Cambodian Useful Information
 Cambodia Other Useful Information
Electricity:
Laundry
All guesthouses and hotels will have laundry services and they aren’t expensive (although it can be some time before you get your clothes back).
Souvenirs
The Krama (a traditional cotton scarf) is one of the most popular and typically Cambodian souvenirs. These multi-purpose garments (similar to a sarong) are used for bathing, cleaning, protection from the sun and many other purposes in Khmer life. It is also one of the national symbols that distinguish Khmer people from their neighbours. Both cotton and silk Krama are available throughout local markets and souvenir shops (good places to look are the Russian & New Market in Phnom Penh). Be prepared to haggle hard as this is a national pastime.
Medical:
Medical Requirements
Vaccination is not required before entry into Cambodia. The Bayon Pearnik advises that it isn’t necessary to take Malaria tablets (as they make many people feel ill) if you’re only visiting the areas of Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. However, Malaria tablets should be taken if you’re planning to visit less touristy areas with jungle (such as Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri). Jabs for Hepatitis A + B, Tetanus, & Typhoid are a must with Rabies, Polio and Influenza a wise move with a Japanese Enclephitis jab advisable if your going to jungle areas.
Medical Services
Should you become ill, your best bet is to contact a private clinic (which do maintain international standards) and there are a number in Phnom Penh and, to a lesser extent, Siem Reap. However, Sihanoukville (and everywhere else in Cambodia) still has very limited medical facilities. If you do become really unwell or have an accident, it’s advisable to struggle onto a plane to Bangkok where medical standards are high.
Money & Banks:
Money
The national currency of Cambodia is officially the riel. However, it could definitely be argued that the US Dollar is THE currency of choice in the country today. Indeed, most restaurants and bars will have prices in dollars. But when it comes to small change, the riel still rules so expect to receive riel back as change rather than coins (as Cambodia doesn’t have coins). Of course, the rate of exchange between the two currencies floats around but it tends to stay close to US$1 = 4,000 riel. Riel denominations come in 100, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 notes. There are 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 riel notes in circulation but don’t accept them as there’s a charge from shops when you use them.
Banks
There are currently no ATMs in Cambodia accepting international credit or debit cards! But banks, hotels and many large western bars offer credit card cash advances (normally with a minimum charge of 2%. Banks will do money transfers and will also cash travelers cheques. Canadia Bank doesn’t charge a fee for cash advances using MasterCard and UCB offers a similar service for Visa. Western Union money transfer is widely available throughout Cambodia. Banks generally operate from 8AM till 5PM (Monday through Friday). Please note that, just like other banks across the world, most banks are closed on Saturday afternoons and all day on Sunday. WARNING: When taking money out of a bank via your credit card, check your receipt before signing. There have been cases of bank fraud by members of staff.
Business Hours
Most business offices are open from 8AM till 12PM and from 1PM till 5PM (Monday through Friday). The majority of private companies work on Saturday while government offices are closed.
Women, Gay, Disabled & Senior Travelers:
Women travelers should find Cambodia to be an easy place to travel. Just use your common sense and there’s no reason why you should have any problems. In terms of clothes, it’s not a bad idea to dress conservatively when visiting a temple. An elderly traveler should find Cambodia to be hassle free but don’t expect any concessions. To a Cambodian, your a rich foreigner and that’s all there is to it. Cambodian society is also tolerant of homosexuality. Traveling in Cambodia if you are disabled, however, is a problem. Pretty much all guesthouses and many hotels won’t have lifts, the roads are pretty bad and touring Angkor temples would be quite hard. Probably best to contact a tour operator to see what advice they have for you.
Public Transport In Towns:
Taxi
Taxi’s can be hired outside most large hotels in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville
(See individual sections on Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville for costs).
Moto’s
Moto divers are impossible not to spot in Cambodia and you’ll spend a significant amount of time trying to avoid them (see individual sections on Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville for costs). Try to use one that you know, and it is a good idea to have some idea of where you want to go as your moto driver will generally not have a clue himself and will often keep on driving until you tell him to stop. Remember, it doesn’t at all mean that your driver knows where you need to get to just because he says he does before you hop onto his bike (he simply wants to get what money he can of you). And it goes without saying that he will try very hard to overcharge you and invariably won’t understand the concept of giving you back some change (so make sure you have some small change on you). The English skills of moto drivers also vary considerably but English speaking ones often hangout around tourist hotspots, which you can also hire if you wish for a whole day.
(See individual sections on Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville for costs).
Cyclo’s
See moto’s above. A cyclo journey can be a pleasant way to travel and is environmentally friendly but very slow and can cost a bit more than a moto.
Hiring Motorbikes
This should only be attempted if you are used to driving motorbikes and can cope with the unpredictable traffic coming at you from all directions (especially in Phnom Penh). Bike hire companies require your passport as security.
(See individual sections on Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville for costs).
Communications:
Telephone
Hotels and guesthouses will allow you to make local calls cheaply, and there’s also phone booths offering inexpensive local calls all over Phnom Penh and elsewhere. If your thinking of staying in the country for a long period of time, you’ll be interested to know that there are four cellular GSM service providers offering competitive rates (although coverage can be suspect at times).
The cheapest option if you need to phone internationally (IDD) from Cambodia is to make a call over the web. Calls to the US are especially good value at 500 riel per minute.. Phone cards are available at shops in denominations of up to US$50. Calls at the weekends are cheaper than during the week. Telephones in Battambang are less expensive then elsewhere in Cambodia as the interphone offices route calls via Thailand. The country code for Cambodia is 855.
Fax
Most hotels and business centres have this service but it’s expensive ($5-$7 per page). Probably best to use e-mail!
E-mail/Internet
It‘s easy and cheap to access the internet and e-mail in Cambodia. There are loads of internet cafes in the main tourist areas and many are open until late at night. Currently the charge is US$0.50-1 per hour in Phnom Penh but it is a little bit more in Siem Reap and Sihanoukville. The price for internet access, though, does increase in less well trodden tourist areas. For example, it is $4 an hour in Koh Kong!
Post
International post is routed by air through Bangkok and the rates are listed in the main post office in Phnom Penh. It can take up to three weeks for a letter to reach a destination outside of Asia. It’s not advisable to post letters in the provinces because the service is unreliable. In Phnom Penh, send letters only from the GPO on the corner of Street 102 and 13 near Wat Phnom where the Post Restante service is. Make sure they put the stamps on and frank them (otherwise there’s a good chance they’ll just nick the stamp and throw your letter away!). You can receive mail from the same place but it’s not a good idea to have anything of value sent there. The same rules apply in Siem Reap. The main post office is along the river, 400m south of the Grand Hotel d’Angkor. In terms of sending mail, this post office does have a reliable Express EMS found at the counter. DHL, FEDEX also operate in Phnom Penh. The main post office in Sihanoukville is at Victory Beach at the back of the Holiday Palace Casino and is supposed to have a reasonably reliable service.
Media:
Magazines, Newspapers & Books
The Bayon Pearnik is monthly free tourism and information magazine available in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Battambang, Koh Kong and Kratie. Other English speaking publications include The Phnom Penh Post, which is published once every two weeks providing a good analytical overview of recent news in Cambodia. The Cambodia Daily (priced 1,000 riel) has daily domestic and international news in English. The Cambodge Soir also offers daily domestic and international news in French. English speaking Thai newspapers, The Bangkok Post and The Nation, are also widely available. The Herald Tribune is occasionally found.
Cable TV
There is a reasonable selection of English speaking cable TV in Cambodia (such as BBC World, Star Sports & Movies), and it is available in most hotels and some guesthouses.
Radio
Radio lovers will be pleased to hear that the BBC World Service is actually broadcast in FM (on the 100 frequency) but only in Phnom Penh.
Food & Drinks:
Food
Khmer dishes aren’t too spicy for westerners. A Cambodian basic meal is almost always built around rice and usually includes fish, chicken, pork, beef and fresh vegetables. Freshwater fish is often served due to the country’s abundant supply of the natural resource. In fact, it is a good idea to try out the fish here (especially the Amok or Elephant fish). Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese food is also available in restaurants throughout Cambodia’s major cities.
If your constitution can only handle western food, there’s no need to worry as its easy to find in most tourist areas with almost every type you could want, from Greek to Italian and Japanese (although you will have to do without when jungle trekking and visiting hill tribes!). Be warned that the food found at transit stops while traveling around the country on a bus can scare even the most adventurous eaters (would you care for a Spider or Bat at all?!).
Drinks
It is not safe to drink water from the tap in Cambodia, always use bottled water which can be bought very cheaply at 500 riel (although screw top bottles are more expensive). Soft drinks, beer and wine are readily available here and the majority are imported. Soft drinks are normally priced at 2,000 riel. Beer can be as little as 0.50 cents a can in Supermarkets or during Happy Hour in a bar. The standard price tends to be $1 a can but can cost as much as $2 for a small beer in a nightclub in Phnom Penh. The most popular locally brewed beers in Cambodia are Angkor and Anchor. Wine lovers will be delighted to know that wine, unlike Thailand, is easy to find in restaurants, bars and supermarkets and is reasonably priced.
Watch Out!:
Cambodia has a reputation far worse than it deserves. In reality, there’s very little to worry about when visiting. Talking to fellow travelers and expats before setting off to less touristy areas (especially when using a motorcycle) is advisable. At the time of writing there are no areas of Cambodia considered unsafe to visit. And remember, it’s always a good idea to not take as gospel what tour operators in other countries (such as Thailand and Vietnam) will tell you about Cambodia. Of course, it is within their commission interests for you to continue to spend money in their country.
The Bayon Pearnik has drawn up a general list of issues that you should be aware of when visiting Cambodia:
HIV/AIDS
Cambodia has one of the highest HIV infection rates in South-East Asia. So be careful!!
Landmines
Landmines aren’t a problem anymore around the tourist areas of Angkor/Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville but it pays to be careful elsewhere. There are still an estimated four to six million landmines scattered all around Cambodia. The worst effected area is around the Pailin province (but all along the Thai border is still pretty bad). The basic rule to remember is never deviate from the main roads and paths -- even for a call of nature. After all, what would you prefer -- keeping your dignity or losing a limb?
Armed Robbery
Robbery can be a little bit of a problem in Phnom Penh but it doesn’t happen often (far less than most western cities). In fact, expats are more of a target than tourists as their habits are easier for the robber to predict. Don’t walk unlit streets at night, take a moto taxi or taxi. If you do find yourself in such a predicament, hold your hands up and let them take what they want. Don’t reach for your pockets. This will make the robber think that you have a gun. It is also a good idea to not take a bum bag out with you late at night as that will make you more of a target. And if you want to be doubly cautious, only take out what money you’ll need for the evening. That way, if you do get robbed, you won’t lose much.
Open Water Sewers
There are a few of these in Phnom Penh so it’s a good idea to watch out for them at night and the wet season when some streets are flooded.
Begging
Beggars aren’t a threat to your safety but there are lots of them. They tend to hang out in tourist areas (such as the riverfront in Phnom Penh). Sadly, it’s surprising how quickly you become desensitized to their pleas. But remember that these people have no welfare at all (and landmine victims especially have no other means of survival). Cambodia is also a Buddhist country so giving to those less fortunate is looked upon favourably and you only need give a very small amount.
Legal?
If you are a pervert looking for underage sex in Cambodia don’t come, nobody wants you here. If caught, you will face stiff penalties (up to 20 years) in Cambodia and possibly in your home country as well.
Useful information (Links)
Entry requirements (visa)
e-visa enables you to apply for a travel visa online direct from the cambodia ministry of foreign affairs
cambodia ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation
entry requirements for visitors to cambodia (tourism of cambodia)
entry requirements for u.s. citizens traveling to cambodia (information from the u.s. department of state)
visa requirements for visitors to cambodia: visa upon arrival or from an embassy of cambodia (information from asiana travel mate)
visa requirements and other useful information (from indochinaexpeditions.com)
visa requirements and other useful information (from asian venture)
visa requirements for travellers to the mekong countries
See also information from your home country about your destination and entry requirements
Exchange rates
foreign exchange currency converter (oanda)
Currency and credit cards
banks in cambodia
Public holidays
cambodia national holidays
bank holidays
Date and local time
current local time (by times.clari.net)
the world clock
Electricity, weights and measures
electricity: frequency, voltage and plug
electricity: voltage and plugs
length, weight, volume and other conversions
temperature converter
onlineconversion.com
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