Phuket Thailand - Cambodia Trip Report

marc26 · #36 12-03-2008, 08:28

great TR MH

my thoughts on PP:

im a little bit of a nanny for cleanliness and whatnot but i didnt really mind PP
i knew going in it wouldnt be great but it was ok

i liked Walkabout, although a little worn down. i met some decent people in there

i thought the ex-pats that lived there were a little rough around the edges

i liked the Cambo food, reminded me of Chinese food back in Boston

as for the girls, i wasnt really impressed. not so much in looks but the way they dressed. had a real "desperation" look to them. clothes a little tattered

I LOVED ANGOR BEER!!

landofsmiles · #37 12-03-2008, 13:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by muddyhoop

I flew from Bangkok to Phnom Pen stayed five days then flew to Siem Reap and stayed a few more days. I now wish I had stayed longer in SR as I liked it much more, I then flew SR direct to Phuket.

Good report and pics...must go sometime. Changing planes at Bangkok is not a direct flight though!

nickels · #38 12-03-2008, 17:10

Nice report and pics.

I really enjoyed Angkor and Siem Reap, but have never been to PP. Have to check that out next time I'm over that way....

Bello Uomo · #39 12-03-2008, 19:24

I enjoyed your report, thanks!

muddyhoop · #40 13-03-2008, 12:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by landofsmiles

Good report and pics...must go sometime. Changing planes at Bangkok is not a direct flight though!

OK its not direct but its with the same company in one booking and the stopover is very short.

soicowboy · #41 17-03-2008, 00:39

Thanks for the TR ,I am looking forward to a trip in May . fly to PP and a day to do Tloeng Sleng. Then a fly to SR for school vist and Angkor, it seems my guide are exspensive, at almost 100 usd a day but been assured of transportion all inclusive english speaking and can do as I please. so we will see. Will be at Flam. and Gold Or. Hope my trip will be as good as yours. Might PM if I need some specific info .Thanks K

garyteets · #42 17-03-2008, 07:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by soicowboy

Thanks for the TR ,I am looking forward to a trip in May . fly to PP and a day to do Tloeng Sleng. Then a fly to SR for school vist and Angkor, it seems my guide are exspensive, at almost 100 usd a day but been assured of transportion all inclusive english speaking and can do as I please. so we will see. Will be at Flam. and Gold Or. Hope my trip will be as good as yours. Might PM if I need some specific info .Thanks K

Wow, $100 per day is a HUGE amount to pay IMO. I would wait till I got there and talk to other tours. You can rent a taxi for $20 max all day. But maybe there is more included in your trip that I don't know about??

muddyhoop · #43 13-04-2008, 16:01

9 US Dollar for us...1 US for local's

This place is ladscaped beautifully....can take some great photos here.

There are shows, wax museum and best of all....

The Tunnel of Torture (forget the name but something like this)!

You go inside and absolutely pitch black (No health and safety here), be careful as you may bang your head or fall over things...

You will see various torture and execution scenes from the past....very gruesome....and a very scary surprise awaits you!!!!!!!

Here a some photos I took there..

muddyhoop · #44 13-04-2008, 16:03

I used to frequent a small coffe shop that my girlfriends family ran, there were lots of locals around and here are some of the kids....

muddyhoop · #45 13-04-2008, 16:07

It is easy to find and not far out of town...

Take the main road out of town that leads to the airport and it is on your left side, there is a huge water wheel so you can't miss it.

Pad Mc · #46 13-04-2008, 17:07

Great report Muddy!

edje123 · #47 13-04-2008, 19:57

Nice report, thanx. Will have to visit the place one time despite some of the other not so positive things I've read here.
Anyone knows if my tgf needs a visa or something if i decide to take her along?

muddyhoop · #48 13-04-2008, 23:27

i don't know about the visas although I did see many Thai girls there with boyfriends...

ma_kore · #49 08-05-2008, 15:23

Muddyhoop thanks for the TR, its put the idea back in my head to visit SR & Angor...Id almost given up.

Only thing I probably cannot afford to fly which means I need to spend a lot of time on a BUS... This will be in mid june.

Thanks a lot really...got a feel for your trip!

SirDougless · #50 08-05-2008, 16:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by ma_kore

... Only thing I probably cannot afford to fly which means I need to spend a lot of time on a BUS... This will be in mid june ...

Doesn't all have to be by bus. You can get a train east from BKK to the border then to SR by road. Also, you get from SR to PP by boat.

ma_kore · #51 09-05-2008, 15:08

The boat option is interesting as I dont mind roughing it out a bit. Provided the weather allows it.

What are options from Phuket? Will try and see what google throws up.

Thanks SirD

TanMan · #52 09-05-2008, 18:40

Does anyone know if Thai baht can be used as currency in Cambodia? I've read elsewhere that USD and the Riel (of course) are the main currencies, but I just exchanged Thai baht BACK to USD and the exchange guy at Siam Commercial Bank told me he used Thai baht a lot there. I think he used his credit card for most purchases though... and whether he went to "farang" type establishments I did not query about (I wanted to, but circumstances wouldn't permit). I just assumed that some kinds of vendors he frequented accepted baht. If so, which kinds?

MajorTom · #53 09-05-2008, 20:20

I have used baht to pay in bars and for taxis, no problem. Don't think they give you very good exchange rate though.. USD is the main currency, the riel is mostly used for change under 1$. There is no coins in Cambodia.
I found a lot of things costs 1$, so change to a big wad of 1$ bills is convenient.
Also, it can be wise to check your return change because if there is some minor damage to the dollarbill, it is usually rejected.

TanMan · #54 09-05-2008, 20:38

Thanks MT, I read your trip report thread as well as Andymons, as well as Muddyhoops (here). Good reads....

freddy22 · #55 10-05-2008, 05:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by ma_kore

The boat option is interesting as I dont mind roughing it out a bit. Provided the weather allows it.

What are options from Phuket? Will try and see what google throws up.

Thanks SirD

Bangkok Airways does Phuket to Siem Reap via BKK but not cheap cuz they have no competition.

LivinLOS · #56 10-05-2008, 08:31

Can we get USD bills here ??

I tried briefly and failed once when I was thinking of being cheap and knew I was doing a ranong run.. But I only tried in 2 places as it wasnt worth my time for the saving.

But if heading to cambo 500USD in US small bills ??

If not.. Paulie when you coming again

???

marc26 · #57 10-05-2008, 10:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

Can we get USD bills here ??

I tried briefly and failed once when I was thinking of being cheap and knew I was doing a ranong run.. But I only tried in 2 places as it wasnt worth my time for the saving.

But if heading to cambo 500USD in US small bills ??

If not.. Paulie when you coming again

???

funny
i will probably be coming from San Francisco anyways
if you did need some Uncle Sam bills

TanMan · #58 10-05-2008, 19:26

In my limited one-time experience, I had to travel to Phuket Town and change at the main branch. Seems it funnels from all the exchange booths to there... And even then, he only had 100's and 10's.. that was it... No bill 1, 2,5, 20's although I asked about them.

MajorTom · #59 10-05-2008, 22:18

I changed THB to USD in BKK-Bank on rat-u-thit road. (around 20K thb) Silly amount of paperwork i remember, passport copys and everything.

If you are going to Phnom Penh there is an ATM on nearly every block now.

LivinLOS · #60 11-05-2008, 06:48

The ATMs will dump riels tho ??