Cambodia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 69

to hike is in the forested hills around Koh
Kong, gateway to the pristine Cardamom
Mountains (see p.107).
For diving , there are a number of PADI
dive shops in Sihanoukville, all of which
offer certification courses, fun dives and
“discover diving” outings for beginners
(see p.106).
Cycling and kayaking are slowly taking
off in the northeast around the Mekong.
Kratie and Stung Treng are the best
places to organize trips. Mountain biking
is a bit more di cult to organize,
although for those with some cash to
spare, several companies in Phnom Penh
organize bike trips down to the coast and
into the surrounding villages. Pepy
( T 023 222804, W pepyride.org) leads
tours in support of local education
programmes, though you should contact
them in advance.

expensive, as are calls made from hotel
and guesthouse phones. Phone shops
(with can be found around most
Cambodian markets) offer cheaper calls,
often using a mobile rather than a
landline; even cheaper are calls via Skype,
available at many internet cafés. It's also
easy to pick up a local SIM card to access
cheap international phone-call rates.
here are internet cafés in all major
towns; prices vary considerably, but are
usually $0.50-1 per hour. Wi-fi is also
widely available even in fairly out-of-the-
way places; most of the hotels and
restaurants listed in the guide section
offer it for free.

2

CRIME AND SAFETY
he security situation in Cambodia
has improved significantly over the last
few years and all areas covered in this
book are safe to travel in, but be very
aware of the fact that Cambodia is one
of the most heavily mined countries in
the world, and also has significant
quantities of unexploded ordnance
(UXO) lying around.
Mines and ordnance apart, there is still
a culture of guns in Cambodia, and there
have been incidents of armed robbery
against locals and tourists alike. Gun
crime is a regular occurrence in Phnom
Penh (although considerably less
common elsewhere in the country),
usually reaching a peak at festival times,
most notably Khmer New Year. Don't be
paranoid, but, equally, be aware that a
small but significant number of visitors
continue to be mugged at gunpoint (and
occasionally shot), even in busy and
touristed areas. Given this, it's a very
good idea to keep all valuables well out of
sight. If you are unfortunate enough to
find yourself being robbed, on no
account resist - the consequences if you
do so could possibly be fatal. It's also
worth making sure that all bags are
hidden between your legs if travelling
by moto - snatch-and-grab robberies
have also been reported, with victims
occasionally being pulled off the back of
motos by the straps of their bags during
attempted grabs.

COMMUNICATIONS
To send anything by mail it's best to use
the main post o ce in Phnom Penh, as all
mail from the provinces is consolidated
here anyway. International post is often
delivered in around a week, but can take
up to a month, depending on the
destination. Poste restante is available at
the post o ces in Phnom Penh, Siem
Reap and Sihanoukville post o ces.
To phone abroad from Cambodia, dial
T

001 + IDD country code + area code
minus first 0 + subscriber number. You
can make international calls from most
post o ces, although these are usually

CAMBODIA ONLINE
W bayonpearnik.com Travel information,

listings and local gossip with a humorous
twist, produced and written by expats.
W canbypublications.com Online

version of the free tourist guides available
in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and Siem
Reap, full of up-to-date information about
food, lodging and transport.
W talesofasia.com Reliable practical
advice on border crossings, overland
travel and assorted off-road adventures;
mainly Cambodia, though it covers several
other countries as well.