The beautiful scene of the Cambodian coast.
Tags: Embedded Travel Guides, Cambodia Travel Guide (all tags)
This week, our Cambodia embed, Tim Patterson, is giving us the inside scoop on the country.
This week, our Cambodia embed, Tim Patterson, is giving us the inside scoop on the country.
Angkor Wat is spectacular, don't get me wrong, but there's so much more to Cambodia.
My goal in these guides is to give you the inspiration and know-how to experience the real Cambodia, outside the tourist bubble that surrounds the famous temples.
Together, we'll sample street food in the riverside capital of Phnom Penh, ride the bamboo train to Battambang, eat fresh seafood by the kilo in Kep, explore deserted islands off the coast of Sihanoukville and bushwhack deep into the jungle of the Cardamom mountains.
In fact, this paragraph is the last place you'll even read the words Angkor Wat, making this the only Cambodia guide that doesn't focus on the temples. You won't read about killing fields or land mines either. Bye-bye Angkor. Bye-bye Khmer Rouge. Hellooooo Cambo!
A Brief Introduction To Cambodia:Cambodia occupies a prime chunk of fertile land in Southeast Asia, straddling the mighty Mekong River. It's about the size of Iowa, pinched between Thailand and Vietnam.
Most Cambodians are ethnic Khmers, and speak the Khmer language, which sounds soft and sexy when women speak it. Male Khmer speakers on the other hand sound like drowning geckos.
In ancient times--when those famous temples were built--the Khmers ruled over the largest and most powerful empire in the region. Sadly, the past hundred years haven't been as nice. Today, Cambodia is battered and scarred but still lovely, a gentle nation recovering from the brutalities of war.
I like to say that Cambodia will make you cry both ways: From sadness and from joy. You'll see ugly things, you'll see beautiful things and sometimes you'll see both side by side.
Sounds Cool... But Is It Safe?In a word, yes. Cambodia is a perfectly safe place to travel. The people are friendly, violent crime is rare and you would need to be extremely unlucky to step on something nasty, like a poisonous snake or a land mine.
Although I'm in no way qualified to say so, you don't need anti-malaria medication, either. Use bug repellent, wear sunscreen, take normal travel precautions and don't stagger around Phnom Penh drunk at 3 am with cash spilling out of your pockets, and you'll be fine.
OK, How Do I Get There?The easiest way to get to Cambodia is to fly to Phnom Penh. Major connecting hubs include Taipei, Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Overland travel from Bangkok or Saigon is straight-forward, but not much fun.
Visas are available on arrival and cost $20. Don't worry about changing money: Dollars are used for most transactions in Cambodia. While we're on the subject of money, here's another reason to go to Cambodia: It's cheap.
The room where I'm typing now has a queen sized bed, TV, two fans and hot water in the bathroom. It's seven bucks. A nice meal out costs about $4. A draft beer is 75 cents.
Stay tuned...I'll be dishing out practical advice on travel in Cambodia all this week on Jaunted, along with directions to my favorite destinations.
Related Stories:· Cambodia Travel coverage [Jaunted]· More Embedded Travel Guides [Jaunted]
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