WHAT I WISH I KNEW BEFORE TRAVELING TO CAMBODIA

We landed at Siam Reap's new airport, completed in 2022. To greet us we found a heat even more intense than in Thailand, a tuk tuk, that took us to our hotel, and finally smiles and people even more sincere and welcoming. Cambodia fill-up you heart. If you grew up watching Indiana Jones movies and Lara Croft’s adventures, you will have here the chance to live like the main character of these movies, diving into the jungle or visiting the ruins of Angor Wat and the magic will begin.

The famous skyline of Angkor Wat.

If you have been warmly surprised by the kindness of the Thai people, the meeting with Cambodians will be even more intense. Here you will find sincere smiles and the total welcome from people who have recently come out of a bloody history and most of whom live with bare necessary material goods. You cannot visit Cambodia without knowing about its past, the dictatorship of Pol Pot and the period of terror that lasted from 1975 to 1979, which led to the killing of more than half of the Cambodian population. It is a past that is still very much alive and present, not least because Pol Pot and his army had been hiding in the Cambodian forests for several years after his dethronement, carrying out attacks and bombings. What you will encounter, however, is a very strong and hopeful people.

The visa: it can be done at the airport once you arrive. Here you can only pay by cash, so I recommend having with you some dollars or Thai baht. If you have euros in your pocket it is better not to use them as it will cost a bit more, the exchange rate is not favourable.

Money: the local currency is the Cambodian riel (1 euro = 4000 riel approximately). However, every payment for tourists is in dollars, so the advice is to withdraw mostly dollars. Forget credit cards, they don't use them anywhere, except for the Angkor ticket office. Life costs are generally low, while tourist activities cost a little more.

Transport: tuk-tuk are the ideal transport to get from the city to the airport or to the Angkor touristic area, they are cheaper here than in Thailand. For longer journeys forget booking anything on the internet and book a transfer (minibus or private car) with your hotel. If you want to save money, you can use buses to travel between cities, but I strongly recommend buying your ticket and asking about timetables directly at the bus station as websites are not reliable at all.

Tuk tuk in Siem Reap.

HONEST TIP: It is essential to buy transport tickets on site, at the train or bus station. Forget about purchasing them online, as most companies do not offer this service and the schedules you find on websites are not always reliable. And this was the main reason behind the adventure we faced on the Siem Reap–Bangkok route. This journey has one major issue: the Cambodia–Thailand border, where offices close at 16.00, so it is essential to arrive before then.

We departed at 8:00 a.m. from Siem Reap to Battambang, intending to visit the city before continuing our journey. In fact, the company’s website listed a last bus to the border at 16.00, but the actual last bus was at 12:00 (the time we arrived in Battambang), and it was already full. However, we still managed to make it to Bangkok by evening, thanks to some rather “creative” transport solutions - namely, a helpful guy who become our driver for the day.