Photo trip report: A glimpse into Cambodia

[buksida]

The skyline of Phnom Penh had changed little in 15 years, and aside from a shiny new tower block and a patch of dusty land where the lake used to be, it appeared very similar from the air. Getting through the airport was a bit of a fiasco and far from smooth with four separate forms to complete, photos required, health forms for Ebola, queuing for the $30 tourist visa itself, then again for immigration where you’re deprived of two full pages of your passport, and then through customs. If Cambodia wants more tourists it will need to make getting into the country a little less hassle!

Leaving the airport I start to notice the differences since my last trip to Cambodia in the late 90s; the dusty streets are now sealed and the battered old Toyotas have been replaced with Lexuses and Range Rovers; there is big money in this town today though not all are enjoying it, poverty is still widespread and the majority live on less than three dollars a day. A tuktuk ride from the airport takes over an hour when travelling during the manic city rush hour (which makes Hua Hin look like Milton Keynes) and it is dark by the time I arrive at the hotel.

At night Phnom Penh feels a little like Manila, crazy traffic, bright lights, piles of trash and broken sidewalks, food stalls everywhere, and an edgy kind of raucous atmosphere about it. I’m in the middle of the nightlife district opposite a place called Sorya Mall which is a shopping mall converted into a bunch of open air bars and restaurants serving ridiculously cheap beer.

It doesn’t actually start to get going until 10pm and goes on until daylight. Bars and restaurants can open 24 hours here, there are no alcohol restrictions, no stupid music laws, no cigarette censorship, no packs of police pointing flashlights, it is a far cry from Thailand and a million miles away from the the sleepy darkened streets of downtown Yangon.

On the downside there is still a violent edge to Phnom Penh and venturing down darkened streets after dark is not advised, robberies of locals and foreigners are still very common so you have to be on your guard.

To follow: more on Phnom Penh

[Lung Per]

Thanks for your report. I look forward to your next chapter. I was in PP some seven years ago. I guess a few things have changed since then.

[pdm3547]

Oh, buggeration. I'm going to Cambodia on Boxing Day for a few days, to see the killing fields and all that.

Is the immigration really like that or can I fend it off in advance?

[buksida]

It is a pain in the ass that's all, just bring a passport photo, 30 dollars, a pen, and be prepared for it to take an hour.

A walk down to the river front through the backpacker district reveals a more serene side to the city; many old colonial buildings have been restored and converted into swanky coffee shops and restaurants and a wide promenade serves local couples and tourists out for a stroll along the river Tonle. The rich and the poor live side by side, it is not uncommon to see a Bentley parked outside a rundown building.

The Central Market is primarily for tourists with the usual selection of Cambodia t-shirts, souvenirs, carvings, jewelry and electronics. I remember this place being awash in mud and fruit 15 years ago but today it is clean and almost orderly for an Asian market. Phnom Penh isn’t really a shopper’s town though a couple of large malls have now been built here, most shops downtown are local businesses, it has yet to reach the glitzy pretentiousness of Bangkok.

Phnom Penh is one of the cheapest cities in Southeast Asia for transport, accommodation, eating out and drinking. A basic room in the center of town with TV, wifi, fridge, a/c and hot water can be had for around $15 (450 baht), a good western standard meal will be around $5 (local food a dollar or so) and a jug of beer just $2 (even cheaper during happy hours) – it is less than half the cost of the equivalent in Thailand.

Money goes a lot further in Cambodia which is why so many expats are moving from Thailand to settle here instead. There are far fewer hassles from the authorities and a yearly visa and work permit can be had for around $250 without all the financial and bureaucratic demands that Thailand makes of long term residents.

Farangs (called barangs here) are seen openly working in bars and restaurants, you can even drive a tuktuk in Cambodia. There is a fear that this will change though, Thaksin has made several visits in recent years meddling into Cambodian politics and among other things advising them to clamp down on foreigners, what we could be seeing here is the golden age of freedom for the white man in Southeast Asia.

To follow: Kampot

[Henry 14th]

Oh, buggeration. I'm going to Cambodia on Boxing Day for a few days, to see the killing fields and all that.

Is the immigration really like that or can I fend it off in advance?

I always get the visa in Thailand a few days before traveling to places like this. It saves a lot of hassle at the other end.


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[Liberty70]

Passed through Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in September 2013. Great little country and an amazing place to visit - loving your report so far! Make sure you hit the FCC for a beer or two at dusk on the balcony.

I had no hassles flying into Phnom Penh and then walking out of Cambodia at the Poipet/Aranyaprathet border crossing - just as easy as landing at Suvarnabhumi! But I did have an e-visa for Cambodia with me

http://www.evisa.gov.kh

Sounds like it may ease the immigration hassle. Enough of the hijack - more pics please!

[oakdale160]

Visa at the airport takes about 20 mins. about $30 be sure you have a PP photo and US$.
Stand in line 1, on the left, hand over PP, application form and photo
Join Line 2, on the right, wait for your name to be called, pay $, by the time luggage is on the carrousel you are all done and dusted.

[buksida]

You were lucky, from plane to taxi took me about an hour - even getting into Burma was less hassle so I hope they streamline this procedure.

[Vital Spark]

Thanks for the pics and the report, Buksi. Both Mr.VS and I rather like Cambodia (we went there in 2013 and again this year on our train trip to the UK) - we likened it to Thailand when we first arrived about 17 years ago. I love the fact that Phnom Penh is not like Bangkok, and has still retained the relative charm of yesteryear. As you quite rightly said, it's not as sniffy as Thailand about drinking beer and smoking cigarettes, which suits me just fine!

If you, or anyone else who's visiting Phnom Penh, want an authentic experience, sit on the street and eat sun-dried buffalo with a few cans of beer. The place we found was on street no.19 (heading south, I think, with the river which you can't see on the left), just past the junction with Oknha Chhun (on the corner of the first soi on the left). It's a great way to spend an evening and have a chat with the locals, who are truly charming people. And it's cheap!

Looking forward to more photos and reports.

VS

[Expat657]

Great little trip report Buksida!
Fair play to Cambodia for not having all the restrictions that Thailand has, wakes wakey Thailand, people are leaving OR not even coming in the first place!

[buksida]

I’d met up with some old friends based in Phnom Penh and since we were all heading in the same direction it made sense to hire a minivan for $70 to take us to Kampot for a break from the mayhem and nightlife. Once out of the gridlocked city we started motoring on roads that were far better than I’d expected, I was already looking forward to getting on to two wheels.

The journey took around 3 hours and we checked into a quaint little family run guesthouse down by the river for the princely sum of $8 per night. Kampot feels like an old western town in another time, empty wide boulevards, crumbling old colonial buildings, and a lazy river front to while away the day; all that’s missing is the horses and cowboys.

It is primarily a chill-out backpacker spot where copious quantities of green is consumed (openly and without fear), and days are spent in one of the many small eateries or bars near the riverside. A big durian roundabout marks the center of the small nondescript town, life here happens at a much slower pace, it feels a little like Kanchanaburi 20 years ago.

To follow: riding to Kep

[Bamboo Grove]

From my last visit to Phnom Penh in 2007 I can't recall there being stray dogs in the streets. Has that changed? What about in small towns?

[buksida]

Very few - I think they're sent over the border to Vietnam.

[buksida]

It was time to explore the surrounding countryside so I hired a dirt bike for a few bucks and hit the road. My destination was the sleepy beach town of Kep near the Vietnamese border around 40 kilometers away.

Over the past couple of years a lot of money has gone into improving the roads in Cambodia to a state that they are now as good (or as bad) as many of those in neighbouring Thailand. The road to Kep is now fully sealed and pothole free so it makes for an enjoyable ride through rice paddies and small rural villages.

Kep itself is a local beach town overlooking the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc. The beach itself is imported sand and nothing special but the area has a pleasant laid back holiday ambiance to it, the foreigners flock to Sihanoukville for beach parties and banana pancakes and the locals go to Kep. Trucks and minivans turn up unloading crowds of people that have squeezed into them for a day out on the beach; I counted 28 getting out of one van!

A small market specializes in crab fresh from the ocean for $5 a kilo, there are the usual souvenir stalls including a couple with half a coral reef for sale. I only hope that the huge conch shells and coral wasn’t harvested alive.

To follow: Kep to Bokor National Park

[oakdale160]

I met several British retirees in Cambodia, cheaper, easier and they were surprised when I told them of the feeling in Thai that they were only tolerated not really welcomed, they felt none of that. Opening a business has all the usual paperwork hassle but a work permit is easily obtained. Great place for alcoholics. Beer (sold in 12oz glasses) .75c - $1, works out at about 40-50baht/pint, liquor and wine very cheap. I saw Barcardi rum at $7/bottle, good French wine for $10.
Outside PP, its all very country, people eat early 5-7pm and it goes very quiet after 9pm but I saw the same thing in Issan.