Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
240 (
T
023 723456,
W
kucambodia.com), and Mittapheap,
262 Monivong Blvd (
T
023 218585,
W
mittapheap.com).
For local day-trips, Mango Cambodia (
T
023 998657,
W
mangocambodia.com) gets great reviews.
TOURS
Culinary tours
Ducky, a passionate foodie, offers
excellent local food experiences on trips ranging from 1hr
breakfast market tours ($15) through to roving dinners
($70) where you'll eat each course in a different restaurant
(
W
urbanforage.co).
Cycling tours
Grasshopper Adventures at Vicious Cycles,
23Eo Street 144 (
T
012 462165,
W
grasshopperadventures
.com) organizes excellent half-day guided tours of Koh
Dach's quiet backwaters ($33) and one-day trips for
experienced riders up to Oudong ($75) on quality
mountain bikes. They also offer a five-day trip from
Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville visiting Kep, Kampot and
Ream National Park ($1250 including accommodation).
Cyclo tours
Khmer Architecture Tours run a cyclo tour
around the key post-1953 architectural sights on the
second and last Sun of each month (
W
ka-tours.org; 2-3hr;
$15). You can also download a self-guided walking map of
the sights from their website.
Quad biking
Blazing Saddles (
T
012 676381) offer
guided self-drive ATV tours to the Killing Fields and
neighbouring villages (daily 7.30am & 12.30pm; $25) as
well as a sunset tour (daily 4pm; $25) and a full day visiting
the Killing Fields, Tonle Bati and the Phnom Tamao Wildlife
Sanctuary (on demand 7am; $110).
ACTIVITIES
Cookery courses
Learn to prepare traditional Khmer food
at
Cambodia Cooking Class; book through
Frizz
restaurant,
67 Street 240 (
T
012 524801,
W
cambodia-cooking-class
.com; half-full day $14/$23).
Massages and spas
Many massage parlours double as
brothels, but there are now a number of reputable private
spas where you can get a massage, aromatherapy, body
scrubs and other treatments. Amret Spa, 3 Street 57 (
T
023
997994; 9am-10pm), and Aziadée, 16A Street 282 (
T
023
996921; 9am-9pm), both have jacuzzis and offer a range
of treatments. Slightly more expensive are the blissful
massages, facials, wraps and beauty treatments on offer at
Bodia Spa, cnr Street 178 & Sothearos Blvd (
T
023 226119;
10am-11pm), while Sayana Rumdul, 1 Street 282 (
T
023
727158; 10am-10pm), offers waxing, steam rooms and all
styles of massage. Seeing Hands, set up with the help of an
NGO which works with the blind in Cambodia, offer anma,
Thai and shiatsu massage and reflexology; they're at
6 Street 178, just around the corner from the
FCC
(
T
012
234519; 8am-10pm; $8/hr), and at 12 Street 13, opposite
the post o
ce (
T
012 680934; same times and price).
Meditation and yoga
One-hour silent meditation
sessions are held at Wat Langka (Mon, Thurs & Sat 6pm,
Sun 8.30am; free), supervised by English-speaking monks.
Some wats have more yoga-orientated meditation classes,
and NataRaj Yoga, 52 Street 302 (
T
012 250817), has yoga
and Pilates classes for $9/session.
Running
The Hash House Harriers meet on Sun at 2.15pm
outside the train station at Monivong Blvd and Street 106
(
W
p2h3.com).
Swimming
The
Blue Lime
,
Cambodiana
,
Circa 51
,
Patio
and
252
hotels have pools open to non-residents for
around $5-7/visit; the fee is sometimes redeemable
against food and drink. The Phnom Penh Water Park on the
airport road has water slides and swimming pools (daily
9am-6pm; $3).
GETTING AROUND
Although it's possible to see many of Phnom Penh's sights on foot, the heat and humidity, allied with the city's tra
c and
dust, don't make
walking
a particularly pleasant experience. Pedestrians
never
have the right of way in Cambodia, and
Phnom Penh is a place to exercise 360-degree vision, even at tra
c lights and the striped, so-called pedestrian crossings.
Motos
,
tuk-tuks
and to a lesser extent
cyclos
are the workhorses of local transport, readily available all over town,
picking you up from the kerb and dropping you outside your destination.
BY MOTO
Fares
Around $1-2 per trip, more if you're travelling out of
the centre, in the rain, or after dark, when you might pay
$3-4. It may be safer to take a tuk-tuk at night.
Drivers
Some moto drivers speak a little English,
especially those who hang out around the riverfront and
other places where foreigners congregate. Elsewhere,
you'll find English-speaking drivers few and far between,
so it's useful to learn some landmarks, such as markets
and monuments, and have a map handy.
BY TUK
TUK
A fairly recent introduction to the capital, but now integral,
tuk-tuks are more comfortable than motos, especially
when two or more people are travelling together, or in the
rain, as they have roll-down side-curtains. Don't expect a
speedy trip though; tuk-tuks are powered by titchy
motorbikes and progress can be painfully slow, particularly
if there are a few people and their bags aboard.
Fares
Journeys around town cost $2-4 or about $15 for a
half-day.
