CAMBODIA

Visas🛂

Visas can be sorted either on arrival or as an e-visa. We opted for an e-visa as it is $1 cheaper and more time-efficient. The process is relatively simple; you fill in a form, pay and then receive the visa in three days (if approved). You want to apply for a Visa T for $36.

The best way to figure out what you need is to look on your government website, or you can use the following website:

https://www.passportindex.org

 

Cambodia's E-Visa Website:

https://www.evisa.gov.kh

 

SIM Cards📱

Our arrival to Cambodia, Phnom Penh, was very chaotic for many reasons, but as a result, our original research of grabbing an AIS SIM card went straight out the window. 

We settled on one of the airport's many stalls, with the suggestion of our Australian companion, buying two Metfone SIMs for two weeks costing $8 each.

 

Money💰

£1 = 5,023.46 riel

A big shocker for us was that almost all tourist attractions seemed to be pretty expensive compared to its neighbouring countries. For example, we decided against going to Angkor National Museum as we would have had to pay $12 for entry per person and $7 per audio guide. We were not too keen on spending $38 on this!

We tended to eat in touristy areas, so we probably paid more than we should have, but again, food can be cheap, especially if you are willing to eat bags of bugs costing only $1.

 

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Time⏰

Set aside two to three days to explore Phnom Penh and five to six days in Siem Reap: two to three days exploring the city and three days at the Angkor Complex. We spent a day at the Angkor temples, and it was nowhere near as exciting as we thought it would be - this may come down to the amount of time we allocated towards it, the tour itself and potentially the temples we visited.

 

Transport🚌

For short journeys, there are two main modes of transport: tuk tuk or car. The best apps for this are Grab (Uber) and Pass App. The tuk tuks are not the fastest, but they are by far the cheapest way to travel. Prices vary from 50p to £4.30, which is amazingly affordable. Walking is also a great alternative to getting around, but why would you when transport is that cheap and the weather is scorching?!

 

Roads🚦

The roads are okay. They are spacious and flat, but they do have some potholes here and there. However, if you are to stray from the main roads, expect nothing but dirt tracks.

Also, fortunately for pedestrians, there is not too much traffic, so you can easily cross the road without fretting for your life. 

 

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Weather🌞

The weather is crazy hot in Cambodia. Most of the time, it ranged from 35 to 38 degrees, and that's without humidity. As it is quite a circular country, the temperature stays very consistent throughout the country, so unfortunately, there are not many areas that give you rest from the heat. It was the hottest weather we encountered and a reminder that it was late March when we visited, so I cannot even imagine what it was like in peak summer. And because of the relentless heat, we were less inclined to be out exploring, meaning we used more days than we probably needed.

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So when is the best time to go?

Phnom Penh - Nov - April - Sunny and dry weather

CAMBODIA = DECEMBER/JANUARY

 

Language barrier💬

During our short stay in Cambodia, we were fine communicating with the locals. However, their accents were strong and somewhat tricky at times to understand. But then again, this comes from someone who finds any accent challenging to follow. 

 

Washing🧺

As we were in Cambodia for around ten days, we only needed to do one wash, and luckily, our Airbnb in Phnom Penh had a washing machine to use. What was even better was it was free of charge!