Photo Trip Report: Down the Mekong in Cambodia

[buksida]

There is never a bad time to take a road trip, especially after almost three years of lockdowns. Three pals got together and decided to take a two-week trip to neighboring Cambodia to relieve the monotony of life in the boonies. The plan was to avoid the Chinese casino town of Sihanoukville and venture off the beaten track in Northeastern Cambodia, following the Mekong River from the Laos border down to Phnom Penh.

To avoid spending almost a whole day travelling to Bangkok and spending a night, we flew from Chumphon in the morning and grabbed the afternoon flight to Siem Reap, each one just an hour. Getting through Cambodian immigration was still a time-consuming process even with an e-visa already paid for online.

I’d last set foot in this town in the late 1990s when it was a village of dusty roads, clapped-out motorcycles, and rifle-toting local farmers. Today it is an unrecognizable bustling tourist haven with five-star resorts, swanky cocktail bars, fish spas, and all the big Western and Chinese brands.

Our accommodation was in the thick of the action, almost opposite the infamous “Pub Street”. The first big impact was how much cheaper eating and drinking out was compared to Thailand, at least half the price here even in more upmarket places. You could get a draught beer for $0.75 (25 baht) in a bar during happy hours and a dollar thereafter. The stouts were about the same price in the local shops and there were plenty to choose from and no stupid time restrictions.

As usual, the first night was a cocktail and liquor-loaded blowout down the lively tourist strip which was a little like Hua Hin Soi 94 but much busier and without the sleaze. Most of day two was spent relaxing and recovering around the pool with some seriously cheap plonk sourced in a local supermarket. Our accommodation was $25 per night for a three-star place with all the usual extras.

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Next: Around Siem Reap

[migrant]

Nice!! Thanks!

Sorry don't know how to delete

[Dannie Boy]

Once tourists find out, they’ll be giving Thailand a wide berth!!

Edit. Obviously tourists have found out, but I was meaning those that had previously or were considering Thailand, will now venture slightly East!!

[dtaai-maai]

"...without the sleaze"

Oh well, nowhere's perfect...

[Motyduke]

pics are amazing !

[KhunLA]

Very nice ... thanks for sharing

[STEVE G]

I’d last set foot in this town in the late 1990s when it was a village of dusty roads, clapped-out motorcycles, and rifle-toting local farmers. Today it is an unrecognizable bustling tourist haven with five-star resorts, swanky cocktail bars, fish spas, and all the big Western and Chinese brands.

From the pictures, I prefer the new version!

[buksida]

Once tourists find out, they’ll be giving Thailand a wide berth!!

Edit. Obviously tourists have found out, but I was meaning those that had previously or were considering Thailand, will now venture slightly East!!

Yes, your tourist dollar goes much further in Cambodia and the service and hospitality are better. SR was much busier than I expected for mid-March when the season is ending here.

"...without the sleaze"

Oh well, nowhere's perfect...

Oh it was there, just not as 'in your face' as it is in Thailand.

[buksida]

A day was spent exploring the town and the area across the river where things occurred at a much slower pace. The river was more like a klong (canal) with little movement and a lot of trash. With a little cleanup effort, it could be a beautiful feature but the views of plastic everywhere was a bit of a turnoff for me.

However, we found a craft beer place that made up for it. It was strange at first to see farangs (barangs in Cambodia) working in bars and restaurants and openly running their own businesses – very difficult to do in Thailand.

The usual tourist markets offered the usual tourist tat from t-shirts to fake Ray Bans to Buddha statues. The only hassle was the constant haranguing by tuk-tuk drivers, and almost getting wiped out by everything driving on the wrong side of the road! The wealth gap was epic with people sleeping rough on one street and McLarens parked on the next.

Overall, I found SR to be a laid-back version of Hua Hin without the hellish traffic, much greener, and costing about half as much to be fed and entertained. There is no beach but the main attraction is Angkor Wat where we were heading the next day.

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To follow ... Angkor Wat

[dtaai-maai]

Lovin' it! Especially the random tape measure on the beer board...

[Dannie Boy]

I love the burger van - aptly named for this Forum!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hhinner]

I like the craft beer menu which includes 100ml (taster?) sizes. You could get through quite a few different beers like that.

[Dannie Boy]

I was intrigued by photo 4839 - some kind of tapestry work - looks skilfull

[buksida]

The last time I visited this epic religious site was in 1999 when it was very hard to get to so very few people made it there. Today, the place is Cambodia’s biggest tourist destination attracting more than 2,500 people per day.

This was what it looked like in the late 1990s

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Instead of taking motorcycles, we’d opted for a tuk-tuk for the day for $20. It is all very well organized with a visit to the swanky ticket office first to secure a one-day pass for $37. Three and seven-day passes were also available. Your photo is scanned and the date is on the ticket to prevent misuse and it was checked frequently around the vast complex.

While the main temples of Angkor, The Bayon, and Ta Prohm were very touristy and busy, they are large enough to escape the crowds and find a spot of solitude in this epic ancient city. Around 800 years ago, Angkor was the largest city on earth and is still the largest religious monument in the world. There was a lot of restoration work going on with new walkways and steps installed.

Angkor Wat

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Next: The Bayon

[buksida]

The Bayon, Baphuon, and the Terrace of the Elephants

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Next: Ta Keo and Ta Prohm