Take some 100 percent DEET
No chance 🙂
Take some 100 percent DEET and lightweight long shirts and trousers.
Shirts need to be the closely woven travelling type - I had a mosquito bite me through an ordinary cotton t-shirt. 100% DEET is horrible stuff - it took the dye out of my water bottle and turned my hand blue - but it does seem to work.
Just returned. Thanks to all those who offered advice.
Wow. Cambodia is a pretty special place, still trying to put it all together in my head.
Beautiful people, beautiful scenery, incredible and at times upsetting history. If Cambodia doesn't stir [i]something[/i] inside you then you're probably dead.
We got off the beaten track, sometimes a biting off more than we could chew, which has left me with some amazing memories but a few hairy moments too. In our group we managed:
An electrocution (Khmer electrical work isn't the best!)
A dog bite necessitating a quick trip to Phnom Penh for a rabies shot
A cobra in our bungalow on Koh Rong that didn't want to leave
Crashing off a bamboo bridge into a ravine resulting in a sprained ankle and a 12 hour effort to rescue rider and motorbike
A poisonous spider bite that is still oozing something
Being robbed in the middle of the night as we slept
Getting caught in a storm at sea and the boat taking on water. All hands on deck moment until we eventually got to shore
A rear wheel puncture at 65mph with the rider miraculously staying upright
Being detained for 6 hours at a land border with Vietnam due to "irregularities" with our travel docs
Getting completely lost more times than I can remember
Having to step over a poor man in the street whose head had been taken off in an traffic accident, moments before we were due to start a long ride.
But...the people...it's all about the people. Even some of the smallest interactions I had will stay with me.
Despite the "exciting" moments, I can honestly say I wouldn't change anything and Cambodia has totally won me over.
If you've never been....go now.
Sounds like you got just what you were after, and then some.
I'll always be a little annoyed that I never quite made it there, during the years when [i]that[/i] sort of trip was a possibility.
Any pics, just to make us all marginally sicker?
peterfile +1 mate, we had quite simply a great trip, will return one the mini me's are older.
Still to sort through the photos, but the other morning I was having trouble sleeping on Koh Rong due to the stifling humidity, so I headed to the beach to sleep in a hammock and take advantage of the breeze.
I woke up to this just after sunrise, whipped my phone out of my pocket while still in the hammock and took a quick picture before lying back again and enjoying just being there, listening to the waves and knowing that I didn't need to move for hours 🙂
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peterfile - MemberHaving to step over a poor man in the street whose head had been taken off in an traffic accident, moments before we were due to start a long ride.
Pic please ... 😯
I was at the border town in Laos this summer. We just crossed over from Thailand but what paper check? Where are the immigration? 😆
Pic please ...
The sooner I can get the image out of my head, the better 🙁
I found flying into the domestic terminal at Phnom Penh quite amusing...we just got off the plane, walked across the tarmac and all of a sudden we were in the street! We had to walk back under a little shelter to collect our bags, but you could pass freely between the city, baggage collection and runway!!!! 🙂
peterfile - MemberPic please ...
The sooner I can get the image out of my head, the better
Ya, I guess I was in another part of SE Asia where people usually gather around simply to take a snap of the accident with their mobile phone ...
I found flying into Phnom Penh quite amusing...we just got off the plane, walked across the tarmac and all of a sudden we were in the street! We had to walk back under a little shelter to collect our bags, but you could pass freely between the city, baggage collection and runway!!!!
That's freedom for you.
I was stopped by the custom officers in M'sia coming back from Thailand with Thai machetes. Apparently they considered them weapons but upon hearing that I came from the same region/state they let me off. I left my "weapons" in Borneo so perhaps I will bring it back to GeordieLand next trip. 😆
People are generally friendly but never piss them off ...
Oh ya ... post some pics of you trip please.
Pics!
Loved my trip to Cambodia. Laos is next on the list.
A few snaps for those who want to reminisce and for those who are considering going....
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Loving the photos. You must have been at Angkor really early for those.
It takes me back to 2010/11 when I did a month long trip with 2 weeks in Laos and 2 in Cambodia.
It looks like you covered similar ground with Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Kampot, Kep, Rabbit Island?
Top stuff! Glad you enjoyed it. Although it would have been hard not to.
Edit: Realise now you went further west too. Would have liked to have done that if we had the time
Edit: Did anyone else want to buy a 50-125cc plastic Honda/Yamaha scooter upon their return?
Loving the photos. You must have been at Angkor really early for those.
Believe it or not, we did the opposite. We were recommended a proper guide (one of the official ones who some sort of Angkor Wat course at college/university) who was worth his weight in gold. We hit all the temples at off peak times (ie breakfast, lunch, hottest part of the day etc), when all the large groups were back at their hotels. Was a little unbearable in the heat, but worth it because we had the places almost to ourselves.
We did....Saigon -> Siem Reap -> Phnom Penh -> Sihanoukville -> Koh Rong -> Kampot -> Bokor Mountain/Kep -> Ha Tien -> Phu Quoc -> Saigon.
We managed to bag some 250cc bikes. Mine even had a working speedo...70mph+ on Bokor Mountain was fun!
dude, this makes me want to go back, two years since my 3 weeks there. fabulous place, fabulous people. hope tourism doesn't ruin it anytime soon. sigh.
We managed to bag some 250cc bikes. Mine even had a working speedo...70mph+ on Bokor Mountain was fun!
Made all the more special by wearing nothing but shorts, shades and an ill fitting horse riding helmet no doubt 🙂
Very jealous. It's a great part of the world.
Made all the more special by wearing nothing but shorts, shades and an ill fitting horse riding helmet no doubt
I had factor 50 sun cream on, so felt pretty safe to be honest 🙂
There's a bit on Bokor on the way back down where you come out of a few tight turns and the jungle opens up to a HUGE (2 mile+) straight and the natural reaction is to just open up. I did exactly that and hit about 75mph before my heart stopped as I suddenly remembered I'd crossed railway tracks on the way up 🙁 Hit the tracks flat out. Both feet were kicked off and the bike was all over the place. No idea how I didn't come off. Took it quite a bit easier after that.
But that mountain road...jeez....60km+ of racetrack....couldn't stop smiling
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Haha! What was it Missy Giove said? Sometimes it's worse afterwards reliving the near crash than actually getting through it. Or something like that.
Serious question - was anything said about the water being drained out from under Angkor Wat? I read an article a few years ago about the new larger hotels, as well as Siem Reap becoming a more popular destination, using so much water that the table was dropping in the sandy soil, causing temples to sink.
There's obviously some 'must-take' shots at Angkor. 😉
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I love Cambodia. I've been twice, first time by boat from Vietnam and the second time by air from KL.
The temples at Siem Reap and also the awe inspiring barays are incredible.
I've also spent time in PP (which was nice) and Battambang.
Good to see Beng Mealea mentioned. Fantastic temple. Good hotels can beg found for very little. The food is delicious. The people are some of the friendliest I have met.
Enjoy.
You account of it is exactly how I felt. It's a crazy but special place. All about the people. Would love to go back one day.
don't spend $20 to chuck a hand granade into a dirty pond, it's crap!
