When traveling, the most important thing is to go smoothly. The first three items are all force majeure. We cannot command the plane, control our traveling companions, or give orders to God.

When traveling, the most important thing is to go smoothly.

The plane will not be delayed, the traveling companions will not argue with each other, the weather will be sunny but not raining, and there will be no pitfalls in the scenic spots.

The first three items are all force majeure. We cannot command the plane, control our traveling companions, and we cannot give orders to God. But fortunately, it is still possible to avoid pitfalls in the fourth scenic spot.

For example, the following is a travel guide to Angkor Wat that I personally tested. Because I tested it personally, it is particularly subjective but sincere.

is for reference by those who plan to travel, and for criticism by friends who have already stepped on the trap.

About Angkor

1. Angkor Wat is a royal city built in the 12th century AD. It was mysteriously hidden in the 15th century. In the 19th century, it was rediscovered by a French naturalist chasing butterflies.

2. Now when we mention Angkor, it basically refers to the group of more than 600 monuments located in Siem Reap.

3. The Angkor monuments are located in Siem Reap, which belongs to Cambodia . Cambodia was formerly called Khmer. They once had a king named Sihanouk , who was as ferromagnetic as China.

4. In the official version, it is generally said that Angkor Wat is one of the four wonders of the ancient East, the heart and soul of Cambodia, and the birthplace of Khmer culture...

5. In the sentimental version, I must mention Tony Leung’s Tree Hole, The smile of Khmer and the vicissitudes of thousands of years...

6, Practical Edition believes that this place is very suitable for organizing a short-term trip of 3-5 days.

visa

7, three visa methods

paper visa, electronic visa, visa on arrival . It is recommended to apply for an electronic signature, it is simple and convenient. There may be pitfalls in getting a visa on arrival.

8, electronic signature

directly log in to the official website to apply, fill in the information, upload the ID photo, and pay online, all in one go. The total visa fee is US$40, and the visa is issued in 3 working days.

9. Visa on arrival

The normal process for applying for a visa on arrival is: after arriving in Cambodia, you must first fill in the visa application form, then queue up to wait for the visa with your passport and a 2-inch white background ID photo. The visa fee is US$30.

However, during the process of visa and immigration procedures, you may be blackmailed. Before

, I was in "

10, time difference

Cambodia is 1 hour behind Beijing time. 7 o'clock in Beijing, 6 o'clock locally.

11, climate

Southeast Asian countries, one word: hot!

Cambodia is divided into dry season and rainy season. The dry season is from November to February, and the rainy season is from March to October.

The temperature in the dry season is slightly lower (but still in the 30s) and there is less rain.

The weather in the rainy season is hot and humid, so humid that when you walk from an air-conditioned room to the outdoors, your camera lenses and spectacle lenses will become foggy. Moreover, the rain comes at any time, catching people off guard.

12, best travel time

Let’s first simulate the scene of going to Angkor Wat in the rainy season.

Scene 1: You are admiring the Khmer smile in Bayon Temple . Suddenly, a shower came down. You immediately took out a plastic raincoat from your bag, put it on, and quickly ran to the nearby corridor to take shelter from the rain. When the rain stops, you continue your tour, stepping over puddles and mud as lightly as a swallow. Yes, there are no asphalt roads in Siem Reap, they are all dirt roads, which turn to mud when it rains. Your little white shoes have turned into little black shoes, and your long skirt is covered with mud spots. Don't be too busy feeling depressed. It's raining again. Take out your plastic raincoat and put it on.

Scenario 2: After playing for a long time, you are tired. You find a comfortable stone step to sit down and drink some water. You turn around and see, hey, a four-legged little silver snake is also resting, sharing a stone step with you. During the rainy season, you will often encounter these Southeast Asian little monsters unexpectedly.

Therefore, from the perspective of travel experience, it is recommended to go to Angkor Wat during the dry season.

In the rainy season, although the price of alcohol is cheap and Tonle Sap has abundant water, the high temperature is unbearable. Planned itineraries are often interrupted by sudden rains. Sunrises and sunsets do not necessarily occur every day, and hot air balloons often Grounded due to weather conditions.

13, equipment

Wear summer clothes; be sure to wear sunscreen!

Wear a scarf, not for posing, but to protect your face when the Tuk-Tuk is driving and the dirt is flying.

Finally, it is really not recommended to wear white shoes. If you insist on wearing it, please be mentally prepared that the white ones will turn into yellow ones, and the yellow ones will turn into black ones.

14, local language

From hotel waiters, to restaurant waiters, to chartered bus drivers, they all can speak fluent English.

15, local taboos

In fact, as a city that relies on tourism, Siem Reap no longer emphasizes the taboos marked in travel itineraries for travelers. For example, a beautiful woman wearing hot pants who boarded Little Angkor will not be kicked off in the name of disrespecting religion.

But please don't touch your head. Cambodians believe that the head is the residence of the soul. If you touch someone's head, it means touching their soul without their consent. We were at the entrance of Ta Prohm Temple and saw a foreign old man touching the head of a child selling postcards with a loving look on his face. The child's mother immediately rushed up and started to yell at him in Khmer. The old man looked aggrieved and confused. .

16, WIFI

Renting a mobile WIFI is of little use because the signal in the scenic area is very poor.

The WIFI speed of local hotels and restaurants is not very fast, but it is still no problem to post on Moments.

17, mobile phone card

If you want to play for more than 3 days, you can really apply for a local mobile phone card. There is a counter in the arrivals hall of the airport, which is not expensive, but the signal is pretty average, so it's okay to use.

It is really not recommended to activate international roaming with a domestic card, it is very expensive.

18, medical treatment

Common diseases in Southeast Asia are mainly heat colds and diarrhea. It has to be said that most of the medicines in Cambodia are about to expire or have expired, so please prepare your own medicines before departure.

consumption

19, common currency

Cambodia’s common currency is US dollars and riel (local currency). Almost all consumption in Siem Reap is in US dollars, but when the change for payment is less than 1 US dollar, they will give you riel. You can just spend it as a tip.

20, Currency Exchange

It is recommended to exchange U.S. dollars domestically and try to keep the amount as small as possible. In places like restaurants, they don’t like to accept large amounts exceeding the face value of 20 U.S. dollars.

In addition, there is a Chinese bank in Siem Reap that can be exchanged, and there is a Chinese-owned foreign currency exchange shop next to it that accepts WeChat and Alipay transfers. The exchange rate is of course higher than domestically.

21, tip

Cambodia is a tipping country. Tips account for a high proportion of the income of service industry personnel, so most of them do their best when providing services to you.

I personally think that tipping represents recognition and respect for the service. If you are satisfied, it is generally recommended to give 1-2 US dollars.

22, Shopping

If you live near the Night Market and Market Street, there are convenience stores there. You can buy all your daily needs in the convenience stores, which is quite convenient.

Then, you can also visit the night markets and market streets, where many sell silk scarves, wood carvings, spices and the like. If you want to bargain, you must bargain.

Another thing is the children who set up stalls and sell things in the scenic area. In fact, for the same silk scarf, the result of my inquiry is that the price charged by the children in the scenic area is often lower than that of the vendors in the market.

Accommodation

23, Hotel Location

The main entertainment, services, dining and shopping in Siem Reap are located near the Bar Street, so it is strongly recommended to choose accommodation centered on the night market Bar Street.

Living there, we can basically play as late as we want at night, and we can walk back to the hotel. We don’t have to worry about the distance being too far and the chartered driver not wanting to wait.

24, hotel price

First of all, the price difference between boutique hotels and star hotels is quite large depending on their location and supporting facilities, ranging from two or three hundred to three or four thousand yuan a night.

B&Bs and youth hostels are cheap and suitable for backpackers. They cost about US$4-15 per bed, and they usually have public bathrooms.

Hotel prices will fluctuate depending on the off-peak and peak seasons. The highest prices generally appear around Christmas and New Year, which is the peak season when foreigners flock to Southeast Asia.

If you want to go to Angkor between the end of December and January, it is recommended to book in advance, otherwise it is easy to encounter a shortage of housing.

In addition, every New Year, most hotels will hold New Year's Eve dinners, and there is an additional charge. Of course, whether to participate is voluntary.

International transportation

25, domestic departure and arrival methods

Domestic departure to Angkor, you can choose to fly directly to Siem Reap. Currently there are direct flights to cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Of course, you can also fly to Phnom Penh and then take a bus or plane from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap.

26. Multi-country travel arrival methods

Many people in Southeast Asia like to connect several countries together, so if you go to Angkor from a third country, in addition to planes, there are also transportation methods such as buses and ships.

For example, you can choose cross-border buses from Thailand, Laos , Vietnam that border Cambodia. From Vietnam to Thailand, you can also take a ferry.

It should be noted that if you enter from a third country, you cannot apply for a visa on arrival.

Cambodia transportation

27, from the airport to the hotel

First of all, whether you land in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, 99% of hotels (don’t count on youth hostels) provide free airport pick-up services, except for red-eye flights. If you have booked your hotel in advance, you only need to email your flight itinerary to the hotel before departure.

Secondly, if you have booked an Angkor charter driver in advance, their services include airport pick-up and drop-off by default. Just confirm with the driver directly. They also take red-eye flights.

Finally, if you are traveling on the go and have neither booked a hotel nor a chartered car, then there is no public transportation to the city from Siem Reap and Phnom Penh airports, so you can only find a driver on the spot. .

28. From Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

From Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, the mainstream mode of transportation is by plane or bus. Air tickets are definitely more expensive than buses, but they save time.

In addition, you can rent a car, which is a luxury version of travel.

29. The direct flight to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh

is less than 1 hour. In addition to the local Angkor and Cambodia Airlines, there are also several companies such as Vietnam, Bangkok and so on. They are basically small planes, not expensive, and have a wide range of options.

30. Take a bus to Siem Reap

There are many bus companies running the Phnom Penh-Siem Reap route, but there are only three that are the most reliable and have the best reputation: Giant Ibis, Mekong Express and Larita.

first recommends Giant Ibis and Mekong Express. Both of these are large buses. The fare is about 15 US dollars and the ride experience is the best. In addition to WIFI and TV, bread and drinking water are provided in the car. The difference is that Giant Ibis has only three departures during the day, with the latest one departing at 12:30, while Mekong Express has four departures during the day, with the latest departure from Phnom Penh at 2:30 pm.

Larita is a minibus with frequent buses, almost every hour from 7 am to 4 pm. But the ride experience is a bit inferior compared to the previous two.

In short, the journey time of these buses is 6-7 hours, and there will be 1-2 rest stops along the way. You can ask the hotel to help you make reservations in advance. During peak seasons, you may still be unable to buy tickets. The first time we went to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh, we couldn’t buy tickets and were forced to stay in Phnom Penh for a day.

31, night buses

There are indeed night buses between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, but it is really not recommended to take the night bus.

First of all, most of the night buses are operated by local transportation companies, and the road conditions in Cambodia are not that optimistic. The safety factor of walking at night will make people feel uneasy.

In addition, the time is also awkward. Most night buses leave at 9 pm, and the journey takes about 8 hours. It arrives in Siem Reap at 5 am. At this time, the hotel cannot check in, and the attractions are not open. I want to have a meal. There was nowhere to eat breakfast.

32, chartered bus

Chartered bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, first of all, the time is really faster, about four hours, and secondly, the ride experience is also comfortable. But the price is also very good, because usually the driver cannot attract repeat customers for this kind of chartered car, so the price is very high. It is okay to share it equally with many people, but if there are few people, it is really not cost-effective.

Many websites now offer this kind of car charter service, and rich people can place orders directly.

Siem Reap Transportation

33, TUK TUK

The Chinese name is Tuk Tuk, and its appearance is very similar to our motorcycles and Sanbengzi in Greater China. But the overall visual experience and riding comfort are much better than our Sanbengzi. Tuk-tuks are the mainstream means of transportation in Cambodia. Especially since there is no public transportation in Siem Reap, the most mainstream mode of transportation is to take a tuk-tuk. Generally, there are TUK TUKs for partying in bar streets and in front of hotels. The activities range around the urban area and cost 1-4 US dollars one way.

34 and chartered car

visit Angkor. The regular version is a three-day tour of small circle + large circle + outer circle, so chartered car is the preferred way to play.

If you don’t mind the heat and dust, you can include TUK TUK for the entire three days. Siem Reap is full of loess roads, dusty on sunny days and muddy on rainy days. Both the large and small circles are close, so riding a TUK TUK doesn’t feel too strenuous, but if you take a tuk-tuk for the several-hour drive in the outer circle, It really exercises your willpower.

Therefore, the most cost-effective car charter plan is to pack Tuk-Tuk cars in the large circle and small circle, and small cars in the outer circle. Now Cambodian drivers picking up passengers on WeChat and Weibo basically provide this kind of plan. The cost is approximately US$100-110. If it is a three-day all-inclusive car trip, it will cost around US$120-130.

In addition, the charter service for the three-day tour of Angkor by default covers such items as sunrise viewing, daily ice water, airport transfers, and night market transfers. It is best to confirm with the driver when booking.

Regarding where to find chartered drivers, there are many internet celebrity drivers on our travel website who are recommended by word of mouth. In addition, local hotels can also help you book a driver. Hiring a car at a hotel may be slightly more expensive than finding one yourself. The advantage is that the hotel’s driver is relatively fixed, so you don’t need to worry too much about itinerary design and service. The last way is to find it on the roadside when you get to Angkor. You have to communicate the itinerary and negotiate the price on the spot. Whether the person you meet is reliable or not depends entirely on luck.

Also, Internet celebrity drivers usually have very full schedules, so sometimes they take your order online and actually only serve you for one day. On other days, they may share you with other peers who have schedules. This This is considered normal. Anyway, as long as the service is not bad, there is no need to worry too much.

35, bicycle

Renting a bicycle is very cheap, with a daily rental of US$1-3. I'd say it's a pretty crazy mode of transportation, if you're not afraid of eating dirt and getting sunburned.

36, self-driving

When renting a car and driving in Cambodia, in theory, you need an international driving license. But in fact, many car rental shops don't take it seriously on your driver's license. As long as you give money, they will rent a car.

As mentioned before, the income of Cambodian public officials is not high. In addition to the customs who like to extort money, the police are also experts at collecting gray income.

When they see Chinese faces driving on the road, they will usually stop you. If you don’t have an international driver’s license and you rent a car and drive it, stop talking and just pay. Prices start at $10, and you’ll be released once you pay.

So, driving in Cambodia is not as convenient as renting a car, really!

Diet

37, Khmer cuisine

The staple food is rice, and the meat is mainly beef, chicken and fish, cooked with various spices. To be honest: it really doesn’t taste good!

38, I won’t talk about the common dishes at Angkor Wat

chicken fried rice and beef fried rice. Anyway, the skinny chicken and beef are very good for slimming the face when chewed.

Cambodian hotpot is a popular dish. The outer ring of the hot pot is filled with soup stock, which is used to rinse the meat. In the middle is a barbecue plate with a piece of fat on it. It is not for eating, but to allow the fat to melt onto the grill pan. The dishes are basically beef and vegetables, with dipping sauces and pancakes. Can be grilled or rinsed. I won’t comment on it, because I think hot pot is the most delicious among all Cambodian dishes.

Amok fish: Cambodian internet celebrity fish. Everyone who writes about travel mentions it. To put it bluntly, it is a fish made with the local spice slok ngor. We went to eat it, but couldn't really appreciate how delicious it was.

Cambodian spring rolls: fried spring rolls dipped in toppings. Tastier than Amok fish.

Various fruit smoothies: This is what I would strongly recommend. The fruits in Southeast Asia are always delicious, and almost all milkshake shops sell sincere and honest ingredients. They are not expensive and are refreshing and refreshing.

39, Khmer Kitchen

Maybe we really have no connection with Cambodian food. After seeing everyone recommending this restaurant, we went.

After eating, I wanted to say: Excuse me? Is there any misunderstanding here?

Because we ordered the classic dishes recommended by others, such as spring rolls and Amok fish, we really didn’t taste what was so delicious.

40, Red Piano

Angelina Jolie The restaurant where I ate while filming Tomb Raider. Mainly Western-style fast food. My partner, Little Toothpick, loved their pizza so much that he still remembers it. To be honest, the pizza and pasta are pretty good. As for the legendary cocktail made by Julie, it costs US$3.75 a cup, which is okay. I think the best thing about this store is the overall atmosphere. It's a place where you can spend an evening.

41, Bar Street

Siem Reap’s Bar Street is a place I have always liked inexplicably. Southeast Asian style, great music, lively atmosphere, the street is filled with the smell of spices. Just find a shop to sit down, order a glass of cold beer, feel the heat of the day gradually receding, and calm down, it seems that you will feel a little... The thrill of living somewhere else.

Angkor Wat

42, Angkor tickets

The entire Angkor scenic spot uses a pass, which is divided into three types: one-day ticket, three-day ticket and seven-day ticket.

A one-day pass costs $37; a three-day pass can be used any three days within a week for $62; a seven-day pass can be used any seven days within a month for $72.

Generally on the first morning of visiting Angkor, the driver will take you to the ticket office near Little Angkor to buy tickets. When buying a ticket, you need to take a photo on site, and the photo will be printed on the ticket. Then when you arrive at each temple, your tickets will be randomly checked.

The Angkor Pass is valid for most monuments in Siem Reap.

43. Tickets for other attractions

Beng Melie , Lychee Mountain waterfall, Preah Vihear Temple , and Gongkai complex must be purchased separately. Tickets for Beng Melie are US$5, and Lychee Mountain Waterfall is US$20. Preah Vihear The temple and Gongkai complex are both $10.

44, route

is a small circle of 17 kilometers, with a total of 12 scenic spots: Little Angkor, Cardamom Temple , Bandi Kadai, Royal Baths, Ta Prohm Temple, Takeo Temple, Thanai Temple, Zhou Sa Temple , Tuomanon Temple, Twelve Zodiac Tower, Dou Xiang Platform and Leibang Platform, Sky Palace, Bafang Temple , Bayon Temple, Bakken Mountain .

The large circle is 26 kilometers, including Shengjian Temple, Longpan Pool Nirvana Palace, Taxun Temple, Dongmeiben Temple and Bili Temple. The outer circle of

is almost 150 kilometers, in order: Queen's Palace, Gobus Beach, Bengmelie, Roluo Temple Group and Tonle Sap Lake. Walking all the way is quite exhausting.

In addition, except for the outer circle, which is too far and must be walked in order, the driver of the large circle and the small circle will not take you exactly according to the route uploaded online. They will take you according to which attractions are currently less crowded and where and when to take photos. Better to help you adjust the order at any time.

45, sunrise

Sunrise viewing spots reported online: Angkor Wat, Bakken Mountain, Royal Baths.

If you only have 3 days to visit Angkor, don’t hesitate to go to Angkor Wat to watch the sunrise.

If you not only want to record with your eyes, but also want to record the moment of sunrise with photos, please communicate with your driver in advance and be sure to go early! Because if you don’t explain, drivers usually only guarantee to deliver you to Angkor Temple before sunrise. But at that time, the cucumber dishes were all cold and you couldn’t even find a place to stay.

The locals would go to occupy the land in the middle of the night. They would spread blankets around the holy pool. When tourists came, they would start selling blankets. I remember it was $2 per person.

So if you don’t wait for a table early, and if you are not 2 meters tall, it is really difficult to see the beautiful scenery of the five central towers of Angkor Temple reflected in the water at the moment of sunrise.

It should be noted that the Royal Baths, another viewing point, will have a greatly reduced effect of watching the sunrise during the dry season when there is less water.

46, sunset

The official version is to go to Bakken Mountain to watch the sunset, the niche version is to Pilet Temple, and the popular version of travel agencies is Tonle Sap Lake. Let’s talk one by one.

Bakken Mountain is one of the three sacred mountains of Angkor. To watch the sunset, you need to climb to the central tower platform on the mountain. You can reach the top in just 20 minutes. Photography enthusiasts usually wait for seats at 3pm, while ordinary tourists start going up the mountain after 4:30pm. There is a fence under the central tower, and traffic restrictions begin almost before 5 o'clock in the evening. Yes, the platform is only that big in total and can only accommodate more than 300 people. In order to avoid crowding and stampeding, the number of people is limited every day. So if you go up the mountain after 4:30, then walk faster. Don't ride an elephant up the mountain, it will get dark when you ride up.

Compared with Bakken Mountain, I strongly recommend Bili Temple. There are relatively few people here, so you can watch the sun slowly sinking into the jungle without being disturbed.

Finally, go to Tonle Sap Lake and watch the sunset on a boat. The visual experience is completely different from Bakheng Mountain and Pilek Temple, and it is also very beautiful. However, when the river dries up during the dry season, it's a little less interesting.

entertainment projects

47, hydrogen balloon

Angkor Wat has a total of 2 balloon launch projects, please don’t get confused. Hydrogen balloon, English is Angkor Balloon. To be honest, I personally think this project is particularly tricky.

is to put people into the frame, and the balloon is lifted into the air, but it does not fly, because there is a rope below holding it, and it floats in the 200-meter sky for more than ten minutes. And if you want to wait for the sunset, you need endless patience and luck. If you want to see the panoramic view of Angkor, it is better to take a hot air balloon ride.

Anyway, if you must play this project, the ride location is at the west gate of Angkor. Just ask the driver to take you there. The ticket price is 20 US dollars. Tickets are not sold in advance. You have to queue on the spot, which may take a long time.

48, hot air balloon

Hot air balloon is called Hot Air Balloon in English. In terms of the experience of appreciating the panoramic view of Angkor, it is much better than the hydrogen balloon.

Hot air balloons can be booked in advance on travel websites or at hotels. The ticket price is about US$100, and the flight time is half an hour, with sunrise and sunset events.

After the reservation is successful, the hot air balloon company will send a car to pick you up from the hotel that day, and the take-off location will be near Bakong Temple. Of course, there are occasional temporary groundings due to weather conditions.

49, Tonle Sap Lake Cruise

How do you evaluate this project? First of all, most travel agency tours will include a Tonle Sap Lake cruise. I think it may be because there are more expenses involved.

self-service travelers have mixed reviews about this project. Some people think it is a scam, while others think it is pretty good.

First of all, Tonle Sap Lake is a river that runs through Cambodia. From a visual experience, the lake surface is 10,000 square kilometers in the rainy season and 3,000 square kilometers in the dry season, so there is no need to play this project in the dry season.

Secondly, there are floating villages on the lake, which is also a way of living and living in many Southeast Asian countries. Most of the people living in the floating village are Vietnamese and poor Cambodians.

If you choose to take a boat tour on the lake, you need to pay 20 US dollars. In addition to going to Khlong Bang Lu, Kampong Kluang and Vietnamese floating villages, there are also some additional items, such as a child with a python wrapped around his neck asking you for money. Also, those with mysophobia should avoid this project.

50, massage马杀鸡

There are many SPA shops around Bar Street and Market Street, and the prices are not expensive. Generally, a foot massage is about US$4, and a full-body massage is US$8-12. Of course, the techniques are not as professional as those of Thai spa shops, but it is still good to relax. There are many open-air ones at night markets, which are cheaper.

By the way, there is also a fish nibbling foot project. The entire night market street is filled with tank after tank of small fish. Most of the people who play this are foreigners, and it is very satisfying to be nibbled on.

Okay, the above is my summary of personal experience in playing Angkor. Some projects, such as the Angkor Smile Show and the Angkor Zipline, were not included because they had never played it and did not have the right to speak.

Anyway, I hope it helps. I also wish you a happy and fulfilling trip.

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Mr. Mao Zuo and Little Toothpick, two women, have been in a group for 6 years, traveled to 14 countries and driven 30,000 kilometers. We travel together to see the most beautiful scenery and record interesting times

Text | Mr. Mao Zuo

Photography | Mr. Mao Zuo

The text and photos are all original. Unauthorized use and reprinting are prohibited, otherwise legal liability will be pursued