Cambodia mini-trip

[StevePER]

I'm off to Cambodia for three days in a couple of weeks by myself. No, three days isn't very long. And no, I've never been on holiday by myself before. What happened was my wife went to Bali for three days, so I needed a three day child-free holiday as well. The initial plan was New Zealand but the flights were too inefficient. So Cambodia it is.

Here's the plan:

Tuesday
SQ216 PER-SIN 0110 0635 (business)
MI622 SIN-REP 0840 0950 (business)
Angkor Wat and surrounds.

Wednesday
Beng Mealea, Beanteay Srey temple and K'bal Spean.

Thursday
Maybe back to Angkor Wat for sunrise? Sleep is for the weak.
K6100 REP-PNH 0840 0925
Oudong, Royal Palace, and Silver Pagoda. Russian Market if time permits.
TG585 PNH-BKK 2025 2130 (business)
TG483 BKK-PER 2359 0745+1 (business)

The SQ/MI flights are a Krisflyer redemption, the TG flights are a Diamond Club redemption, and the K6 flight (that's Cambodia Angkor Air) was US$88. Originally my return flight was going to be out of Vientiane, but that proved to be too ambitious.

I'm not quite sure how to approach this with regards to luggage. Hand luggage only would be preferable, but the camera uses up a fair bit of space and weight (Nikon D50, 30mm f1.4, 85mm f1.4, 18-55 and 70-300 kit lenses). Yes, I'm due for a new camera but that would be irresponsible given that we just bought a new house and have two mortgages. And before anyone mentions it, spending a fair bit of money to go overseas for three days is completely different.

Any other tips for making the most of this short trip?

Steve

 

[wingspan]

Sounds like a great short getaway, Steve! My partner and I were in Cambodia a couple of months ago for not much longer than you and we were able to do and see quite a lot.

The sunrise and sunsets are lovely but they really are full of tourists. It's hard to move about and very, very hard to get a good photograph. Next time I go, I'm not sure I'd bother with them. But if you get to the right spot at the right time then maybe you could get some shots? I hope you do, if you end up planning for that. But otherwise, I'm sure you can see plenty with the two days that you have planned already.

I really enjoyed the Russian Market. I loved walking through to the rather dingy but delicious food stalls in the centre. Although my partner wasn't feeling too confident about the meat, but I figured my stomach was already feeling rather funny anyway, so what harm could be done, right? So if you do get time, go there for lunch. Otherwise, there is plenty of great lunch to be found around the Royal Palace area.

Enjoy!

 

[StevePER]

I had a PM asking me for any tips, so I figured I might as well post them here.

Get an electronic visa for Cambodia, it speeds up your arrival. Around Siem Reap, definitely see Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. I had lunch at the fancy restaurant near Angkor Wat (I think it's called Angkor Cafe). The air conditioning was good but the food was disappointing. I enjoyed the trip out to Beng Mealea for something a bit different if you're willing to go climbing over the ruins. Go in a car and go early to beat the crowds. Tuk-tuks were fine for going everywhere else. The museum in Siem Reap is quite good but relatively expensive, and you can't take photos. If you're planning to go there, consider doing it first before going to the temples.

In Phnom Penh, the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda were very good. Going out to Oudong didn't meet expectations, but I think that was partly due to the driver/guide I was with. The kids who were following us around up there seemed more knowledgeable, even if they were only doing it to make a few dollars. The restaurant I went to for lunch in Phnom Penh was cheap ($3.50 mains, $0.80 beers) and the food was good. I can find the name of it if anyone is interested.

Don't get to Phnom Penh airport too early because you can't check in (I think it opened about 2 hours prior to departure). The lounge at Phnom Penh was surprisingly good!

Trip report on Airliners.net: Perth To Cambodia And Back With SQ, MI, K6 And TG — Trip Reports Forum | Airliners.net

Photos (currently incomplete): Cambodia 2012