Blogs from Cambodia, Asia - page 784

Our pre-Cambodia reading notes that "Cambodia, is like your always tripping". Words that will become a footnote for our time here. The first noticeable difference is that compared to the well organised and manicured paddy fields in Vietman, here they are more haphazardas, less well managed. A second difference is unlike the Chinese-Vietnamese border, the border here not only seperate two distinct countries, but two very different ethnic groups. The difference in Khmers is quite apparent; darker complexions, less 'oriental'. In cultural terms, while the Vietnamese side is heavily dominated by Chinese influences the Khmer culture has deep roots with the Indian subcontinent. We settle in Phnom Penh at 'No Problem' guesthouse, in backpackersville overlooking the Boeng Kak Lake. Coming in at $3 a night, with a relaxing patio's over the lake, cheap food, cheap beer ... read more

Sunday 9th July, its going now folks!!!! So last night we booked our bus. Whenever someone starts talking to you over here the usual spiel is "Hello, how are you? Where you from" Then we answer, thinking that we may have met a genuine person making making genuine converstion. Then they always come out with "So where you go? You wanna bus" Always trying to sell you something. So we got taken to the bus station by the guy from our hotel that we had booked it through, obviously so he could get his commission. We were then on our way and off to the capital. The bus was red hot all the way for 6 or so hours, quite uncomfortable. But halfway we made a very interesting stop. Back home if you are travelling up ... read more

Jackie and I have been in Cambodia for nearly two weeks now and we’re having a good time. However, I did make a mistake in my planning…Cambodia is not as cheap as I was expecting, at least not for food. We’ve been able to find plenty of cheap lodging, not paying more than $6 a night anywhere we’ve been, which is much cheaper than we ever found in Vietnam, which averaged $10 per night. However, food in Cambodia, which always seems to be priced in U.S. dollars, as is everything, is much more expensive than Vietnam. Even at the roadside stands, food is more expensive. We have yet to eat a meal for less than $2 in Cambodia, where we could have Pho and beers for less than that many places in Vietnam. So, my $15 ... read more

Hey! I've just arrived back in BKK after a week and a bit backpacking through Cambodia, seeing the sights. It was definitely a huge change from Thailand, in both good and bad ways. Cambodia is by far the poorest country I've seen so far in SE Asia. It's difficult to have 20 young kids with little or no clothes running down the street after you, tugging on your shirt and pants while begging for money or trying to sell you small knick-knacks. The worst part is that you wish you could help each and every one of them, but as soon as you reach into your pocket to fish out a little change, 5 or 10 more suddenly appear out of nowhere and the atmosphere changes from sullen begging to a frenzied grab for whatever cash ... read more

Again, a bit of backtracking... We took a bus from Phnom Penh north to Kratie (pronounced Kra-chae), about halfway towards the Laos border. The six hour drive was pretty uneventful other than the stops in the local towns where we enjoyed watching the locals eat funny foods and climb off the tops of the local buses (we were on a "VIP" bus). Kratie itself is just a small town that sits on the Mekong River. It's usually just a stopping point on the backpacker track up to Laos, but we went there to get out of the city. The 5 of us westerners were mobbed by the touts as we climbed down from the bus. We had all agreed we'd try to go to the same place, and even though we claimed to know where we ... read more