Cambodia - Budget & Basics (circa '19)
SKINNY ON ‘BODIA
I solo traveled this trip and wasn’t there too long, so I don’t feel as much of an expert on this country as some, but had a positive experience overall! In both Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat, people have a very similar path of activities to do. In Phnom Penh, you visit the war museums and killing fields and in Angkor Wat, well, you visit temples! I felt very safe in Cambodia wherever I went, even when I was alone. Of course, back alleys in the dark by yourself are never THAT safe with roaming dogs.
Although I was only able to get to 2 cities in Cambodia (was in Ho Chi for a work trip and added some time on the backside for personal travel), I feel I got a decent overview of the country. I wish I had more time to visit a coast town and also a more off-the-beaten path town somewhere along the way. Those are always my favorite places to visit <3 Specific on my route and how long I spent in each city can be found in my post here.
budget -
Overall, Cambodia was more expensive than I thought it was going to be. I was only in 2 cities which are very big tourist towns, so that is likely part of it, but everything from entertainment to accommodation to dinner was more than expected (relative to Asia). I would say I traveled pretty “classically” as I do, but did spend a bit more on entertainment than I would have in an extended trip because I was squeezing stuff into just a couple days of travel. Also, note that visiting Angkor Wat is an expensive endeavor - the ticket alone was $62 for a 3-day pass (without transportation).
Here is also a summary of what I spent DAILY, on average, in my 7 days/6 nights in Cambodia! AVG daily spending of $49.11!
**Note that flights are not included in this. The expensive part of SE Asia is getting there :)
AVG Daily Spending - Cambodia
transportation -
Tuk-tuks - They also offered tours for Angkor for reasonable, so that’s an option! A LOT of tuk-tuk drivers in Angkor do know some English too and are very proud of the history of the temples, so renting out a tuk-tuk and driver for the day is DEFINITELY the way to go!! I felt people understood “No” and although persistent, they gave up once you made it clear you weren’t interested in their service (unlike India). On the way to the airport on my last day, I actually woke up a tuk-tuk driver who was napping to give me a ride :D Trust me when I say you will have no issues finding a ride!!
Buses - for any distance travel (i.e. moving between cities), I took the bus systems. The bus I booked from Ho Chi —> Phnom Penh was sort of interesting. It first started with a really late bus arrival, but this time, I was not the only one waiting for the bus at the station, so at least I knew I was in the right place. This bus also included a border crossing…(see below). I took a mini van from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap actually! It was a fine ride, can’t complain. Typical bus tickets are $10-14 depending on how far of ride, of course.
Border crossing: I did my research, BUT giving up my passport from the time I board the bus to after I get past immigration is somewhat unnerving. BUT EVERYONE WAS DOING IT. & ultimately, it got me through without a hitch. You do need exact cash though which the bus attendant also collected when I arrived. They shuffle you from one building to another until you get a stamp. I just followed the crowd and said “yes sir”.
TIP: always good rule of thumb, download the google offline map of the area or Maps.me so you can follow along with your drivers and be confident you are in the right direction - always a good thing!
food & drink -
As you can see by my limited food pics below, the food was less than satisfactory in Cambodia. It’s a strange mix of all SE Asian cuisine - specifically Thai and Vietnamese which makes sense as it borders both countries. The food was just nothing much to brag about. I felt like I was often eating only because I was hungry and nothing much more than that (unless it was night market ice cream!!). I ate a LOT of fresh baby pineapple for lunch. It was also really hot which can defeat your appetite as well. Friend rice was a definite staple!
Coffee: there are SO many coffee shops and all Cambodians LOVEEE Iced coffees. In the big cities like Phnom Penh, you will see all Western restaurants. You’ll be on a crossroads with KFC, The PIzza Company, and Popeyes. It’s nuts. They also have chain coffee shops that are loaded with college kids. I often found myself having a morning and afternoon coffee just because :) The sun and the heat takes a lot out of you.
I thought the food would definitely be cheaper; I actually thought everything in Cambodia would be cheaper. Breakfast was typically at least $3 and coffee was usually at least $2. Dinner is more expensive everywhere and was anywhere from $4-7 for a meal. (you can obviously find place that charge more than that, but that is a find-able price). All considered, it’s not terrible, but it’s all relative and maybe the fact that I was paying in dollars made me feel like I was spending more as I knew the currency I was dishing out :p
communication -
English speaking was okay…honestly better than my experiences in Vietnam, but many locals just know words they need to do business (classic Asia). Ex. the hostel workers could have conversation about your room and check-in, but the second you went off “script” with a WILD question like “where do you suggest to eat around here?”, you’d hit a dead end. D.E.A.D. But communication didn’t seem to be an issue overall. I was also in very tourist towns, see route above! Even tuk-tuk drivers could typically have some sort of conversation (see transportation section below)!
monies -
The main form of currency in Cambodia, to my pleasant surprise, is the USD. Idk why because they do have their own currency - may be something to do with economic stability or lack of in the past. However, they do not use coins; they use Cambodian bills for anything smaller than $1, so for the most part, you don’t need to worry about converting things.
As convenient as it was to not have to exchange money, I believe it made things more expensive; conveniently to vendors, everything cost at least a dollar. I also didn’t have an issue finding ATMs, but you betcha, they still come with your international fees :D
accommodation -
I mostly stayed at hostels while in Cambodia with my last night in a nicer hotel by myself! I typically stayed in 4-bedroom female dorms (typical when I’m solo traveling). A bed price was anywhere from $7-10, but could definitely be cheaper if you go in bigger rooms and lower rated hostels. In one of my hostels, I accidentally booked a mixed bed dorm and didn’t know it until I got home at night and there was a dude snoring below me - HELLOOOO. Honestly, between the smell, the mess, and the snoring, those are the main reasons female dorm >>> mixed dorm any day.
entertainment -
Killing Fields - see post here for some really sad photos of what you will get on this tour. Being in Phnom Penh, it’s difficult to not spend a day revisiting the horrible history of the Cambodian people that in all honesty, was not that long ago. Be prepared to spend a full day full of dark clouds over your head; it’s really graphic and heavy stuff. More details here!
TIP: if you plan to go out to the fields which are a ways out of town, ensure you have transportation planned or you may get stuck out there! Many tuk-tuk drivers will only book there and backs and will wait for you at the fields. If you only book there, be prepared to find your own way back! I’m sure you can be clever and make it work :) We ended up paying $15 for a driver to stay with us (~5hours).
“You have to know the past to understand the present. ”
Angkor Wat - I don’t even know where to start. First off, Angkor Wat was the first template I went to, for sunrise of course, but it was not my favorite temple. As tourism goes, all of the people FLOOD Angkor Wat for sunrise. See tips below! After that, there are certain “loops” that are popular. I did a loop with my hostel the first day and they just hauled us around in a big van. I am not a big fan on being on anyone else’s time, so much preferred exploring Day 2 - me and a couple other travelers rented a tuk-tuk driver for the day. Planning for 3 people vs 13 is much simpler :) We paid $20 to have him for the entire day! He was great, spoke some English, and loved chatting with us about the history of the temples. This was DEFINITELY the way to go! It’s incredible to visit this place and think about how long ago they were created. Not going to lie, some of the rocks appear to be in a pretty sketchy position…so just beware :p You are in Asia, after all. See lots of photos here!
TIP: We got there well before sunrise and made the decision to NOT cross the bridge like 99% of the thousands of people and hang back across the pond. Here was our sunrise pic - you know it’s a good spot when all of the tour guides start bringing their people next to you! The sun didn’t cooperate the best this day, but it was still need, anti-climatic, but an experience. Glad I had a coffee to sip while I was at it, let’s just say that :)
TIP: rent a tuk-tuk driver instead of doing tours through the hostel.
TIP: I suggest a 3-day pass even though I only used 2 of the days. I do feel like I saw enough temples, BUT would have loved to rent a bike (pedal bike) and done a good loop around some of the smaller/less visited temples.
Shopping - “Ladyyyyyyyyy - come shop" “You want to buy, Ladyyyyyy?” Get used to it because it’s the same phrases and same shi* on repeat. Shopping here and night markets are same, same as the rest of Asia. Always exciting until you realize all stores sell the same junk. Lots of scarves, elephant pants, shaved ice cream, you get it.
Night market: the night market in Siem Reap is pretty fun to people watch in! It completely transforms at night which is always fun. It seems to be a pretty big party city, but a lot of “let’s sit around on main street and sip a few and watch people”. You will find interesting performers trying to make some bucks, including the musically talented that are war victims and missing body parts :( Many restaurants on the main street have second stories with open tops / decks, so you can just sit on the “patio” essentially and have dinner and drinks while people watching below.
Self-care - this may be odd, but I typically indulge in self-care activities while in SE Asia because it’s actually reasonably priced and can be a nice relaxing activity in the evenings. However, I have some cautions against self-care in Cambodia….
Pedis: like all night markets in Asia, nail salons are everywhere. After walking past 10s of stands, I decided to give it a go as they were priced at like $3-4!!! I first got a pedicure which was mehhhh - if you are expecting the “Western” treatment and to get an equivalent amount of calf rubs, you best not attempt this. They really just paint your toes with bad nail polish and call it good.
Manis: very disappointing; I paid extra for gel and it was a joke. I was placed in a pedicure chain as had to hold things for the lady while she painted my nails. She was so sloppy and missed over half of my nail, so I asked her to do another coat and it was even worse. After 3-4 coats, I just gave up and accepted the fact that this was my decision and I should have known better - shame on me. Ugly painted nails are your punishment!!!
Brazilian: I did this and you can read the full excerpt in the Appendix of this blog. I know some of you will think I deserved this as I signed up to get a Brazilian in Cambodia…read at your own risk!
Overall, Cambodia was a lovely stop although I wish I had longer. I hear a lot of sweet things about the people of Cambodia, so sometime I will get out in the country-side, but my main objective of this short trip was to see Angkor Wat. CHECK.
Peace & love,
Asian Jen
Appendix: the time I got a Brazilian in Cambodia
Okay, so ya’ll are going to call me crazy, but this is the experience I would absolutely NOT recommend or do again. I have gotten Brazilian’s in Asia before (even India!), but only go to places that actually look like spas and are nice and not just a street vendor. Of course, these are delicate parts of my body and I don’t just let anyone do the upkeep. So I did my research - I found a nice spa with like the entire waterfall garden out front, hot tea served when you walk in, the works! Brazilian’s were also still like $30, so nothing like a $3 manicure, guys.
Why it wasn’t great: it all started like any wax starts and I wasn’t even realizing I was having a less than pleasant experience until we were about 90 minutes in…after I realized it had been 90 mins, I started moving around to signal “hey, are we almost done?”, but the lady could not speak English and was not cued. After another 30 minutes of being really uncomfortable (2 HOURS) and trying to figure out how to stay STOP without offending her, I decided to just get up and say “I’m done here”. If any of you have gotten a Brazilian, you know 2 hours in the bed is miserable, but when those 2 hours are spent repeatedly wax on/wax off the same area 5-7x, the patience gets lost. The worst part - the wax was SO sticky! Luckily, the room I was in had a full shower in it, so I jumped in the shower trying to scrub it off. After about 15 mins and 4-5 application of soap, I said good enough. You GUYS! This stuff was stuck on my body for the next 3 days at least. On my way out, they had me take a survey on my experience - I was honest and did not give a very good rating. One of the front desk people proceeded to come ask me about why I said it wasn’t pleasant - I explained the above things with respect and they told me that it was free and they wouldn’t have me pay for poor quality service. This was crazy to me as I had just gotten a terrible manicure the day before and was asked for a tip, but they were persistent. Now, I just pray that I am not the reason for this lady’s unemployment…..and let’s be real, I’ll probably attempt another wax the next time I’m in Asia :D
