Cambodia - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 574

All narcotics, including marijuana, are illegal in Cambodia. However, marijuana is tradi-
tionally used in food preparation so you may find it sprinkled across some pizzas.
Many Western countries have laws that make sex offences committed overseas punish-
able at home.
MAPS
The best all-round map is Gecko's Cambodia Road Map at a 1:750,000 scale.
MONEY
» Cambodia's currency is the riel, abbreviated in our listings to a lower-case 'r' written
after the sum.
» The US dollar is accepted everywhere and by everyone, though change may arrive in ri-
el (handy when paying for things such as moto rides and drinks).
» When calculating change, the US dollar is usually rounded off to 4000r.
» Near the Thai border, many transactions are in Thai baht.
» Avoid ripped banknotes, which Cambodians often refuse.
ATMs
ATMs that accept debit cards and credit cards are found in all major cities and a growing
number of provincial towns and at border crossings.
Machines dispense US dollars or riel. Canadia Bank ATMs charge no transaction fees,
although they limit withdrawals on most cards to US$150 per day. ANZ Royal Bank
ATMs are friendly to Western plastic, but charge US$5 per transaction.
Bargaining
Bargaining is expected in local markets, when travelling by share taxi or moto and, some-
times, when taking a cheap room. The Khmers are not ruthless hagglers, so a persuasive
smile and a little friendly quibbling is usually enough to get a good price.
Credit Cards
Top-end hotels, airline offices and upmarket boutiques and restaurants generally accept
most major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, JCB, sometimes American Express), but they
usually pass the charges on to the customer, meaning an extra 3% or more on the bill.
Cash advances on credit cards are relatively easy to secure.
Tipping
Tipping is not traditionally expected here, but in a country as poor as Cambodia, a dollar
tip (or 5% to 10% on bigger bills) can go a long way.