In Summary - Cambodia

Tue, Feb 5, 2019

2 min read

Here's an overview of our time in Cambodia.

In Summary - Cambodia

Length of stay - 22nd January - 3rd February (13 days)

Places stayed - Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Kampot, Kep

Currency - US Dollars or Riel, at time of writing £1 equals roughly $1.3 and $1 equals 4000 Riel

Plug type - European Twin Plug

Driving side - Right

One Cambodian word:

Arkoun - thank you

Three good

  1. French feel - after over a month away from home, it was nice to have a small sense of familiarity and the chance to practice my French
  2. South coast - this had such a nice feel and a calmer way of life compared to the cities
  3. Overall impression of Cambodia - before coming here, I’d heard some negative things about Cambodia so overall I was pleasantly surprised by our experience here

Three bad

  1. Dusty - so much dust! From North to South, this country is so dry during the dry season and the dust just gets everywhere
  2. Chinese Influence - China is investing heavily in Cambodia, for example in its power supply. While this is bringing obvious benefits to the country, it is also not popular with the locals. This is because there are a lot of Chinese tourists now coming to Cambodia, who are creating a lot of rubbish and bumping prices up so local people are being priced out of the market
  3. Mosquitoes - so many bites, despite using insect repellent on a very regular basis!

Three odd

  1. Driving - there appear to be no rules here, or if there are they’re ignored. People drive the wrong way down the street, on pavements, without their headlamps on, and there is no order at junctions, you just have to go! As such, people are paid to act as parking attendants and help cars reverse out of makeshift car parks (otherwise known as the pavement!)
  2. Over scoped - we saw a lot of places that had been built expecting large crowds but are essentially deserted or massively under utilised. This could be a result of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge past
  3. Being shouted at constantly - whether it’s asking if we want a tuk tuk or a massage, you quickly get used to saying no every two seconds as you walk down a Cambodian street!