(The following pages were recreated from notes that I took while I was on the trip.) Pictures Text This was my first trip to Cambodia. Some highlights of the trip were (in no particular order) -- Regarding the 4 countries that I visited during the 3 week period, the ones from poorest to richest were Cambodia, Vietnam, The Philippines, and Thailand. To enter the country, it is necessary to have a visa ($20). To leave, it is necessary to pay a "departure fee" ($11). The currency is the "riel". At that time, one U.S. dollar equaled approximately 38,000 riel. Coins are not used in Cambodia. The bills include 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1000. (There might be higher bills, but they aren't regularly used.) It is dangerous to walk along local streets at night. I met one man who was beaten and robbed and had just returned from taking his friend to the hospital. If intending to visit Angkor Wat, you have 2 choices to get there. You can either fly directly to Siem Reep or you can go to Phnom Penh and then travel to Siem Reep. I recommend using the first option because it is more difficult to get there from Phnom Penh. The language is "Khmer", not Cambodian. The most interesting things that I saw within the city were the Royal Palace and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. National/International Crisis Strangely, whenever I travel to a country in either Asia or the South Pacific, a national or international crisis occurs. During this trip, the crisis was international -- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ("SARS"). The fun never ends! Epilogue On April 14, 2014, a friend who went to Cambodia and Vietnam during the previous month emailed me tips about handling visas for the countries. Here is the information regarding Cambodia ... Vietnam-to-Cambodia via bus: The cost is the same as getting a visa from a consulate office. Give $20 to the bus driver for a single entry visa. Do it each time you enter Cambodia. There are no multiple entry visas available. Thailand-to-Cambodia via bus: When you cross the border, Thailand tuk-tuk driver will try to take you to his travel agent for a Cambodia visa. Their cost is double the normal $40. Additionally, the visa waiting line could be long. It's a good idea to apply for an eVisa in Thailand a few days before crossing the border. The processing fee is $5. You need to supply a JPG file of your passport photo. They will email you the "visa letter". Print the visa letter and take it with you when crossing the border (use the eVisa line). Tell the tuk-tuk driver that you already have an eVisa so that he won't bother you. As I have mentioned on other pages that I have created on my Web site, I discovered that my friends and family who use AOL's software are not able to access the pages if they contain pictures. With that in mind, I have created 2 set of pages here. One contains pictures and the other contains text. Sorry for the inconvenience.
This was my first trip to Cambodia. Some highlights of the trip were (in no particular order) --
Epilogue On April 14, 2014, a friend who went to Cambodia and Vietnam during the previous month emailed me tips about handling visas for the countries. Here is the information regarding Cambodia ... Vietnam-to-Cambodia via bus: The cost is the same as getting a visa from a consulate office. Give $20 to the bus driver for a single entry visa. Do it each time you enter Cambodia. There are no multiple entry visas available. Thailand-to-Cambodia via bus: When you cross the border, Thailand tuk-tuk driver will try to take you to his travel agent for a Cambodia visa. Their cost is double the normal $40. Additionally, the visa waiting line could be long. It's a good idea to apply for an eVisa in Thailand a few days before crossing the border. The processing fee is $5. You need to supply a JPG file of your passport photo. They will email you the "visa letter". Print the visa letter and take it with you when crossing the border (use the eVisa line). Tell the tuk-tuk driver that you already have an eVisa so that he won't bother you.
As I have mentioned on other pages that I have created on my Web site, I discovered that my friends and family who use AOL's software are not able to access the pages if they contain pictures. With that in mind, I have created 2 set of pages here. One contains pictures and the other contains text. Sorry for the inconvenience.
of Page Return to Picture Page. Return