Calgail

Just got back from an amazing trip to Cambodia. We flew Calgary, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Phnom Penh. Cathay Pacific made the 14 hour leg of the trip to Hong Kong bearable with their wonderful service. We arrived in Hong Kong at 9:30 a.m.( 1 1/2 hours later than scheduled due to snow in Vancouver) and followed fodorite 'rkkwan's layover plan (thank you) to the Peak Tram. Unfortunately, we had to miss the Star Ferry as we didn't have enough time with the plane being late. I'm glad we left the airport and saw a little of Hong Kong.

We stayed at a wonderful little guest house in Phnom Penh called Manor House. We had one day in the capital so we went on a tuk tuk tour of the city and saw Tuol Sleng, the 'Killing Fields' (grim reminders of the genocide that took place) the National Museum, Royal Palace, Wat Phnom and the Russian Market. Our driver calmly negotiated his tuk tuk through the chaos of Phnom Penh and greeted us with a big smile after each site.

We left the next morning on the Mekong Express for Siem Reap. We had front row seats so it made for an interesting trip. Our hotel was Palm Village located down some dusty village lanes just outside of Siem Reap. The individual palm bungalows are surrounded by flowers and trees, a tranquil spot, and just a short tuk tuk drive to the action in Siem Reap. We decided to hire a tuk tuk driver for Angkor and opted for no guide. We have to young adult sons and we like to wander and discover at our own pace (and had a good guidebook). This worked well for us and we loved traveling in a tuk tuk rather than an air conditioned car. We had 3 amazing days of temples. The last temple day, we enjoyed bumping along in the tuk tuk to Bantay Srei and seeing the villages along the road.

The fourth day we went to the floating village in the morning. Our tuk tuk driver, Lyga, wanted us to see the real Cambodia so took us to his home village of Damdek in the afternoon. Along the way, we stopped to see kids fishing (he even threw the net a few times) bought sticky rice and stopped at a rice field to watch the workers harvest. Lyga took us to his house where we met his father, two sisters, daughter and his nephew. The men went outside to knock down a coconut while I sat inside with his sisters who gave me Khmer lessons. We all then enjoyed fresh coconut milk. We then went to the local market accompanied by Lyga's sister and met his mother who worked at one of the stalls. Our next stop was the rice field where Lyga's father spent 4 terrible years under the Khmer Rouge. Lyga's Dad stood at the edge of the field and had his son tell us his story as he wiped away his tears. This was very emotional for all of us. Seeing Lyga's home and meeting his lovely family made our vacation very special.

Battambang next.

silverwool

I'm glad you enjoyed Cambodia and were able to meet some locals who were not trying to sell you things. My wife had a similar experience when she and her sister visited a farm near Battangbang.

Its really our favourite country.

Calgail

We hired a car to take us to Battambang. The road was quite rough and under construction so it was a bit of a slow drive. We arrived in Battambang around lunch time and checked into the Star Hotel which was quite new and very clean, with spacious rooms. They have a restaurant on the roof where we had a very good lunch. We then checked at reception about tours and they happily arranged for motos to take us to Phnom Sampeou. It was fun riding on the backs of the motorcycles along the dusty, bumpy roads. The next day we decided to do moto tours again and went to Phnom Banan, stopping along the way at rice fields, various farms and a fruit farm where we had fresh pineapple, guava and sampled the farmer's palm wine. Our last stop for the day was for a ride on the bamboo train. It was fun flying along the rails on the bamboo platform and then seeing the train disassembled and reassembled in a matter of minutes. For our final day in Battambang, we strolled around the town in the morning, then at our sons urging took another moto tour in the afternoon where we stopped at the fish paste factory, family homes where they made rice noodles and rice paper and various other interesting stops. On all the tours the children yelled hello and waved along the way. I think I had one continuous smile for all the trips. Battambang was a very friendly town and we'll remember our visit fondly.

The next day we took the Capital Bus to Phnom Penh where we overnighted on our way to Kampot. The bus driver was aggressive to say the least and we had some interesting moments. At one time we were four abreast on the highway as we passed on the shoulder of the opposite side of the road.

We hired a car to take us to Kampot and stayed at Mea Culpa Guesthouse. This is a brand new guesthouse and had spotless, tastefully decorated rooms, and wonderful staff. We wandered the town in the afternoon and arranged for a tuk tuk tour for the next day. Unfortunately, Bokor Hill Station was closed. We went to Phnom Chnork and another temple cave and had crab in Kep at one of the seafood restaurants perched on the beach. My son and I had the crab in pepper sauce and it was a fun but messy challenge to get the crab out of the saucy shells. After lunch we went to a pepper plantation where we purchased a supply of Kampot pepper.

The following day, we hired a car to take us to Sihanoukville and it was a nervewracking, horn blaring drive as we sped along the good highway. We stayed in a guesthouse on the beach and it was our least favourite of all the towns in Cambodia. We spent a couple of days there which included an overnight on a dive boat. The five hour trip back to port was a bit of an endurance test on the rough sea.

Our last day in Cambodia was spent on the Mekong Express back to Phnom Penh to catch a flight to Bangkok where we connected on to Hong Kong the next day for our flights home.

Cambodia was an amazing country and we'll never forget our gracious hosts and friendly people.

thursdaysd

Thanks so much for this trip report! It's nice to see a report from someone else who went to Battambang and the coast as well as PP and Angkor. sounds like the hotel situation has improved a lot, and I'm so glad to hear the bamboo train is still running!

Kathie

Thanks for your report! I'm always interested in less common routes people take. And your comments on Sihanoukville were interesting. I've heard others say similar things about it. So glad you enjoyed Kampot and Battambang.

Elainee

Glad you had sucha lovely trip. You might take a look at www.theplf.org to see how to help Cambodian kids go to school.

Scotters

So glad you enjoyed yourself and were able to see more of Cambodia other than just Siem Reap and the temp;es and also having a chance to mingle with the locals.
And Elainee why mentioned the Ponheary Ly Foundation when they have already returned unless you are soliciting for donations.

Calgail

Thanks for reading my report and thank you Scotters for giving me good advise before the trip. The only thing we missed that you suggested was the boat to Battambang. The possibility of spending 7 hours on a crowded boat was a bit daunting. We enjoyed the temples but the wonderful Cambodian people made the trip.

Elainee

Why mention a charity to help children in Cambodia? To help the Cambodian children. Yes, I give to this charity and so do many other people on this board. This is where I heard about it and that was after I returned. Many of us are not aware of this charity while we are there and would have liked to have known of a reputable way to help. The charity is registered with the IRS here and donations can be made thru their website.

rhkkmk

thanks for the interesting report..

lincasanova

i really enjoyed your report and have taken note of the hair-raising road trips.

i am anxious to vist these countries but I know I will have a huge problem with the drivers. I hope to find out a way to avoid that by the time we go!

Gpanda

Very nice report. The out-of-the-way places are always interesting to read about. How did the kids like the trip?

Calgail

lincasanova: I didn't mean to scare anyone about the driving. It was our first time to Asia and they definitely have a different driving style. There is a large assortment of slow moving vehicles on the roads and there is a lot of passing. The horn is constantly used in a non aggressive way to let people know you're there. Also, it seems all very chaotic but it works and there seems to be a lot more tolerance. We didn't witness any rude gestures, road rage or other poor behavior that we see in North America. The only time I was really nervous was our speedy ride to Sihanoukville from Kampot, but my husband who is not a good passenger, assured me that the driver was fast but not dangerous.

Gpanda: the kids, as I still refer to them are 21 and 19 and had a blast. They left us when they could to explore on their own and really loved touring on the backs of the motorcycles in Battambang. My youngest son who is studying journalism is planning on doing an article about the 30 year anniversary of the liberation of Cambodia from the Khmer Rouge.

lincasanova

thanks for the encouragement. i am NOT a good passenger either.. the entire family and friends will attest to that!

but i can imagine there will be moments you wonder if you are going to really make it back home.. right?

we had a couple of those in malaysia. or at least I did.

the motos sound great.

i really enjoyed your report and hope we can do something similar in the not too far future!

Jen

Thanks for the report! I'm headed that way this spring, hitting Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Kep/Kampot. I had initially thought of doing Sihanoukville, but judging by your post and others, I made the right decision by choosing Kep instead.

Question about Bokor: my understanding was that certain tour companies could still go up to the hill station... was that still the case, or was it closed altogether when you were there?

Johnmango

Calgail, thanks for the report.

I am also planning to go to Cambodia - with a 2-3 days in Battambang. But now I am not so sure if there are enough things to do to fill 3 days?? Yes I love the temples, but after Ankor Wats I don't know if I want to see more temples. We like sight seeing and hiking, trying local cuisines, a bit of shopping etc.

There is another post in Fodor talking about Battambang. In your opinion: is the place (and surrounding area) interesting enough to stay for 3 days?

Calgail

Jen: Bokor Station was closed as we inquired with several tour companies and our guesthouse. However, we talked to some fellow travellers and they were able to see Bokor a couple of weeks before we arrived. Kampot is a very quiet little town with French colonial buildings in various states of decay. Bokor was our main reason for going.
As for Sihanoukville, many people do like it as there were a lot of tourists and also many Cambodians enjoying the beach. We only had 1 1/2 days there as we were on a dive boat for 2 days. Personally, we've seen much nicer beaches in our travels and maybe we are a bit spoiled.
We only stopped for lunch at the beachfront restaurants in Kep. There is not much of a beach there but apparently Rabbit Island has a nice beach and is only a short boat ride away.

Johnmango: We really enjoyed Battambang and had 2 l/2 days there. The moto tours through the countryside were the best part. We bumped along dusty rural roads, lined with scenic villages and rice fields. We also saw the 'killing caves' where the Khmer Rouge threw people to their deaths. Riding the bamboo train was also a highlight. We found the people in Battambang extremely friendly. Canbypublications.com is a good source of information on Cambodia and might help you with your planning.