Planning Cambodia

Cambodia is not Thailand; it is less user friendly and offers less quality for more money. Nonetheless, its rich and tragic recent history adds an important dimension to a trip in the area; even without reading any historical accounts of the events the scars are still fresh everywhere, as if the country was an open encyclopedia. Traveling to Cambodia is doing a cultural trip back into the Khmer civilization. Since it is far less developed than the surrounding countries, it imparts a feel of being closer to the nature and to their ancestral culture.

Traveling Around

Traveling around Cambodia is significantly more complicated than in any one of the surrounding countries. Since every area of the country is different in this aspect, I explain the relevant information on the specific entries.

Visiting Phnom Penh

The city of Phnom Penh is dangerous and it does not matter how many years have passed from the Khmer Rouge adventures or from the Vietnamese Bonanza. Some warnings are to be kept in mind while being in the city:

* Get a map: those are readily available for free at tourists' concentrations; I strongly recommend the free 3D version. Be aware of your actual location while walking in the town and of the way leading you back to your hotel or to another safe area.

* Do not walk in the dark. Not even accompanied.

* After nightfall stay only around your hotel under lighted areas.

* Do not use tuktuks or rikshas in the dark. Taxis are also doubtful. If you must, then try to follow the itinerary chosen by the driver: ask to get down (or jump from the slow vehicle) as soon as you enter a suspicious area out of your trajectory (they use to bring their victims to the train station).

* Avoid the train terminal. Despite its historical interest, it is dangerous.

* Do not carry visibly expensive items.

* It is safer to walk than to use any form of local public transport. The Capitol (the main backpackers’ center, see details in the Phnom Penh entry) travels arrangements are trustworthy, but otherwise it is possible to walk around: it isn't such a big town.

* If you hear shooting at night do not go out to look.

* Pay only with small denominations notes; if you don't have, you can change big ones at the Capitol.

* Do not accept any food or drinks offered to you. Not even from other tourists.

* Do not leave valuables at the hotels, even if it is at the safe of the Raffles Hotel.

* Avoid river-food; if you miss the fish and crabs at Sihanoukville, go back there.

* Avoid recurrent paths and timetables.

* Avoid officials of any kind, they won't help and they may ask for bribes.

* At the tourists’ restaurants, when they write "spicy" they may be referring to marijuana sprinkled food.

* Wat Phnom area is full with thieves of several kinds.

* The street parallel to Monivong Boulevard from the east, called Road 63, is full of nightclubs. Albeit it is very close to the Capitol area, it may be a dangerous decision to cross it at night.

* The slums around the railway, the lake and the dam are colorful but dangerous. Enter only with full daylight and at all times keep a clear and fast exit path.

* Keep away from American, Vietnamese and Muslim installations.

* Watch your back (and backpack) in crowded places: specifically roofed markets and the pier to Kratie.

* If you see a crowd forming up, get away as fast as possible from there.

* If something irregular happens, make sure everything is with you and get away. It is hard to be specific as thieves have hundreds of techniques and keep inventing them by the second. However, generally there is no reason for anyone to be too close to you, to touch you anywhere, to drop or spill something on you, to push you, etc. Keep your eyes open.

* Do not trust local hospitals and clinics. If something happens try to manage until you are back in Thailand.

Using Money in Cambodia

Cambodia is a dollar economy; bring a lot of small denomination dollar notes (1 and $5). This fact is actually an advantage, since in Thailand these notes get a bad exchanging rate. It is possible to use Thai Bahts in the western and the southern parts of the country, but usually they get a bad exchange rate. Specific recommendations appear in the specific entries of this journal.

Main Attractions:

The different entries contain a much wider list and descriptions of the country attraction. The main ones are:

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is one of the best preserved colonial cities in South East Asia and has enough attractions to justify planning at list a whole week there. The Central Market is an unforgettable yellow dome covering a symmetrical cross structure. The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek are a grisly reminder of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge. The prison known as S-21, housed in the Tuol Svay Prey High School, known as the Tuol Sleng Museum, serves as testament to the crimes of the Khmer Rouge; few details of the victims’ torture and death were left to the imagination. The king’s palace and attached temples are of interest and are placed on an extremely beautiful spot by the riverside.

Angkor

What remains today are from Angkor are the stone-built monuments of the Khmer Empire period - a legacy of more than one hundred temples built between the ninth and fifteenth centuries. The setup of the temples among a dense, turquoise colored jungle is spectacular. The temples themselves are an open textbook on Buddhism, allowing for the educated visitor to elucidate the constructors’ views on geographical, temporal and spiritual matters as they walk within them. It is worthwhile to arrive well prepared on these issues.

Sihanoukville

Most tourists seeking for beaches in the waters of the Thai Gulf head for the Thai islands without even considering Cambodia. The town of Sihanoukville offers the same splendid waters while it lacks the crowds suffocating the Thai beaches.

Bokor

An old French Fort, Bokor provides an unusual glimpse into the colonial times, as well as to and unused royal summer palace.

Battambang and Pailin

The first is a sleepy colonial riverside town and is an attractive stopover between Angkor and Phnom Penh, as well as the entry point to Pailin. Pailin was the last city to be held by the Khmer Rouge and a big market of colored gems, which are mined from the nearby hills.

The Mekong River

The stretch of the river in Cambodia is connected through the Tonle Sap River to the Tonle Sap Lake, which occupies a big chunk of the country’s northwest. This part of the country provides many unique views, including the Boat People and their distinctive houses.

Getting a Visa

A visa is needed to enter Cambodia. Getting it through the travel agencies on Khaosan Road is slow and expensive. It is possible to issue a visa at the crossing points, but Cambodian immigration officers there tend to augment the official fee.

Hence, the best approach is to reach directly the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok. Getting there from the lottery building on Ratchadamnoen Road - the wide avenue south of Khaosan Road – is easy with bus 511 (air conditioned) or bus 2. Leave the bus as soon as the boxy World Plaza complex appears at the right side, where the two Skytrain lines meet.

There, one of the train lines turns south to Ratchadamri Road; follow it southwards on the left side of the road for some five to ten minutes and the low building of the Cambodian Embassy will appear at the left. Another option is turning left from the junction into Ploen Chit Avenue, climbing into the Skytrain’s Ploen Chit Station and travelling with it southwards one station.

If arriving at the embassy before noon with a photo and a crispy note of twenty dollars, it is possible to get the visa in the same afternoon. The visit provides a handy opportunity to visit Siam Square, the World Plaza and Sukhumvit Road, the big shopping areas of Bangkok.

Entering the Kingdom of Night

Deciding the entry point to Cambodia is critical for the adventure’s success. There are two ways of legally entering Cambodia from Thailand as a tourist: the northern entry crossing from Aranyaprathet in Thailand to Poipet in Cambodia and the southern one from Had Lek to Koh Khon. The first one is by far more popular with the tourists, but the second is more interesting and safe.

Through Poipet:

Since Poipet is the main highway into the country, an ugly industry was developed between travel agencies from Khaosan Road and guesthouses from Siem Reap’s eastern side. No matter how much the tourists pay the agency, the Thai agencies sell them for five dollars each to a guesthouse in eastern Siem Reap, the first town of interest if using the northern entrance. The guesthouses are the ones operating the minivans services from Poipet to Siem Reap. In order to cover the investment, the guesthouses make ugly efforts to keep the tourist at their guesthouse in and to make the guest book the tour to the Angkor temples through them.

If after these words you still decide to enter from Poipet, travel independently. From Khaosan Road take bus 3 to the Mo Chit Northern Bus Terminal. Walk to the street behind the temple at the western side of Khaosan and from there take any alley leading westwards to the street parallel to the Chao Praya River; from the northern side of the road wave down bus 3 and get down at the last station. It is impossible to confuse the direction, since the bus uses a different street while travelling south.

Mo Chit Terminal is divided into three sectors. Bus 3 arrives at the local buses terminal; from there cross the terminal’s yard to the North and Northeast Departures Terminal, which is located at the only two storeys building in the area. Once there, buy a ticket to Aranyaprathet; a first class bus costs around 175 baht. This is the preferred option since the second and lower classes buses in this line make long detours through the countryside.

Once in Aranyaprathet take a tuk-tuk taxi to the border, which is five kilometers away from the bus terminal. Cross the border and once in Poipet take a private taxi to Siem Reap. All the minivans waiting there with tourists are the Siem Reap - Khaosan dealers trying to swallow you as an extra bonus. If taking a taxi, a fee of 250 baht per person is reasonable.

Ask the driver to be dropped in Siem Reap by the junction of the morning market with the river. After entering the Siem Reap - the second city in the way after Sisophon - pay attention: once you cross the small river you are in Eastern Siem Reap. If the taxi didn't stop before one of the two bridges spanning the river, demand to get down right there.

Through Koh Kong:

Cambodian people are nicer and more relaxed in the south, thus this area offers a better chance of acclimatizing to the Khmer culture. Moreover, such an approach offers the opportunity to enjoy the warm, turquoise waters of the Gulf of Thailand, without making a time-expensive detour to southern Thailand.

Reaching the border cross is easy; from Khaosan take bus 511 or 2 (the same lines used for reaching the embassy) to the Ekkamai Eastern Bus Terminal along Sukhumvit road, between Soi 40 and Soi 42 (right-south side of the road). Leave the bus at the first station after the huge Poseidon adorning a night club, or ask the tickets’ seller for help.

From Ekkamai take the air conditioned bus to TRAT (189B). Trat is a good place for staying overnight. See my entry about Trat for further details about the town and the way to the border.

If Trat was reached before noon, it is possible reaching Koh Kong in Cambodia before night. Take a minivan (100B) from the central market or an open truck from behind it (60B).

After finishing the formalities with the Thai and the Cambodian authorities, take a "moto" (motorbike taxi) to Koh Khon. Say you want to the "Pier" – no to the guesthouses recommended by the drivers and pay the driver 30 to 50B each. At the big bridge there is an 11B toll.

Within the Kingdom

From here onwards, the articles in this journal will be written as if Cambodia was entered from the south.

Koh Kong: A Fake Island

An impressive 2km long bridge connects the Cham Yeam border cross with Koh Kong. The town was historically a remote and insular outpost, its prosperity was based on fishing, logging and smuggling but now it is the border with Thailand that brings in the trade.

Though the word Koh means island, the town of Koh Kong is not on an island but on the mainland and in the province of the same name. This small town is situated on the eastern bank of the Kah Bpow River, where it empties into the Gulf of Thailand. The unusual name originates the fact that in order to reach Cambodia's heartland overland, three minor rivers must to be crossed over dungy ferries.

There is nothing special in the town, but sitting by the small pier sipping fresh sugar cane juice with lemon is a good way of celebrating the entrance to Cambodia.

Most guesthouses in Koh Kong are similar and within short walking distance from the market and the pier, they charge a cartel prize of four dollar per room.

The Next Destination

If arriving early enough, it is possible to leave right away for Sihanoukville, Kampot, Pailin or Phnom Penh.

Kampot is a very pleasant town nearby the border with Vietnam. Nearby is the Bokor National Park, which hosts the impressive leftovers of a French fort.

Sihanoukville offers the best coastline in the country and is located halfway to Kampot.

Phnom Penh: if running out of time and deciding to give up the beaches, this is the best option.

Pailin: It is possible to reach Pailin from here, but the way is dangerous; a better option would be described in a later entry.

How to leave?

Overland: from the central market ask one of the trucks waiting there for your chosen destiny. You can talk the driver down to 200 baht. Bargain with the driver for the price, and make sure how many people will sit with you, where will you sit and when it leaves; it is recommended to leave before noon. Do not pay before the departure.

Over the Gulf of Thailand: from the pier take the speed boat to Sihanoukville. This is a river boat travelling in the open gulf, so the trip gets truly wild. Moreover, they charge tourists 600B while the locals pay only 200B for the same seat providing hus a second reason for avoiding it. However, this is the fast and safe way of reaching Sihanoukville.

Almost a City: Sihanoukville

Where am I?

Sihanoukville is 232km south of Phnom Penh, and is served by regular buses from there. If arriving by boat from Koh Kong then you are at the port on the western side of the town: walk through the road leading south and eastwards, avoid the slums at your left. If you arrived by land, most probably you were dropped at the small cluster of buildings that makes the town’s center.

If I am in Sihanoukville, then where is the city?

Sihanoukville is a city only in the maps, as the few villages forming it were declared a town only after Cambodia needed a new port since following the dissolution of Indochina the Mekong Delta became part of Vietnam and thus inaccessible. The town still looks like a few neighbouring villages connected by long, narrow roads.

Why am I here?

A few lazy days on the beach will help to relax and unwind, before or after an excursion through the harsh provincial Cambodian roads.

Where are the beaches?

A string of four sandy pearls called Ochheuteal, Sokha, Independence and Victory point south-eastwards from the port; as the distance from the port increases, the population in the beach decreases. Despite the big distances among them, they can be explored with the help of a rented bike.

Where can I sleep?

There are three areas fitting that purpose: the town's center, the backpackers' center and the cluster of houses on the way to the port, just where the road downwards from the center meets the coast road. At the center, the Thai Kim (San) Hotel offers good rooms with air conditioner, a private bathroom with hot water and cables television for ten dollars. The backpackers' area should be avoided (it offers just decrepit shambles) except for getting a place on the taxi to Kampot; it is located halfway between the center and the coastal road. Nearby the coast road is Samuth's Guesthouse where a big and comfortable room costs four dollars.

How do I pay?

The best way to pay is with dollars for substantial sums (anything above five dollars) and with riels, the local money, for small transactions. Thai bahts get less useful from here eastwards.

What do I eat?

The best local food is fresh seafood. On the beaches, girls walk around with a bamboo pole between their shoulders, on one side a bucket with fresh seafood hangs and on the other a small grille. They sell fresh crabs and other delicacies for 1000 riels each (~25c).

How do I leave?

The best way to reach Phnom Penh is with the Capitol bus; the company has an office at the center; however, it is possible to book a place from most guesthouses and hotels.

If continuing to Kampot, the recommended destination, book a taxi from the backpackers' center; Kampot is just a couple of hours away.

Fruity Kampot: A Palace?

The attractive and calm town of Kampot is on the southeastern corner of Cambodia and offers a beautiful riverside, the misty Bokor Mountains and terraces of French shop-houses; it is the exit point for trips to the uphill French fort in Bokor and the beaches in Kep.

The Teuk Chhou River divides the city, which its center is eastwards from it, just after the bridge. Along the eastern shore there are several pleasant places to spend the evening, and every evening many stalls appear serving fresh fruit shakes, which faithfully reflect the huge variety of fruits existing along the Mekong Delta. This practice is shared with the southern parts of Vietnam, which are the richest fruits’ basket in Southeast Asia, thus Kampot provides the visitor with an authentic Vietnamese experience. At a price of 1000 riel for each shake (~25c) they are one of the best deals on earth. Durian, Jackfruit, Sapa, Rarmood and all the other oriental jewels are awaiting the visitor’s tasting verdict.

The train station lies 2km north of town off National Route 3. Taxis and pick-ups will drop you either at the market or at the transport stop in the southeast of town, off the road to Kep. Taxis to Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville cost 10,000r, and a place on the back of a pick-up half this. Most places around Kampot are walkable, but motos are readily available to take the weight off tired feet for 500-1000r.

There are several hotels around the center. The Chinese managed Heng Kong You Guesthouse is a bit within one of the radial streets beginning at the central square. A basic but spacious room with a private hot shower and a full cables-TV connection costs four or five dollars per night, depending on the guest’s negotiation skills.

Bokor

The best way of arriving at Bokor is renting a motorcycle and a driver-guide from one of the moto-shops at the town center. A big motorcycle is slightly more expensive (14 dollars for a day as compared to 9) but it is a must considering the roads conditions.

Unable to cope with the Cambodian heat during the hottest months of the year, the French searched for cool relief among the higher elevations of the Elephant Mountains and founded the hill station of Bokor, 40km northwest of Kampot, combining the requirements of a milder climate at its elevation of just over 1000m, and its strategic location over the Gulf of Thailand.

The villas, King Sihanouk's former royal palace and the casino were abandoned as a result of the Khmer Rouge regime, as in Kep. The Royal Palace will arouse some questions in your mind, as it is the size of regular toilets in a modern shopping mall.

The real attraction is the deserted hill station with its church; in 1979 the Vietnamese were holed up in the hotel shooting at the Khmer Rouge sheltering in the church. It is safe to explore the buildings, and the hotel especially is atmospheric since mist wafts across the hills and in through the broken windows.

The big island seen from the hill station is called in Vietnamese Dao Phu Quoc and it belonged to Cambodia before the Vietnamese invasion that put end to the Khmer Rouge regime.

Bokor has been given a new life as Bokor National Park (entrance 20,000r), with nearly 350,000 acres of prime forest. This is a vast wildlife sanctuary with very little wildlife to be seen.

Popokvil Waterfall is a magnificent sight after an easy twenty-minute walk on a well-marked path through the jungle. At the top of the falls four streams converge just before the rocks to push the reddish jungle water over two giant steps of more than 10m each, flanked on both sides by dense vegetation.

Just south of Kampot is Kep, where the river splitting the town meets the sea. If arriving at Kampot from Sihanoukville's beaches, Kep keeps no attractions.

Decisions in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is the next natural stop and the place to take decisions regarding the rest of the trip. Cambodia is a circular country with no roads running around the perimeter and no east-to-west roads. It is impossible to cross from the northeast to the northwest. All the dirt roads in this area are closed to tourists since this is the illegal trees-logging area of the country. That means that Phnom Penh must be crossed more than once if you are doing a thorough visit.

If arriving at Phnom Penh from the south then you will need to decide between the western and eastern groups of northern locations:

Northwestern Cambodia:
Angkor Wat temples
Battambang and surroundings
Tonle Sap Lake
Poipet cross to Thailand
Optional: Pailin, Kampong Cham, Phnom Udong

Northeastern Cambodia:
Mekong River
Kratie and surroundings
Optional: Stung Treng, Rattanakiri, crossing to Laos

If leaving the country through Laos, it is possible to advance from the capital to Battambang overland, continue to Angkor through the river, return back to Phnom Penh through the lake or road number six and then to travel up the river till the border. It sounds nice, but the cross is illegal for tourists, though doing that while bribing the immigrations officers at both sides is an encouraged practice by local authorities.

The second option is to start on the eastern side, climbing up the Mekong River, and then returning on the same way for the sake of the western side of the country and the exit to Thailand.

The third option is to give up one side. Giving up the western side means missing Angkor, the main attraction in the country, thus renouncing to the eastern trip is less of a tragedy.

In the often-confused cities of South East Asia, Phnom Penh numbered streets are a spectacular example of order, even that the houses themselves are numbered by their order of construction rather than by their geographical co-ordinates. The streets follow a grid layout, comfortably divided from time to time by broad avenues. The ruined or non-existent asphalt and the deep puddles that appear with every sudden monsoon rain are quickly forgotten under such circumstances.

The houses belong to the colonial-crumbled-style and are not interesting enough to justify the visit: Vientiane in Laos provides much better colonial surroundings. Despite that, among the endless lines of three stories buildings there are a few pearls worth of consideration; not only the palaces and temples ubiquitous in the area, but also some unique structures like the Central Market and the Khmer Rouge interrogation and killing centers.

The Central Market is an unforgettable yellow dome covering a symmetrical cross structure. Built and kept without electricity in its interior, the dome and the roofs of the four wings host many narrow, horizontal openings, which allow the light to penetrate the structure; the light quality inside this closed space is of a superb quality.

The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek are a macabre reminder of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge. Seventeen thousand people were killed here, just 15km Southwest of the city centre, and more than eight thousand skulls, arranged by sex and age, are visible behind the glass panel of the Memorial Stupa erected in 1988. Prior to their murder, the victims were detained at the prison known as S-21, within the Tuol Svay Prey High School. Today, the Tuol Sleng Museum serves as silent testimony of the Khmer Rouge crimes. The dramatic display leaves few of the tortures’ details to the imagination.

Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (S21) is located on road 350 and hosts an impressive collection of the Khmer Rouge torturing devices. The Toul Svay Prey Secondary School was converted by them into a primitive prison and interrogation centre. Corrugated iron and barbed wire surrounded the perimeter, and classrooms were divided into individual cells, or housed rows of prisoners secured by shackles. During the four years from 1975 to 1979, an estimated twenty thousand victims were imprisoned in Security Prison 21 (or S21). Teachers, students, doctors, monks and peasants suspected of anti-revolutionary behaviour were brought here, often with their spouses and children and were subjected to horrific tortures, and then killed or taken to extermination camps outside the city. The place has been left almost exactly as it was found by the liberating Vietnamese forces - the fourteen victims found hideously disfigured in the individual cells have been buried in the adjacent school playground. It is a thoroughly depressing sight, and it is not until you see the pictures of the victims, bloodstains on the walls and instruments of torture that you get any idea of the scale of suffering endured by the Cambodian people.

Other locations of interest:

Monivong Boulevard

This is one of the main avenues and shopping centers on a nearly north-south axis.

Norodom Boulevard

This is the next broad avenue eastern to Monivong Boulevard; east from it are the National Museum, the Royal Palace and the Mekong River Promenade.

Laotian Embassy is on Mao Tse Toung Boulevard (Street 400).

Russian Market

It is on the junction of 444 with 155, somewhat south of Mao Tse Toung Boulevard; it is an interesting market catering for locals.

Orussey Market

It is on Street 182, one block away from Monivong Boulevard; a close, big, square and old market painted white and blue, it offers many colourful knickknacks.

Old Stadium

It is located behind the big drive around at the end of Monivong Boulevard; the famous complex of the French Embassy is just before it. Perpendicular to the boulevard is Street 70, which connects the lake with the Japanese bridge. At the center of the drive-around is a figure of a knotted revolver, symbolizing the end of the civil conflict. The diagonal avenue east of Monivong, ending at the square and leading to Wat Phnom is France Street 47, which changes its name to Norodom Boulevard after the wat.

Independence Monument

It is at the junction of Norodom Boulevard with Sihanouk Boulevard. The monument was built in the shape of a classical Khmer, Angkor like structure in an impressive red stone.

Bassac River

This is the name given to a branch of the Mekong River after it meets the Tonle Sap. The Promenade along it is beautiful; cement stairs lead from it to the river flowing far below. The wide promenade neighbours the Sisowath Quay Avenue. Opposite it, the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, both placed within the same compound are visible. Along the promenade, many country flags make it a colourful spot.

Wat Phnom

The Hill Temple that gave the name to the city is located north of Road 102, at the northern edge of Norodom Boulevard in a huge circular complex. At the southeastern corner of the complex is the Central Post Office. People claiming that they are guards try to charge illegal entrance fees from tourists.

The Pier to Kratie and Siem Reap is at the end of street 102, just off Wat Phnom.

Wat Ounalom

These are the headquarters of the Cambodian Buddhist Patriarchate; they are by the promenade at the 'Y' junction of Sisowath Quay with Sothearos Boulevard, north of the Royal Palace.

Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda

Behind the park, set back from the riverbank on Sothearos Boulevard, stand the Royal Palace and adjacent Silver Pagoda (daily 7.30-11am, 2.30-5pm; $3, additional $2 charge for cameras; entrance at Silver Pagoda). These are Phnom Penh's principal tourist sights and its finest examples of twentieth-century Khmer-influenced architecture.

The National Museum is another nearby highlight, with outstanding displays of Khmer crafts. The grand, red-painted structure located north of the Royal Palace on Sothearos Boulevard, (Tues-Sun 8-11am & 2.30-5pm; $2) was a collaboration of French design and Cambodian artisanship.

The only shopping mall in town was opened during 2003 nearby the central market and features the only mechanical stairs in Cambodia. Back then, guards instructed the visitors on their use. The food plaza on the top floor is not very appealing but its huge windows offer a good view of the city.

Wat Poeu trail lear. This temple is located on the southern tip of the tongue of land separating the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers.

Hotels:

The standard fee of the guesthouses in Phnom Penh is 4 dollars per night, except for the ones surrounding the shopping mall nearby the Central Market, which charge five.

The Capitol is on the corner of road 107 and 182, one block away from Monivong Boulevard. All the guesthouses around this area belong to it and charge four dollars despite the slightly different facilities offered. A room with one bed and a private hot shower will cost the same as a room with three beds and a shared shower; within that group, I recommend the Hello Guesthouse on road 107.

If searching for luxury then the best option is the Raffles Hotel Le Royal, at 92 Rukhak Vithei Daun Penh (off Monivong Boulevard), Sangkat Wat Phnom. It was built in the late 1920s and was reopened in 1997; it has the same low architecture of its big brother in Singapore.

Buses:

The Capitol Agency offers buses to the following destinations:
Sihanoukville 10$
Koh Kong (return) 4$
Sihanoukville and Koh Kong 12$
Siem Reap to Bangkok (ac) 13$
Phnom Penh - Siem Reap boat 22$
Phnom Penh - Siem Reap (ac) 4$
Phnom Penh - Chau Doc (Vietnam) 6$
Phnom Penh - Saigon 6$
Phnom Penh-Battambang 4$
Phnom Penh - Poipet 12$

Food:

The food at the restaurants is quite good, especially at the French ones; the dishes here are far less spiced than the ones in Thailand. Baguettes and coffee are snacks of extraordinary value.

Coffee Shops:

Walking north from the Capitol toward the morning market on street 107, a street coffee shop occupying the entrance to a small alley just one block south of the fuel station in front of the morning market can be reached. It offers traditional coffee served together with a complimentary and inverted cup of green tea (see picture).

Supermarket:

The Big A - on Monivong Boulevard, is two blocks north of the road leading to the Capitol. The establishment is quite small and expensive, and includes a rather basic food plaza. It is the best place in town for buying mosquito lotion, an essential item during the rainy season.

Mighty Mekong

The Mekong River is Cambodia’s main highway, serving the transport needs along the country; using it is much faster that any land transport. The river is connected through the Tonle Sap River to the lake of the same name which occupies a big chunk of the country's northwest; both rivers meet at Phnom Penh, creating a much needed serenity point in that noisy city. From a traveller’s point of view, the river is a picturesque option to reach the northeastern locations of Kratie, Stung Treng and Rattanakiri.

South of Phnom Penh

The southern stretch of the Mekong is the best way to reach Chau Doc in Vietnam. Two kinds of tickets are available from the capital; the expensive ones use a boat directly from the capital to the border, while the cheap ones make most of the way by road and only the last hour is done by boat.

Kaamsamnar Kohrokar is the Cambodian immigration station’s name along the Mekong at the border with Vietnam. The boat approaches it, makes a short stop to allow everyone to get his passport stamped and then continues toward Chau Doc. Unusually, they have a long wanted people list and they check every passenger against all the names, so that it takes some time to cross.

North of Phnom Penh

Kratie

Kratie (pronounced Kra-chee) is the first stop upstream from Phnom Penh. Kratie is a small town along the Mekong's eastern shore which is trying to build a local tourism industry around two topics: the Irrawaddy Dolphins and the Black Temple.

Phnom Sambok is a Buddhist temple about 11km north of Kratie, which was used by the Khmer Rouge as a killing site. All its original wall-paintings were covered with black; hence its modern nickname. The prisoners were killed there with an axe while their head rested on the nagas (serpents’ statues) alongside the entrance. The dense trees of the area hide a meditation commune on the first level, and a small temple on the higher summit.

Around 10km further north on Route 7, a sign marks the arrival at Kampie, the only riverside point from which to view the rare freshwater Irrawaddy Dolphins, of which less than a hundred are left. The dolphins have short snouts, high foreheads and a bluish-grey color. Around eighteen dolphins live in the surrounding rapids, and can be seen during the mornings and late afternoons, especially when the water is low. They are best seen from a cliff located some 45 minutes by motorcycle from the town. From below the cliff small boats take passengers to the river's center.

The only way to visit these two places is to hire a motorcycle taxi from Kratie; if hiring a motorcycle for a whole day ($6 is reasonable), then it is possible to reach Sambor, 35km north of Kratie, the site of an ancient pre-Angkorian capital.

Hotels and guesthouses in Kratie are somewhat rustic and provide only the basics, but the surrounding rainforest more than compensates for that.

It is possible to travel north to Stung Treng by truck or by boat. If using a truck (15000r) it is better to leave before noon, otherwise you may arrive by night after a worrying trip through the jungle. The road is dusty and bumpy, so take a local "karma" scarf to filter the air. If travelling by boat (25000r for the fast one), buy the ticket only before the boarding since otherwise you can get stuck if there are not enough passengers. The tickets’ office may make problems refunding the money in such a case. Speed boats only go upriver when the river is high, from July to late October.

Stung Treng

Stung Treng is substantially bigger than Kratie and is located at the eastern side of the Mekong some sixty kilometers south of the border with Laos and west of Rattanakiri.

At its center are two piers, one serves slow-boats and the second speed-boats. All road transport arrives and leaves from the transport stop on the riverfront.
Nearby the piers, along the riverside there is an improvised promenade that hosts food stalls. The central market is some two blocks south from the river along the main avenue.

This is another colonial riverside town, but a decidedly quiet one as it is at the end of the road. For moving on to Rattanakiri, book a spot on the pick-up the night before (15000r) and ask to be collected once they are ready to leave, since waiting for the other passengers can be an exhausting process; afterwards it is a three-hour trip.

The market in Stung Treng is a great opportunity to taste inexpensively Khmer food of the type people cooked at home. The Angkor Restaurant, down the street on the west side of the market, and the Sekong Hotel's restaurant offer good Chinese and Cambodian dishes and have menus in English.

Opposite the boat terminal is the cheapest place to stay in town, the Amatak Guesthouse (under $5), offering basic rooms with shared facilities. A notch up in price is the Sekong Hotel (under $5), a short walk west along the riverside. The only upmarket option is the Sok Sambath Hotel ($5-10) at the eastern end of the market.

Crossing to Laos

First it should be clarified: there is no legal international border open for tourists between Cambodia and Laos. However, it can be crossed if arriving at Stung Treng with a valid Laotian visa.

Since the border is officially closed, a special letter from the National Police allowing the stamping of the passport at the border is needed. The letter provider is the Chief of Local Security of the National Police, sitting at the police headquarters, roughly a kilometer from the river side along the main street. The letter "fee" is of between ten and twenty dollars, depending on many factors (mainly from where you are and who connected you).

Afterwards, there are two possibilities. The more risky is travelling the fifty-seven kilometers way to the border by road, which is not recommended by the police for security reasons. The second is taking a boat (speed boat for seven dollars, slow boat for five) through the Mekong to the border.

If taking a boat, make sure it is not involved in illegal traffic; if caught, the blame will be on the passenger. The boats leave only when they have enough passengers, thus it is better to book a place in advance in more than one boat and pay only after boarding.

The slow boats are recommended because they offer better opportunities to enjoy the river. Travelling on shallow waters, they pass among tiny, beautiful islands along the way, an impossible task for the bigger boats. Since the distance to cross is short, the boat speed is a low importance factor.

Pay attention to the tree-logging activities at the western coast, where the rainforest was transformed into a sandy desert. Wild parrots can be heard and seen.

The boat stops first at the Cambodian immigration point at Kaok Nhang, a small island west of Voem Kham, that is the village sitting exactly on the border. There, after showing the Laotian visa and the Cambodian Police letter, a new bargain would begin. During my visit there, the officer requested another three dollars, but was happy to get two dollars and offered a complimentary rice and meat lunch. After the meal, an exit stamp with no English script was added to my passport and the Mekong was crossed to an island where the village of Voem Kham is.

The village is divided at an unknown point by the international limit. At its northern exit sits the Laotian immigration. There is a small pier for the arriving boats and only one hotel at its southern side, the Cambodian one.

The Laotian police requested a "fee" of five dollars for the Laotian entry stamp; it is not recommended to continue travelling without getting all the stamps, since that would result in heavy fines while attempting later to leave Laos.

From there you will need to find a pick up to Ban Nakasong, the southest point in Laos reached by buses.

Sleeping in Voem Kham is recommended, since the Mekong offers unforgettable sunrises with soft light reaching the river through the dense rainforest surrounding it.

From Phnom Penh there are three ways heading northwest; that opens the way for a convenient loop if exiting Cambodia through Laos or Vietnam.

Road Six was a big adventure before it was paved; nowadays, its only point of interest is the spiders’ eating town of Snuol.

The Tonle Sap river-lake complex is by far the fastest way of reaching Siem Reap.

Road 5 is the westernmost option, leading to Battambang, the Sangker River, the northern part of the Tonle Sap Lake and Siem Reap, thus combining all the points of interest along the way. The trip through the Sangker and the close looks at the fishing cranes and water houses on the Tonle Sap were one of the highlights of my voyages in Cambodia. Just be sure to catch a speedboat along the Sangker and not one of the slower ones, since the river is narrow and the big boats cross it slowly.

Battambang

The country's second-largest city is 293km away from the capital, or 71km south of Sisophon if arriving from Thailand. The slow flowing Sangker River imposes its pace on the local culture, creating a charming amalgam between some of the best-preserved colonial architecture in the country and Nature itself. The people themselves are friendly and live in pedestrian pace, allowing a magical opportunity to renew strength after a long trip.

Psar Nat is the Central Market at the town's center, near the pier. It is shaped as one wing, one quarter, of Phnom Penh's Central Market. Around there are several jewelleries trying to profit from their closeness to Pailin.

The pier is reached from the boats through an unstable stairway climbing up a small cliff. Touts from the hotels approach the pier as soon as a boat arrives, some even offering transportation to places located just behind the adjacent market.

A few blocks away from the market, opposite to the pier's direction and somewhat north, there is an open terminal serving the various types of local transport: trucks, minivans and taxis. Share taxis and pick-ups leave from the transport stop: for Phnom Penh fares are 25000r and 15000r respectively; for Poipet 15000r and 8000r; and for Sisophon (change there for Siem Reap) 10000r and 5000r. For Pailin, join a pick-up in the south of town, near the start of Route 10 at Psar Leu (8000r). Small speed-boats depart daily at 7am for Siem Reap; the foreigners' price is $15 for the three-hour trip. Planes fly daily to Phnom Penh in the early morning; both Royal Phnom Penh Airways ($45 one way) and President Airlines offices are both on Street 3, south of Psar Nat. Trains from Phnom Penh and Sisophon trundle into the station at the western edge of town in the early evening and it is just a 500-metre walk into the town centre.

Nearby the central market, the Royal Hotel is a good choice. The huge rooms are equipped with cables television and private showers without hot water.

Phnom Samphou is Battambang’s version of Phnom Penh's Killing Fields, the hill can be reached with a moto; motorbikes and drivers await at the hotels and cost two dollars. At the exact top of the hill there is a Buddhist temple which is reached through a relatively steep stairway. From there, a dirt path behind the old cannons leads to the killing site.

Pailin - This Place Doesn't Exist

When I read the CIA website before visiting Cambodia for the first time, the town of Pailin was described as "suspected of existing;" apparently, this was their way to ignore the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge.

Pailin is 83km southwest of Battambang and some twenty kilometers from the border to Thailand. It can be reached with shared taxis from Battambang; the only way to get out is traveling back to Battambang through road number ten.

The town is interesting due to the still obvious Khmer Rouge presence and for the close look to the gems polishing industry, which is done openly in unguarded open huts around the town, since nobody would be fool enough to try to steal there. Since most of the foreign visitors are Thai gems' dealers, the tourists’ industry is different than elsewhere in the country; the hotels and food are more expensive.

The central part of the small town is enclosed on a triangular set of roads. From two of the angles, two straight and parallel roads are pulled. All the other roads in the place are unpaved.

The hill at the town's entrance, Phnom Yat, has a small pagoda at its stop which is decorated with statues of people being tortured, tongues being pulled out are colored to enhance the effect, and a whole repertoire of other tortures taken from the Khmer Rouge interrogation rooms can be appreciated. The hill provides also a great view of Pailin and the mountains around.

Along the central paved triangle of roads is the Kim Young Heng Guest House. My room there was quite comfortable with a television that welcomed my digital camera’s connector; it had an attached bathroom without hot water.

Siem Reap

Siem Reap is Cambodia's most touristy town. Western luxuries are freely available, and there are plenty of English-speaking locals. The town is divided by a small river which floods at the monsoon season, transforming the nice promenade and the morning market into a short-lived swamp.

It is imperative to arrive at Siem Reap’s center and find a guesthouse at the town's center, by the river and the old central market; otherwise you will be trapped at night in the frightening suburbs.

The town’s center is at the streets bordering the river on the western side. The market and Angkor are on the same side. The upmarket area is in the western edge of the town, on the way to Angkor. The Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, at 1 Vithei Charles de Gaulle Raffles Hotel, is a beautiful branch of the Singaporean chain. An expensive souvenirs shop and the King’s Palace are nearby.

Beside the private Capitol minivans and small buses, there was not any public transport at the time of my visits; finding a shared truck or taxi were the only alternatives; transport around town is limited to motos (1000-2000r) or tuk-tuks (4000r per trip).

The guesthouses charge here five dollars, unlike the Cambodian cartel at the rest of the country, which was constantly asking four dollars during all my visits. Moon Rise, Rose Guesthouse and Hao Sotha, all along the western side road connecting the market with the park are recommended, but the nearby Orchidae was definitely unfriendly.

Angkor: Temples in the Jungle

Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which left a legacy of more than one hundred temples built between the ninth and fifteenth centuries. All the local guides have read the Lonely Planet books and try to sell that company’s idea of how to see the temples. They offer the free sunset view plus a two days trip along the short and long circuits described on those guides. Moreover, the pricing strategy of the place follows the guide as well, asking twenty dollars for the first day, the same amount for the second day and then giving a free third day.

There are better tactics for covering the main sights. The day before the planned visit, rent a 'moto' for two dollars and go to Angkor around 17:00, buy a one day ticket for the next day and enter to see the sunset from the sunset hill. The sunset is west from that hill while the temples are on the eastern side; nonetheless the experience offers an astonishing view of the temples from above.

Once back at town, invite the moto driver to drive you the next day for six dollars; explain to him he should arrive at 4:45 or 5:00am sharp and in a sober state.

If the sky is unclouded, the sunrise behind the temples is spectacular; the angular temples’ silhouettes are outlined first by the dim lights and provide an unforgettable view.

After the sunrise is over do not stay at Angkor since it will be crowded. You can have a good coffee and breakfast at the stalls in front of the main entrance; those on the left are for tourists while those on the right are regular Khmer stalls, at them, tasty Khmer food is offered.

Spend the morning hours visiting Angkor Thom (the city surrounding the central temple), the Bayon (with its 54 columns featuring the king’s face on each direction) and Ta Prohm (the temples with trees growing on them). After finishing them, return to the Angkor Wat complex, when everybody is elsewhere.

Crossing to Thailand

Shared taxis span the short distance back to Thailand. Across the border, from Aranyaprathet’s bus terminal, there are frequent buses to Bangkok.