Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CAMBODIA ONLINE
GENERAL INFORMATION
Beauty and Darkness
W
mekong.net/cambodia. Documents
the dark side of Cambodia's recent history, and contains a photo
gallery and biographies of some of those who survived the Khmer
Rouge atrocities; also some travelogues.
Cambodia Daily
W
cambodiadaily.com. Selected features and
supplements from recent editions of the newspaper.
Cambodian Information Centre
W
cambodia.org. Varied
site offering information on everything from clubs and
organizations to the legal system and even e-cards.
Cambodia Tribunal Monitor
W
cambodiatribunal.org.
Up-to-the-minute information on the Genocide Tribunal.
Go Cambodia
W
gocambodia.com. Easy to navigate,
general-purpose site featuring articles on all aspects of Cambodian
life - from sport to music to women's rights and recipes - with
links to other sites.
Phnom Penh Post
W
phnompenhpost.com. Key articles from
the daily English-language newspaper.
Royal Government of Cambodia
W
cambodia.gov.kh.
O
cial website of the Cambodian government, with profiles of the
king, premier, information about the senate and constitution, and
links to ministry and department pages.
TRAVEL AND TOURISM
Andy Brouwer
W
andybrouwer.co.uk. This Cambodiaphile's
site is full of travelogues, interviews with eminent Cambodian
experts and links to associated sites.
Bayon Pearnik
W
bayonpearnik.com. Online version of the
free satirical magazine.
Cambodian Ministry of Tourism
W
mot.gov.kh. Features
the country's highlights, province by province, plus information on
accommodation, history and Khmer culture.
Canby Publications
W
canbypublications.com. Convenient
online extracts from Cambodian city guides.
Tales of Asia
W
talesofasia.com. In-depth look at Cambodia
by long-term Siem Reap resident, Gordon Sharpless, with
plenty of tales and practical information on the vagaries of
the country.
mation on the ground is likely to be your hotel or
guesthouse, or a local tour operator or travel agent.
There are no Cambodian tourist o
ces abroad, and
Cambodian embassies aren't equipped to handle
tourist enquiries; there is some useful information
online, however.
Tipping
Tipping is not generally expected, but a few
hundred riel extra for a meal or a tuk-tuk or moto
ride is always appreciated.
Toilets
Apart from in places that are used to catering for
foreigners, squat toilets are the rule. In general there
are no public toilets apart from a few places set up
by enterprising individuals that you can use for a
few hundred riel. It is fine to ask to use the loo at
restaurants, even if you're not eating there,
although you may sometimes wish you hadn't as
they are often unsavoury. At transport stops there
are almost always toilets out at the back, but you'll
need to bring your own toilet paper, sold in the
markets and worth carrying with you. Sometimes
you may have to do as the locals do and take to the
bushes - but remember there is still a risk of mines,
so don't stray off well-trodden paths.
Travellers with disabilities
Cambodia has the unhappy distinction of having
one of the world's highest proportions of disabled
people per capita (around 1 in 250 people) - due to
land mines and the incidence of polio and other
wasting diseases. That said, there is no special
provision for the disabled, so travellers with disabili-
ties will need to be especially self-reliant. Stock up
on any medication, get any essential equipment
serviced and take a selection of spares and accou-
trements. Ask about hotel facilities when booking,
as lifts are still not as common in Cambodia as you
might hope.
Getting around temples can be a problem, as
even at relatively lowly pagodas there are flights of
steps and entrance kerbs to negotiate. The temples
at Angkor are particularly di
cult, with steps up
most entrance pavilions and the central sanctuaries.
However, negotiating at least the most accessible
parts of the temples is possible with assistance,
while some tour operators may also be able to
Tourist information
There are
tourist o
ces
in many larger towns, but
most are chronically underfunded, totally lacking in
English-speaking staff, and often closed even when
they should be open. The best source of local infor-
