Thanks eightblack for the kind words, I appreciate it
Some of those places definitely aren't for the squeamish, and it can be a very heavy experience. But I like history a lot, so it was a good experience. LOL @ the hotel comment
Thanks Tartegnin!
dgoedken, everyone in Cambodia actually prefers USD. Almost everything there is listed in USD... and only the smallest purchases are usually done in Riels. You can definitely get by with just USD in both PP and SR. It was actually very convenient. I just brought enough with me for the week that I was there. I believe I saw a number of banks and ATMs in both cities, so you shouldn't have a problem withdrawing money... though watch out for the fees.
Thanks Moomba! I went in early April, which is the hottest month of the year. It was around 90-95 degrees every day I was there, though I actually felt like the humidity wasn't terrible. Vietnam was a lot worse if you've been. Also, April sort of marks the end of the dry season and beginning of the wet season. There was almost no rain when I was there, but unfortunately, the rivers were also very dry. I wanted to see the flooded mangrove forest in the Kompong Phluk floating village near Siem Reap, but the water level was too low. You'll see how low the water was when I post pictures in the next installment... the floating village wasn't really floating... it was mostly on stilts haha.