18
In Thailand, there's a superstition that wai'ing someone younger than yourself takes a year (maybe years?) off of their life.
A couple of times when I have wai'ed Thai friends that were noticeably younger than me, I was chided (mostly jokingly) that I had shortened their life.
17
First, requests like this are very often scams by people impersonating relatives, so make absolutely sure it's actually your son contacting you. If he has access to email, that means he also has access to a mobile/computer that can do a quick Skype call so you can verify it's him. (Yes, Cambodia has tons of Internet cafes and good mobile coverage.)
If it ...
16
I discovered this method last year when I was in Asia, possibly when I was already in Cambodia. At that time I found multiple threads of various forums discussing it but I'll answer now off the top of my head and try to come back and add some links afterward.
You can't do this on a tourist visa, but
It's just as easy to get a business visa for Cambodia as a ...
14
Most typical Thai food is very flavorful. There is certainly a fare share of spicy dishes but there are also plenty of other flavors, herbal, fragrant, salty and sweet. Obviously, the difficult part is knowing which is which!
Many of the dishes are not so spicy or salty themselves. Instead, restaurant tables come with small bowls of Nam Pla with chopped ...
13
This is the temporary shack on the Cambodian side. You can see the elaborate roof of the bigger newer building hiding behind the welcome sign. This was January 2015. The new building may be open by now.
The Lao side at the time looked more substantial. I don't recall an ATM or a bank. Maybe but I kinda don't think there was.
I would get US dollars before ...
12
Two weeks is a decent amount of time to explore Cambodia. Here are a couple of my recommendations:
Siem Reap: The Angkor Wat and surrounding temples can either be covered in a day, or over a couple of days. This is important because you need to buy a pass, and there are passes of different durations: 1-day ($20), 3-day ($40) etc. There's a 7-day pass too ...
12
I walked from the hostel zone near the Independence Monument to the immigration office, opposite the airport (a long way, not recommended for people less crazy than me).
Apparently a tuk-tuk would be about $9/$10 but we discovered there is a comfortable air-conditioned city bus to the airport for KHR 1,500 (37 and a half cents!) which runs along ...
12
I'll post as an answer but this is more of an update to @hippietrail answer.
I actually crossed the border today (Laos -> Cambodia). The tenporary shack is still there, still in use. No sign of an atm directly at the border (on either side of it).
In Stung Treng (Cambodian side, kilometres away) there are some atms (with US dollars). At the bus station of ...
12
Vietnamese Pho (most variants anyway- iirc Hue type is already spicy) noodle soup have the spice optionally added by the end user. Similarly the rice and vermicelli dishes are not inherently spicy (the fish sauce may not be to their liking but again that's typically on the side). The little baguettes (banh mi) are typically a bit spicy and include stuff like ...
11
Here's a recent article from the Phnom Penh Post:
Dealing in turtles is mostly illegal in Cambodia, where six of the 14
turtle species are endangered, some critically. The only legitimate
options are to import them or buy from the single licensed farm. But a
thriving trade that stretches from small provincial restaurants in
Cambodia to Hong Kong ...
11
I hacked up a basic version of such an app as a single-page of HTML with Javascript.
Then MeNoTalk came along and made it pretty!
When you edit any of the fields in the "price" or "paid" sections, all the other fields update. Not as you type but when you hit enter after editing. The bottom section tells you how much change you should get.
It's doesn't ...
11
NO IT IS NOT OPEN TO FOREIGNERS!
My suspicions this time turned out to be warranted. I arrived at the Chrey Thum border checkpoint at 5.30pm yesterday afternoon.
Even though I intended to spend a night in a guesthouse and cross today I thought it prudent to wander down and talk to the guards.
There was a language barrier but they nonetheless made it quite ...
10
The ferries between Koh Kong and Sihanoukville ended a few years ago, and the service seems unlikely to return. Between the paving of the southern road, the rise in fuel prices, and the fall in foreign tourism it is no longer economically feasible, and despite the election of the Shinawatra government, tensions between the two countries are high due to ...
10
Getting to Aranya Pratet via train or bus from Bangkok
There are 2 trains that leave from Bangkok daily for this town; The first train is at 5:55am from Hualamphong and the second is at 13:05pm. The tickets cost 48 baht and are available only on the day of travel. The trains do tend to get delayed along the way, so unless you have plans to break up your ...
10
It’s not advisable, but you can overstay your Cambodian visa at a cost of $5 a day for the first 30 days and $6 a day after that, payable at Immigration on your way out of the country.
If you plan to only stay a few days more than 30, this is often cheaper than getting a visa extension. However, be warned that you’ll need exact change in US dollars. If ...
10
Cheapest option is to take a train from Bangkok to Aryanaprathet (town on the thai side of the border), then go to the immigration office, then cross the border, then get to cambodian side (Poi Pet).
Now you just have to avoid scammers, don't trust anyone who don't have a police or immigration uniform. Buy your visa at cambodian immigration office, then pass ...
10
Wow I got a reply from the consular section of the Russian Embassy to Cambodia already!
For all types of visa for Australian citizens:
Single Entry Visa
100 USD 7 business days processing
200 USD 3 business days processing
Double Entry Visa
200 USD 7 business days processing
335 USD 3 business days processing
Multiple Entry Visa
...
9
The Minibus from the Oasisbar in Ha Tien to Kampot via Kep leaves at noon as I mention in this answer. Though the motorbike taxis leave whenever you want. And yes it is not as safe as in a car. Though the driver can take your backpack between his legs in front of him like shown in the picture.
So you either take a little risk or get the minivan at noon. :-)...
9
I'm pretty sure you don't have to see a doctor to get penicillin in Cambodia, I got some antibiotics from a nurse on Koh Rong. And pharmacy staff will definitely understand "penicillin".
Still, it might be a good idea to see a doctor anyway instead of self-diagnosing and self-medicating.
Best ask your hotel/hostel's staff, they should know a doctor who ...
9
Thailand-specific advice here from someone who doesn’t tolerate any spice at all.
In my experience, in Thailand there’s a huge number of small low-key local shops serving basic meals like rice/noodles + chicken/beef 100% bland by default, with spices available on tables.
My go-to option in an unfamiliar location would be a chicken rice. It’d generally be a ...
9
I can't answer the general question, but for your specific case, at last check Cambodia does not require proof of onward travel at all.
8
Well according to Wikitravel:
The nearest Cambodian town is Stung Treng, and the border is a 90-minute speedboat or bus ride away. Note that the border is lightly used, with almost no onward public transport available at the border (therefore book through transport from Stung Treng to Ban Nakasang for Si Phan Don/Don Det) and both customs officers and ...
8
Mark's answer covers most parts so I'll throw in a couple of notes from my experience:
The on-arrival visa is a single-entry visa; the same visa won't allow you to get back from Laos. You could get an ordinary visa or a business visa (the type 'E' that Mark refers to) but by default these are single entry, and you need to get an extension to get multiple ...
8
For Laos, Canadian citizens require a Single Entry visa, valid for up to 60 days.
Cambodia you require a single entry visa, valid for 90 days.
However, in both cases, while they're valid for 60 and 90 days respectively, this is just the period after application during which you enter, and you can only actually stay in each country for 30 days, or when ...
8
I can't vouch for micro SIMs, but this wiki (very handy) will give you the lowdown on getting prepaid SIMs most everywhere you need to go. Shops or airport kiosks will probably know more about getting a micro SIM. If all else fails, though, you can use a SIM cutter.
8
Recently while planning my trip to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, I did a little research: I am not sure about direct buses from Siem Reap. However, Stueng Traeng is about 5 hours. From there, you can get a mini bus connection to Pakse. This takes about another 5 hours. From Pakse it is an overnight sleeper to Vientiane. If you have time, it is advisable to ...
8
While not exactly casual, there's an organization called "Learn Khmer Language - Siem Reap" that's specialized in teaching the Khmer language to foreigners. The organization seems to be active as of late 2016. Their fees per hour are:
4$ with a group of 3-4 people
5$ with a group of 2 people
8$ for individual
I believe $4 would be small enough ...
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