| In Cambodia, Angkor Wat is the main draw for tourism | | | | schools are many in Sihanoukville, so you can almost |
| today, and rightly so, called the Crown Jewel of South | | | | always find someone to speak English when you need |
| East Asia the temple complexes' 40 Sq Kilometers' of | | | | it. |
| temples is famous the world over, but now, more | | | | Money use to be a problem as you had to go inside |
| people are visiting the rest of Cambodia and the word | | | | the banks to get cash and with 26 holidays on the |
| of mouth is that the rest of the Cambodia is worth a | | | | Cambodian calendar, you could get stuck with out |
| visit as well. The Beach resort of Sihanoukville is fast | | | | cash for a few days, now there are ATM locations in |
| becoming a holiday destination in its own right, with lots | | | | Siem Reap- Angkor Wat, Phnom Penh, Battembong |
| of islands and parks and things to do from hiking and | | | | and Sihanoukville. You can change just about every |
| exploring, scuba diving & snorkeling and boat rides, | | | | currency including Yen, Euros, Baht, Kip, Dong, and Sing |
| water falls, jungle treks and chilling in a hammock in a | | | | Dollars. US Dollars and Cambodian Riel are the two |
| quiet beach park reading a good book. Culturally there | | | | most common currencies in use. |
| are the markets, the local wats and the schools, | | | | Sihanoukville is getting easier to get to with cheap |
| where many come to donate time and money | | | | international flights into Bangkok and really cheap |
| towards educating the kids. | | | | regional flights into Phnom Penh. Flights into |
| Sihanoukville has a 5 star resort on its own kilometer | | | | Sihanoukville are very close to being a reality as well. |
| long private beach. The pool could be classified as a | | | | Regularly scheduled busses from Phnom Penh will get |
| small lake and is almost visible from space, complete | | | | you to Sihanoukville in 4 hours on a excellent American |
| with a bridge to its own little island. The hotel is only 2 | | | | built road. You can also arrange taxis and vans for |
| years old and has a staff to guest ratio of 4/1. The | | | | moving groups of people, and an established over |
| prices for comparable hotels in South East Asia would | | | | water route form Bangkok to Trat to the Had Lek - |
| be substantially higher. | | | | Klang Yai border to Sihanoukville. You might even |
| If you are a budget traveler then Sihanoukville is your | | | | arrive here via a cruise ships, as more are placing |
| place as well, there are many rooms available with air | | | | Sihanoukville on their itineraries. |
| con, hot water, refrigerator and Cable TV for $10 - | | | | The Islands of Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand are |
| $20 a night and if you want a place to stay for 6 | | | | mostly uninhabited; you will find isolated Spartan fishing |
| months or more, you can get a business visa at the | | | | villages with populations normally fewer than 100 |
| border on demand and stay as long as you like, works | | | | people. One Island, Koh Tang, has only 7 residents and |
| out to around $1 a day for the visa extensions, making | | | | would take the better part of a day to hike around, so |
| the town attractive to pensioners and semi retired | | | | if you are looking for that deserted island to strand |
| people. | | | | yourself on, to work on your coconut carving and ship |
| Backpackers also like Sihanoukville with a few places | | | | in a bottle skills there are many here to chose from, |
| offering 50 cent tall cold beers and cheap food starting | | | | bring your own hammock and Gal Friday or they can |
| at $.50. Some are also finding work as bar tenders | | | | be acquired here in Sihanoukville. |
| and working the restaurants. Backpacker hostels start | | | | The Cambodia of the past always seemed to bring up |
| as low as free, Yup free, all you have do is buy one of | | | | horrific images of the past misfortunes that the |
| your meals at the lodging and the price for the food is | | | | Khmers suffered at the end of the Vietnam War. |
| still cheap $1.50 to 2.50 a plate. | | | | Even today, the genocide in Cambodia is still in the |
| One local expert expat's guess's that there are more | | | | news as the country has its tribunal to hopefully put |
| western owned business per population in Sihanoukville | | | | the events behind them, |
| than any other place in Asia! Many are coming and | | | | One of the few backhanded benefits of the recent |
| starting guesthouses & hotels, small bed and | | | | past history was that Cambodia missed out on all of |
| breakfast places, restaurants and bars and small | | | | the heavy industrialization, that the other countries in |
| resorts with a few starting to pop up on the islands off | | | | the region experienced, notably Thailand and Vietnam; |
| the coast. Want to rent your own fantasy island for a | | | | which means that they missed out on the pollution that |
| week check out Magic Island? | | | | goes with it. A UN survey of the waters in Asia, that |
| Logistically everything that you will need is here | | | | included Cambodia, found only 3 areas of concern for |
| including reliable electricity, internet, and western | | | | ocean water quality near shore, where as Vietnam |
| restaurants as well as a lot of Asian European | | | | and Thailand, had allot problem locations, mostly from |
| specialty foods prepared with the western travelers | | | | the industrial pollutions and shrimp farms. This may |
| tastes in mind including Khmer seafood, Thai, | | | | change, unfortunately, as oil has been found in |
| Vietnamese, French, Italian, German, Russian, Indian, Sri | | | | Cambodia and the drilling of exploration holes has |
| Lankan and more coming soon. English languages | | | | begun. So now is a really good time to come. |