codes to which they can connect you (typically from 500RIs). MPTC and Camintel phone offices will place international calls for you (but this is more expensive). International country code: +855, dial out code is 007. City codes: Battambang: 053, Kampong Cham: 042, Kampong Chhnang: 026, Kampong Thom: 062, Kampot: 033, Koh Kong: 035, Siem Reap: 063, Sihanoukville: 034, Phnom Penh: 023, Takeo: 032.
MPTC’s Caminet generally has the best deal on internet access but at around $3 per hour this is still pricey and slow compared to Thailand. At present, access is limited to Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville plus a few places in Battambang (expensive and slow) but by the time you read this there will surely be many more.
ACTIVITIES
Hiking The combination of land mines in the west, unexploded ordnance (UXO) and insecurity in the north-east and intensive agriculture in the central plains makes Cambodia a particularly poor choice for hikers. Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri provinces would be your best bet but you’ll need a good guide and plenty of time to get there.
Work With foreigners arriving in droves there is no longer the desperate shortage of English teachers that once pushed casual teaching wages to around $20/hour, but vacancies still occur.
Unlike Thailand one can own land in Cambodia and there is not (yet) an offputtingly huge minimum investment for a foreigner to start a small business. Thus there is a rush of small-time European business-types moving across from Pattaya, Phuket etc and setting up small hotels and cafés, particularly in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Maps and books Cambodia is very well served by a series of free, regularly updated, map-brochure-listings pamphlets. The best is the Visitors Guide series with separate issues for Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville (www.canbypublications.com). If you can’t find any of them, the fortnightly Phnom Penh Post (3500Rls) has a passable city map and some listings.
Website www.canbypublications.com/miscpages/books.htm is also useful for listing many of the most relevant books written about Cambodia.
There is little incentive to buy a guide book given all the free information and the rapid pace of change. If you do need one, $3 bootleg Lonely Planet guides (relatively poor) and various architectural guides to Angkor ($1–2) are available in Siem Reap and at the gates of Angkor itself (plus more expensively in Phnom Penh’s central market).
Obviously original (ie non-bootlegged) books are much more expensive. But especially in Phnom Penh there is a very good selection available, notably in the Mekong Libris bookshop (opposite the post office), and Monument Books (at 46 Norodom Blvd). There you’ll find Adventure Cambodia, an inspiring new guide book by Jacobson & Visakay which gives practical details of their journeys into the wildest corners of the country (though sadly their town plans are dangerous fiction with a wildly varying scale and random omissions). Look out for books by Jeff Zepp, including his Field Guide to Cambodian Pagodas. Robert Philpott’s Coast of Cambodia is the best source available for the south. London Books at 77, 240th St, has second-hand books.
The International Travel Map company produces a Cambodia map but will have trouble keeping pace with the new road building.
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