Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BANTEAY MEANCHEY PROVINCE
Sandwiched between the casinos of Poipet, Cambodia's most important border crossing
with Thailand, and the glories of Angkor, agricultural Banteay Meanchey Province often
gets overlooked by travellers rushing on to Siem Reap or Battambang. Highlights include
the Angkorian temple of Banteay Chhmar and the rare birds of Ang Trapeng Thmor
Reserve.
LANDMINE ALERT!
Banteay Meanchey and Oddar Meanchey are among the most heavily mined provinces in Cambodia.
Do not, under any circumstances, stray from previously trodden paths. If you've got your own wheels,
travel only on roads or trails regularly used by locals.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Poipet
054 / POP 50,000
Long the armpit of Cambodia, notorious for its squalor, scams and sleaze, Poipet (poi-
peh
)
has recently splurged on a facelift and no longer looks like the postapocalyptic place it once
was. Thanks mainly to the patronage of neighbouring Thais, whose own country bans
gambling, its casino resorts - with names like Tropicana and Grand Diamond City - are
helping turn the town into the Las Vegas of Cambodia. However, beyond the border zone
it's still a chaotic, trash-strewn strip mall sprinkled with dodgy massage parlours. The Kh-
mers' gentle side is little in evidence, but don't worry, the rest of the country does not carry
on like this.
The faster you get used to making quick conversions between Cambodian riel, US dol-
lars and Thai baht, all of which are in use here, the easier: a good rule of thumb is 4000r =
US$1 = 30B.
Poipet extends southeast from the border (the filthy O Chrou stream) for a few kilo-
metres along NH5. Useful landmarks are Acleda Bank, 500m east of the border, and Cana-
dia Bank another 500m further on.
