Phnom Penh was so different from Siem Reap. It's hard to write about how great this city is because the majority of what you see here is so depressing. Walking through the Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng torture prison is so hard for the human soul to understand and endure. One thing that was so odd about the Killing Fields was the juxtaposit...

Along with most other tourists, our primary reason for visiting Cambodia was to see the temples of Angkor. These are accessible from the town of Siem Reap, in the north of the country. However, the flight between Bangkok and Siem Reap, which is only 45 minutes long, is extortionately expensive. (Namely due to there being only one airline flying ...

After the fisasco of the border crossing, we made off towards the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. The contrast with Vietnam was immediately noticeable. Dusty, arid conditions across vast flat plains stretching as far as the eye could see, yet somehow interspersed with bright green clumps of trees and shrubs. Still one of the poorest countries i...

We get an early bus to the Mikong river where we get onto a small motor boat. This takes us to visit the floating market - we're told it'sbest to see it before 9 (it's now after 10) as that's when it's busy. It just looks like boats moored in the river but you can see that some of them have piles of whatever they're selling on the deck. We carry...

Phnom Penh Days 84-86 Second time lucky, I arrive in Phnom Penh with all my necessary documentation and keen to get some more, I still haven't got my Indian Visa and Cambodia seems a far more preferable place than Bangkok to while away the days it takes for gears of Indian bureaucracy to kick into action. I check into a geusthouse on the notorio...

Today is our final harrah in Cambodia... A little sad about that fact because the people here are so nice and accommodating. Apart from here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia is like a big country town - very quiet, cows wandering down the street, everyone seems to know one another and theres lots of dirt. The biggest difference really between country Oz ...

We left Kampot for Phnom Penh where we hoped to find a connection to Ratnakari, the rugged north east of the country which is supposed to be pretty spectacular. The bus journey involved the usual theatrics except this time, without the Karoke! This was an extremely welcome surprise and we landed like clockwork at Central Market, the heart of Phn...

After three hours on the boat from the border, we had to sit on a bus for an hour and a half before we finally arrived in Phnom Penh. The bumpy ride revived memories of my Bolivian experiences and I was glad when we evntually arrived as hunger had really kicked in at this point also. The bus left us right at the backpacker part of town, beside t...

Six hours on a bus from Siem Reap was a test of my tolerance against air conditioning and karaoke blaring out of the speakers. A light comic relief was provided when the driver discovered that one of the tyres was going flat. A few guys bradished a long exhaust pipe that acted as a device to unscrew and screw nuts and bolts. Impressive display o...

The capital of Cambodia is a relatively small city, poverty is certainly abundant however the people are great and the city has bundles of character. The backpacker area near the lake where we stayed was a great place and had a vibrant atmosphere. I was told that in Cambodia approximately 40% of the population is under 20. This is a huge figure ...