What can I say about Cambodia? I was scared actually at the beginning, I read a lot of bad stories about scams, corruption, problems at the borders and problems with bus, especially night bus.
I had no problem at the border. I paid the normal fee (20$) plus a 100 baht of “thank you for let me in” to the officer, and in less than 30 minutes I was eating my first Cambodian meal, waiting for my bus. At the border there are a lot of those guys welcoming you and answering any kind of question about Cambodian customs, life, food, etc. You don’t have to pay them and they don’t accept tips as well.
I got a mini van to Siem Reap (9$) and a Cambodian guy was there for helping us with our issues, questions and problems. He was a tuk tuk driver as well, and the next day he took me (15$ for all day tuk tuk plus 25$ tour guide) to visit the magnificent Angkor Wat (40$ for a 3 days pass), the largest Hindu temple complex in the world.
Some curiosity about Angkor Wat:
– built in the 12th century
– symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag
– The name Angkor Wat means “Temple City” or “City of Temples” in Khmer; Angkor, meaning “city” or “capital city”
If you are interested you can find more on Wikipedia
I visited Angkor Wat from sunrise to early afternoon, but I came back the day after to visit other temples, like: Ta Som Temple and Banteay Srei Temple. In the afternoon I’ve been to the floating village, a little south from Siem Reap, and I had a beautiful trip on a motor boat (15$ return) and then on a little boat (10$) around the floating houses in the village. You can find some pics and review on Trip Advisor.
After watching the sunset on Tonle Sap Lake, it was time to get back in the guest house for some good food and a massage from the blind community of Cambodia (6$). Here a good link for some reviews.
It was time to leave, so I get the first bus to Phnom Penh (7$), the capitol city of Cambodia.
Phnom Penh is a big city, home to 1.5 million Cambodian. I just spent one day in the city, I met an awesome tuk tuk driver with an incredible Australian accent and in the afternoon he took me to the Genocide
Museum and the day after to the Killing Fields. I really recommend this 2 links, read them carefully.
The same day I left for going south, destination Sihanoukville. This little town is home of some of the best beaches in South-East Asia. Pristine sands, wonderful foods, green water and loads of place to party and to relax. Did I mention the incredible islands around the Gulf of Thailand and the dozen of diving spots?
But it’s the rainy season now, so maybe you will feel better, but I can’t really enjoying any of those marvellous things. We had heavy raining for the last 3 days, the humidity level is around 80% and the sky is often cloudy and white-grey. Still is a great place to hang out, there’s a lot of travellers and you are not overflowed by horde of crazy tourists.
That’s all guys!
Ciaooooooooo
Micio Trip 