Kratié Province

History

The area near Kratié along the Mekong River was one of the most densely populated regions of pre-Angkorian Cambodia.[2]
Lon Nol was the province's governor in 1945.[3]
During foreign incursions into Cambodia and the civil wars, Kratié saw especially heavy fighting.[4] During Operation Menu, Kratié was heavily bombed by the United States.[4][5] Recovering unexploded ordnance and de-mining has been a major recent initiative.[4]
On December 30, 1978, Vietnamese forces captured Kratié.[6] Civil war continued in Kratie after the defeat of Pol Pot.[5]

Geography

The Mekong River flows from the north to the south of the province; approximately 140 km of the river is located in Kratié.[7] The river is home to Irrawaddy dolphins, fishes, and birds.[7] The flow of the Mekong River at Kratié town varies greatly.[8][9] There are hundreds of seasonally flooded islands in the river.[7][10] As of 2007, the Cambodian government planned to build a dam on the Mekong River near Kratié town.[11] The province also contains many forests, the Phnom Pram Poan mountain range, Phnom Prech, and rubber plantations.[7] Eastern Kratié is an important bird area.[12]
The province is mostly covered in dense forest.[13] Craters from Operation Menu bombings during the Vietnam War, some of which are filled with water, are still visible in the countryside.[13] Some land in Kratié is used for agriculture, though a smaller percentage than elsewhere in Cambodia.[13]
The province has a monsoonal climate, with a cool season from November to March, a hot season from March to May, and a rainy season from May to October.[14] Flooding is frequent in Kratié; the Mekong may overflow by as much as 4 m during the rainy season.[15]
Kratié is known for its attractive riverside scenery and its green villages and paddies.[16]
Kratié's fisheries are part of the Upper Mekong River Zone, which is important support for migratory species and subsistence fishing but does not play a major role in commercial fishing.[17]
Forests in Kratié tend to be open and less dense than elsewhere in Cambodia; they are generally made up of deciduous trees that lose their

Government

Kham Phoeun is the governor of Kratié Province.[18] Venn Sokhoy is the deputy governor.[10] In the 2007 commune council elections, the vast majority of seats went to members of the Cambodian People's Party.[19] Women make up 17.4% of commune council members.[20] In 2005, Kratié received 1.69 billion riel from the commune/sangkat fund, of which development funds were 1.20 billion riel and funds for administration were 0.49 billion riel.[21]

Economy and transportation

Most Kratié residents are subsistence farmers or fishers.[22] 78% of residents are employed in agriculture.[23] Thirty percent of Kratié households live on less than US$1 per day; the province's poverty rate of 32% is somewhat lower than the national average of 39%.[24][22] Some gold mining occurs in Kratié.[25][26] Most soil in Kratié is poor; the province primarily grows perennial industrial crops like rubber.[27] Illegal logging supervised by provincial officials is a problem.[28] Kratié has the potential to be an ecotourism destination.[29] Kratié's road system is poorly developed.[22] As of 1998, the average household possessed 0.48 hectares of agricultural land, and 37% were landless.[23]

Social issues

Land concessions often cover land customarily owned or used by people in Kratié Province.[30][31] In 2004, community land organizers were threatened by the military after they confiscated chainsaws used for illegal logging.[32] An indigenous people's organization is active in Kratié Province.[33]

Health, education, and development

Schistosomiasis is a problem in Kratié province.[34] The incidence of malaria and dengue fever rose sharply in the mid-2000s; this increase has been attributed to changes in climate.[35]
Malaria is hyperendemic in Kratié's forests.[22] The provincial infant mortality rate of 97/1,000 and child mortality rate of 80/1,000 are significantly higher than the national average (68/1,000 and 53/1,000, respectively).[22]

Demography

There is a substantial Vietnamese minority in Kratié Province.[36] Kratié is home to seven indigenous groups: Phnorng, Kouy, Mil, Khonh, Kraol, Steang, and Thamoun.[7][37] Approximately 70% of the province's residents live along the Mekong River;[7] the area beyond the river is sparsely populated.[38] Approximately 8% of Kratié's population is indigenous; it is one of four provinces with a substantial indigenous population.[37] 70% of the population is rural.[23]

Mondulkiri Province

Minorities/Hill Tribes of Mondulkiri

80 percent of the Mondulkiri's population is made up of ten tribal minorities, with the majority of them being Phnong. The remaining 20 percent are Khmer, Chinese and Muslim Cham. The population lives off the land, planting rice, fruit trees and a variety of vegetables. Others grow strawberries, coffee, rubber and cashew nuts. Although more and more houses are built in 'Khmer style', you still can find the traditional Phnong houses. In the houses you'll find big jars, which are said to be more than a thousand years old, and traditional gongs. There are various sorts of gongs used at different occasions. Jars and gongs are among the most valuable possessions of indigenous communities both in traditional and spiritual as well as material terms. During the times of Pol Pot those objects were buried in hidden places in the jungle and in many cases they still wait in the ground

Waterfalls

Many majestic waterfalls are found in Mondulkiri.

Bou Sra Waterfall
Located at Pich Chinda District, 43 kilometers from Senmonorom town, Bou Sra is the largest waterfall, made famous by a popular Khmer song in Mondulkiri and has two stages.
Senmonorom Waterfall
5 km from town and an easy walk, is not much to look at and used to be a nice picnic spot until the Japanese built a hydro electric power station there and stole all the water.
Romnea Waterfall
10 kilometers from Senmonorom, is actually 1 of 3 large waterfalls that has now been deforested and privatised by a Guesthouse.

Villages

Pou Lung, 10 km (15min) from Senmonorom
Pou Trou, 20 km (1hour) from Senmonorom
Pou Tang, 8 km (30min) from Senmonorom

Land grabbing

The province is subdivided into 5 districts, which are further subdivided into 21 communes and 98 villages.
1101 Kaev Seima
1102 Kaoh Nheaek
1103 Ou Reang
1104 Pechr Chenda
1105 Senmonorom

Siem Reap

Siem Reap City is the capital of Siem Reap Province, Cambodia.
Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market. In town, there are Apsara dance performances, craft shops, silk farms, rice-paddy countryside, fishing villages and a bird sanctuary near the Tonle Sap Lake. It is perhaps best known for its proximity to Angkor Wat.
Siem Reap today, being a popular tourist destination, has a large number of hotels and restaurants. Most smaller establishments are concentrated around the Old Market area, while more expensive hotels are located between Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport and the town along National Road 6. There are a variety of mid-range hotels and restaurants along Sivatha, and budget to mid-range hotels in the Phsar Leu area.

History

The name Siem Reap means the 'Defeat of Siam' —today’s Thailand —and refers to a centuries-old bloodbath, commemorated in stone in the celebrated bas relief carvings of the monuments.
In 1901 the École Française d'Extrême Orient (EFEO) began a long association with Angkor by funding an expedition to the Bayon. In 1907 Angkor, which had been under Thai control, was returned to Cambodia and the EFEO took responsibility for clearing and restoring the whole site. In the same year, the first tourists arrived in Angkor - an unprecedented 200 of them in three months. Angkor had been 'rescued' from the jungle and was assuming its place in the modern world.
Siem Reap was little more than a village when the first French explorers re-discovered Angkor in the 19th century. With the return of Angkor to Cambodian, or French, control in 1907, Siem Reap began to grow, absorbing the first wave of tourists. The Grand Hotel d'Angkor opened its doors in 1929 and the temples of Angkor remained one of Asia's leading draws until the late 1960s, luring visitors like Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Kennedy. In 1975, the population of Siem Reap, along with that of the rest of the cities and towns in Cambodia, was evacuated by the communist Khmer Rouge and driven into the countryside.

As with the rest of the country, Siem Reap's history (and the memories of its people) is coloured by spectre of the brutal Khmer Rouge Regime, though since Pol Pot's death in 1998, relative stability and a rejuvenated tourist industry have been important steps in an important, if tentative, journey forward to recovery. With the advent of war, Siem Reap entered a long slumber from which it only began to awake in the mid-1990s.
Today, Siem Reap is undoubtedly Cambodia's fastest growing city and serves as a small charming gateway town to the world famous heritage of the Angkor temples. Thanks to those attractions, Siem Reap has transformed itself into a major tourist hub. Siem Reap nowadays is a vibrant town with modern hotels and architectures. Despite international influences, Siem Reap and its people have conserved much of the town's image, culture and traditions.

The Wat and the river

The town is a cluster of small villages along the Siem Reap River. These villages were originally developed around Buddhist pagodas (Wat) which are almost evenly spaced along the river from Wat Preah En Kau Sei in the north to Wat Phnom Krom in the south, where the Siem Reap River meets the great Tonle Sap Lake.
The main town is concentrated around Sivutha Street and the Psar Chas area (Old Market area) where there are old colonial buildings, shopping and commercial districts. The Wat Bo area is now full of guesthouses and restaurants while the Psar Leu area is often crowded with jewellery and handicraft shops, selling from ruby to woodcarving. Other fast developing areas are the airport road and main road to Angkor where a number of large hotels and resorts can be found.

Economy

Businesses centered around tourism have flourished thanks to the tourism boom. There are a wide range of hotels, ranging from several 5-star hotels and chic resorts to hundreds of budget guesthouses. A large selection of restaurants offer many kinds of food, including Italian, Indian, French, German, Russian, Thai, Korean, Japanese, and Burmese. Plenty of shopping opportunities exist around the Psar Chas area while the nightlife is often vibrant with a number of western-styled pubs and bars.
Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport in Siem Reap now serves the most tourist passengers to Cambodia. Most tourists come to Siem Reap to visit the Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, (about 6Km north of the city), and other Angkor ruins. While those are still the main attractions, there are plenty of other things to experience, such as a dinner with an Apsara Dance performance, a trip to fishing villages and bird sanctuary, a visit to a craft workshop and silk farm, or a bicycle tour around the rice paddies in the countryside.
The Gecko Environment Center is a floating environment center located in the province of Siem Reap on the Tonle Sap Lake. The goal of the center is to promote environmental awareness among the local community as well as visitors to the great lake.[1] The province of Siem Reap is part of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve.

Prey Veng Province

Land area

The total land area of the province is 4,883 km², which equals 2.7% of the total land area of Cambodia (181,035 km²). This consists of 445.18 km² or 9.12% of human settlements, 3,100 km² or 63.49% of agricultural land use, 194.61 km² or 3.99% of forested area, 1,082.86 km² or 22.18% of public land, infrastructure and water bodies. The remaining 60.35 km² or 1.24 % are unused areas.

Population

The total population is 947,357 persons or 7.07% of the total population of 13,388,910 persons in Cambodia [2] In the above number are also consisting of 825,818 person or 80.54% are farmers, 140,685 person or 13.72% are fishermen, 44,561 person or 4,35% are traders, 14,267 person or 1.39% are government’s officers.
The average density 194.0 person per km².

Stung Treng

In Cambodia's northeast, Stung Treng offers little more than access to other places. Clockwise from the north, Stung Treng is bordered by Laos, Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri, Kratie, Kompong Thom, and Preah Vihear.
Access is by road south to Kratie and east to Banlung and by boat to the Laos border. A road to the border is a work in progress. There is now bus service from Phnom Penh.
I rode a motorbike from Banlung and back in January 2002 and that's about the extent of my Stung Treng experience. You can read about it here.
The town itself sits high on the banks of the San River with the Mekong right around the corner. There are a couple of nondescript restaurants and hotels if you need one. If you are overlanding it to or from Laos you'll have to pass through here. Some first-hand travelers' reports are here: cambodia-overland-laos-reports
The other place Stung Treng offers access to is overland to Banlung. Road condition is variable year to year.
There is one interesting thing you can do here, and that's take a boat trip, a serious boat trip, all the way to Ratanakiri if you so choose. Such a trip won't come cheap, but I know people have done it. I don't know anyone in particular who offers the service, but I imagine some determined inquiries in Stung Treng would ultimately yield results.

Pursat Province

Veal Veang District

Veal Veang shares a border with Battambang Province to the north, Thailand to the west, Koh Kong Province to the south and the Pursat districts of Phnum Kravanh and Bakan to the east. The northern end of the Cardamom Mountains cover the eastern edge of Veal Veang to the Thai border.[2] According to the 1998 Census, Veal Veang district is made up of 5 communes and 20 villages.[3] However, the population of the district was not enumerated in the census due to security concerns. [4] From 1979 until the end of the 1990's, Veal Veang was one of the last remaining strongholds of the Khmer Rouge.
The legacy of the Cambodian civil war and over 30 years of Khmer Rouge occupation has left many parts of the district heavily contaminated with landmines.[5] As mines are cleared and roads improved, logging both legal and illegal threatens the remaining forested areas. Veal Veang is also home to around 300 families of the few remaining ethnic minority Pear people.[6]
Sampov Meas District

Sampov Meas is located in the center of the most populated part of the province. The district is completely surrounded by other districts and is the only district in Pursat that shares no border with another province. North of Sampov Meas lies Kandieng district, while Bakan forms the northeastern and eastern borders. Phnum Kravanh is to the south and Krakor forms the western boundary along National Highway Number Five.[2] This is the smallest district in Pursat province by land area and has the highest population density.
The Pursat River, which begins in the Northern Cardamoms, flows through the center of the district at Pursat town on its way to the Tonle Sap. There are small parks alongside the river where urban residents of Sampov Meas often come to sit in the cool of the evening.

Phnum Kravanh District

Phnum Kravanh shares a border with Veal Veang district to the west and Koh Kong, Kampong Speu and Kampong Chhnang provinces to the south. Bakan and Sampov Meas districts are to the north and Krakor district is on the north eastern boundary.[2] Previously Phnum Kravanh was much larger and stretched to the Thai border. However, in 1997 the western part of the district was taken to form the new district of Veal Veang.
The southern part of the district is largely unpopulated and has few roads. It forms a major part of the Central Cardamom range. According to the 1998 Census, Phnum Kravanh district is made up of 7 communes and 55 villages. The population of the district was 54,136 in 10,390 households at the time of the census.[3]

Svay Rieng Province

Went into the field for the first time two weeks ago. Drove 3 hours down to Svay Rieng province. Drive was mostly uneventful, though was interrupted by a 20-minute wait to cross a big river. One would normally expect a bridge to get us across the river, but for some reason, this was all done by car ferry. The number of vendors knocking on the windows to try to sell us stuff while we waited was astounding. Sopheak bought a pommelo (huge grapefruit), which was absolutely fantastic, and Savath some corn (much less so—way overdone), but nobody ventured far enough to buy the fried crickets.

We arrived in Svay Rieng city (the provincial capital of Svay Rieng province), which was far from overwhelming, around noon and checked into our 5-star hotel which was more like a ½-star hotel. I definitely miss the IDEO expense budgets. . . I’ll post my user research report next weekend in which I’ll go through all the detail of what we saw, but for now. . . talked with a number of villagers (dry and wet latrine users & non-users), masons, ring producers and retailers. We had two groups of us out in the field in parallel, so we covered a lot of ground in three days—15 interviews plus transit time back and forth from Phnom Penh. . . was a bit of data overload.
Participant recruiting (normally the bane of any researcher) is remarkably simple here. We just walk around the villages until we see someone with a latrine that looks interesting then go up to their house and ask if they want to talk. Everyone spends 98% of their time outside, so they’re easy to find. And everyone has been ridiculously generous with their time, very open to talking about defecation (something with a pretty strong taboo back west) and really funny and enjoyable to interact with. Physically, the people are amazingly beautiful and have great character, especially the elderly and the children. My photography doesn’t do them great justice, but here are some of the people we met:

The interviews mostly last an hour and are almost completely out of my hands. They happen all in Khmer and for every 5 minutes of talking, I get about 30 seconds of translation. I’m not getting a lot of the nuance, but I am getting something. I’m counting on the rest of the team to bring out the nuanced insights during the discussions this week.

Koh Kong

The coastal province of Koh Kong has been visited by backpackers and adventurers for many years yet it is one of least explored provinces of Cambodia. Located in the southwest of Cambodia bordering Thailand, Koh Kong is blessed with scenic rivers, uninhabited coastline and lush green forests.
Besides Poipet, Koh Kong has been popular among independent travellers who cross the Thailand border and use Koh Kong as a stop-off place before going to Sihanoukville, Kampot and Phnom Penh. Travellers take a 30-minute ride on a taxi or van from Thailand border (Trad Province) to Cambodia’s international checkpoint (Cham Yeam) before entering Koh Kong town. The town, whose name is often mistaken for the island of the same name off its coast, is the place where guesthouses, hotels and restaurants are located.
Sitting by Tonle Kah Bpow River with one side facing the ocean, the town is easy to get around either by foot or motorcycle taxi. There are some 2 and 3 star hotels and plenty of guesthouses in town, some of them overlooking the ocean. Most restaurants serve Cambodian, Chinese and Thai food and the price is cheap. Some restaurant like Otto’s restaurant and guesthouse offers western food with an English menu.
There are a few places worth visiting if you are done with exploring the local life in town and have a day or two to spare in Koh Kong.

Koh Kong Island

Having the same name as its town, Koh Kong Island is the biggest island off Koh Kong’s coast. A half an hour ride on a fishing boat will bring you to the island. There are a number of unspoiled beaches around the island. The water is clear particularly in the dry season. This island visit is good for a one-day trip.
Cardamon MountainsConsidered Cambodia's "Wild West", Cardamon Mountains are ideal for adventurous trips. The mountains are a part of a national park, which separates central Cambodia from the coastline. The forest in the part is largely pristine with rivers, waterfalls and tropical jungle. Even though activities in the park are limited to boating and trekking, it has potential for eco tourism and adventure trips. A typical day tour in Cardamon involves a boat trip upstream into the jungle, a visit to Tatai Waterfall and a short trek.
There is a new casino resort near the immigration checkpoint called "Koh Kong International Resort club". This huge resort, which is located on the beach, has 3 star hotel facilities with Internet access, currency exchange office, a swimming pool, a shopping complex, a restaurant and a coffee shop.

Kampong Cham, Cambodia73

Kampong Cham is the third largest city in Cambodia. Despite not having as many tourist attractions as Phnom Penh or Angkor Wat, this charming city is the best place to get a feel of the “real” Cambodia. The remnants of French colonial rule are here, as are modern improvements to this one poor area’s infrastructure. The real charm of Kampong Cham lies with its people. Despite their almost universal poverty and the brutal history of their country, the people of Kampong Cham are mostly friendly, happy-go-lucky folks who are welcoming to tourists.
Because there is still not much in the way of a tourist industry in Kampong Cham, visitors will have to arrange their own transport. Motorcycle riders will be able to rent bikes, although many tourists take advantage of the cheap prices and purchase their own bike. Non motorcycle riders, and those who don’t want to risk Cambodia’s sometimes crazy roads can find motorcycle drivers (motodops) to drive them. There are also cars for hire.
Though there are a few temples, the best things to do in Kampong Cham and the surrounding area (Kampong Cham Province) is just to hang out or cruise the countryside. Within the city, it is worth checking out the markets. There is all the hustle and bustle of a Southeast Asian market, but with Kampong Cham’s unique charm and friendly local people. It’s a great place to socialize, even if you don’t speak Khmer. Because this is an outlying area, the food is probably not as safe for a western stomach. However, people who have been in Cambodia for a while, or those who just want to jump in, can find great food stalls at some of these markets. As a general rule, if the place has multiple patrons and seems clean, it’s probably OK.
After a hard day, the improvised beer halls on the banks of the Mekong are the best place to be. Beer is dirt cheap (Angkor, Tiger), and the locals will definitely be around to socialize.
Just cruising in the countryside, past the fruit and vegetable farms, and local villages (including several stilt house villages along the Mekong) is reward enough for most tourists. Those seeking "untourist" attraction will find a couple of temples in the area worth checking out. Thousand year old Nokor Temples is the most famous in the area, but be prepared to wander by yourself unless you happen upon one of the monks who live there.
A cruise on a slow boat (as opposed to a fast one) on the Mekong would be a great way to end a visit to this sleepy but charming ville

Wat Phnom Sampeou

Located some 15kms from Battambang, this is a 2002 reconstruction of a Buddhist temple that was originally built in 1964. The history of this temple as part of the Killing Fields is what makes it interesting though. People were slaughtered and thrown into the caves here. A visit takes you through the temple, caves and prison building.Dining & Shopping Much like the cuisine of the surrounding countries, Khmer food contains fewer spices. There are also many restaurants in the larger cities serving Vietnamese and Chinese dishes. However, the local cuisine is the most interesting and well prepared. A typical meal contains soup and rice with fish. One must-try is the speciality of grilled freshwater fish that has been wrapped in lettuce or spinach, and served with a nutty fish-sauce dip. Another fish treat is amok, fish steamed in bamboo leaves with curry and coconut milk. Salads are spiced with lemongrass, mint and coriander.There’s still plenty of French influence in the cuisine as well, with baguettes seen everywhere and a good smattering of French restaurants in the larger cities. Bread carts can be found along the city streets, especially in the capital, and contain sweet breads alongside baguettes. There are also some Vietnamese baguettes filled with pâté.Your sweet tooth will definitely be satisfied with desserts of cakes and sweet breads, as well as unique treats made from rice and coconut milk. Perhaps the best dessert though is the many tropical fruits ranging from durian and jackfruit to mangosteen and rambutan.If you can tear yourself away from the many activities on offer, the shopping is also worth a spot of time, if only for souvenirs at least. If you’re in the capital, you should take time out to see the Central Market, which has been in operation since 1937. As well as being a spectacular photo opportunity, the market offers a plethora of goods including jewellery, silk, souvenirs, handicrafts and more.Although Cambodia’s silk weaving fell by the wayside for a time, it’s now coming back and you can find some really beautiful pieces. There’s also attractive hand-carved wood souvenirs and fine metalwork. Popular gifts to take home include silver, sarongs, hats, copies of ancient Khmer art and figurines.The krama makes a great inexpensive gift. It is much like a scarf and they come in many colours – and are seen worn by both men and women all over the country. Clothing, décor and handbags made from natural fabrics are all great bargains. Silver shops are increasingly popular in Phnom Penh and village centres such as Tul Mau, 30kms to the north.Baskets and other items woven out of bamboo are also light souvenirs that can be easily carried home. Many landmine victim rehabilitation programmes assist people with creating items for sale and this is a great way to purchase a souvenir and also do some good for others. Betel nut boxes make really cute souvenirs with their intricate designs or animal shapes made of silver. Rice paper prints – essentially charcoal rubbings of carvings from temples – are good mementos too.It’s illegal to sell and export registered antiques. And although many artefacts have been stolen over the years and now reside in other countries, it’s doubtful you’re going to come across any. However, there are lots of fakes that can look nice in your home, as long as you know you’re paying for a reproduction.Outdoor Activities Tourism is just taking off in Cambodia and your main activities are likely to be sightseeing, eating and shopping. However, tourist-oriented areas such as those of the bigger cities are now offering some leisure activities ranging from jet-skiing to elephant trekking.Dirt-bikingQuite a popular activity, dirt-biking is done along many off-road trails in the region that are reputably the best in the world. There is also a motocross track in Phnom Penh with races every month.
Visit this website for further information about Dirt-Biking in Cambodia.Elephant trekkingElephant trekking can be done in Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri, and is a fantastic experience and a great way to see the jungles of Cambodia. However, you should be sure to take a guide, as setting out on your own can be dangerous. Obviously you will have a mahout with you, but a certified guide will be able explain the lay of the land to you and provide a good itinerary, allowing you to make the most of your experience.
Visit this website for further information about trekking around Ratanakiri in Cambodia.GolfThere are three golf courses in Cambodia: Cambodia Golf & Country Club is an hour’s drive south of the capital; Royal Phnom Penh Golf Course is just half an hour out of the city; and Siem Reap’s Phookethra Country Club is the city’s first and is managed by the Sofitel Resort.Horseback ridingHappy Ranch International is an international stable with foreign instructors offering lessons. Rides are possible within in the compound and on nearby trails, and all equipment is included in the price of your ride. It’s a little bit out of the city on the road from Sivitha so make sure to check with a taxi driver that he knows where to go.Scuba divingThus far, the only place to see what lurks below the waves is Sihanoukville. The diving is still pristine here with lots of marine life including giant clams. There are more than 20 islands in the area as well as coral reefs, all within a day’s reach by boat. You’ll find three groups of islands: Som, Ream and Royal. Reputed as the best diving areas are the waters off the islands Tang, Prins and Poulo Wai which have visibility up-to 40 metres. The waters off Prins Island contain some shipwrecks and a downed US helicopter at 35 metres.
Visit this website for further information about diving in Sihanoukville.Shooting rangesJust outside Siem Reap near Banteay Srei, there is a semi-legal shooting range that is popular among those who want the chance to fire something they wouldn’t be able to anywhere else. Try the likes of an M-16 or even a rocket launcher, but don’t expect it to be cheap. Thunder Ranch is another similar venue outside the capital, near Cheoung Ek.Tonlé Sap Lake and ExhibitionJust a tiny way out of Siem Reap, this is the largest body of water in Southeast Asia and is a vibrant ecosystem supporting many species of birds and other wildlife along with the local human population, some of which live in attractive houses on stilts out on the water at the village of Chong Kneas. Before you go to the actual lake, stop at the lake’s exhibition inside the city to examine artefacts and explanations of the Tonlé Sap eco-system. Especially interesting is the working model explaining the complex water system that connects the lake to the Tonlé Sap and Mekong rivers.TrekkingWhile a popular activity, trekking in Cambodia is still limited due to the many thousands of unexploded land mines in the more remote areas. However, there are still plenty of cleared and marked routes around Ratanakiri that are frequented by visitors. You should never stray from main paths, and it’s always advisable to take a local guide

TONLE SAP LAKE

Tonle Sap lake: For those which like a deep discovery of a country, the road of the lake, as well as a ballade in boat with the meeting of the villages of sins floating, are visits impossible to circumvent as well as the temples. It is one of the places or one is with the more meadows of the Kampuchean everyday life and their reality. Here, all the life proceeds around water. Very full of fish, paradise of the sinners, it shelters lake villages since the night of times. Most of the goods arrive by the lake and it is the lung of Siem Reap, because the main roads to join the other cities are in too bad condition. It is the largest lake of Kampuchea and its "feeder mother".

Visiting Cambodia

Kompong Chhnang

Kompong Chhnang is at the the southern end of the Tonle Sap lake. Boats from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap stop on demand at its port, while Route 5 to Battambang passes by the main part of town. The two parts are connected by a road along a long dike. The guesthouses in Kompong Chhnang are reputed to be unpleasant. The only real hotel is the Rithisen, facing the trash-strewn riverside. It has overpriced rooms at $10/$12 with AC (in Battambang you get satellite TV, a refrigerator, and hot water for that price). The Rithisen will face competition as soon as the Halfway House restaurant/bar (tel 026-988-621) adds guest rooms, now under construction. The owner of the Halfway House is Paul Greaves, formerly of the British Special Forces and later the project manager for the enormous, if stalled, Kompong Chhnang cargo airport project. His restaurant is about 1 km north of town on Route 5, and is amazingly well-supplied and equipped--you would not know you were in the Cambodian countryside. Whether that's a plus or a minus is up to you.

Ratanakiri

Cambodia's northeastern wilderness is beautiful and very remote. If you're willing to explore and don't need creature comforts, it has a lot to offer. Transportation is bad; the province boasts a total of less than 2 km of paved road. Local swidden farmers (non-Khmer "hill tribes") are under heavy pressure from officials and army types to stop their roving so cash crops can be planted (under de facto license by Hun Sen's regime, normally) and logging trucks daily carry their illegal gains across to Vietnam. This is one way the regime pays off its political and military allies--by giving them franchises to log, clear, smuggle, and exterminate rare animals for export. In this case, the governor of Ratanakkiri, Kep Chuk Tema, is a CPP man who runs the province. The Ministry of Environment seems to try its best to fulfill its mandate, but when it comes down to it, they are not an armed force, and have to back down despite the good intentions that I think the Minister of Environment, Mok Mareth (also CPP), clings to. The town of Banlung, does not have much to offer. There is one real restaurant, the Ratanakiri restaurant, at the north end of town. There are very few Westerners living up there--maybe five or ten max. There are no bars, bookstores, libraries, movie theaters, etc. There are some streetside pool tables with ripped-up felt, and several karaoke shops. In the dry season it's possible to take a truck taxi from Stung Treng to the grimy capital, Banlung. In the wet season, RAC with its five weekly flights to the capital's red dirt airstrip is the only option. There are a few acceptable guesthouses in Banlung, and one hotel which appears to be a failed venture by the governor and is barely open. You can take day trips by motorcycle (rental is available at the Ratanakiri restaurant) through the old rubber plantations to two high waterfalls. Just a few kilometers from Banlung there is a lovely little volcanic lake with good swimming, surrounded by a surprisingly well-maintained nature trail. Thankfully, the whorehouse operating in recent years on the edge of the lake in recent years has been dislodged. Now there is a nice little museum of local musical instruments and crafts instead.Other than those who want serious hinterlands and overnights drinking local liquor with the hill-tribes (not a bad option, I've heard, if you have a legitimate reason to be there), most travelers will find 3 or 4 days enough

Cambodia Travel Tips

Business Hours
Banks:08:00 to 15:00, Monday to FridayShops: 08:00 to 20:00, dailyMarkets: 06:00 to 17:00, dailyGovernment offices: 07:30 to 11:30 and 14:00 to 17:00, Monday to FridayBusiness centres: 08:00 to noon and 14:00 to 17:00, Monday to Saturday
Cautions
The biggest caution when visiting Cambodia is to be aware of landmines, which are a problem throughout the country with somewhere between four and six million of them yet to be discovered. The most heavily-mined sections of the country remain Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Pursat and Kampong Thom provinces. And even though the tourist areas of Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville are considered mine-free, you should always stay on well-travelled paths, even around Angkor Wat, and travelling with a knowledgeable guide is recommended.Even though Cambodia is a lot less politically-tense than in the past, foreign tourists need to avoid any demonstrations and political gatherings. Street crime is still high in the country and is a big problem in the capital. You should take care to never travel alone outside towns and cities, even in the day. At night, stick to travel by taxi, rather than moto or cyclo. Cambodia is a very poor country, and you should leave your valuables at home and dress modestly to avoid drawing attention to yourself. Electricity: 220v/50Hz.
Health
No vaccinations are required for entry into Cambodia however immunisation against cholera, typhoid and hepatitis A and B are recommended. If you’re going to spend extensive time in rural areas, then consult your doctor about preventing malaria, rabies and Japanese encephalitis. It’s a good idea to bring your International Vaccination Certificate with you.There are no current, reliable statistics on HIV and AIDS infections in Cambodia; however, it’s likely to be high. You should exercise caution accordingly and bring condoms from home.
Emergency services are pretty limited and medical care is not of an international standard. Additionally, hospitals expect immediate cash payments, so you will need to get receipts to be reimbursed by your insurance company. Evacuation to Bangkok, Thailand is the best option for serious complications.
American Medical Centre: +855 23 991863
Emergency services: 119
Language
Khmer, also called Cambodian, is the official language, but French is also spoken by the older generation as well as many who are educated. The younger generation has been learning English as a second language.
Visit this website for Khmer Translation Services.Currency Cambodia’s currency is the Cambodian riel (KHR) and denominations come in 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 notes with no coins used. However, the currency is soft and US dollars and Thai baht are much more popular.
Currency Exchange
You can exchange money and travellers cheques at banks in major towns and cities. However, note that the US dollar is the de facto currency and you’ll do best to change few of them over to riel since most of your payments will be in dollars. Credit cards are only accepted in large hotels and high-end restaurants; otherwise this is a very much cash-only society. ATMs typically do not work with international cards, and don’t exist outside large cities.
Customs
Adults aged 18 years and up are allowed to bring in 200 cigarettes or the equivalent in tobacco, an amount of perfume reasonable for personal use and one opened bottle of liquor. Currency in possession must be declared on arrival. Due to the history of looting of the country’s antiquities, it is forbidden to carry antiques or Buddhist reliquary out of Cambodia; however, taking home Buddhist statues and trinkets bought from souvenir stalls is permitted.
Etiquette
There is very much a sense of hierarchy and social status in Cambodia and although you may feel some people are asking you too many personal questions, it is to determine your ‘status’ rather than to be nosey. The society is also very collective, so the trend is to put the group before the individual. This means communication is structured so as to minimise conflict with others. In other words, it’s not polite to show anger or other strong emotions. ‘Face’ is very important and you should take great care not to cause someone to ‘lose face’ by criticising or embarrassing them in public.The traditional greeting is a bow with the hands pressed together. The lower the bow and the higher the hands, the more respect is shown. People are addressed with the title lok for men and lok srey for women, followed by the first name. When you meet people in a group, the highest ranking person will be introduced first – and if you are introducing a group, you should do the same so the rank structure is understood by your Cambodian counterparts.In business, handshakes have become the norm but you should beware not to shake too firmly as this can be interpreted as aggression. Women should initiate the handshake or bow, as they prefer. Eye contact between men and women is kept to a minimum. When exchanging business cards, the right hand or both hands should be used, and cards should be treated with respect indicative of the way you will treat the person.If you’re invited to someone’s home, it is polite to take a small gift of sweets, flowers, fruit or pastries. Gifts are usually wrapped in colourful paper and you should never use white paper as it signifies mourning. When presenting the gift, use both hands; note that gifts are never opened when received. Shoes and hats must be removed before entering homes. When refreshments are offered they should be accepted even if you just take a sip or bite. If you are invited to sit on a mat on the floor, you should tuck your feet back, never cross or stretch your legs.Punctuality is important as it is a sign of respect to the person you are meeting. There is an emphasis on modesty and humility so expect that compliments and praise will be responded to by a deprecating comment. Boasting is not appreciated and prolonged eye contact should be avoided. The head is considered the focal point of spiritual substance and it’s an extreme insult to touch another person’s head. Feet are the lowest point of the body and you should never touch anything or point with your feet; and shoes should be removed before entering temples and homes. Women cannot touch monks.Although it would seem things are pretty relaxed in Cambodia, when it comes to dining in a restaurant, table manners are formal. If someone invites you to dinner, then wait for them to instruct you as to where to sit so you don’t upset arrangements. The oldest person is usually seated first and will start eating before others. You should never start eating until the eldest person has started. Business is not usually discussed in social settings. If you’re not sure what to do, just follow the lead of others.
Visa and Passports
Visitors can obtain a visa on arrival at the airports in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap as well as at the border crossings on the Thai and Vietnamese borders. Your passport must be valid for 6 months and you’ll need to provide two passport-sized photos with the application. Visas are valid for 30 days and the fee is US$20 and must be paid in cash with a clean, unmarked bill. It’s also possible to procure a visa in advance at the nearest Cambodian embassy. Visas can be extended through travel agents or at the Department for Foreigners of the Ministry of Interior (open 08:00 to 12:00, Monday to Friday) or at the Immigration Office (07:30 to 10:00 and 14:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday), both in Phnom Penh; note that processing takes 10 days.

Cambodia Poipet - a warning

Scam central. An unholy welcome to an otherwise fascinating country.
Travellers coming overland by bus from Bangkok need to be warned about the stop-over in the border town of Poipet: a place which gets bad write-ups in tour guides such as Lonely Planet. It isn't a town with any inhentent attraction, but rather, seems to serve as "hustle-central" for scam artists who see easy prey in backpackers.
Scams include:
Visa-entry charges that don't exist. Officials are known to insist on taxes that don't exist. Check out the going conditions of entering Cambodia.
Money changers. A recent practice is to tell bus travelelrs that this is the last chance to change their money because there are "no banks in Siem Reap." Don't believe it. Siem Reap has good western banks and they offer way better rates than the money changers.
Bars and other local enetertainments including gambling can be rip-off establishments enforced by some mean strong-arm types.
Pick-pockets.
Transport arrangements. Most buses coming through Poipet have arrangements with Siem Reap guest houses and hotels, and will tend to deliver at a later hour at night than you expect, at the Guest House who has paid the driver. Attempts to extricate from 'their" choice of accommodaiton aren't always easy, and can turn ugly (On the flip side, in Cambodian terms a payment to the driver is just normal marketing - it's what you do to get business, and local guest houses, having paid over good money, can hurt badly when these visitors walk).
If you are travelling via Poipet, which many thousand do each year (air travel is relatively expensive) then good advice is to do the following:
Do your homework. Travel with a reputable bus company if you can find one - and don't settle for the super budget deals. Check out the internet for other reviews of Poipet. Some sites make this entry look pretty mild.
Make a good friends with a fellow passenger. Stick together, watch each other's bags and haggle together. Don't travel "alone."
Wear hidden money belts.
Be wary. In this town the bad things you've heard are true.
Don't change your money here. There is no need to.
Be clear with the bus driver that you want to be delivered to the bus station because you're being met there.
Travel with a mobile phone so you can contact your place of accommodation if required.
If he takes you to another lodging anyway, then tell the manager of that establishment that you are not booked there and wish to catch a cab to your chosen place. Above all be polite in this situation and don't get heated or angry (big cultural faux pas) but be firm. Tell him you've already made other arrangements. Be polite about it. Thanks but no thanks.
Poipet is in the view of many people who travel through there a disgrace to Cambodia's young tourism infrastructure.
By and large Cambodia is a safe country to travel in, but in a land rated globally as one of the most corrupt on our planet, little national effort is made to clean up this border town. So long as the scam artists run free (and so long as tourists remain gullible) Cambodia is going to risk hurting one of its main revenue earners in tourism.

Getting around in Phnom Penh

Cambodians avoid walking as if they lived in Los Angeles. But a walking pace is the best way to soak up the details that make Phnom Penh so fascinating. Some of those details are right underfoot: Watch where you are stepping at all times. Not only are there are uncovered drainage holes that you are well advised not to fall into, but there is an impressive variety of substances you may not want to engage with too directly.
To cross busy streets, you must stride determinedly into the traffic, looking directly at oncoming vehicles but without actually catching anyone's eye. If they see that you saw them, they will assume right of way. Remember oncoming vehicles can come on from any direction. Do not slow down or speed up more a little, or you will be hit. Just keep walking and show no fear. Sounds scary, right? Try getting up next to some locals and crossing in their shadow.

You can spot moto-taxis by the baseball caps and sunglasses on the guys who drive them. Pay around 1000-2500 riel for a ride, depending if it's one or two people riding, how far, and if it's day or night. Just ride, then pay at the end; you don't have to set a price first. A whole day's riding around will cost $5-7. Remember that random moto drivers will not know where they are going, and do not know how to read a map. You have to point the way--if you don't, you may notice that the moto is circling aimlessly around town. The word for "stop" is between "chowp" and "chope". Moto drivers who hang out at the foreigner hangouts will know the foreigner places. They will also soon learn where you live, who your friends are and who you are going out with. Some of this information is rumored to find its way to the Ministry of the Interior.
Similar advice applies to the cyclos, but these quiet and non-polluting pedal-powered vehicles are much slower. If you are touring, they are great for a leisurely look around. They can also carry amazing loads: three of them moved my entire household including several large pieces of furniture. Many cyclo drivers are rice farmers who come into the cities during the dry season, and rent their cyclos to make money in the day and to sleep in at night. You will see them clustered in cyclo villages here and there throughout Phnom Penh, especially at night when the pedalers, who have rented them, use them for lodging. A cyclo ride costs about half of what a moto ride costs, though visitors are expected to be more generous.
Bicycles are for sale in stores all around the Capitol Guesthouse on Street 182. The "mountain bikes" are cheap--about $100 for the best of them--but of poor quality. Mine fell to pieces in about a year, thanks in part to Phnom Penh roads, which vary from smoothly paved major roads to unpaved, rutted, rocky, swampy, side roads. A more solid choice is the Pee-Wee Herman style Pheasant bicycle favored by Cambodian women, or the somewhat sleeker single-speed Vietnamese or Chinese road bike ($50-70 new). And then there are the trusty antique touring bikes, usually made of a variety of pieces knocked together. These are available for $20-30. I haven't noticed any bike rental places, but any guesthouse should be able to arrange it. For information on cycling in the Cambodian countryside.
Near the Capitol, but on Monivong, is the Hong Kong Hotel, next to which are two similar motorcycle rental shops. Foreigners must leave their passports as a deposit, and pay $5-7 per day for a motor scooter or a 250cc dirt bike. Two things to keep in mind: Cambodian traffic has rules that take time to get used to; and if the motorbike is stolen, you will have to pay for it, in effect buying it for the nice people who robbed you.Buying a moto: prices start around $250 for an old one. A license plate, registration and driver's license are required by law but not by reality. Many motos and cars have no plate, or sport a vanity plate made at home or on the street corner