I know that after talking about the "unexpected" of the third issue, it gradually aroused everyone's urge to go to Cambodia to see it. Then, it is time to use the most practical, "I want to play" travel guide to help everyone.

dangdangdang, the time for dry goods is up!

I know that after talking about the "unexpected" of three issues, it has aroused the urge to go to Cambodia in person to see it. Then, it is time to use the most practical, "I want to play" travel guide to help everyone.

What are you waiting for? Take out the small notebook quickly.

Cambodia expired

Cambodia's biggest highlight is Angkor Wat. The whole chapter has been discussed at the beginning, so I won't go into details. Now let’s take a look at the resumes of this country so that we can have a clear idea before going there.

Cambodia is a Southeast Asian country located in Indochina Peninsula (also known as the Indochina Peninsula, the peninsula to the south of China). It is connected to Vietnam in the east, Thailand in the west, Laos in the north, and the Gulf of Thailand in the south, with an area of ​​180,000 square kilometers, which is about the size of Hubei Province. It is like a short-nose elephant head with a mouth open.

Cambodia Tourism Map

Cambodia is still retained at present (the family of Prince Sihanouk, and its bloodline can be traced back to the Angkor Dynasty), so the full name is the Kingdom of Cambodia, and the palace is located in the capital Phnom Penh.

The ancient name of this kingdom Khmer (Khmer), the official language is Khmer, and the text looks very similar to Thai and Laos. When I see these circles and wavy horns written like springs, I instantly become illiterate... But it doesn't matter, it's common in English in tourism countries.

The Cambodia Independence Monument in the poster is the national flag on the left, the royal flag on the right, and the independence anniversary slogan

written in Khmer, and it has become the "China Tourism Back Garden". It doesn't matter if the English is not good. Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are full of Chinese signs. Many young people in the local area can also speak Chinese, especially the vendors in Angkor Wat scenic spots. They speak Chinese so much that they can bargain with you in Chinese.

But as a tourist from a country of etiquette, I think when someone says good things to you in Chinese, you will say a few words in Cambodian, which is a good opportunity to "bring my China". Here are some practical words learned from the Tutu car master Cambodian language: Susdui (Hello); Ou Kun (Thank you); Lisen/Lihi (Goodbye/Slow Walk).

Phone Palace

Cambodia As a subtropical country that is inseparable from four seasons, it is also important to choose the right travel time.

The best travel time is from November to February of the following year. It is the dry and cool dry season in Cambodia. It is especially suitable for southerners who are not heated in winter to come to avoid the cold. Therefore, it has become the peak tourist season in Cambodia, with tourists gathering and hotel prices rising sharply.

In short, the specific time plan depends on your personal situation. The nagging and necessary opening remarks are over, and the key points are drawn below.

Preparation before departure: visa, air ticket plus US

Let’s start with the visa. There are three forms of visas in Cambodia: sticker signature, electronic signature and on-arrival visa.

sticker signs can be processed at the embassy by yourself. If it is inconvenient, entrust a visa agency to handle it. The materials required are also very simple. Passport and photos are OK, and RMB 248 can be completed. Electronic signing can be applied to the official website of the Embassy of Cambodia (website: https://www.evisa.gov.kh/?lang=ChiS, you can choose the Chinese interface), the fee is $39, including a visa fee of $30, a service fee of $6, plus a credit card handling fee of $3; as the name implies, the on-the-arrival visa is nothing, you can get the passport and leave. After you go to the Cambodia airport, you can go to the Immigration Bureau window for processing. The fee is $30, but it does not include the queue time and the tips asked by the visa officer.

I personally applied for sticker signs in advance, because I planned to play with the Indochina Three Kingdoms (Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia), so I directly found a merchant on the Fliggy to do it together. Speaking of which, the cost of handling paper signs and electronic signs is basically the same, and it is easy to save trouble. You can also leave a souvenir on your passport, which is perfect.

Cambodia visa

After the visa is completed, you can book air tickets. According to the rules, of course, the earlier you book, the cheaper it is. However, there will be sudden price cuts occasionally, which depends on whether you are lucky to get a bargain.

It is usually more convenient to go from Guangzhou to Cambodia, and there are many flight options, such as Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Air Asia, Spring Airlines, and Angkor Airways in Cambodia. The round-trip air tickets are about 1,700 to 2,000, and the holidays will be a little more. Since my itinerary was to enter the country by land from Vietnam and then return from Cambodia, I only bought a return ticket and booked the Angkor Airways flight two months in advance, which costs more than 850 yuan.

However, Angkor Airlines is basically a cheap airline, with no free meals and no free shipping, which makes me pay an extra $60 for shipping, which is really a scam. Afterwards, I checked Angkor Airlines, which only free hand luggage of less than 7 kilograms, so if you bring a lot of things, please skip Angkor Airlines.

Let’s talk about the issue of foreign exchange exchange. You don’t need to change Cambodia’s currency when traveling to Cambodia, just put in US dollars.

is right, yes, you don’t have to go to the airport’s currency exchange office when getting off the plane, because Cambodia is a country where “US dollars are in hand, I have them all in the world” and worships US dollars very much. So the question is, what is Cambodia's own currency used for? Is it fun to print? Don't worry, I will explain it in the later text specifically a paragraph of "local currency".

As for whether the RMB can be used in Cambodia, I just want to say that the few pictures in my wallet, Mao never had a chance to show up during the entire Indochina trip to the Three Kingdoms. Even the Chinese Bank in Phnom Penh only gives you US dollars.

Phnom Penh Bank of China

Schedule Planning: You can visit Angkor

Cambodia Not big, the world heritage site is concentrated in Siem Reap. If you just want to see Angkor Wat, then it will take three or four days to spend.

Follow the "three circles of travel" route I mentioned in the first episode of "Dream Back to Angkor": Fly over on the morning of the first day, start the tour from the big circle in the afternoon, visit the outer circle all day the next day, get up early to see the sunrise of Angkor Temple on the third day, and you can walk the small circle after dawn. If you are on the flight, you can fly away directly on the third night, and you can also return on the fourth morning at the latest (see the detailed guide to visit the temple for detailed guide).

is reasonable. This kind of operation may seem a little compact in time, but as long as you choose the temple you want to see the most and plan the connection route, you can wander leisurely.

If you have friends who have a lot of time and want to experience Cambodia in depth, in addition to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, you can also go to Sihanoukville Port (hereinafter referred to as Xigang) in the southwest of Cambodia to enjoy beaches, seafood and sunbaths. It is said that the cost-effectiveness there is very high, and the scenery is no less than that of Madai. It is a rising seaside vacation star.

But for a newcomer like me who is just a newcomer to Cambodia, the focus of my travels is still on Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The itinerary is scheduled for six days and five nights. I spent one and a half days in Phnom Penh and three days in Siem Reap. I dare not say that I have played Cambodia, but I have appreciated the essence of its customs and culture.

Cambodia travel route

The following is the specific itinerary for my trip to Cambodia, for reference only:

●D1: [Ho Chi Minh > Phnom Penh] Phnom Penh Night Market → Tonle Sa River ─ Night Stay Phnom Penh

●D2: [Phone Pier > Siem Reap ·☾] Unalong Temple → Cambodia National Museum → Phnom Penh Imperial Palace → Silver Temple → Cambodia National Museum Theater ─ Night Ferry Siem Reap

●D3: [Siem Reap] Angkor National Museum → Daquan〖Shen Sword Temple → Nirvana Palace → Tasun Temple → Dong Mei Ben Temple → Bi Li Temple (see the sunset)〗─ Night Stay Siem Reap

●D4: [ Siem Reap] Small circle [Angkor Temple (seeing the sunrise) → Tongwangcheng (and the city Barong Temple ) → Bandekhati Temple → Tabulang Temple → Royal Bathroom → Siem Reap Bar Street ─ Night stay Siem Reap

●D5: [ Siem Reap] Outer circle [ Landmine Museum → Queen's Palace 〗 → Baqiong Temple → Siem Reap Night Market ─ Night stay Siem Reap

●D6: [ Siem Reap ＞ Guangzhou ＞ Wuhan ]

Transportation: Take a night sleep to Siem Reap

Cambodia The infrastructure situation is unbearable to look at. There are no passenger trains and intercity traffic is basically driven by buses. However, the road conditions are very poor, which seriously affects the speed.

is like Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. The distance between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap is more than 300 kilometers. The bus takes six or seven hours. So in order to avoid delaying time on the road, we took the Sleeping Bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap at night. The ticket price starts at US$13. The bus prices of different companies are different, but the seats in the bus are all sleeper-style, so you can lie down so that you can get to Siem Reap with just one sleeper.

Phnom Penh - Siem Reap trains

However, one thing to note is that the conditions for night buses in Cambodia are far less than those of Vietnamese night buses. The shops in Vietnam are independent (single single seats), while Cambodia is double-shop parallel. If you travel alone and don’t like to sleep next to strangers, don’t sit on night buses.

Bus

In addition, it is best to choose a later train when taking night buses, such as departure at 12 o'clock and arrive at 6 o'clock (although the train table says 7 hours, it usually arrives 1 hour in advance). Otherwise, you will arrive in Siem Reap at four or five o'clock in the morning and cannot stay in the hotel. If you want to make up for your sleep, you will not be able to go out and play directly, and you will be in a very embarrassing situation.

Besides, the city transportation between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap is not common, taxis and buses are mainly relied on tuk tuk, which is the kind of motorcycle I mentioned in the previous two issues. If you want to rent a motorcycle and ride it yourself, it will be a bit troublesome. The hotel front desk told me that you must have a driver's license to rent a motorcycle, and you will be fined at least $40 if it is a scare, but it is much stricter than renting a motorcycle in Laos and Vietnam).

Tutu car

It is said that the most convenient thing to travel in Cambodia is the Tutu car, which is not expensive. It starts at $2. In the small central urban area of ​​Phnom Penh, you can solve it by $2 to $3 wherever you go, but the premise is that you have to be able to bargain, because Tutu car masters usually open their mouths for $5.

In addition, the price from Siem Reap to the airport is 5 dollars, which is not divalent like a hidden rule... But to be honest, I am convinced by these 5 dollars, and it has been sold for a long time.

route design: Angkor must be seen in all sizes. Three circles grasp the key points.

About Angkor Wat tour route design. The generous direction must follow the idea of ​​"three circles traveling around" in small circles, large circles and outer circles. Because this set of gameplay has been trained very maturely by Cambodia's tourism industry. You only need to think about the many key points of the temple attractions based on your time, physical strength and preferences.

If you don’t know much about Angkor Wat and don’t know where to start, you can refer to the tour route I mentioned earlier (select the most famous and shocking temple first), or the next AP.P called “Angkor Wat Tourism Guide” to treat difficult choices.

Let’s focus on the “three-circle” round trip route map of Angkor Wat. The picture covers most attractions in Angkor Wat. The red part of the picture is a must-visit temple (the most representative). The hook indicates the temple I actually checked in. The slash is behind the same temple.

Angkor Kiln Tourist Route - Small Circle

〖Small Tour

1. Angkor Temple Angkor Wat (national symbol, best sunrise viewing place) ✔️

2. Tongwang City Angkor Thom ✔️

3. Bayong Temple Bayong (local location of the "Khmer Smile" four-sided Buddha statue) ✔️

4. Douxiang Station Elephant Terrace

5. Thommanon Temple Thommanon

6. Tea Gua Temple Ta Keo

7. Tabulan Temple Ta Prohm (Film of Tomb Raider) ✔️

Angkor Kiln Tour Route - Big Circle

〖Big Circle〗Grand Tour

8. Holy Sword Temple Preah Khan (Greek style gallery column style) ✔️

9. Nirvana Palace/Longpan Pool Neak Pean (Water in the Water) ✔️

10. Tason Temple/General Temple Ta Som✔️

11. East Mebon Temple ✔️

12. Bili Temple/Transformation Tower Pre Rup (the second best sunset viewing place, fewer tourists) ✔️

13. Royal Bath Pool/Sha Song Pool Srah Srang (the second best sunrise viewing place) ✔️

14. Banteay Kdei ✔️

15. Cardamom Temple Prasat Kravan

16. Baqiong Temple Bat Chum (the best place to cover the field and shape the attractions) ✔️

17. Baken Mountain Phnom Bakheng (the best sunset viewing place, but overcrowded)

Angkor Kiln Tour Route—Outer Circle

〖Ohter Tour

18. Landmine Museum Land Mine Museum ✔️

19. Queen's Palace/Banteay Srei (the crown of Angkor relief art) ✔️

20. Gaubusbane Kbal Spean

21. Beng Mealea (the most mysterious temple in Angkor)

22. Rollo Temple Group Rollo Temple Group

The top priority "Little Angkor (Angkor Temple)" and "Great Angkor (Angkor Royal City)" are naturally a must-see option. To see other major attractions in the small circle, you can handle the normal speed of 6 hours; the five elite temples in the large circle can also be visited in 6 hours; the outer circle is a little far away and the time is tight, you may have to choose between the two "big guys" in different directions, the Queen's Palace and the Bengmi Leaf. If you want to see them all, it will take at least 10 hours. After the route of

Angkor kiln

is designed, you have to choose the means of transportation to visit Angkor Wat. You can book a car (mostly the SUVs of Toyota and Lexus ), a tuk-tuk car, or you can rent an electric car or a bicycle. My friend who went to Angkor Wat for the first time didn’t recommend riding by himself, because there was no signal inside Angkor Wat, which made it inconvenient to navigation and easily get lost; in addition, the park is too big and riding a bicycle is very laborious.

Tutu car

So, the best way is to book a car or a tutu car. You can book on the charter service website in advance, or contact it through a hotel or a travel agency. If you are in English, you can also go to the street by yourself. In short, there are many institutions and individuals in Siem Reap that provide chartered car services in the city, and there will be no problem of vehicle shortage even in the peak season. There is no pressure to find it temporarily when you arrive in the place, so you can rest assured.

At the beginning, we asked the hotel front desk to help us contact Tutu cars. The fee is clearly marked and the price is written on the blackboard. The small circle is 15 dollars (plus 3 dollars when watching the sunrise), the large circle is 17 dollars (plus 3 dollars when watching the sunset), the outer circle is divided into two directions, 25 dollars when going to the Queen's Palace, and 30 dollars when going to the Bengmi Line.

Fee small blackboard

On the first day, we were not familiar with the routine, so we traveled to the big circle at this price. Later, while having dinner, we met a very real driver of the tuktuk car on the street. We talked to him about the price of the small circle and the outer circle, which was three or five cheaper than the market price, and the service attitude was very good, and we also took us to niche attractions. Therefore, when traveling in Cambodia, it is better to "do it yourself and have enough food and clothing" to make you feel comfortable.

Accommodation environment: everything from style youth hostels to luxury hotels

Cambodia with tourism as its pillar industry, accommodation is naturally complete, from a style youth hostel of seven or eight dollars to an elegant homestay of 40 dollars, to a resort hotel of more than 200 dollars, to meet the travel needs of all groups, and there is no need to worry about the interference of the overall poverty of the country on the hotel industry.

Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor

Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor is a legendary existence in Cambodia's hotel industry. It has the largest swimming pool in Cambodia. Chaplin and Clinton have stayed there. The environment and service are impeccable, and it is a must-have for the rich.

Let me briefly talk about the one Stop we booked on Agoda. It is a very famous chain of youth hostels in Cambodia and has branches in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. After staying in One Stop in Phnom Penh, we felt very fond of it. One Stop in Phnom Penh faces the Tonle Sa River, and the scenery is very good. When we wake up in the morning, we can see the vast river view when we open the window, and we are in a bright mood all day.

Donglissa River scenery

So we arrived in Siem Reap. We still booked One Stop near Bar Street in the city center. The transportation is convenient, and there are various restaurants and shops when we go out.

One Stop

The hotel itself is decorated with a very atmosphere, with various thoughtful graffiti and decorations, and the functional partition is well done. There is a public lounge on the first floor lobby and a dining area that provides simple dining, which is separated from the accommodation area by soundproof glass.

Categories

Resting area One corner of the rest area

Common rest area often has foreign backpackers sitting together drinking and chatting. If you want to practice speaking and make friends, just buy a can of Angkor beer and come forward to chat.

Local currency: US dollars is the kingdom

Before entering the country, I heard that Cambodia is a strange country kidnapped by US dollars.

is rumored online that if you were not living in Cambodia for a long time, you would not need to exchange Cambodia's currency. If tourists who follow the group do not visit the night market and street stalls themselves, they may not even be able to see the Cambodia currency (even if you don't know what the Cambodia currency is called). So after we arrived in Phnom Penh, we did not plan to exchange Cambodia coins, so we directly took out the US dollars we exchanged in China.

Indeed, after five or six days of testing, in Cambodia, almost everything is calculated using dollar. The US dollar price tagged from hotels, restaurants to supermarkets and pharmacies is not even an auxiliary price for Cambodian currency. When you go to the supermarket and look at the full containers, you think you are in the United States.

Product prices are all in US dollars

However, are Cambodian coins completely invisible? How can

be? When making changes, the role of Cambodian currency is highlighted. When the store faces a change of less than 1 yuan, it will be found for you at a constant exchange rate of 1:4000. So when I bought a blueberry-flavored Fanta, I saw the first time I saw the Cambodian currency.

Cambodia currency 2000 denomination

Cambodia currency official name is Riel. The minimum denomination of Riel is 100 and the maximum denomination is 100,000. However, since 4000 is over (dollar is used if it exceeds 4000), I have never seen Riel with a denomination greater than 2000 until I left the country. In addition, I didn’t see coins in Cambodia, as if none of the Indo-Shanghai countries had the habit of using coins.

But to be honest, Cambodia is not as dependent on US dollars as rumored on the Internet, and the locals do not accept Riel.

Cambodian currency

In fact, locals accept Riel. If you go deep into the people, you will find that they have not shown that they must prefer US dollars or non-US dollars.

For example, when we were shopping at the Phnom Penh night market, their first reaction was to settle with Riel. Walking in the middle of the crowded shop that was arranged like the small commodity market in Hanzheng Street in the 1990s, you can often see signs priced with Riel hanging next to the clothes for sale.

Perhaps the Cambodian government is trying to gradually weaken the "dominant" status of the US dollar through monetary reform. I wish the Cambodian people relax their ties as soon as possible.

Internet access fee: 3 dollars a week is enough to

Cambodia. Mobile 4G has been popularized, but the difference from other places is that SIM cards and traffic packages are sold separately here, so they must be combined to access the Internet normally.

Cambodia currently has five mobile communication companies, the largest three are Metfone (Vietnam military background), Smart (Malaysian company) and Cellcard (Cambodia local company).

Communications company Smart advertising

. In Phnom Penh I see that the most sold is Smart (advertising is overwhelming). Smart's SIM card is 2 dollars per piece, and the traffic packages range from 1 dollar, 2 dollars, 5 dollars, and 10 dollars. It is enough for short-distance tourists with a price of 1 dollar (including 1.5G traffic) within a week, which is equivalent to 20 yuan. Cambodia, which is "obsessed with money" in communication, is still relatively constrained.

Smart's SIM card

As for where to get a SIM card, you can find the location of the operator's store in advance and find it directly. If you find it troublesome, the street-side self-employed mobile phone stores can also solve it, but ordinary side food stores may be choked.

When we were applying for a SIM card in Phnom Penh, we went to a market to find a side dish store, but the store only had traffic packages and no SIM card. Later, the store owner called her daughter to communicate with us. Her daughter can speak English and speaks a little Chinese, and then she takes the initiative to take us to another store to buy SIM cards, which is the Chinese communications store mentioned in the last issue.

Chinese mobile store

The clerk and his mother are both Chinese, fluent in Chinese, and very nice. She quickly helped us get a SIM card and traffic package.

Featured Souvenirs: The eye-catching oil painting of Angkor Wat

You can see many Cambodian specialties and souvenirs at the Siem Reap night market. The most sold are various dried fruits, brown sugar, wood carvings, coconut shell products, etc.

Siem Reap Night Market

Various dried fruit

Dried fruit is more suitable for yourself to eat. You can buy crafts and give them to friends. However, when you travel through the Three Indo-Sinian Kingdoms, you will feel that these souvenirs are similar. Maybe this is the representative product of the entire Indo-Sinian Peninsula. Remember to bargain when buying. Generally, there is no problem in cutting in half, and cut to the price that meets your psychological price.

Arts and Crafts

If you want to say the most distinctive souvenir, it is produced in Cambodia at a glance, so it must be the oil paintings of Angkor Wat. At the entrance of almost every temple, locals will be seen selling oil paintings with stalls. The contents of the paintings are mainly temples and monks. There are both realistic styles and abstract styles, and the quality is generally high.

Street oil painting stall

Most of these oil paintings are from the sellers themselves. When the business is light, the sellers or their children will sit on a low stool to paint on the spot.

Live painting

Oil painting

Among these works, many of which are magnificent and brilliant, which are exquisite works of art. They are sold at different prices according to specifications and fineness, ranging from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars. Pick one that is suitable for both size and price and bring it back, which is definitely eye-catching.

oil paintings

Supplementary Note: Finally, I will give you a few more words of

1. If you encounter bribes (tips) when entering the border inspection, please remember to refuse and carefully check whether the passport returned by the border inspection officer contains a small entry card. After confirming that it is correct, leave the counter; when leaving the country, you must also fill in the departure card carefully, and it is best to arrive at the airport as soon as possible, so as not to be deliberately delayed by the border inspection and force you to submit.

2. There are no major problems in Cambodia's public security overall, but you must still be vigilant, pay attention to the speeding party, keep your mobile phone in hand, and don't show your wealth.

3. Try not to wear sleeveless vests or shorts to visit serious attractions such as temples. The central tower or scripture hall of large temples is prohibited from entering the above-mentioned outfits. There are clear prohibited signs at the entrance of the palace in Phnom Penh. If you don't wear it, you don't have time to change it temporarily. Some places will provide shawls for tourists to rent, but it is best to prepare them yourself.

4. Pay attention to sun protection and hydration. Cambodia is located in a humid and hot climate zone in Southeast Asia. The temperature is not low even in February. When it is sunny, it is easy to damage the skin. Be sure to take sun protection measures. In addition, it is more physically exhausting to go wild in Angkor Wat for a day, so remember to prepare enough drinking water.

5, Angkor Wat There are often local children selling small souvenirs such as postcards and refrigerator stickers near the scenic area. The price is much cheaper than those in the city shops, and the printing quality is not bad, so you can buy it from them. As for those children who ask for money or candy directly from tourists, as a responsible traveler, do not give any money to encourage this behavior, so as not to let children develop the habit of getting something for nothing and even drop out of school. If you really want to help them, you can go to the city’s love restaurant or public welfare school consultation channel.

6. For friends who plan to travel in depth for multiple days, just "visiting and taking photos" may no longer meet your travel needs. Then various experience courses in Siem Reap are the best choices to integrate into local life. The most recommended ones are Khmer-style cooking classes and Angkor oil painting classes. Friends with skillful skills can also sign up for handicraft courses such as pottery classes. As you go more and more places, you will find that the real fun of traveling lies in personal experience, and the experience of the eyes is the shallowest, physical and spiritual experience, so that the most extraordinary memories can be left.

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