45 travel things to know before you visit Cambodia- Part 3

26. Restaurant menus are huge… We are talking about 100+ available dishes huge! In one restaurant we even found poutine in the menu!

Money and expenses
27. The official currency of Cambodia is the Riel.

==> cambodia vietnam adventure 

28. Although, to a tourist the USD is the de facto currency of Cambodia. It’s the currency used in most transactions, leaving the Riel to the job of being used as small change/breaking the USD. Remember that USD coins aren’t used.

29. Even the ATMs will dispense USD if you are using a foreign card.

Mokey Cambodia

30. While the actual amount depends on the bank, every ATM cash withdrawal have a fee of about 5 USD. Anyway, try to with withdraw money as few times as possible.

31. Remember that cash is king. Very few stores/restaurants/guest houses accept you credit card, and those who do will charge you up to 5% to pay directly.

Koh Rong in Cambodia

32. Overall, we spent 977 Euros in Cambodia during 11 days, averaging 44 Euros per person per day. This is way too much when compared with other countries in the region.

33. However this includes, the visa (30 USD), the flight to Malaysia (115 USD) and the 3 day tickets to Angkor Wat (62 USD). Therefore without these and with a longer stay, it would be much more in line of Laos.

Angkor Wat in Cambodia

34. Accommodation and food are particularly inexpensive. Transportation is a bit more expensive, but still cheap when compared with western countries.

Bonus saving tip: Before you plan your trip, check out Hotels.com to find out what deals enables you to save on your travel. It is always good to have prior reservations done to avoid sky-scraping prices later.

Transportation
35. We knew that the SE Asian countries had crazy traffic and were very dangerous, but Cambodian really took it to a hole new level! We will never take another mini van in Cambodia!

==> flight to cambodia from dubai 

36. In Cambodia, you won’t be able to escape the Tuk-Tuks. We managed to do it in Thailand and Laos, but not in Cambodia. You might as well embrace it ant try to enjoy it. Some of them as nice, some aren’t…

Sihanoukville in Cambodia

37. From Sihanoukville it’s very easy to get to and from the islands. There are several boats to the mainland and you can easily connect the boats to buses and mini-vans.

38. Apart from a weekend, touristic train from Sihanoukville to Phnom Phen, there are no trains in Cambodia…

Buses in Cambodia

39. Travelling in Cambodia is almost as slow as in Laos. 🙂 The country isn’t very big but it takes a full day or at least half a day to travel between towns.

40. Like Thailand and Laos, buses and even mini-vans will drop you off in the weirdest places (usually a few km outside tourist center). Be careful, because it can be dangerous and/or expensive.

Bus station in Cambodia

Other travel stuff and useful information
41. There is WI-FI everywhere. Almost every coffee shop, restaurant and guesthouse offers it, however it’s quite bad and unreliable.

42. Almost every place expects you to take off your shoes when come, not only the temples but even hostels and sometimes restaurants.

Koh Rong Beach in Cambodia

43. Get used to Asian bathrooms… In Cambodia it won’t be easy to find a western one! This means that the shower and the toilet are together, so everything gets wet after a bath.

44. Always bring toilet paper with you, most bathrooms won’t have it and sometimes even in hostels you will need your toilet paper…

Tom Rider temple in Cambodia

==> flight to cambodia from Vietnam 

45. Lastly and probably one of the most important things: get used to the idea of seeing children asking you for money/trying to sell you something. As difficult as it is, resist to the urge of giving them money. You are doing more harm than wrong. Parents and/or organized criminals groups use the children to beg and get your money!

Bonus Tip: Always Remember to Buy Travel Insurance Before Your Trip ! Even if you don’t expect to need it, having a insurance will give you an extra peace of mind! And you never know when you need it!

Now we hope that you understand Cambodia better, moreover we hope to inspire you to travel to Cambodia. We want you to both enjoy every great thing Cambodia has to offer and deal with the bad and frustrating things that is has.
==> For more information, please visit https://cambodiatours.com/

45 travel things to know before you visit Cambodia- part 2

15. We didn’t care much about Phnom Penh. It looked very dirty and uninteresting. It was also incredibly hot which made the experience worse.

16. The Royal Palace is pleasant, but really isn’t worth spending much time. It isn’t unique or particularly impressive compared with the ones in Thailand or Laos.

==> flight to cambodia from dubai 

Royal Palace Phnom Penh

17. The most impressive experience in Phnom Penh was clearly the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. It’s a very immersive experience in a reality so cruel that is difficult to understand how it was possible and “allowed”. Alike Dachau Memorial it’s a full cultural and history lesson about human nature.

If you want to have tour you can go to Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields with Urban Adventure.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Cambodia

18. Koh ta Kiev became our personal paradise. With warm, clear water and powder sand it’s the place where our minds wander when we are bored. It’s the perfect no frills place to relax and get away from the world. We were supposed to stay for one day and stayed 3 days…

Koh ta Kieve in Cambodia

19. Koh Rong is the opposite! It’s Cambodia’s party island, where the backpackers and hippies go to party, drink and dance. Unfortunately it’s also very dirty and disgusting in the main village. However, you can still find great beaches in Koh Rong, namely long beach, which is easily one of most stunning beaches we have ever been to!

Long Beach in Koh Rong Cambodia

20. Sihanoukville is a coastal town of Cambodia with a very sketchy reputation related to drugs and sex tourism, though we didn’t notice anything different from other tourist destinations of South East Asia. What really impressed us was the looks of the beach in the morning… I wouldn’t get in that water even if got paid!

Sihanoukville in Cambodia

==> cambodia tour from thailand 

Food and eating
21. Khmer food is similar to Lao and Thai. Probably closer to Lao because it isn’t as spicy as Thai.

22. If you have the opportunity try Kampot pepper. The production decreased during the wars and afterwards but it’s starting to recover again. It was once very famous in french cuisine and regarded as the best pepper in the world!

Kampot pepper in Cambodia

23. Our favorite Khmer dish is the Amok! It can be chicken, beef or fish. Either way it’s great. Amok is thick soup cooked with fish, meat, vegetables, eggs and coconut milk. It’s usually eaten with white rice.

Amok Cambodian food

24. Although by international standards food is extremely cheap, we found it to be slightly more expensive than in Thailand or Malaysia. Maybe on pair with Laos.

25. While in Cambodia we found these incredible tasty, crispy and delicious tarantulas! Well, not really, 🙂 we couldn’t eat them… It’s too freaky for us! But you can try them, if you must.
==> Next:
-* siem reap to phnom penh tour 
-* siem reap vacation 
-* halong bay to siem reap

45 travel things to know before you visit Cambodia

Cambodia is a country of extremes, you can find the most amazing things and but also be confronted with a few very bad ones. It has great history and a horrible one! As a traveler one faces big challenges that really pay off a big prize. After being amazed and frustrated with Cambodia we decided to compile this list to help you understand Cambodia better.

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1. Cambodia is a very poor country!

2. Tourism and the tourists are a major source of income for the Cambodians.

3. Unlike the Lao, Cambodians try their best (and sometimes their worst) to earn money with tourists. They take initiative and try to provide services or sell stuff to the Tourists, although they aren’t too pushy.

4. Like Laos and Vietnam, Cambodia was a french colony. Despite this, we didn’t find anyone speaking French.

5. However, Cambodians speak a much better English than Thais and Laos, therefore it was easy to communicate in Cambodia.

6. Cambodia had one of the worst dictatorship ever, the Khmer Rouge. In 3 three years the Khmer Rouge killed 2M people, 1/4 of the population!

7. The Khmer Rouge was not only barbaric but also idiotic.  They decided to empty the cities, sending everyone to the fields and planting rice. Every single industry was forbidden and everyone with any kind of higher education killed…

==> tour in cambodia 

8. Population is growing very quickly. It grew almost 3 times, from 6.7 M in 1980 to 16 M in 2016. This makes it also a very young population.

9. Don’t forget that Cambodians are mainly Buddhists! They are usually very patient with tourists but please respect their culture, religion and habits.

10. Cambodia is dirty and has a major garbage disposal problem! There’s trash everywhere in Cambodia, it’s something very difficult to oversee! Even after living in Angola, and kind of being used to seeing garbage everywhere Cambodia impressed us.

11. But it’s not only an “organizational thing”, it’s a mentality/cultural thing. Cambodians really need to learn to take care of the environment. Tourists won’t return if the attractions are all dirty buy most importantly it’s a matter of public health!

12. Angkor Wat is the main tourist attraction of Cambodia and deservedly so. It’s one of the 7 new world wonders and truly one of the greatest achievements of the ancient world!

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13. Angkor complex is formed by dozens of temples and other archaeological sites spread over 400 km2. Don’t visit only the Angkor Wat, go to Angkor Thom, Bayon temple, and many others! This should take you at least 2 days activity, though the best would be spending 3 days in Angkor.

14. Though we loved Angkor, we really disliked Siem Reap. Keep your expectations as low as possible about the town. It’s the messy, dirty, overcrowded and touristy in the worst kind of way. It’s also very very hot, which make the whole experience worse.

For more information, please visit https://cambodiatours.com/tips/news/119-best-adventure-tours-in-siem-reap.html

cambodia off the beadten track- Siem Reap day tours

Mention you are going to Cambodia and chances are, you will end up comparing notes on the glorious temples of Angkor, Siem Reap day tours  among the most awe-inspiring, mind-blowing monuments ever conceived by the human mind. It is hardly surprising that so many travellers from around the globe dream of gazing upon the towers of Angkor Wat, walking through the root-strangled gateways of Angkor Thom and staring back at the enigmatic smiling faces that have made the Bayon famous.

But Cambodia has a great deal more to offer than its headline sights. Travellers at first drawn to the spectacular temples around Siem Reap often end up enchanted and determined to return, thanks to the friendliness of the Khmer people, the sublime beauty of the countryside and the botanical exuberance of the country's still-pristine tropical rainforests.
Parts of Cambodia's south coast are fairly well-known to travellers. Beaches, nightlife, restaurants and a backpacker vibe make Sihanoukville, Cambodia's main port, the country's third-most-popular tourist destination. Kampot, with its run-down French-era buildings and mellow spirit, is popular as a starting point for Bokor National Park and the ruins of the grand, colonial-era casino.
But head northwest towards the Thai frontier and you come to Koh Kong Province, an area of breathtaking beauty and incredible biodiversity that was almost inaccessible until the completion of Highway 48 just three years ago. As a result, the one-time smugglers' port of Krong Koh Kong is transforming itself into a centre of ecotourism. The deserted beaches of Koh Kong Island are a major draw, as are the mangrove forests lining the coastline and the ecolodges sprouting along the Tatai River. More adventurous travellers can head upriver to the remote hamlet of Chi Phat, home to a pioneering ecotourism initiative, and the truly intrepid can hire a guide to trek deep into the Cardamom Mountains, one of Southeast Asia's last great wildernesses.

You can also experience Cambodia temples  untamed wilderness in Cambodia's far northeast corner, in the highlands bordering Laos and Vietnam. In far-off Ratanakiri Province, the red-earth town of Ban Lung is an excellent place to organise a trek to nearby “hill tribe” villages or to Virachey National Park, home to endangered elephants, gibbons and hornbills. Before you set out, make sure that your guide is both culturally sensitive and ecologically aware (it is a new industry so, unfortunately, not all guides are).
Until just a few years ago, the grasslands and forests north of Angkor, up towards Thailand and Laos, were hard to get to in the dry season and virtually inaccessible in the wet. But thanks to a network of new roads -- paved in part because of the ongoing military confrontation with Thailand -- the superb temples of Banteay Chhmar, the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Anlong Veng, the spectacular cliff-top temple of Prasat Preah Vihear and some remote wildlife sanctuaries can now be reached with relative ease and in reasonable comfort. Before heading to potential hotspots such as Prasat Preah Vihear, however, check with local news sources to make sure the frontier is quiet.

Whether you are a first-time visitor to Cambodia or heading back for another encounter with Khmer culture, it is off the beaten tourist track that you are likely to find some of the kingdom's best-kept and most enchanting secrets.
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Source: bbc

Thailand to resume diplomatic ties with Cambodia

Thailand says it will resume diplomatic ties with Cambodia after Phnom Penh announced the resignation of ousted Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra as its economic advisor.

The two countries recalled their ambassadors in November 2009 amid a row over the controversial appointment Tour from siem reap to phnom penh.
The Thai military removed Mr Thaksin in a coup in 2006, and he has since been jailed in absentia for corruption.
Authorities say he was behind anti-government protests earlier this year.
Mr Thaksin denies any role in the protests, which paralysed the Thai capital for more than two months and left 91 people dead.
"They have announced that they do not have any more ties with Thaksin so our condition to hold back a diplomat has ended," Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya told Reuters news agency.
"Thailand will send our diplomat back tomorrow. Similarly, Cambodia will also send its diplomat back to Thailand."

Relations between the two neighbours have been strained in recent years because of an unresolved border dispute.
Troops have clashed sporadically around the temple of Preah Vihear, which both claim as their territory.
For more information, please visit https://cambodiatours.com/ or https://cambodiatours.com/cambodia-vacation.html 

Source: bbc

Private tour guides cambodia-Cambodia finds two Thai nationalists guilty of spying

A Cambodian court has sentenced two members of a Thai nationalist movement to up to eight years in prison after finding them guilty of espionage private tours vietnam and cambodia .

The two were among seven Thai politicians and activists charged with illegal entry after crossing into a disputed border area in December.
The case coincides with an increase in tension along the Thai-Cambodia border.
Both sides have accused the other of flying national flags over a disputed area near an ancient temple.
The Thai group were arrested on 29 December just inside the Cambodian border.
They insisted they had crossed accidentally cambodia luxury tour  but were charged with illegal entry and trespassing on a restricted military zone.
Five of the group were released last month but Veera Somkwamkid and his assistant Ratree Pipatanapaiboon faced the additional and more serious charge of espionage.
Veera has been given eight years in prison while Ratree was sentenced to six years. They have one month to appeal against their sentence.
"The decision is not acceptable," Veera told reporters at the court. "There is no justice. We will fight this in a higher court."

Veera is the leader of Thailand Patriot Network, a splinter group of the "yellow-shirt" People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) movement which shut down Bangkok's airports in 2008 in a bid to force the previous government of allies of ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra to step down.
The PAD has made nationalism, and trip in cambodia  in particular border disputes with Cambodia, a key part of its political platform.
In recent years there have been sporadic  exchanges of fire in areas around Preah Vihear, an ancient hill-top temple that both sides claim.
PAD activists joined the Patriot Network in staging protests in Bangkok calling for the pair's release and demanding that the government take a hard line with Cambodia.

tour to cambodia from

Preah Vihear could finally be reopened. Landmines were cleared and paths made safe.
Visitors began to return, tour in cambodia  market traders set up stalls and there was talk of much-needed restoration work.

But the sovereignty row lingered on. In late 2001, Thai troops blocked access for a more than a year in a row over polluted water at the site.

Since then, it has stayed open, but the issue remains extremely sensitive - as Cambodia's application to have Preah Vihear listed as the country's second Unesco World Heritage site has shown.
"Becoming a Unesco World Heritage Site would bring international recognition to the Preah Vihear temple, especially the recognition of its universal value," says Ty Yao, president of Cambodia's National Authority for Preah Vihear.
The added prestige would bring technical assistance from Unesco and other donors, he says, while the listing would formalise Cambodia's obligations in terms of managing and maintaining the site.
It could also be a boon to the tourism industry, Cambodia's second biggest foreign currency earner, particularly given work to improve access from inside Cambodia.
But there is a problem. Although the international courts settled the row over the temple itself, the surrounding land remains the subject of overlapping territorial claims.
Thailand says it would not object if Cambodia applied to list the temple area only. But it says Cambodia has, in its submission to Unesco, cambodia private tours  included disputed territory within the listed zone.
It wants both countries to jointly manage the disputed areas until the border is agreed - and last month, sent a formal protest to Cambodia accusing it of deploying troops and mine clearers in a mutually-claimed area.
Senior officials from the two countries are due to meet at Unesco headquarters in Paris today in a bid to iron out the dispute.

"We would like to reach a win-win agreement," The Bangkok Post quoted Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama as saying ahead of the meeting. "We will try to be more flexible."
Preah Vihear is not about to fall down - it has already survived a great deal.
It is a staggeringly beautiful reminder of the area's turbulent past. Perhaps soon it will be known only for this beauty, rather than for the battles fought over it for so many decades.

For more information with  siem reap adventure tours: https://cambodiatours.com/tips/news/119-best-adventure-tours-in-siem-reap.html

Source: bbc