Andymon's Cambodia trip report

[Andymon]

I recently completed a three week tour which included a week in Cambodia (1st time newbie) and 2 weeks in Phuket (4th time vet). As we now have a new forum section for Cambodia I figured I’d write seperate Cambo and LOS trip reports.

TRIP OVER:

Flew China Airlines leaving at 13:50 from LAX to Taipei (14 ½ hour flight) had a 2 hour layover and then a 4 hour flight from Taipei to Bangkok arriving at 01:10 AM. As my Air Asia flight to Phnom Penh didn’t leave till 07:00 I had about 6 hours to wander around the new airport (with my luggage). The few chairs in the departure area were already taken by sleeping backpackers so I pretty much just walked around, going outside occasionally for a smoke (the nicotine kind). I was 6 KGS over on my luggage so Air Asia nailed me for an additional 840 BHT at check-in I also had to pay the Thai departure tax (500 BHT) even though I had not even left the airport note: once you’ve got your ticket allow at least 30 to 45 minutes to get to your gate….passport /immigration check can take 15 to 20 minutes depending on the lines and then you have a loooong walk (through what appears to be a shopping mall) to the gate area….after which you might be placed on a bus for another ten minute ride out to the plane. (Surprisingly, this flight and my return Air Asia flight both departed right on time).

I arrived at Phnom Penh at 08:10, paid the US $20 visa fee and was met by the driver from the Flamingo’s hotel….had to wait for some other guys arriving on another flight….so didn’t get to the hotel till 10:00 am. By this time I had been up for 36 hours with only 3 to 4 hours of sleep on the LAX to Taipei leg of my trip so, ate lunch and went to bed, sleeping most of the day and evening away. On past trips to LOS I used to leave LAX on a redeye flight around midnight….because I left in the afternoon this time, I had little sleep and major jet lag (I should have taken a sleeping pill)….which prevented me from doing much bar hopping and mongering during the first few days.

PHNOM PENH:

Stayed at the Flamingo’s Hotel, which had been recommended by other BM’s, located in the “street 51” area of the city which is about 6 blocks from the riverfront. It’s a new (opened in 2005) 5 story, approximately 30 room hotel (with elevator) and has a full restaurant and bar with a pool table downstairs and also a rooftop bar where they have happy hour with 50 cent (20 baht) Angkor beer till 8pm. I had a room on the top floor (US$20) which was a good sized room with queen size bed. There’s no in room safe but they do have security boxes at the front desk. I never had any problems leaving things out in the room and just locked everything in my suitcase when I was away for 3 days up to Siem Reap.
Oh yea…and it is guest friendly and has hi-speed internet with 2 computers in the lobby.

Woke up early the next day (Sunday) and after “brecky” went for a walk around the neighborhood to try and get my bearings. Stopped in at a little Vietnamese massage parlor for a $6 massage which turned into $15 massage when she included a “yum-yum” ending (BJ). In the afternoon went around the corner to the Walkabout bar/hotel for a couple of beers with a guy I met on the plane (American who was heading up country to mine for gemstones). Stayed around the hotel that evening for happy hour and went to bed early due to the dreaded jet lag.

On Monday I decided to book my trip up to Siem Reap as the weather in PP had been overcast since I had arrived. Booked the bus and hotel reservations through the front desk of Flamingo’s for the next day. Buses cost $10 each way and leave twice a day at 07:30 and 12:30. They take from 5 to 6 hours depending on traffic..... and how many water buffalo they hit on the road. After booking the trip I went to the massage place directly across the street from Flamingo’s and had a really good legit massage (no happy ending) for $6. The rest of the day and evening I stayed around the hotel talking to several guys that had just arrived, before heading out on a 2 week off road motorcycle trip around Cambodia later in the week. I think it was called Cambodia Adventures and sounds similar to the trip Jimbulljag (BM) recently made.

SIEM REAP:
The shuttle bus picked me up at 06:45 the next morning and delivered me to the bus down by the riverfront. The Mekong Express Limousine Busses have a restroom and a hostess on board handing out water and snacks. The bus also stops at a restaurant for a half hour when your about 2 hours from SR.

Siem Reap is around 310 km from PP up highway 6 which is a paved 2 lane road. The countryside is basically flat with a string of homes located along each side of the road with rice paddies and fields beyond. The road also passes through numerous towns and villages. If you want an interesting trip sit in the front row seats. Most of the time the bus travels around 80 km/h (50 mph) with the horn blowing every 5 minutes while passing cars, trucks, vans (with people riding on top), farm equipment, horse drawn hay wagons and tons of motorbikes and bicycles…I think we were on the left side of the road as much as the right side. And then to really make it interesting you have cows and water buffalo’s wandering loose across the road….we had a couple of close calls with road crossing herds of water buffalo. We arrived in SR around 13:00 and I was met by Jon a tuk-tuk driver from the hotel.

The hotel that I stayed at in SR was the Golden Orange Hotel located about a block back from the river. It’s a real nice 4 story hotel owned by an American married to a Khmer. It’s similar to Flamingo’s with a full restaurant and outdoor bar with pool table (no swimming pool though) is guest friendly and has hi-speed internet. For you non-smokers they even have a non smoking floor. I had a double room for $20 per night.

My original plan was to spend 2 days (1 night) in SR, but when I found out that the busses only leave at 07:30 and 12:30 back to PP, I decided to add an extra day. After check-in I took a quick shower and went down and arranged for Jon, the tuk-tuk driver to take me out to Angkor Wat for the rest of the afternoon (I think I paid him $7 or $8 for 4 hours). Note: tuk-tuk’s in Cambo are motorcycles with a trailer hitch, pulling a 2 wheel cart with bicycle type wheels that will hold up to 4 people.

Photo's:
1) Lobby of Flamingo's Hotel
2) Overall view of PP from roof top bar
3 + 4) streets around hotel - note litter in street
5) 4 story building being demo'd by 10 guys with sledge hammers
6) crossing the Tonle Sap river heading out of PP
7 + 8) typical scenery heading up to Siem Reap
9) kids at bus rest stop

more to come....

[ATMwalking]

I know you had mixed feelings on the place. It's all an experience. Good report. Can't wait to see some of your Angkor Wat pics.

[Andymon]

ANGKOR TEMPLES:

The Angkor Archaeological Park is over 400 sq km and consists of over 20 different large temples built between the 9th and 13th century AD. Admission to the park is $20 for one day or $40 for a three day pass….I got the 3 day one. Your moto or tuk-tuk driver has to be licensed to drive within the park (numbered jerseys) but they cannot act as a temple guide. Temple guides cost about $25 extra…so I decided to just wing it on my own. Once inside there are a few local Khmer’s that will approach you and help you with information.…for a small fee of course. Several times I just got close to an English speaking tour group and listened in for free. You can wander anywhere you like through out the park but make sure you stay on the paths as there’s still landmines in the jungle.

Jon would drop me off at one of the temple entrances and arrange a meeting place afterward….make sure you remember where to meet as its easy to get turned around inside and come out the wrong way….and there’s a lot of tuk-tuks outside waiting.
That first afternoon I went to Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat. Angkor Thom is a large collection of temples in a concentrated area. Next to Angkor Wat this is probably one of the best preserved groups of temples and consists mainly of Bayon, Baphuon, Phimeanakas temples and the Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King.

I spent the last hour and a half of the day at Angkor Wat which is the centerpiece of the Archaeological park….and the most crowded. After crossing the water filled moat on a long causeway you enter through a large gateway and then walk across another long causeway to the main building. It’s similar to the South American Mayan temples with really steep stairs on all four sides going up to the top section. To aid coming down they have added a handrail on one side and I had to stand in line for over a half hour to get down. Stayed around till sunset and then headed back to the hotel. I arranged to meet Jon at 08:00 the next morning, then, showered, ate dinner at the hotel and sat around the hotel bar talking to Doug, the owner, till around 10 pm.

The air was very cool as Jon drove me out to the park the next morning and I was glad I hadn’t gone out to watch the sunrise….as many people do. We ended up touring 6 temples today starting with Preah Khan, and then Ta Keo (which was an unfinished temple so was in and out in about 20 to30 minutes).

The next stop was Ta Prohm…this is where Angelina Jolene filmed portions of Tomb Raider….and where the trees are growing out of the ruins….and which most inspired me to make the trip up to the Angkor Temples. Unfortunately the place was very crowded with many large Asian tour groups. The best spots were filled with tour groups, where every person in the group wanted there own personal picture taken standing on or next to a tree root….which took forever….grrrr….I was getting pissed (I should have gone to Ta Prohm first thing this morning before the tour groups arrived). After a couple of frustrating hours we left for lunch at a row of several nice restaurants near Ta Prohm.

After lunch I toured 3 more temples; Banteay Kdei, Pre Rup and East Mebon and by then I was tired and on temple overload….so we left around 2:30 pm….stopping to play with some monkeys on the way back to the hotel. Because I was so tired from walking and climbing temple steps all day, I did a repeat and stayed at the hotel all night (it’s a bi*ch getting old). The next morning had a late breakfast and headed to the bus terminal for the 12:30 bus back to PP….arriving back at Flamingo’s around 7pm.

Overall, I thought the Angkor Temples were amazing and liked SR better than PP. The biggest problem was with the large tour groups at the most popular temples…and it’s only going to get worse as there are several new, large 100+ room hotels going up right now. I noted areas of damage to tree roots from people climbing all over them and discoloration and deterioration to the sandstone wall carvings from people rubbing there sweaty hands all over them….especially carvings of bare breasted women, for some reason . I would suggest to anyone thinking of going, to do it now before it turns into another Disney type attraction. If going from PP I would also recommend either taking the bus or boat up to SR and then flying back, as round trip on the bus just takes too long….Siem Reap Airways has several flights with the latest at 19:45 and I think it costs around $70 one way.
Photo's:
10) Cambodian tuktuk on the way to hotel
11) Golden Orange Hotel, Siem Reap
12) Trash piles in the street
13) South entry gate toAngkor Thom
14) Bayon temple
15) Bayon Temple
16) Sandstone wall carvings at terrace of the elephants
17) Discoloration of sandstone reliefs due to touching
18) Causeway over moat to Angkor Wat entry gate
19) Angkor Wat viewed from entry gate

more to come....

[Andymon]

more Angkor Temple photo's:

20) One of 2 library buildings on each side of causeway
21) Overall view of Angkor Wat
22) Overall view of Angkor Wat
23) All four walls are covered with storytelling battle scene sandstone carvings
24) Steep steps leading up to the upper level of Angkor Wat
25) View looking toward the west gate from upper level
26) Smaller temple under reconstruction
27) Causeway railings
28) Tree's growing out of the ruins at Ta Prohm
29) Ta Prohm

[Andymon]

More Angkor photo's:

30) Ta Prohm
31) Ta Prohm
32) Ta Prohm
33) I think Ta Prohm...don't remember
34) Local residents crossing road
35) Baby monkey sitting on sign
36) Tuk tuk driver Jon going down river road near hotel
37) One of several new hotels in Siem Reap

continued.....

[Andymon]

RETURN TO PHNOM PENH:

Friday morning after breakfast I went across the street for another legit $6 massage. I then hired a motodop (motorcycle taxi in Cambo) to take me around PP and started out at the Tuol Sleng Genocide (S-21) prison. This is a former high school that was turned into a torture and detention center by the Khmer Rouge during the 70’s. Thousands of men, women children and foreigners were tortured and interrogated here before being sent to the killing fields. For the most part it’s been left the way it was found….with blood stains on the floor, piles of clothing and rows of photographs of the prisoners that passed through. Very sobering place….I spent about 45 minutes and then left.

I then headed over to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda but changed my mind when I saw the large crowds of tour groups at the admission booth….I also wasn’t appropriately dressed (shorts and t-shirt), so headed over to the National Museum close by. The museum houses a lot of the statues that had previously been looted from the Angkor Temples and will soon be returned to Siem Reap to the new National Museum currently under construction up there. Spent about an hour at the museum and then had my motodop driver take me for a cruise along the river front road before heading back to the hotel.

While riding around I noted that PP is a very dirty city. There are piles of trash filled plastic bags along the curbs and litter everywhere. There is a lot of dust and dirt in the streets and several of the side streets are full of potholes or are just dirt roads. I would estimate that about a third of the population wears a surgical mask or scarf when outside due to the dust and air pollution. I did see one cleanup crew of women picking up litter, but that was near the water front tourist area.

Even though they just passed several new traffic laws….no one observes any traffic laws.... and driving is a free for all. If you have a larger vehicle than the other guy you have the right of way….and if your horn doesn’t work….stay off the road. They drive on the right side of the road in Cambo and I found the way they make left turns to be very interesting. No one likes to come to a complete stop, even if there is a traffic light…and there’s not many of those. When approaching an intersection and want to go left you turn before the intersection and travel along the left curb facing oncoming traffic and then when you see an opening you cross over to the right side, completing your left turn without stopping. The only good thing is that due to the busy streets the average speed is in the 20 to 25 mph range so most accidents are of the fender bender type….of which I saw two.

Friday night was bar hopping night. I started across the street from the hotel at the Shanghai Club for happy hour with an expat American guy who hangs out at Flamingos a lot. Shanghai’s is not a large bar but it does have an outside patio and does get pretty crowded later on. The hostesses all wear numbers and I would estimate that there were around 15 to 20 girls there. Most of the girls are very cute and petite (some are Vietnamese) and most spoke pretty good English. Not all girls are available for take out so ask early before spending a lot on lady drinks. My friend was going to take me around to other bars but by 8:30 he was pretty wasted….so I left him there and headed out on my own.

The bars in PP are situated in small groups through out the city so you need transportation. I grabbed a motodop outside and asked if he knew where the Sugar Shack was. He assured me he knew (same same Thailand) so off we went and after going to at least 3 other bars that began with an “S”, and asking directions from other drivers at each stop, we finally found it 15 minutes later, about a block back from the riverfront. One of the BM’s hangs out there so I was going to look him up and buy him a drink but unfortunately he wasn’t around (sorry Sultan). The Sugar Shack is fairly small and there were only a couple of girls there so I had a beer and left.

My friend from Flamingos had mentioned the Martini Club so I grabbed another motodop to take me there (my original driver had left). I soon found out that Martini’s was way on the other side of town and started to get a little worried when he turned down what appeared to be a dirt road, but that was where it was located. Going in the entry I was “patted down” by a guard/bouncer….which didn’t help my comfort level any. Martinis is a large club separated into two areas. There’s a large bar and table seating area with a 120 inch movie screen on the wall and then through a door is the disco.

The girls here all appeared to be freelancers and I watched a lot of young cute girls coming and going from the disco. Sat at the bar and talked to a few of the girls but didn’t really hit it off with any of them…. and felt kind of uneasy being there by myself. I had a couple of beers and then decided I’d feel better staying closer to my hotel, so grabbed another motodop to take me to the Walkabout bar/hotel which is located around the corner, about a block from Flamingos.

The place was packed and pretty much standing room only at the bar. It wasn’t long before a pretty little Khmer girl came over and started a conversation. It was getting late and I wanted to take her home, but she said she would only do short time upstairs. As I hadn’t really been laid in a few days I followed her upstairs for a fun $20 short time.

Woke up late the next morning (Saturday) and took a motodop over to the central marketplace to do a little shopping. It’s a huge domed indoor building (built in 1935) surrounded my numerous outdoor stalls and even has food court areas where you can sit and dine on your favorite insect. There’s clothing, jewelry, electronics, gift and grocery sections and I wandered around for an hour or so picking up t-shirts and souvenirs.

That night I had a few beers over at Shanghai and then went back to Flamingos for a few more before heading to bed, as I had an early flight out in the morning to Phuket via Bangkok.



Overall, I’m glad I made the trip to Cambodia…..but it’s not my cup of tea.

On the plus side: The Khmer people are very friendly, the girls are cute and it’s a lot cheaper than Thailand….and the Angkor Temples were amazing.

On the negative side: Traffic is insane, its very dusty and dirty, the bars are scattered throughout the city, and it’s a very flat country with not much in the way of scenery. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it down to the beaches at Sihanoukville which I’ve heard are pretty nice….and if I do go back to Cambo in the future, that’s where I would like to go.

More photo's:

38) The gallows at Tuol Sleng prison...previously the kids swing set
39) A few of the many photo's of those who passed thru S-21 prison
40) Central marketplace
41) Mum, one of the bartenders at Flamingo's
42) Sunset over Phnom Penh
43) You can do it...just don't film it
44) I heard Tin Tin was in Cambo....heres proof ( spotted on t-shirt at central market)

[Iltis]

Nice Trip Report Andy, very informative and well written Thanks for taking the time to write it.

[xodas]

Thanks for the TR. Nicely written.

I am heading to P.P myself for 2 nights, in just a few short weeks and theres a lot of valuable advice in your T.R, of which i thank you for.

-Well done.

[faultytowers]

Nice detailed report and photos Andy , would have really liked to hear more about your trip but as you arrived at Bill's as I was waiting for my taxi , I guess I'll make do with the report.

[Bello Uomo]

This is an excellent report. I am sure it will be a good resource for many BMs in the future!

[easyrider_au]

Originally Posted by faultytowers

Nice detailed report and photos Andy , would have really liked to hear more about your trip but as you arrived at Bill's as I was waiting for my taxi , I guess I'll make do with the report.

Andy's timing is impeccable.

Good report Andy.

[Pad Mc]

Good reporting Andy. A lot of useful info.

[steve@thaib]

Great report. Do you have any hotel links for the places you stayed?

[sishow]

Excellent report. Very good reserch for my up coming trip in a couple of weeks.

Nice meeting you too!

[jay ozpom]

Nice report,thanx for the read..jay

[Petter]

Thanks,one of the better ones

[JayBee]

Originally Posted by Andymon

You can wander anywhere you like through out the park but make sure you stay on the paths as there’s still landmines in the jungle....

NOW he tells me!!

Great reports, Andy!!