Holiday in CambodiaAngkor Wat, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh for a fascinating holiday!
Many people are drawn to holiday in Cambodia with helping out in mind. For others the main draw is in Angkor Wat in Seam Reap. This magnificent structure built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century is certainly an awesome place. But for me, Cambodia was much more about the people.
We arrived in Phnom Penh, meeting up with a group we were to travel with. We are not into tours, but this was privately organised , although it was with a company – Green Gecko. Definitely budget! We were allocated out tour guide Guntha, or Thia as we called him, for the full ten days we were to travel through Cambodia. Cambodia has a population of around ten million people, up to 95 percent of them of Khymer origin. It is a country where the people are still very raw from their terrible recent history, and it flavours their conversation andyour travel experience. It is a country in recovery mode, but there is still a very long way to go. They are certainly working at it, with the help of many volunteers, and countries around the world. Seeing and hearing their history, and observing how the local Cambodians cope with it, is enlightening, and humbling.
Patience was the order of the day! We didn't want our holiday in Cambodia to be terminated early!If there are roads rules, we never did work out what they were. They all converge on a crossroad intersection, having a near miss as they carry on their way. It became a game to see who could spot the moped with the most people on it. A family of 5 was not unusual. I was intrigued with the woman seated behind ( I assume) her husband, hanging onto the legs of a table big enough to seat four comfortably. With the Mekong River running through the city, Phnom Penh is the city where affluence sits side by side with poverty. It is centred around the river, and families enjoyed a fun park beside the River. Tonle Sap Lake which has the Bassak River ,and Tonle Sap Rivers linking into it. It is also a major waterway. Sightseeing in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh to Siem ReapThe Road to Siem Reap was a fascinating peep into the lives of local Cambodians going about their daily tasks. While it was definitely more touristy, it was prettier and more appealing for me.Sight Seeing in Siem Reap
WarningYou will be accosted by young children selling Lonely Planet books. You could buy a Cambodian one for $5. 9 and 10 years old , speak to you in your language. They were pretty good at working out which language you spoke – even the differences in English accents. They would recite off a few facts.....the name of your Prime Minister, capital cities, pop in colloquisms...she’ll be right....Yeh right!They knew about your country ..........which was impressive and charming. The people with limbs amputated , from their encounter with a landmine is shocking. How to Bargain – Courtesy of GunthaA holiday in Cambodia, or any other South East Asian country is usually about the bargaining you can do for your holiday shopping. Fakes are fine.......but you still need to bargain. Here are Guntha( our Guide's) tips for bargaining to a good price for both you and the vendor.Start about two thirds below the asking price. Work through, dollar by dollar, bargaining until you should get the item for about half the asking price.We bargained, then checked other stalls as many of the items are the same. We then went back to the best bargain.
Visa for CambodiaYou can get a Cambodian Visa for your holiday in Cambodia at the airport border. It proved to be a straightforward and efficient procedure. You fill in the forms provided. These are collected with your passport. You then wait in a queue while one of about 6 people processes your visa. Your name is called when it is ready and you are on your way.Go to Travel Visas Online There were some excellent restaurants in both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Everything from small family restaurants, to up market Hotel Restaurants . Temple Bar in Siem Reap is the best street for finding restaurants, and pleasant eating outside. AccommodationKeeping to a budget for our holiday in Cambodia, we stayed in the Mannepreaht Hotel in Phnom Penh. It was a mid priced hotel and while not flash, was clean, comfortable and had everything we required. The windowless rooms were a disadvantage. But the hotel was newly renovated.Dr Beat Richner – The Cello playerWe were invited to a concert. We knew this was a fund raiser for the Kantha Botha Children’s Hospital, and were keen to enjoy a cello concert, so went along.It was not on our holiday in Cambodia list of things to do, and some people did feel it had been rather misrepresented. There was not a lot of cello. But it certainly was a heart rending cause, we were happy to support. Read the story of this Swiss doctor who has given his life to the children of Siem Reap, and his ongoing fundraising to try and give them the care and medication they need. His big frustration at the lack of recognition by UNESCO and WHO(World Health Organisation) at the plight of these children, who cannot get modern medication and treatment because it is “too expensive”, is very clear. The corrupt practices plague this country, and their hospitals.For the full story of Dr Beat Richner – Snippet #6: Mr Cello And The Unfortunate State Of Cambodian Healthcare* MassageA holiday in Cambodia would not be complete without a massage.We attempted to go to Healing Hands where the blind give massages. Unfortunately it was full, and we did not have time to wait.CLICK HERE to go to Phnom Penh Cambodia CLICK HERE to go to Siem Reap Cambodia CLICK HERE to go to Angkor Wat CLICK HERE to go to Travel Visa
|
