Cambodia - Punch Line (22.12.2013)

HERE IS THE SUMMARY OF MY SPENDING IN CAMBODIA

HERE IS THE SUMMARY OF MY BUS TRAVEL IN CAMBODIA

From Phnom Penh to Don Det (Laos).

FEW KHMER WORDS

- Hello: sous-dey
- Hello, how are you: naek sok sabai teh?
- Goodbye: leah seun hai
- Fine, thank you: sok sabai
- Thank you: Aw khun
- Please: soum
- Excuse me: soum toh
- I'm sorry: soum dtoh
- Good morning: arun sous-dey
- Good afternoon: tiveah sous-dey
- Good night: reatrey sous-dey

I LIKED

- Food & drinks (Amok, Cambodian coffee, Fruit Shakes, Lok Lak, ...)
- Kep & Kampot, just perfect to relax
- Angkor Archaeological Park
- 6 days Jungle Trek in Banlung
- Philippe, the Swiss

I DIDN'T LIKE

- Phnom Penh
- Bus transportations

Cambodia - Banlung / Virachey National Park (22.12.2013)

After Siem Reap, I went to Banlung by bus (14h).

Banlung is the capital of Ratanakiri province in the northeastern of Cambodia between the Vietnam and Laos borders.
It's the starting point of the treks in the Virachey National Park.

In the bus, I met a guy from Zurich in Switzerland (Phillippe).

The first day, we rented bicycles to go to the Yeak Laom lake (a crater with water).
The second day we booked a 6 days treking in the Virachey National Park with a ranger and a local guide.

The trek wasn't difficult. But, it rained a lot and it was really humid. There was a lot of leeches.

Anyway, it was nice. We met Khmer minority people and we survived in the jungle.

Thanks again to Phillippe.

Cambodia - Siem Reap / Angkor (22.12.2013)

Sorry, I'm a little bit late about my blog.
But, I'm on a small island in the south of Laos (Don Det, 4000 islands) and the internet 3G connection of my accomodation is crap.

So, I arrived in Siem Reap on Sunday 8th of December.
I stayed there 2 days and 3 nights.

Siem Reap is the gateway to visit the famous Angkor archaeological site (UNESCO World Heritage).

I rented a bicycle for 2 days.

The first day, I biked in the city and I went to Angkor for the sunset.
In fact if you buy a ticket at 5pm it's still valid for the next day (20$).

The second day I woke up at 4h30am to go to Angkor Wat for the sunrise and visit few temples.

When I biked early in the morning to go to Angkor Wat two guys with a scooter tried to steal my little backpack which was in the front basket of my bicycle.
Fortunately, I put the padlock to lock it to my bicycle.

Cambodia - Kampot (10.12.2013)

Kampot is not very far from Kep (45 minutes by bus).
It's a quiet place well known for its salt and pepper.

I stayed there 3 days.

The first day I booked a tour to go to the Bokor National Park (or Preah Monivong National Park).
At the top, there is a place called Bokor Hill Station.
It's a ghost town which was built in the 20s as a resort by the colonial French settlers.

At the end of the day (during the sunset), I did a little boat cruise on the Kampot river.

The last two days, I rented a bike to explore the surroundings.
I also appreciated the cheap food (amok, curry, ...) and drink (draft beer, fruit shake, ...).