Cambodia - Visit This Under Rated Country Before It Gets Crowded
The beautiful pictures of Angkor Wat temple use to fascinate me since a while ago. This destination was in my bucket list since long, though due to several constraints like Covid and few other factors this trip got super delayed.
Eventually I was able to plan this journey during July
month of 2023.
Starting off with geographical understanding, Cambodia is located
in South-East Asia sandwiched between Thailand and Vietnam. Major International
tourist spots in Cambodia include: Sihanoukville, Kampot Province (Coastal
areas) followed by Bokor hill station in the Southern part of Cambodia followed by
Siem Reap city (The home of world’s largest temple- Angkor Wat) in Northern
part of Cambodia.
In order to cover both geographical locations i opted Phnom
Pehn (Capital of Cambodia) as my gateway to enter Cambodia, it’s located in the
centre of the country which makes connectivity much easier.
Phnom Pehn
To be honest with you there isn’t much to explore in Phnom Pehn
a part from Genocide site, Genocide museum, Royal palace and Evening boat
cruise.
1 or 2 days are more than sufficient to explore Phnom Pehn
city.
Tip- The best way to explore city is by renting a Tuk-Tuk, I opted
for an escorted half day sight seeing trip which costed me USD $8.
Kampot Province
Post exploring Phnom Pehn, I decided to pack my stuff and
proceed towards Kampot, The buses or Vans are frequently available, the journey
comprise of 3 hours while the ideal cost for a Mini van would be USD $10 per person.
Kampot province comprise of much better scenic spots
comprising day visit to 1) Bokor Hill station, 2) Pepper Farm (Must visit
places) wherein Farm authorities will take you to a free 45 minutes tour
followed by pepper tasting session at the end of the trip.
Tip- The best way to explore is by renting a Tuk-Tuk or rent
a self-drive motor bike which usually starts from USD $7/ day, followed by fuel
cost @USD $1/ litre (as of July’23).
Sihanoukville
Located at a distance of 3 hours drive from Kampot, This
place is mainly for beach lovers wherein you can just sit and relax on the
beach side, you may also opt for a visit to Koh Rong island followed by a night
stay.
Siem Reap (The Party
Town)
Overnight buses to Siem Reap are available from Kampot or
Sihanoukville, Ideal price for a sleeper bus ticket would be USD $20.
The most awaited moment was here, I was super excited to explore
the Angkor Wat temple and the Siem Reap city.
According my tour guide, 90% of Siem Reap’s economy survive
on tourism industry. The streets here are full of tourist hostels/ resorts, Café’s,
Restaurants, Spa centres and other tourism related recreational activities.
Pub street is a must visit place for party lovers, It feels
like weekend round the week here. Though every club located at Pub street is
amazing while my favourite spots were Temple Club and X-Bar.
The other must visit spot here is the Night Market to
purchase Cambodian antiques, while clothes are also available here at super
reasonable price.
Angkor Wat Temple – Temple
has a rich history and it’s marked in the Guiness world records as largest
religious structure globally. Temple covers the area of 402 acres and is
now preserved by “Archaeological survey of India”.
The best time to visit temple is early morning as it has an
amazing spot to view sunrise.
You would be required to purchase an entry ticket which will
cost you USD $37 followed by the fee for Sight-seeing tour which includes
transportation and English speaking guide, USD $10 would be an ideal price to
visit in a group of <15 people.
What Else to Take
Care Off
Beware of Scammers, Always book cab from Grab website as the
meter of unorganised taxi may run faster than your heartbeat.
Keep your belongings safe from people riding on motorcycles,
as they may snatch your belongings and disappear.
Always clarify the currency of agreed amount before availing any
service, though the official currency of Cambodia is Cambodian Real while they
deal in USD as well (You may withdraw USD from ATM’s as well).
Where to Stay
There are a plenty of accommodation options available across
the country, while I opted for Onederz hostel group for my accommodation, their
hostels are located among all tourist destinations i.e. Phnom Pehn, Kampot, Sihanoukville, Siem Reap. I paid
between USD $5-8 per night (depending on location) for accommodation in a mixed
dorm. They are listed among all major accommodation platforms i.e.
Booking.com, Hostelworld etc.
How to Reach
There isn’t any direct flight from India, hence I booked
flight from New Delhi to Phnom Pehn with 4 hours layover at Kuala Lumpur with
Air Asia, One way flight ticket costed me USD $200.
Where to Eat
If you want to know the honest review, I seriously didn’t
like Cambodian food. Their food is completely different as compared to their neighbour
countries i.e. Thailand, Vietnam.
Indian restaurants are available across Cambodia, though
food seems to be one of the rarest thing which is bit expensive in this
country, An ideal cost for one time meal at an Indian restaurant starts from
USD $6 (basic meal).
While liquor followed by Tobaco are super cheap in Cambodia
i.e. Beer can starts from USD $0.5
Some Important Tips
based on my Personal Experience
I had a comfortable bus journey experience with "VTE operator" they offer point to point
bus service throughout the country.
As already mentioned above Onederz hostel chain was my preferred
accommodation partner across all destinations in Cambodia.
I booked Angkor Wat temple guided tour with a tour company
called “Hello Bird Tour” and the
experience was worth it, as the guide was able to explain about the rich
history of the temple in a polite manner.
E-Visa to visit Cambodia can be easily obtained from their official website, the cost for Indian travellers visiting Cambodia would be around USD $ 40, while the processing time is around 7 working days.
Boss Tusi great ho
ReplyDelete