What To Do When You First Arrive - The Definitive Guide to Moving to Southeast Asia: Cambodia - page 60

There are dozens of hotels, hostels, and guesthouses around town and I'd suggest staying
somewherebetweenStreets178and400,eastofMonivongBlvd.Thereareplentyofcheap
guesthouses if you're not picky about the neighbourhood and I've never seen anything
really bad. We stayed in a very basic $10/night guesthouse west of Monivong for the first
three weeks and it was perfectly fine (and had air-conditioning) but you may keep in mind
thatMonivongbisectsthecitysothatthecheap(local)neighbourhoodsareonthewestside
with the more comfortable areas on the east.
A couple of areas you may want to avoid are where the girly bars proliferate, since they
tend to be noisier and a bit seedier than other areas - Streets 104 and 136 are better known
forthesebars.Whiletheriversideisalovelyspottowanderandpeople-watch,italsotends
to be a little noisier at night if you're an early-bird or more interested in tranquil accom-
modation.
Another thing to do when you arrive is purchase a mobile phone. There are lots of shops
around town where you can buy one for less than $20 (some are second-hand so you may
wanttofindareputablephoneshopifyouwantanewone).You'llneedtobringyourpass-
portandcanpurchaseaSIMcardfor$10-$30,dependingonthephonenumberyouwant,
then purchase a scratch card which will provide you with any amount of calling credit that
you choose.