I love to learn about new cultures and have unique experiences. I would rather be off the beaten path discovering new things than partying with a bunch of other tourists. I am not a tourist I am a traveller.
Perfect meal:
Tough Question.
Never travel without:
Marc, a journal and a camera.
Travel inconveniences I could do without:
Rude tourists.
When not traveling I'm:
Working and dreaming about my next adventure. I work to travel.
Hollie L.
I love to go camping and get off the beaten path. I'm not afraid to get dirty and can go without a shower if needed. I find it more exciting to explore little known places and experiences cultures that are far removed from my own than stay on the tourist track. I want to see it all. Right now one of my dream trips would be to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro before the snows completely melt away forever. And to trek up to the Gorillas in Rwanda. That would be amazing!
In general I would recommend dining with any of the food vendors in the archeological park while you are exploring the temples. There are many food vendors to choose from near most of the temples. If you are having trouble locating a food stall check near the craft stalls. Ice cream and fruit vendors stroll the grounds selling their wares and locals also set-up shop with full hot meals in a variety of places. The food is safe to consume. They cook it right there in front of you so it comes out hot, fresh and delicious. The offerings are primarily Khmer cuisine and most of the stalls are family run so the children are helping out right alongside their parents. And even though this is a touristy area the food is still very inexpensive. The food stalls are a great alternative to returning to Siem Reap for lunch, especially when visiting the more distant temples.
Favorite Dish: If you’re not that adventurous or can’t quite decide I always recommend the chicken with ginger and garlic. It’s a delicious and safe choice. I found the Khmer food generally simple but extremely flavorful and it quickly became a favorite of mine.
After a long morning exploring Angkor Wat we were tired, hungry and the heat was starting to rise with the sun. We ate breakfast at one of the stands at Angkor Wat. If you are standing with your back to Angkor Wat the vendors and food stalls are located to the right inside the complex. Marc became friendly with one of the food stall vendors and we decided to eat with him. Breakfast is simple, as is most of the food in Cambodia, and generally consists of bread, scrambled eggs, cheese and coffee. The food was filling, tasty and cheap. The vendor also sat with us and talked to us over our meal which was a great way to interact with the locals and learn more about the area. I would recommend having breakfast at one of the food stalls after you watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat. Not only is the food safe, hot and delicious, you’re helping the local economy and maybe making some friends along the way.
Favorite Dish: Breakfast is usually bread, cheese, eggs and onions with coffee or tea.
One of the many pleasures travelers in Southeast Asia seek while in country is the cheap massage. Massage Parlors are abundant in Cambodia and while not all of them are on the up and up, it is easy to find a good, cheap, clean massage. Islands Massage is a chain with locations in Siem Reap as well. The facilities are clean and pleasant. We were greeted with hot tea and a foot wash. The chairs are lined up in a peaceful front room where you can choose to either close your eyes and relax during your treatment or people watch out the windows. The full body massage was basically an extended foot / leg massage with a sitting up, fully clothed, short back massage at the end. It’s a great place to rejuvenate your weary feet after a long day walking around the city.
Among the many tourist attractions in Phnom Penh is the Genocide Museum. With strong ties to the Killing Fields, this reminder of the atrocities endured by the Khmer people under Pol Pot’s regime at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. If you don’t have the time to visit the Killing Fields (located 9 miles / 14.5 kilometers) outside of the city, the Genocide Museum is accessible and educational. We didn’t have time to visit both sites, but were told by many to visit the Genocide Museum if we didn’t have time for both. It is a cheap and easy ride from the waterfront and it is easy to pick up a ride back once you have finished your visit. The museum is a sobering experience and a good way to learn more about the very important and eerily recent history of this country. In the 1970s Pol Pot turned the former High School into a detention center for political enemies of the Khmer Rouge. Here many people were imprisoned, tortured and eventually murdered. The building remains largely untouched with haunting reminders of the horrific events around every corner. Bed frames with shackles attached and schoolrooms converted into cell blocks serve as a reminder of man’s … Other rooms serve to educate visitors on the people that were incarcerated here, most who met their end behind these walls. Guests my tour the facilities on their own, or may hire a guide. We explored the grounds ourselves, sans guide, and still felt we were well educated by the experience. I can equate this experience to that of visiting the concentrations camps of WWII, much less aneseptic than Dachau but slightly less gritty than Birkenau but moving all the same. You won’t leave this place the same person.
The cheapest way to get from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap is by bus. There are a variety of busses to choose from and they run several times a day. The rates start at $5 US for the local bus. This option is the cheapest, and the best way if you want to travel with the locals. We opted to travel on this bus and there were very few other tourists among us, but we felt completely safe the entire ride. This bus makes two pit stops along the way and as there is no bathroom on this bus, the pit stops are very important as it is the only time you are able to relieve yourself on the ride. At the pit stops you will also be able to obtain food and drink. We even saw fried scorpion and tarantula for sale at the pit stops! The other bus options rise in price up to $10 US (keep in mind these prices are one way). The $10 bus is the most luxurious bus and the one most often booked by tourists featuring bathrooms, air conditioning, and even movies on some busses. Check with a travel agent to arrange tickets and times. Even on the $5 we had reserved seating. They estimate the trip from Phnom Penh to take 5.5 to 6 hours but in reality our trip only took 5 hours including two stops. It’s cheaper and faster than taking a boat up the river, by far, and a great way to see the Cambodian countryside.
It’s an easy, and relatively inexpensive flight from Bangkok to Phnom Penh. We didn’t even have tickets into Cambodia when we arrived into Thailand. We researched flights prior to leaving the States and Air Asia seemed to have the most reasonable prices. We tried to book online but had difficulties so we flew to Asia and decided to try our luck at the airport. Our flight landed in Bangkok after the ticket counters had closed for the evening so we waited overnight in the airport for the counter to reopen in the morning. Other people gradually arrived too, so when the first agents arrived at the break of dawn there was already a bit of a line that had formed. But we had no problem getting onto the first flight of the day. A one-way ticket from Bangkok to Phnom Penh cost $112 US. Tickets were listed a little cheaper online so if you are able to book in advance or online you’ll save a little money. We also heard that it’s also cheaper to book through a travel agent versus at the airport, but for a last minute ticket, bought at the airport for a flight that was departing a mere two hours later that’s a pretty good deal.
The other advantage to crossing into Cambodia via air rather than over a land border is the ease of passing through customs. Talking to other travelers we heard horror stories of problems at land border crossings with customs agents. We had no problem at the airports. And the flying was considerably faster than any other mode of transportation into the country.
The easiest way from the airport to our hotel in the city was by local taxi. When we emerged from customs and out the glass doors of the airport we were greeted by a line of taxis and drivers ready to whisk us away to our desired destination. It is the easiest thing in the world to grab a taxi at the airport. We settled on the price to our hotel prior to getting into the cab, as I would recommend any time you take such forms of transportation in Cambodia. $7 US got us safely from the airport to our hotel on the riverfront.
The easiest way to travel any distance around the city of Phnom Penh is, of course, by tuk tuk. Finding a driver is easier than shooting fish in a barrel, just walking down the street you will be inundated by a barrage of drivers waiting to drive you all over the city. Traveling by tuk tuk is simple, cheap and an effective way to get from point A to point B if it’s too far to travel on foot, or even to escape the unbearable heat of the afternoon sun. Inevitably, your driver will offer to wait for you if he drops you off in at a Wat or museum and the decision to take him up on that offer is entirely up to you. A one way ride to most places in the city shouldn’t cost more than $1 or $2 US (but trips outside such as to the Killing Fields will cost more). It is easy to hire a driver for the entire day or just a one way trip, whatever suits you. When hiring a driver always settle on the price up front, additionally you won’t be expected to pay until the end of the trip – even a full day hire.
A month-long tourist visa to Cambodia costs $20 US and you’ll need to have an extra passport photo handy. The easiest method of payment is to have US cash handy at the border crossing. When entering Cambodia via AIR the entry process is relatively easy. At the airport head directly to the visa desk and be aware that people don’t queue up so it’s first come first serve, you may have to fight your way up to the desk. At the first desk you will have to hand over your passport and the $20US to a customs agent, then wait with the crowd surrounding the adjacent desk. Here it’s a waiting game until they process your visa. When they are finished they will hold passports to the crowd and if the picture matches claim your passport and head to baggage claim!
IF YOU ARE CROSSING THE BORDER OVERLAND: I heard several horror stories from fellow travelers about the visa process at land crossings. The customs officials will demand more than the $20US fee and you will have to pay in either Thai Baht or US Dollars. I’ve heard stories of extorted fees from an extra $20US on up. If crossing into Cambodia overland I recommend procuring your visa beforehand to avoid the corruption at the border or be prepared to shell out some extra cash.
The FCC is extremely popular with tourists and ex-pats alike, and although it has a great location with a fantastic rooftop bar offering great views, it wasn’t the place for us. The drinks were overpriced. The food was inauthentic. Although it wasn’t our kind of place I can see how it is a popular spot with a lot of tourists. Because that’s exactly what you’ll find here, tourists, tourists, their kids and more tourists. If you’re looking for a little bit of home and to hang out with fellow tourists, this is your place. $$$
Most of the restaurants along the river cater to the tourists but we had a perfectly acceptable and affordable breakfast at On The Corner, which is aptly named. We chose this particular restaurant not only for it’s inexpensive menu but also for the ambience. This cozy restaurant features vines climbing trellises and al fresco dining. We had the unique experience of observing a group of monks offering prayers to the waitress in exchange for food. This was a great place for breakfast.
We decided to try a local Khmer Restaurant on the riverfront that was highly recommended by the LP. While I was quite pleased with my dish, Marc’s choice was rather bland. The food is affordable and the restaurant has a pleasant atmosphere, but you will find more tourists than locals dining here. We would return, but Marc would take more care with ordering next time. That’s not to say that his meal was inedible, quite the contrary, it just paled next to what I ordered. We both LOVED the Fried Pork with Crispy Rice that I ordered so much so that Marc's Fish with Mango paled in comparison.
We walked through the local street market, exploring Phnom Pehn and discovered a little restaurant a couple blocks up from the Tonle Sap River. Marc still raves that this was his favorite meal of the entire trip. The service was super friendly and maybe a little overly enthusiastic. The waitress stood by our table from almost the moment we sat down and kept asking to take our order before we really had a chance to look at the menu, but no harm in that. They didn’t speak much English but made up for the language barrier. The food was great and cheap! We loved it so much we wanted to return for dinner, but didn’t have the time. And the other plus, we were the only tourists in the whole place!
Favorite Dish: For my first attempt at Khmer fare I chose the chicken with fried ginger, a dish that quickly became a personal favorite. Marc tried the crab in black pepper sauce and never stopped talking about it.
