Trip Reports - Angkor Wat and Land Mines

We had the ying and the yang of a trip to Cambodia last week, seeing both the beauty and the sorrow of the country. I can’t talk about one without the other. For me, travel is a means of getting to know a country in all aspects – its geography, its culture, its food, its politics. This is not a pretty trip report, although the country is glorious and the temple complex magnificent.

FLYING TO SIEM REAP

We flew to Siem Reap, Cambodia, from Danang, Vietnam, on Siem Reap Airlines. I had never heard of this airline, but it turned out to be owned by Bangkok Airlines. This is a well respected regional carrier. There is only one flight a day, five days a week.

We arrived at the airport well in advance, wanting no risk of missing our flight. The international terminal was locked, and we sat outside with a fellow from Mexico. In time, staff pulled up on scooters, the door was unlocked, and in we went.

There were only 9 of us for the flight. The staff outnumbered us. We sent our bags thru x-ray inspection, had them weighed, and checked in for our flight. Departure tax was $8 apiece. We were sent up a stairs where we went thru security and waited in a large, pleasant seating area. We sat and watched the runway, seeing our plane come in from Luang Praban, Laos.

By and by, we were called for the flight. We walked down the steps adjacent to the ones we came up, and out the tarmac to the plane. There were 60 seats on the plane, so it flew nearly empty. Our Thai flight attendants were very gracious, and came around with a round of beverages and a nonmemorable snack.

As we neared Siem Reap, Angkor Wat could be seen from the west side of the plane. Everyone rushed to get a window seat. On landing, there were 7 officials to process visas for 9 passengers! We each had to provide the proper form, a passport picture, and $20. We then cleared immigration, picked up our baggage, and cleared customs.

HOTEL
We had booked a room at the Sofitel, and found the driver on exiting the terminal. He wanted $5 per person to drive us to the hotel. The taxi was more affordable at $5 total. We knew we were in a more touristic area than the places we had been in Laos and Vietnam when we saw the line of busses parked outside.

We were shocked to see the enormous hotels under construction. I honestly do not understand how the temples will be able to absorb the thousands of additional tourists for which these hotels are being built. It reminds me of the build-up in Orlando or Anaheim. It was somewhat dismaying to see how scrubbed and polished the town is.

Our hotel, the Sofitel Royal Angkor, is one of the top properties in town. I knew that MRKEY had a good experience in a much more modest place, but I decided to spring for assured air conditioning and hot water. The hotel is a very complete resort, and would be at home in Hawaii or Orlando. It is enormous, with long buildings and beautifully landscaped grounds. I was actually depressed by the sterility of it. I could have been anywhere in the world.

Staff at the hotel were eager to please, friendly and cheerful – but unseasoned. Siem Reap has had such a massive building boom that young people have moved in from around Cambodia to find employment. The hotel opened in December 2000. It needs a couple more years for the young people to gain appropriate skills for such a luxury property. For example, our toilet lid was broken. We set it on the floor as we left the room. Each night, we came back to find it on top of the toilet again – unrepaired. We finally called housekeeping to send a service person, to whom my husband described in detail what was required to repair the lid.

If I had it to do over again, I might chose a more modest Cambodian owned property such as the Bopha Angkor Hotel (http://www.bopha-angkor.com) where we ate with FTer hauteboy and his wife one night.

Thanks for the great report! I've been dying to go to Angkor for years, but I can't convince any of my boring old friends to go with me. Would it be advisable/enjoyable to go by myself???

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Morrissey:
Thanks for the great report! I've been dying to go to Angkor for years, but I can't convince any of my boring old friends to go with me. Would it be advisable/enjoyable to go by myself???</font>

I'll go with you!

SD1K, what the heck happened to all the replies to your trip report (including my previous one)???

EDIT to add: there were many interesting comments, including some by Craig and others. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif


[This message has been edited by blairvanhorn (edited 01-12-2003).]

SanDiego1K, very interesting report. Angkor Wat is still on my to-do list. Now I'm dying even more to go there after reading your report. Thanks!

Glad to hear your trip went well. BTW, are there are decent options to get to Siem Reap from BKK? Bangkok Airways is obviously exploiting its monopoly wit no fare lower than THB 10,500 (USD 250).

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by blairvanhorn:
I'll go with you!</font>

Great! Let's go while UA still flies to BKK...

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">SD1K, what the heck happened to all the replies to your trip report (including my previous one)???</font>

Yes, I noticed that also! They all disappeared right after I posted my reply...

I spent a few days in Angkor late last year. Stayed at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor. The contrast between the mind-blowing Angkor sites, the colonial luxury of the hotel, and the abject poverty of the country completely fried my mind. A fascinating adventure.

terenz, i've been researching as well, you are right that is pretty much the cheapest fare, Bangkok Airways have a monopoly there from BKK. And it's around US$250, you may be able to find slightly lower fares through travel agents in BKK, but not by much.

The other options are to take a land trek to Poipet and then catch a bus from there to Siem Reap. But the road is VERY VERY bumpy and on the border everyone and anyone will try to rip you off. It's probably worth flying as it seems to be a real pain.

The other way is to fly to Phnomh Penh and then taking the river, or some other way up to Siem Reap (ie domestic flight on air cambodge), about 7 years ago some foreigners were murdered on their way up (banditry), but i'm sure Cambodia has changed considerably since then. The fares i've found to PNH are considerably less - about 5000 THB. Around US$110 or so.

[This message has been edited by kawoh (edited 01-12-2003).]

SD1K - Great Trip Report!!

terenz - Bangkok Airways' fare to Koh Samui is also very high.

Test.

This thread is acting Realllllllllly weird last 2 days. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

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~ Glen ~

Come and visit (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum13/HTML/000502.html) the most ** FRIENDLY FORUM ** on FlyerTalk. No flame wars, no personal abuse, no substance abuse. Not much of anything really!

kawoh/terenz, the direct airfare to Siem Reap from Bangkok is not cheap by Mileage Run standards, but I think it is still a bargain and a great investment for all the memories you will cherish forever.

I actually flew BKK to PNH and then the boat to Siem Reap. I wanted to see Phnom Pehn too, so it made sense in my case.

I am still very much a backpacker when I travel, but I think the direct tourist flights to Siem Reap are a great value for folks with limited time. Unfortunately, overland options to Siem Reap just aren't good/great alternatives and are often time consuming (this coming from someone who has taken 50-hour bus rides and even longer train rides, and as much as I realize that I saved some money, I look back and regret the time I wasted in getting to some pretty amazing places; the view from the road just doesn't compensate for actually being where you want to be when you want to be there).




[This message has been edited by fallinasleep (edited 01-12-2003).]

Note -- over HALF of the 25 responses to this thread have vanished into cyberspace.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum72/HTML/000696.html

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~ Glen ~

Come and visit (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum13/HTML/000502.html) the most ** FRIENDLY FORUM ** on FlyerTalk. No flame wars, no personal abuse, no substance abuse. Not much of anything really!

this is definitely missing something, i put up a post saying something on the lines of a great trip report to sandiego1k, but it disappeared, perhaps it was a cleanup of all the thank yous....?

Carol - marvellous report. Looking forward to discussing it further in a few weeks.

As for the rest of you, Mr GK and I are off to Siem Reap as part of our holiday in six weeks time ! Jealous ? And yes, the BKK - Siem Reap fares were high, and no chance of mileage credit for that sector.

GK

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by GK:
As for the rest of you, Mr GK and I are off to Siem Reap as part of our holiday in six weeks time ! Jealous ?</font>

Bitterly jealous! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/tongue.gif Have a great trip all the same.

BTW, what kind of planes fly this route?

I recall one comment of SanDiego1K's that interested me to make my initial response was the number of large Hotels being built. IIRC Craig6z (whose post has also vanished!) mentioned the number of tourists in the mid 90s was tiny. Some trip notes (http://www.glenstephens.com/cambodia.html) I did in 2000 on the way to Nepal said in part:

I wish I could invest in land around this Angkor Wat area - it could be THE boom tourist site of this century, now the country is a lot safer to visit. In February 1999 only 3000 foreign visitors arrived there. By February 2000 it was up to 18,000 - you do the Maths! A figure of 50,000+ by next year would not surprise me. Maybe double that. What a place to own a hotel!

I think that is one reason I travel as much and as widely as I can. To see sites and cities and entire countries sometimes that have not (yet) succumbed to Hiltons, Pizza Huts, McDonalds, traffic lights, high rise tour bus car parks etc, as indded applied to Siam Reap only 2 years back. I just returned from The Kingdom Of Tonga, which had no such "improvements" but such places are getting few and far between.



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~ Glen ~

Come and visit (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum13/HTML/000502.html) the most ** FRIENDLY FORUM ** on FlyerTalk. No flame wars, no personal abuse, no substance abuse. Not much of anything really!

Great trip report Carol.
Hope to see more in the future!!

I see no indication that the missing section of my trip report is going to re-emerge, nor are the remarks by Craig and others about their Angkor Wat experiences. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif At least I can recreate my own remarks.

ANGKOR WAT
You pass thru the ticketing area before getting to the temple area. This is like multiple toll booths on an interstate. It costs $20 per day per person to enter. You can buy a 3 day pass for $40, or a one week pass for $60. A passport-sized photo is required for any ticket in excess of one day.

Angkor Wat was spectacular. I had not properly appreciated what a large geographic area the temple complexes covered. The main temple, the one most often seen in pictures, is only the start of the beauties. The Bayon walled complex was capable of holding 1MM people at a time that London only held 50K. Ta Prohm, beyond Bayon, is fascinating in that it has not been reclaimed from the jungle. The stones are still tumbled, and trees grow from on top of the walls.

I recommend Lonely Planet’s Cambodia for a detailed description of the temples. It has 75 pages just on the Temples of Angkor.

COUNTRYSIDE
The area between the main sites of Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei or Banteay Samre are completely rural. It was fascinating to see the elevated homes with hammocks slung under the floor or the pig rooting underneath. Palm candies in careful reed wrapped packages were being sold at almost every home.

LAND MINES
It is impossible to visit Angkor Wat and not see at least one legless man. This is a harsh reminder of the atrocities that have occurred in this beautiful country. Cambodian people are among the gentlest, warmest, cordial people I have met. I needed to learn at least a little about the politics of this country.

There are 10 million land mines in Cambodia, with only 60,000 or so having been removed. 5000 people are maimed and killed each year from land mines in Cambodia. Angkor Wat has been completely cleared of mines, but it is important to stay on defined paths throughout the area.

There had been a landmine museum close to the temple complex run by a land de-miner (Aki Ri) that was closed when an Army colonel wanted to open his own museum. The exhibits could still be visited with no entrance fee. We were only able to find it thanks to our driver’s local knowledge. It is between the admission booths and Angkor Wat, on the dirt road beyond the zoo. It is in poor condition, but it still packs a powerful wallop.

The museum showed a wide range of landmines. We bought a couple VCDs on this gentle man’s work. My husband has been researching landmines since our return, and has been discussing possible concepts for better detection.

KILLING FIELDS
3 million of the 8 million Cambodians were killed under the Pol Pot regime. He came into power in 1975. He was ousted from power in 1979, but continued to command the guerrilla Khmer Rouge forces in the hills for many years. He just died in 1998. Our 23-year-old driver lost all 4 of his grandparents and his 3 uncles during Pol Pot’s brutal regime.

LOCAL TRANSPORT
We hired our taxi driver from the airport to drive us each day at $20 from sun-up to sun-down. It is common practice to charge $10 additional to go to the more remote temples of Angkor Wat such as Bantray Srei; he did not. No local transport was allowed to wait on the hotel grounds. We walked out to the street at night to either rent a ride on a scooter or moto-trishaw. I’d never seen this particular kind of moto-trishaw before. It has a carriage attached to the back in which two people can ride comfortably. A ride anywhere in town was $1.


MONEY
The official currency for Cambodia is rials. In actuality, Cambodia runs on dollars. Everything is priced in dollars. Change under a dollar will be made in rials; otherwise, only dollars are used. The dollars need to be crisp and new. Our hotel refused to take a $100 bill of ours that they considered worn. Our hotel charged a 6% fee for cashing travelers checks. It is much better to go to a bank, where a 2% fee is charged.

SHOPPING
Avoid all shops where you see tour busses! We shopped at the handicraft market and the central market. There were many wonderful things for sale incredibly cheap; I bought some beautiful sterling silver jewelry remarkably inexpensively. We also bought a couple carvings of temple art.

DEPARTURE
Siem Reap has a $5 domestic departure tax, and a $20 international departure tax. If you fly to Phnom Penh to catch your international flight, you will pay the domestic tax in Siem Reap and the international tax in Phnom Penh. There is no way to waive one of the taxes for transit passengers.

MOVIES
There are two movies in particular that we will watch about Cambodia. They certainly represent the ying and the yang. We’ve already rented KILLING FIELDS, which we had not seen before. It tells the wrenching true story of a Cambodian who worked with an American journalist. He is unable to leave the country when Pol Pot came into power. He suffered through 4 years of harsh relocation camps, and escaped thru the killing fields of Cambodia to Thailand in 1979. It is very difficult to watch. TOMB RAIDERS with Angelina Jolie

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by SanDiego1K:
We’ve already rented KILLING FIELDS, which we had not seen before. It tells the wrenching true story of a Cambodian who worked with an American journalist. He is unable to leave the country when Pol Pot came into power. He suffered through 4 years of harsh relocation camps, and escaped thru the killing fields of Cambodia to Thailand in 1979. </font>

The star of this movie was killed in southern California in 1996 (http://us.imdb.com/Bio?Ngor,%20Haing%20S.). He was fighting off muggers (ironically of SE Asian descent) who wanted the locket which contained a cherished photo of his wife when he was shot.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by blairvanhorn:
Bitterly jealous! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/tongue.gif Have a great trip all the same.

BTW, what kind of planes fly this route?

</font>

Bangkok/SiemReap Airways fly ATR-72's and Boeing-717's on the BKK-REP and BKK-PNH-REP route. My wife and I flew BKK-PNH-REP as the direct flights were sold out the days we wanted (Dec 30/Jan 2) already when I booked them in August! The disadvantage was we ended up having to pay two departure taxes.. $5 each domestic in Siem Reap and then $20 each international departure in Phnom Penh, and no way to get out of paying the domestic. They also charged us for the terrorism insurance on our tickets.. so had to part with another $2.50/segment each at the airports. It was expensive just getting out of the country!

Hi Morrissey,

I flew to Angkor on my way back from Nepal one year, by myself. It was amazing and I highly recommend it whether or not you have travel partners. I ended up meeting other travelers there, but you'll have a wonderful time regardless. The food is great, the people are very nice. They see far fewer tourists than Thailand and Nepal, but I'm sure more than Laos. I stayed at a very clean place with hot water and cable tv that was recommended by UN staff, called the Freedom Hotel.

Have fun.

I’m trying to convince my wife that this would be a great addition to our Thailand trip this summer. She, however, is a bit skittish about the political climate.

For those of you who have been what country would you compare it to? Mexico, Philippines, Croatia, etc... Also how much time is adequate to spend in Angkor Wat? And it is easy to get by with English, as my Cambodian needs some work (wait I don’t speak Cambodian).

Finally got around to reading the complete report. Thanks for dealing with the missing section. I've always wanted to see this part of the world and your report has served to heighten my desire.

Thanks for a fine report!

Thank you for the plane information, hauteboy.

Thanks SD1K for a great report...I appreciated the political context. Barry

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by SanDiego1K:

MOVIES

[The Killing Fields & Tomb Raider]

[/B]</font>

For something in between these two, you will also want to check out "Swimming to Cambodia", a Jonathan Demme film of the Spalding Grey monologue. It's his spoken word retelling of his adventures during the making of "The Killing Fields". Spalding Grey played the American ambassador's aide in the movie. It's really a neat film.

JD

Great suggestion, Jet'Dillo. I'll see if I can find that on video.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by SLC2002:
I’m trying to convince my wife that this would be a great addition to our Thailand trip this summer. She, however, is a bit skittish about the political climate.

For those of you who have been what country would you compare it to? Mexico, Philippines, Croatia, etc... Also how much time is adequate to spend in Angkor Wat? And it is easy to get by with English, as my Cambodian needs some work (wait I don’t speak Cambodian).</font>

Very, very different from Mexico. Although the archeological sites in both countries are impressive (especially hard to get to places like Monte Alban), Mexico is about 3 orders of magnitude more developed. Basic infrastructure in Cambodia is essentially non-existent.

Agree. nothing like Mexico. Naturally Laos and Vietnam are decent comparisons, all being part of course of French Indo China until 1955, so all 3 have a common thread.

Although V in the past few years I have noticed has moved ahead in leaps and bounds especially Saigon and Hanoi. Laos is a better and more meaningful comparison We are deciding right now which one of these 3 to visit in March, or whether it will be Myanmar/Burma. Tough choice. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

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~ Glen ~

Come and visit (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum13/HTML/000502.html) the most ** FRIENDLY FORUM ** on FlyerTalk. No flame wars, no personal abuse, no substance abuse. Not much of anything really!

Cambodia is a place literally like no other. When I first went to China in the 80s, I thought "Man, this is a pretty poor place." Then I went Vietnam a few years later and said the same thing. Then I went to India 3 years ago and said the same thing. And THEN I went to Cambodia last year and was convinced, it has to be one of the poorest and most heart wrenching places you can ever visit. However, as previous posters have noted, the juxtaposition of the extreme poverty with the sublime beauty of the temples and the kindness of the people will leave you lost for words...

Your research will not be finished until you visit Myanmar!

Then you will seen what a Government can do to the governed!
Their contentment comes from their faith, which is the same as Thailand- Theravada Buddhism.

[This message has been edited by R&R (edited 01-22-2003).]

SanDiego1K,

I am planning a 3 day trip to Cambodia.
Would you recommend that I spend all 3 days in Siem Reap, or 2 days in Siem Reap and 1 day in Phnom Penh ?

Is Banteay Srei worth visiting ? I read that since Nov 2001 certain sections of this temple is not accessable anymore. Is this true ?

Thanks

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by mario33:
SanDiego1K,

I am planning a 3 day trip to Cambodia.
Would you recommend that I spend all 3 days in Siem Reap, or 2 days in Siem Reap and 1 day in Phnom Penh ?

Is Banteay Srei worth visiting ? I read that since Nov 2001 certain sections of this temple is not accessable anymore. Is this true ?

Thanks

</font>

We personally enjoyed our day in Phnom Penh very much. Siem Reap with all of its huge hotels is so tourism driven, that it was a relief to get to Phnom Penh and a city that exists for the people who live there. And certainly, if you have any interest in Pol Pot and his murderous regime, Phnom Penh is the city to explore.

We visited:
Killing Fields
Toul Sleng Holocaust Museum - painfully powerful
National Palace and Silver Pagoda - fortunately not destroyed by Pol Pot, as he didn't want the wrath of the international community on his head; extensive and beautiful. It also houses exhibits of life throughout Cambodia.
Central Market and Russian Market - the markets in Siem Reap were more interesting for tourists; these were more for the locals (fried grasshoppers; need I say more?)
lunch at Foreign Correspondents Club - wonderful ambience with the room open to the outside and the fans wafting overhead, and the view over the Mekong

The President of the Italian Parliament was in town on a state visit, and was sightseeing the afternoon we were there. The Palace and National Museum were closed til 4; thus we didn't make it to the Museum. There is also supposed to be a beautiful wat well worth visiting.

We got an excellent rate at Raffles Le Royal, the top hotel in town. I love the old colonial properties in SE Asia, and Raffles has done a marvelous job restoring this hotel. The Italian Parliament President was also staying here. FTer MRKEY has reported good success with guesthouses for less than $10/night, so there is accomodation for all budgets.

As for Banteay Srei, we enjoyed our visit. It is worth going there just for the village life along the road. We were fascinated by the homes on stilts and the palm candy sold in neatly wrapped palm fronds. I don't remember much of the site being closed for restoration; my notes indicate that Baphuon is the temple with the most resotrationg work ongoing.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by SanDiego1K:
We personally enjoyed our day in Phnom Penh very much. Siem Reap with all of its huge hotels is so tourism driven, that it was a relief to get to Phnom Penh and a city that exists for the people who live there. And certainly, if you have any interest in Pol Pot and his murderous regime, Phnom Penh is the city to explore.

We visited:
Killing Fields
Toul Sleng Holocaust Museum - painfully powerful
National Palace and Silver Pagoda - fortunately not destroyed by Pol Pot, as he didn't want the wrath of the international community on his head; extensive and beautiful. It also houses exhibits of life throughout Cambodia.
Central Market and Russian Market - the markets in Siem Reap were more interesting for tourists; these were more for the locals (fried grasshoppers; need I say more?)
lunch at Foreign Correspondents Club - wonderful ambience with the room open to the outside and the fans wafting overhead, and the view over the Mekong

The President of the Italian Parliament was in town on a state visit, and was sightseeing the afternoon we were there. The Palace and National Museum were closed til 4; thus we didn't make it to the Museum. There is also supposed to be a beautiful wat well worth visiting.

We got an excellent rate at Raffles Le Royal, the top hotel in town. I love the old colonial properties in SE Asia, and Raffles has done a marvelous job restoring this hotel. The Italian Parliament President was also staying here. FTer MRKEY has reported good success with guesthouses for less than $10/night, so there is accomodation for all budgets.

As for Banteay Srei, we enjoyed our visit. It is worth going there just for the village life along the road. We were fascinated by the homes on stilts and the palm candy sold in neatly wrapped palm fronds. I don't remember much of the site being closed for restoration; my notes indicate that Baphuon is the temple with the most resotrationg work ongoing.

</font>

My wife and I only had a few hours in Pnomh Penh between flights, but we caught a cab into town to go to the Palace and Silver Pagoda. Very impressive, but we were rushed for time. Although the airport is only 8 miles out of town it took us a good half hour each way.

I also agree that Banteay Srei is worth visiting... especially if you are only visiting Siem Reap. The view of people going about their daily lives along the route is amazing and has a much different feel than SR itself. Try to visit early in the morning (we left SR at 7:30 and it takes about 45 minutes by car, longer by moto) before all the tour buses arrive! There was a small section that they had roped off where they were working, but it wasn't in the temples themselves, just around the wall of the temple.

[This message has been edited by hauteboy (edited 01-24-2003).]

Thais Evacuate Cambodia After Rioting (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030130/ap_on_re_as/cambodia_thailand_2)

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">By KER MUNTHIT, Associated Press Writer

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Thailand sealed its border with Cambodia, recalled its ambassador and sent military planes to evacuate hundreds of terrified Thais Thursday after rioters looted and torched its embassy in the Cambodian capital.

At least one Thai man is believed to have died when a hotel was set on fire Wednesday during the riots. The unrest was ignited by a TV star's alleged comments that Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat temple should belong to Thailand...

...The riots broke out after a Thai actress, Suwanan Kongying, was quoted as saying Cambodia illegally annexed Thai territory that includes the Angkor temple complex...

...Roving gangs also set fire to or damaged three hotels, two restaurants, a Thai Airways office and three telecommunications company offices. Thai Airways suspended its flights to Phnom Penh...

...The national carrier, Thai Airways, suspended its flights to Phnom Penh until Monday...</font>

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by fallinasleep:
... Unfortunately, overland options to Siem Reap just aren't good/great alternatives and are often time consuming (this coming from someone who has taken 50-hour bus rides and even longer train rides, ...
</font>

For what it's worth, I did the overland from Bangkok to Siem Riep by bus and share-taxi earlier this month and found it fairly painless. Allow about 8 hours hotel to hotel.

I've done the BKK-Siem Riep trip by plane on the now defunct Royal Cambodge Airways and found this method somewhat less comfortable, somewhat less fast, a lot less expensive, and somewhat more interesting. I'll see if I can cough up a trip report half as interesting as the one that started this thread.
Rich

It seems, that the situation ist becomes normal as friends of me, who live in Phnom Penh told me.


Straitstimes (http://www.straitstimes.com/latest/story/0,4390,169412,00.html?) Form my point of view, the is no reason, not to travel to Cambodia.

Jan

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Seat 2A:
Finally got around to reading the complete report. Thanks for dealing with the missing section. I've always wanted to see this part of the world and your report has served to heighten my desire.

Thanks for a fine report! </font>

Agreed http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif Thanks.

Yes ! I finally made it to Angkor Wat, and my special thanks to SanDiego1K and Hauteboy for their posts which I found especially useful in planning this trip.

Despite the troubles in Phnom Penh the week before,I decided to go ahead with the trip to Cambodia.

MEKONG AIRLINES

Taking advantage of the Chinese New Year long weekend here in KL, I booked my ticket on Mekong Airlines on their very first flight out of KUL. The Y fare of RM1050 (USD 280) from KUL to REP via PNH seems very reasonable as it allows a stopover in PNH, and considering that a much shorter flight on Bangkok Air on the return BKK-REP sector cost approximately the same amount.

Due to the late arrival of the incoming flight from PNH, departure from KUL was delayed by 1.5 hrs. The failure of the GSA in KL to sufficiently brief passengers of the airport tax requirements in PNH caused further delays in the final sector to REP.(Delays seems to be a standard feature on Mekong since they operate only one B737 and my return journey was also delayed by 1.5 hrs !)

The cabin crew on Mekong Airlines were Cambodians while the pilots appeared to be Australians. Meals on KUL-PNH sector were served in disposal plastic containers on a tray,and coffee in plastic tumblers ( a first for me)! However,they also handed out a snack-box containing a muffin and sandwich on the very short 30 min PNH-REP flight.


SIEM REAP

Most hotels were full in Siem Reap over the weekend, but I managed to book a room at the Angkor Century which is a fairly new building. The hotel is modern and clean with all the usual facilities but definitely not 5 Star that they claimed to be. In the evenings the hotel hold a Cultural and Aspara Dance performance by the poolside.

ANGKOR - DAY 1

I hired a car with driver for 2 days to see the temples of Angkor; starting with Angkor Thom (Bayon,Bapuon-under restoration, Elephant & Leper King Terraces,Phimeanakas), Preah Khan and Ta Prohm,all in the morning.

The afternoon was spent exploring Angkor Wat (what a magnificient building!) followed by sunset at Bakheng Hill (which IMHO is highly overated).

ANGKOR - DAY 2

The next morning,after viewing the sunrise at Angkor Wat, I headed off to Banteay Srei.
The 40 min journey to Banteay Srei was pleasant and the scenery provided an opportunity for a temporary break from the ancient temples and also to chat with my driver. However,having spent most of my life in Asia, I did find the landscape to be quite ordinary although I can imagine that it would be quite fascinating from a "western" perspective.

The Central Shrine in Banteay Srei was roped-off preventing a close-up view. However, the overall structures are still clearly visible from the public gallery and Banteay Srei is well worth visiting.

On the way back from Banteay Srei, I also visited several temples including Banteay Kdei (my favourite),Pre Rup and Prasat Kravan.

I was back at Angkor Wat again after an early lunch to avoid the crowd for a closer look at the bas-relief (my favourite : Churning of the Sea of Milk). After a quick round of souvenier shopping at the old market, I was off to the Aiport for my 6pm flight to Phnom Penh.

PHNOM PENH

The Cambodiana Hotel (formerly Cambodiana Sofitel) in Phnom Penh is very well located by the river and a short walk from the Royal Palace and Museum. The Mekong Floor (Executive Floor) rooms were tastefully decorated and comparable to most 4-5 Star hotel rooms in other major cities. The standard rooms ,however, were very basic and badly worn.

I started the day early by taking a 2 hr walk round Phnom Penh city. I visited Wat Phnom, Independence Monument and the Royal Palace. I passed by the Central Market but found the road leading to the market too chaotic and dirty to walk through and decided to give it a miss.

Lunch was at the much talk-about FCC with a colonial-resort like ambience and a great view of the river. I also didnt take long to realise that apart from the waitresses I was the only non-white person there !

After lunch, I took a short walk to the Museum which is just behind the FCC. The Museum makes an interesting post Angkor visit ,containing numerous original exhibits from the temples of Angkor.

GREAT TRIP

My short 4 Day/3 Nights trip to Cambodia is much more enjoyable than I had imagined. The combination of having a comfortable hotel room to return to at anytime between the temple visits,and an air-conditioned car to ferry me around were nice compliments to the incredible sights of the Angkor temples. The Royal Palace and Museum in Phnom Penh also exceeded my expectations of a city which I had previously perceived to be dull and dirty.

And for the benefit of Morissey, I did this trip alone and had a great time. There were so much to see and being solo also gave me the flexibility to add and change my itineraries at my whims and fancy !


[This message has been edited by mario33 (edited 02-05-2003).]

[This message has been edited by mario33 (edited 02-05-2003).]

mario33, that's a wonderful addition to the information about Cambodia. It is particularly helpful to know that you went safely after the evacuation of Thais from the country. Thank you for sharing your experience, and being more detailed about the temples.

I've spent the past three weeks pouring over information about Cambodia and I think I'm 90% there in getting my wife to come along http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif.

Can those of you who have been give me a rough idea of what it will cost to rent a car and guide—as well as what to expect in the room and board area.

My plan is to spend three nights/four days in the Angkor Wat area.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by mario33:
And for the benefit of Morrissey, I did this trip alone and had a great time. There were so much to see and being solo also gave me the flexibility to add and change my itineraries at my whims and fancy !
</font>

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif
That's good to know...now I'm so tempted!!! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by SLC2002:
...
Can those of you who have been give me a rough idea of what it will cost to rent a car and guide—as well as what to expect in the room and board area.
...</font>


Well, I believe the current going rate is US$20/day for a car and $20/day for a guide. I paid $6/day for a moto, but I was familiar with the sites.

If you're at all amenable to taking a moto instead of a car, I'd recommend it. The cost difference isn't the issue, it's the experience.
Rich

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by SLC2002:
Can those of you who have been give me a rough idea of what it will cost to rent a car and guide—as well as what to expect in the room and board area.</font>

You can spend anywhere from $20/day to $300/day for a hotel room. Raffles is the top property in town; the Sofitel (where we stayed) is number two. In hindsight, I would chose somewhere like Bopha Angkor Hotel (http://www.bopha-angkor.com), a more intimate Cambodian-owned hotel with a pleasant location on the river. The top room rate there is $50/night.

Again, you can pay as much or as little as you like for food. We enjoyed going into town, where it was easy to eat for $5 to $10 per person. Hotel restaurants are more expensive.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by SanDiego1K:
You can spend anywhere from $20/day to $300/day for a hotel room. Raffles is the top property in town; the Sofitel (where we stayed) is number two. .....
</font>

Inaddition to the above hotels, there is also a new boutique hotel called Amansara which is part of the Aman Resorts .The room rates I believe starts from $600 !

For reviews on a wide range of hotels in Siem Reap, try this website www.asiahotels.com (http://www.asiahotels.com) . I used them to book my room at Angkor Century and found their prepaid rates quite competitive ($98 for single occupancy compared to $150 quoted by the hotel direct).

Also, hotels in Cambodia do not seem to be very generous with late check-outs. Eventhough I checked-in late (after 7.30 pm),I was told to check-out by noon at both Angkor Century and Cambodiana. I eventually managed to secure a 4pm check-out at both hotels but it was only granted after I complained to the Front Office Manager that they did not give me a room with King sized bed which I have booked. Maybe I have been too spoilt by HHonors and SPG with the late checkout policies at other locations!

As for food,except for lunch at the FCC, I ate only at the hotels since I didnt want to take chances with what the local bugs could do to my stomach. One bad meal would have ruined my entire trip ( I may be paranoid because of my experience in Bali which was most unpleasant eventhough I took precautions and ate only at the Sheratons.Fortunately the bugs only create havoc just before my return flight home).

A single dish would cost around $5 and the buffet dinner around $15 at the 4 star hotels that I stayed (plus taxes).

Siem Reap must be the most expensive place to stay in SE Asia.It may not seem expensive by US standards but this is Asia and Cambodia is not exactly the most developed part of Asia .Siem Reap is marginally even more expensive than HKG which I initially found unacceptable,but after having such a great time there I suppose its a small price to pay to enjoy the sights of Angkor !


[This message has been edited by mario33 (edited 02-06-2003).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by SLC2002:
...as well as what to expect in the room and board area.

My plan is to spend three nights/four days in the Angkor Wat area.</font>


Just as another data point for lodging, it's easy, even in peak season, to show up and score a decent, clean room in a good location in the US$10-15 range, including breakfast, taxes, service. Just to calibrate, I generally stay at the Conrad in SIN and HKG.

I'm not disputing anyone's experience or opinion, but I find Siem Riep to be very inexpensive. Just don't eat at or stay at the deluxe hotels. For instance, eat pho bo for US 0.65 at Soup Dragon for breakfast, which I do even when breakfast is included in my room rate.

It's easy to get more than you can eat for dinner for $5 at places catering to westerners. (If you eat on the street and pay in Riel, it's cheaper, but quality is hit and miss.) Eat lunch at one of the "restaurants" just North of Bayon for &lt; $2 with some of the bottled water you bought in town for 500R (US .12).

Having said this, my wife and the women she travels with stay at the Angkor Village on Wat Bo road, which I'd recommend over the Sofitel and similar. The Angkor Village has local character, at least.
http://www.angkorvillage.com/indexhr.html

Everyone's different, of course, and people should do what they're comfortable with.
Rich

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by rjh:

I'm not disputing anyone's experience or opinion, but I find Siem Riep to be very inexpensive. </font>

Actually, that was exactly what a Malaysian reporter wrote in a local newspaper here in KL about Angkor Wat.She even described accomodation in Siem Reap as "cheap" since she found a room for just $3 !

I wasnt trying to imply that everyone should stay at the Amansara,Raffles or Sofitel.It was just for information that these high end accomodation do exist in Siem Reap. I have removed the website link to Aman Resorts since some readers may view it as "the place" to stay.

However, when one rates a city as being cheap,moderate or expensive, it should be on an "apple-to-apple" comparison. One just cannot compare a Bayswater Bed & Breakfast in London with the Ritz Carlton in Singapore and say that London is less expensive than Singapore.

A quick comparison for equivalent hotels in major SE Asian cities.The Conrad in BKK could be had for only $87 and in SIN its only going for $110. Over in Bali the Sheraton Laguna sells for around $100. And the Sofitel Angkor ... close to $200 !!

I do agree with RJH that food is not that expensive in Siem Reap (even in hotels) and that one should stay wherever they are comfortable with.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by onedog:
Thais Evacuate Cambodia After Rioting (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030130/ap_on_re_as/cambodia_thailand_2)

</font>...

I was in Phnom Penh the day after the riots and all was calm. A few looted buildings and the Thai embasy was still smoldering. Full trip report in progress.



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gfowler-ord-1k
Living in SIN

Since this report talks about a part of the world I'm headed off to, I have a question.

A friend of mine from BKK says that we shouldn't go to Chiang Mai. He told me that it's changed since the mid 1980's; and in his humble opinion, we should go to Luang Praban, in Laos.

We'd do this trip in 3 days and 2 nights, as a side trip from BKK.

Any opinions / suggestions?

Thanks.
Dan

[This message has been edited by dhammer53 (edited 04-29-2003).]

I was in Luang Praban in December and loved it. It has been at least 15 years since I've been to Chiang Mai. Thus, I can't compare the two.

Dan, I have the feeling that your wife isn't a seasoned third world traveler. Luang Praban is marvelous, but is only now being discovered by tourists. We took a tuk tuk down a dirt road to get from the airport to the hotel. We stayed at the Phousi Hotel across from the Hmong Market. It was one of the better hotels, at $40/night. There are only a few paved roads. I loved the cultural richness of Luang Praban, and would go back in a heartbeat - but there isn't much infrastructure to support tourism in Luang Praban.

If you decide to fly to Luang Praban, Bangkok Airways has flights 3 days a week from Bangkok. The routing is BKK-Sukhothai-Luang Praban. That, right there, might make Luang Praban impractical for you. There are several flights a day from BKK to Chiang Mai.

SanDiego1K,

In the old days, it was my wife that introduced me to camping. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I followed up. The flight departs BKK at 8:00am. That's ok. The return departs at 3:00pm (1500), with an overnight enroute, arriving BKK 11:30 the following morning. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/eek.gif Doesn't leave me much time since Japan is also scheduled on this trip.

Oh well. Something to look forward to.

Dan

Dhammer:

I just got back from Thailand. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to get up to Chiang Mai. For what's it worth, though, my other friends who did get to go absolutely loved it.

BTW, this board is incredibly knowledge about all things Bangkok. Many have done several trips. I certainly found them helpful in planning my first trip to the region.

Carol,

Awesome report! Piqued my interest in Cambodia to no end. Gots to get there one of these days. With so many great reports by various FTers, there should be a way to get the info published into a searchable E-book or something. Wouldn't that be great?