Cambodia
Cambodia is an amazing country. But of course we heard different stories: some travelers told us Cambodians are the friendliest people ever! We also heard they are impolite and annoying. So like always - the best way is to find it out yourself: We loved the country and the people, they were really kind.
General Information
To enter Cambodia you need to pay for the visa. This is not a big deal - visa on arrival costs about 30 USD (you have to pay in US-Dollars). When you arrive at the airport of Siem Reap you will even find an ATM next to the immigration desk (fee is 5 USD). And yes, US-Dollar is the main currency in Cambodia which is really strange, but you get used to it. They also use the currency called Riel, but most of the time they only use it as change. 1 USD corresponds to 4.000 Riel (So 1.000 Riel = 25 Cents).
What are the highlights of Cambodia?
In general Cambodia is an easy country to travel around and well connected. We haven’t seen much of the east of the country, so we cannot give you any advice about that. All places we visited we travelled by bus - we always went for the cheapest deals and it was always a save way to travel (regarding Southeast Asian standards, but we have experienced worse). Below you can find our route and highlights of Cambodia.
Siem Reap
If there is any must-see in Cambodia it’s Siem Reap and the temple of Ankor Wat. You need at least one or two days to visit this stunning temple complex. The city itself is quite touristy though, so to experience the real Cambodian lifestyle you either need to get out of the city or visit some other less frequented places of Cambodia. It is definitely worth it to hire some bikes or a scooter and get out of the city center for a while.
Battambang
That’s why we visited Battambang or Battambong - we wanted to see a ‘normal’ Cambodian city. Battambang is actually not that small, as it is the second biggest city of Cambodia. Of course there are also some tourist attractions you could visit (and especially Tuk Tuk drivers beg you to visit them):
-the bamboo train
-the killing cave
-the bad cave
-the circus
Koh Rong Samloem
Koh Rong is famous! People tell you the sand is white and the parties are wild. Jungle parties, drugs, loud music, so it is actually a little bit confusing, when you start your research about the Koh Rong islands. We read many reviews, talked to people and heard different stories. Some people say it is heaven on earth, on the other hand we heard the parties can be annoying and the beach is dirty. So at the end we didn’t go to Koh Rong, but to Koh Rong Samloem - the smaller island. Compared to the big one, it is relaxed, calm and clean - but no parties (for everyone who is into parties)! Here you can find your inner peace and even the sea is very calm.
Kampot
Kampot is another great city to experience the relaxed Cambodian lifestyle. You will meet many expats over here as well. One of the highlights is to visit the salt and pepper field. You can book a tuk tuk tour or just hire a bike and go there. On the way you will drive through smaller, poorer villages, but the people are so happy to see you.
Phnom Penh
The capital of Cambodia is huge - this is probably also the reason why many people told us they don’t like Phnom Penh. “It’s dirty and dangerous”. But that’s not true! If you visit the right spots and if you stay at right places, the city is actually quite nice. The Indepence Monument looks great as well as the Royal Palace. Every now and then, when you walk through Phnom Penh you see some nice squares, statues or buildings. It is also the place where you can learn about the sad history of Cambodia - the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge killed more than a third of the population of Cambodia - also many women and children. It is very hard to understand how this could happen. When you do a Tuk Tuk tour you can visit the Toul sleng Museum and killing fields. Start with the museum on day one. Don’t do both on one day as it is very hard to digest. Our Advice: Read the book ‘First they killed my father’ by Loung Ung.
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If you travel around Cambodia you should also visit Laos:
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