Cambodia Trip: Choum Reap Sor

Angkor Wat is definitely the very first thing that comes to our mind when talking about Cambodia. The Khmer nation is more than just about the temples that were built around the 12th Century. More disturbingly are the remnants of Cambodian Genocide which ended just only 40 years ago during Khmer Rouge. Some of the prominent leaders and survivors of the cruel regime are still alive today, which are now of advanced age of course. I'm not really familiar with Cambodian food scenes, except hearing the stories of my friends attempted roaches, tarantula or even snakes. Booked my return tickets flying from Kuala Lumpur for less than MYR 200, I have had more than a year to plan for the 12 days trip.

View of Mekong River from my stay in Phnom Penh

No visa is required for Malaysians to visit Cambodia less than 30 days. I visited the country in the end of March until early of April which is rather a dry season. If one of your dreams is to see the floating villages with high rising water, you may need to opt for monsoon season which is around quarter three or four of the year. It was cloudy (I missed few sunsets) and yet sunny and hence, it would be advisable to bring sunblock. Regardless, you still need to wear modestly for visiting some  of the sites especially the temples so do remember pack some pants that cover at least down to the knees or shirts that cover the shoulders.

The official currency of Cambodia is Riel (KHR) in which the domination can be as small as 50 to the biggest of 100, 000 which is not available to be changed in Malaysia. However, United States Dollar (USD) is widely accepted in the country with the exchange rate of 1 USD to 4000 or 4100 KHR. Most of the shops in Cambodia have prices in USD along with KHR on their tags. I won't say it is necessary to change to local currency as the change will usually be given back to you in KHR which is easily disposable for small purchases on the street.

Tip: Do check your changes in USD notes are in pristine conditions and better to be of latest series or otherwise won't be accepted by other shops. My badly folded 1 USD note and 50 USD of 2006 series but still in good condition were rejected. Do note that these changes were the ones I received from local merchants who gave them away to naive travellers. This does not apply for KHR notes. However KHR doesn't carry any value outside of Cambodia (you can't change them back to MYR in Malaysia unless you plan to return) so do spend all  you have when you can.

One of the sunset views in Cambodia

Time in Cambodia is one hour later than that in Malaysia (GMT+7). Started off my trip in the capital of Phnom Penh and ended in Siem Reap, both cities are about two hours flight from Kuala Lumpur. My trip spanned for 12 days which inclusive of another 3 stopovers at the coast of Sihanoukville, the island of Koh Rong and the tranquil city of Battambang. I opted for bus for the intercity travels in which you can buy the tickets online. "Tuk tuk" is the common way to commute within the cities. The traffic in Cambodia is still rather manageable tho one still needs to be cautious while crossing the road. More details shall unfold in the next chapters.

Shall we begin our journey?

Let get started!

Phnom Penh - Sihanoukville - Koh Rong Island - Battambang - Siem Reap