Cambodia is located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula which is in Southeast Asia. 181,035 square kilometers in area, Cambodia is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest.
Climate and the Best time to have a Visit
Cambodia experiences a dry season from October to April. The wet season is from May to September-end. As an ideal one, November to April is ideal for exploring the Southern Coast. January can be spent exploring Siem Reap’s temples and also the beaches on the Southern Coast. Talking about the wet season, it is a blessing when all the dust disappears. There is greenery all around. The place is least crowded so it allows you to benefit from the seasonal offers.
How to Reach this beautiful place
Cambodia offers convenient, safe and timely air connectivity. It has 3 airports. The commercial airline services are – the Phnom Penh International Airport, Sihanoukville International Airport, and Siem Reap International Airport. Among them the most popular airport is the Phnom Penh International Airport. It is regularly served by airlines. There are approximately 420 connecting flights per week, provided by major domestic and international airlines. The airlines are like Vistara, Air India, AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Emirates, Jet Airways, etc.
Shopping
Here comes the main topic especially for girls out right there. Cambodia offers wonderful things to buy. They are definitely worth every penny you spend. They include traditional Cambodian silk, silver jewelry, basketry items, sculptured works, Cambodian Krama, and Kampot pepper.
Cuisines
Every meal here has a primary ingredient which is rice. They use rich and bold flavors. Khmer Red Curry, Beef Saraman Curry, Prahok Ktis, Loc Lac, Kampot pepper crab, and Grilled meat and fish are the most delicious and must-try dishes of Cambodia.
Places to visit in Cambodia
1. Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap Cambodia
You would be amazed to see the number of tourists who come at 5:30am. All you have to do is to beat the crowds and find an optimum place to view it. Angkor Wat was built over the course of thirty years in the 1100’s. It was built as a home for King Suryavarman II. And after his death, was unknown and undiscovered. This was until France colonized Cambodia in the mid 1800’s. It is now considered one of the Wonders of the World. Do not forget to beware of monkeys. They will grab stuff out of your hands.
2. Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Locals pronounce this temple “Uncle Tom”. It hasn’t been restored to the degree of Angkor Wat. Despite of the fact, it does have several interesting elements. It is an entry bridge flanked by 54 stone warriors. They seem to be playing tug-of-war with the sacred Naga Snake. Another fact is that most of the warriors’ heads are missing.
3. Ta Prohm, Siem Reap, Cambodia
The “Tomb Raider” Temple was left as found. It had crumbling walls intertwined with tree roots. It was done to show tourists the state in which the rest of the surrounding temples were discovered. It is definitely worth visiting place of Cambodia.
4. Artisans Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia
If you want to watch artisans at work then you can do this in this trade school for disadvantaged Cambodians. Also, you can shop at the colorful store where authentic goods fly off the shelves. Trust me you are going to find everything from fashion to furniture and definitely not one bit of junk.
5. New Hope Restaurant, Siem Reap.
It is here that you are not only going to enjoy one of the best meals, but you’ll feel good to know that this is a trade school. It is for former sex workers. It is an elementary school for at-risk kids and a local free medical clinic.
The once head chef of a Siem Reap 5 star hotel runs the training restaurant.
6. Sunset Tour, Quad Adventures Cambodia, Siem Reap
It is definitely suggested to keep your faces covered at all times. This is as the rural dirt roads on the outskirts of Siem Reap are rutted and mogul-like. You have to take this if you want to do High Five to the smiling village kids lined up. You will love the sunset in the rice paddies. You can take pictures until the last sliver of the sun disappears from the horizon. You have to book in advance though.
7. Take a Tuk-Tuk
You can take this to Downtown Siem Reap. This nimble mode of transportation. It is essentially a 4 person carriage pulled by a motorcycle. It congests every alley, lane, and road in Siem Reap. You don’t have to wait for long as it takes just a few minutes to get to.
8. Pub Street and Siem Reap Night Market
It is an area with the vibe of New Orleans at Mardi Gras. Here, there are plenty of restaurants and “spas”. You can begin with the lip-smacking cocktail and enjoy your feet in one of the many “fish pedicure” tanks out on the streets. You will find great deals in the Night Market. For example, knock-off Ray Bans hastily produced paintings etc.
9. Lotus Blanc, Siem Reap Hotel
If you are going to Cambodia you definitely need to find a place to stay in. This is not a Raffles or Four Seasons, FYI. In actual it is a 4-star hotel with rates as low as $75/night. There is extremely high and friendly standard of service. It will surely impress you. Staff is too eager to please, rooms are modern. Overall it is a bunch of qualities and I would totally suggest you stay here and give a rest to your pockets.
10. Tonle Sap Lake
11. Southwestern Beach, Koh Rong Southwestern beach
Koh Rong is easily one of the Gulf of Thailand’s most gorgeous islands. It is with 43 kilometers of beach. Talking about the southwestern side of Koh Rong, the beach stretches for nearly five kilometers untouched white sand which is fringed with palm trees and dazzling turquoise waters.
Coming to the southernmost end of this beach, there are rocks where snorkelers can watch schools of colorful rabbitfish and parrot fish.
You can catch a boat to Koh Rong from Sihanoukville with any of the guesthouses on the island. The total time that the trip takes is between two to three hours.
12. Koh Thmei beach, Ream National Park
The very first thing I would like to tell here is that you need not buy seashells on this beach. They’re all free.
Ream National Park is home to some of Cambodia’s most exquisite beaches. It includes those on Koh Thmei which is a small island flanked by mangrove forests.
Koh Thmei is uninhabited, one exception here is a set of bungalows and dozens of different species of birds. It is a sea of thousands of glittering shells. Stating about the beach to the east of the dock, it is lovely pine-shaded yellow sand. Apart from this, if you get there early enough, you can catch a beautiful sunrise.