[QUOTE=Girl From Mars]
Thanks Siam Sam - that’s exactly the sort of advice I was after. I do read the LP Thorn Tree too, but good to have exact questions answered. One further question -Phnom Penh, is it worth going to? I’ve heard good things on one hand, and also that it’s the ‘wild west’ on the other - unsure as to what we’ll find.
[/QUOTE]
I think Phnom Penh is definitely worth a look. While you could easily while away a whole week at Angkor Wat, four days is a good amount of time. But in Phnom Penh, the Killing Fields and the old Tuol Sleng torture center used by the Khmer Rouge (a former high school! and in a peaceful residential area to boot) alone are worth the trip. Phnom Penh seems to grow safer every year, BUT I would not wander the streets at night away from the river. You’re okay by the river at night (but still don’t carry lots of cash on you). In fact, I recommend that’s where you stay, by the river. It’s been awhile since we’ve been there, but we’ve stayed at the Riverside Hotel and been happy with that. We got a BIG river-view room for US35 a night, but that’s been a couple of years or so now, and prices may have gone up. It should still be a good deal for the money, though. I believe the back rooms have a nice view of Wat Phnom.
Another good riverside place to stay if you want to treat yourself is the Foreign Correspondents’ Club. You do NOT have to be a reporter to stay there. It’s mainly a restaurant/bar, but they have I think it’s three very nice rooms that they let out. Done out very nicely, and great views. (The minibar is clearly aimed at journalists, though, with liter bottles rather than those wimpy miniatures.) Maybe about $60 a night last I heard. Even if you don’t stay there, you must definitely stop by for a meal or a drink. The dining room looks straight out of the colonial area, and being on the top (third) floor, it’s a great place to nurse a beer while staring at the river.
Getting between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, you can take the bus or the river boat. The river boat is no great shakes, you really can’t see that much. It sounds better than it is. We’ve taken the boat because it was faster, but I believe the road between the two places may be good enough now that the bus is a much better option. (One nice thing about the boat between the two cities is that in Phnom Penh, it docks very close to the Riverside Hotel if you’re staying there. They said they would pick us up, then forgot, but we saw the hotel over about a block away and so just walked to it.) Check the Thorn Tree and Tales of Asia for the latest info in that regard. Under no circumstances should you take the train. Siem Reap is not serviced by the train, but there’s a station in Battambang. It’s not dangerous, it’s just SLOWWWW. You could almost walk to Phnom Penh faster! Really. People for a joke have actually gotten off the train while it’s running, kept up with it at a minor trot and boarded the next car ahead! I even started a thread about it a couple of months ago or so.
