Today I will talk a little about Phnom Penh the capital of the beautiful country of Cambodia. It is not the best time to talk about traveling at the moment in reason of the virus pushed by the media and some liberal governments at a level of terror close to the end of the world but at least talking about travels can make a few people thinking about other places and who knows maybe will give some ideas of travel. Some information especially for the Visas may change after the COVID19 end.
First, let's talk about how to get there. Most of the Asian capital has direct flights to Phnom Penh, if you are in a neighboring country like Thailand, Laos, Vietnam you can take a bus. From Bangkok to Phnom Penh it cost around 35$ one way and takes about 12 to 15 hours, the same destination by plane will cost you between 150$ to 500$ for a flight of a little more than one hour, the best tip I can give is to avoid flying from Suvarnabhumi Airport in the south of Bangkok but fly From Don Muang Airport in the north of the town where most of the airlines are low cost and try to reserve on the companies website in advance. If you travel from Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam the bus cost about 20$ and take 6 hours by plane the average price is between 100$ to 200$. If you are coming from a western country there is a big probability that you will have to transit in one of the big Asian airports to get a connection to Cambodia. Always try to get a low-cost company that is very good in South East Asia.
The new Phnom Penh airport is small but modern, you can get your visa (check before if your country is an exception) at the immigration desk, it takes between 15 to 30 min, a tourist visa cost you 30$ for 30 days and an additional 30 days will cost you between 30$ to 50$, a non-immigrant visa will cost you between 100$ to 120$. As soon as you exit the Aiport there will be many tuk-tuk drivers that will offer you to bring you downtown, they can ask you as much as 50$ when the normal price is between 7 to 10$ for Phnom Penh center. The traffic in Phnom Phen is chaotic sometime you can ask yourself if there is a legal direction for the traffic as many motorbikes and cars seem to drive where ever they feel it is better for them.
In Phnom Penh, there is a large choice of hotel with a big concentration in the district of Khan Doun Penh the historical district next to the Royal Palace and on the side of the Tonle Sap river and right in front of the junction with the Mekong river. There is also plenty of hotels all around the town but I recommend the district of Khan Doun Penh because it is very central, with many restaurants, historical sites, a nice view, and nightlife. There are also many travel agencies that can help you to organize your activities during your travel. You can find there, many guesthouses with very attractive prices from 6$ to 20$, for example, a hotel at 12$ I stayed once was really good, with a modern room and beautiful bathroom, TV, fridge, safe and very good room service there was a swimming pool on the roof with a restaurant and a nice view of the historical district and a car service with driver. The hotel was at 50 meters from the bank of the Tonle Sap river, I really appreciate this place, and was way better than other more expensive places I've tried. For those who think that the more expensive the best it is, there is plenty of high-end hotel at prices from 100$ to 1700$ the night but most of the time these hotels are not in the center and need to take a taxi for whatever you need to do.
If you stay in the district of Khan Doun Penh I will recommend you to take a walk on the bank of the Tonle Sap river until you reach the junction of the Mekong river where you will be able to see the Cambodian people coming here to take a rest and take advantage of the breeze of the two rivers, having a lunch break, taking a walk, jogging and you can try some of the Cambodian delicacies from the few food stall. The entire riverbank is well planned there are two large walkways separated by some little gardens with some seats and it is well shaded by many trees, very comfortable to sit under during the hottest moment of the day.
From the river bank walk the street on the side of the temple Wat Ounalum monastery until you reach the Preah Ang Eng 13 street then turn right after a few meters you will arrive at the Kandal market. This is a traditional market with fresh food (a wet market without bats and pangolins, for the joke). For me, one of the things I really enjoy to do where ever I travel is to go to the local market as it is the best place I know to see and make contact with the population and to witness some habits that give you ideas about the way people are living there. This market is full of life and I recommend if you like it to go back there at the early time of the morning at 4 or 5 am is great you will get emerged in a big part of the city's life.
Here is the end of my first part post about Phnom Penh and Cambodia
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