Cambodia trip
It was a last minute plan and we booked the flight few weeks before the departure date.
We have decided for a trip together to Cambodia (most of our friends have been there already) and since boynet is going to NZ soon, we die die book the flight tickets without any holiday plan yet.
It was quite fun to not plan the holiday and we took an easy time during that few weeks. Until 1 day before departure date, we realize we haven’t book any hotel yet. Luckily we manage to book a guesthouse in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh (booked when we reach there) on the Internet thru friend’s recommendation.
The currency used in Cambodia is Riel and they widely accepts US dollar too. Normal business transaction is in US dollar but when in smaller amount they uses Riel.
1$USD = 4500 Riel
We start our first day in Siem Reap with a lake tour on Tonle Sap river. Since it is rainy season and the lake expands into a big ‘Sea’ while the land and trees submerged under the ‘lake’. River is wider too and the Khmer people will travel with their ‘sampans’ or ‘boats’.
Generally the Khmer who stays on the floating house make a living by doing fishery.
They approach us on a boat trying to strike a business deal in either begging or somewhat intimidating manner. Well of course we just ignore them and be expect to get a fierce stare especially from the kids =P
According to some sources the boat ride is only 12$USD but we paid 15$USD per person. We dare not bargain because that place is organized by …… what we call “Mafia” or “Kongsi gelap”. But they are OK to tourists, and the river tour guide is friendly too (But he asked for a tips at the end of the tour which we gave… unwillingly L )
At around evening, we went to Angkor Wat to purchase entrance ticket for tomorrow. The ticket is sold as a 1 day pass or 3 day pass. We took the 1 day pass which also entitle us for entrance to Angkor Wat after 6pm to see the sunset on that day itself.
2nd day is all about Angkor wat…………wat………….wats………….. and wats. We woke up at 4am just to catch the sunrise.
It is really really tiring to climb the huge stairs of these Wats or temples. Each step requires a lot of strength and imagine there’s so many stairs there. I can barely move after my 6th temple ‘hiking’. I gave up and just lie down on the rocks and sleep LOL.
The pub street is like the ONLY street with peoples and tourists. That place is quite safe as police personnel guards both the entrance and exit to the street. There’s a lot of pub along the street and you can enjoy a glass of draft beer with only 1$USD, almost all the pubs there charge the same price. Then there’s a stretch of hawker stalls selling cheap “mamak” foods. Yes, it is the same food you eat at a mamak stall. They have mee goring, kuey teow goring, nasi goring, etc. The taste somewhat similar to what we have in Malaysia and Thailand.
We were told by our friend a must-try dish, the Amok. It is basically similar to Thailand’s green curry but different restaurant cooks and presents it differently. The first restaurant we tried cooks the Amok exactly like how Thais cook their green curry, while 2nd and 3rd time the Amok tasted differently and its more spicy. But I must admit it is VERY nice and delicious and tasty and <insert any yummy quote> It is a Must-try Khmer dish, if you like spicy food of course.
Next is the Lok-Lak: It’s black pepper <insert meat> with veges, also a Khmer dish. It is highly recommended albeit a bit salty. Most of the time it is shown in menu as LokLak beef but you can customize it if you can’t take beef like me 
Just tell them you want Loklak chicken or Loklak pork.
Next is the drink. As mentioned earlier a glass of draft beer is only 1$USD (some other places charge 1-2$USD range). You should also try their highly concentrated fruit juice or fruit shake at only 1$USD the most (some drinks like the Dragonfruit shake is only 2500 Riels). We ordered 6 glass coz it’s freaking addictive =P
On the 3rd day, we took Mekong express bus (12$USD) to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Things there are a bit more expensive than Siem Reap.
There’s nothing much here in Phnom Penh to shout about. We took a cruise ride on Mekong river for only 1$USD. Make sure you take the ride only if they charge 1$USD, because initially we approached them they quote us 15$USD, after bargain a while the final offer was 10$USD. 1 hour later, we approach another boat they quote us 10$USD then the best offer was 5$USD per person. So in the end, we found a boat that charges only 1$USD at the end of that harbor.
We had German buffet for Oktoberfest celebration 
That’s the end of our trip, no point talking about the final day because we wasted the whole day in hotel. Oh ya, be sure to try the Cambodia special coffee, it has heavy aroma and you’ll definitely stay awake after consuming 1 glass.
Becareful of the tuk-tuk driver in Phnom Penh, the tuk-tuk are more friendlier and honest in Siem Reap. We were ripped off 15$USD for a tuk-tuk ride to Airport, which is more expensive than a luxury Camry -_-“ Also, if the kids are disturbing you or bug you to buy their items (books,postcards,etc.) just say “Mai Au”. It means “Do not want” in Thai language, the kids seems to understand some Thai language and they no longer bug us after that. So this is a must-remember powerful word J
How To apply Cambodia Visa in Malaysia
Malaysian do NOT require any visa to visit Cambodia. However please prepare 20$USD for Airport tax upon departure from Cambodia airport.
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