Cambodia
The following quote from film 'The Killing Fields' sums up how you feel after leaving Cambodia "Cambodia is a country I have come to both love and pity". Cambodia is much more than its grusome, sad history, but it is hard to not see the huge effect this history has had on the country.
We only spent 15 days in Cambodia, if we came back we would head North, something anyone who has more time than 2 weeks should look into (rather than heading South where most tourists go). For us though, the 2 main things to see were Angkor Wat (Siem Reap) & The Killing Fields (Phnom Penh). |
IMPORTANT LINKS
Newly Nomads blog on our 15 day trip to Cambodia Here you'll not only find our daily blog, but also places to stay, eat and visit.
Jaide Photography's website, go here to view Justin's awesome snaps of our time in Cambodia. *All prices on this page are of AUD and are current from October 2014* |
the budget
Cambodia is amazingly cheap. We have heard many people use the term "that's cheap, but it's not Cambodia cheap", something we soon understood. We were living pretty large for $50 a day between us, you could easily do this country for much less. You can view our planning guide here.
* Food/Drink: $10-15
Although this says $10-$15 a day, you could eat for considerably less than this, local restaurants have meals for $1-$2 and they are pretty decent. This budget though will get you a mix of western and local cuisine.
* Accommodation: $10-$20 a day
The upper end of this scale gets you into some pretty suave places, we could easily spend $10-$15 (even less if you did not care about having a fan only). However we decided to treat ourselves a little, after all, it still came in under our $50 daily budget.
* Transportation: $6-$16
For us, this was the cost of a motor bike. Everywhere we went except for Siem Reap you could find a motorbike for $6 a day. Tourists are legally not allowed to ride motorbikes in Siem Reap (even though this is the case in most of Asia, the police are said to be much harsher here). There is 1 motorbike rental company called MotoGo, you can hire a motorbike here for $16 for 24 hours (cheaper if you return the bike before they close) If you rent through these guys the cops will give you no grief.
* Other: $5-$10 a day. This one is mainly for entrance fees, pretty much all sites are about $3 to get in, try your student card where you go, sometimes they have student prices ( at S2 Prison you can get in for free) This, obviously, does not include Angkor Wat, their temple passes are much much higher, and rightly so, the prices are: 1 day pay $20, 3 day pass $40 & 1 week pass $60. Also it should cover your petrol needs.
* Food/Drink: $10-15
Although this says $10-$15 a day, you could eat for considerably less than this, local restaurants have meals for $1-$2 and they are pretty decent. This budget though will get you a mix of western and local cuisine.
* Accommodation: $10-$20 a day
The upper end of this scale gets you into some pretty suave places, we could easily spend $10-$15 (even less if you did not care about having a fan only). However we decided to treat ourselves a little, after all, it still came in under our $50 daily budget.
* Transportation: $6-$16
For us, this was the cost of a motor bike. Everywhere we went except for Siem Reap you could find a motorbike for $6 a day. Tourists are legally not allowed to ride motorbikes in Siem Reap (even though this is the case in most of Asia, the police are said to be much harsher here). There is 1 motorbike rental company called MotoGo, you can hire a motorbike here for $16 for 24 hours (cheaper if you return the bike before they close) If you rent through these guys the cops will give you no grief.
* Other: $5-$10 a day. This one is mainly for entrance fees, pretty much all sites are about $3 to get in, try your student card where you go, sometimes they have student prices ( at S2 Prison you can get in for free) This, obviously, does not include Angkor Wat, their temple passes are much much higher, and rightly so, the prices are: 1 day pay $20, 3 day pass $40 & 1 week pass $60. Also it should cover your petrol needs.
food/drinks
Meals and drinks are extremely cheap in Cambodia. No matter what you're after, be it western food or some local food, you can find it for a decent price. Local food is obviously much cheaper, most of the time you can find a meal in a small local restaurant for around $2. Western meals are anywhere from $4-$10 depending on where you are/what you order.
As for taste, Khmer food is good, but not great. They have a few really delicious dishes (such as Lok Lak) but everything other than those are pretty ordinary, compared to somewhere like Thailand, where everything and anything is delicious. They do great Western dishes and even better Indian. |
The price of alcohol becomes very dangerous in Cambodia. Especially in tourist districts where they offer 50cent beers. Spirits are also really cheap, pitchers of vodka and red bull can cost as little as $3.50. Yes, for a pitcher. These prices obviously vary a lot on where you're drinking/if you're there during happy hour. Soft drinks cost about $1 - $1.70 in restaurants and even less in Mini Marts.
You can find more information on Cambodia's food and drinks, as well as a list of places we ate on our Cambodia Blog page. |
accomodation
Siem Reap King Boutique Hotel - $15 a night - Amazing quality. The rooms feel luxurious but for budget pricing. Good location, 10 minute walk to Bar Street. Great WiFi & really nice, quiet pool area. Really friendly staff and CHEAP local food just 1 minute away. This price also includes a basic but delicious vegetarian breakfast. Battambang- LuxGuesthouse- $15 a night. Not as great as King Boutique but still really nice. You can swim at their partner hotel (Delux Villa) which has an amazing pool and the best $3 breakfast ever. The rooms are really big and tidy. Staff are friendly and can organise motorbikes for you. Phnom Penh- Longlin Guesthouse $11 a night. Great guesthouse, really friendly staff, cheap food and a great happy hour. The rooms are good, lots of space and pretty clean. The power goes out when you leave the room but our room stayed really cool even if we were gone most of the day (very rare in SE Asia!). Can organise bikes, bus tickets and visas. |
transport
Bus: Unless you stay in one place in Cambodia (which you shouldn't) you will more than likely find yourself on a bus trip. We have done 1 trip in a big bus, and another in a mini van. Both trips were really good and cheap enough.
Tuk-Tuk: As with Cambodia's neighbouring countries, it is full of Tuk-Tuks. All of which are extremely cheap and great value (especially for guides) they have so much information about the local area and just love being around you and having a joke. If you are getting a Tuk-Tuk from the bus station they will try to get you to book with them for the duration of your stay, for tours etc, so choose some one you like at the station (even though they're all lovely!). |
Motorbike: As we say on nearly all of our country guides, if it is possible for you, motorbiking around a town is like nothing else. Motorbikes are extremely cheap in Cambodia (except for Siem Reap - mentioned above). The traffic is pretty crazy and people cut a lot of corners here, so try fit in with their rules and you should have no problems.
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helpful infoTip#1 - Think hard about visiting orphanages (even though they are advertised as a tourist attractions) do some research about them, you will be surprised what goes on and where you're donations are really going.
Tip#2 - If possible (and I'm sure everyone will tell you the same thing) get the 3 day pass to Angkor Wat over the 1 day pass. There are a lot of temples! Tip#3 - Massages are extremely cheap in Siem Reap. Treat yo' self. Tip#4 - This is a very poor country, a lot of people are suffering from side effects of the Vietnam War (injuries, amputations and mutations) be prepared to see some very sad things. A lot of the victims do not want to beg for money, they try to work by selling little gifts or books, support them as much as you can. |
moneyMost hotels will exchange your money for you. In Cambodia you will need mostly US Dollars and a small amount of Riel. That way you can pay for the big things (such as meals, accommodation) with US Dollars, and the smaller things (a water on the side of the road, a souvenir bought from a side stall) with Riel.
As a rule, the less touristy the town is, the more Riel you will need. visa & departure taxAs an Australian Citizen you will need passport photos to get into Cambodia and $20 US Dollars for a 1 month single entry visa.
tippingTipping is not essential, although very much appreciated.
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