Vietnam Cambodia Trip 2020.docx Updated 02/01/2020 10:06:00 Vietnam/Cambodia Trip 2020 Route Overview https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Ho+Chi+Minh+City,+Vietnam/Phnom+Penh/Krong+Siem+Reap/Battambang,+Cambodia/12.3064902,103.0981388/Koh+Kong+Beach,+Cambodia/Krong+Preah+Sihanouk/R%E1%BA%A1ch+Gi%C3%A1/An+B%C3%ACnh/Ho+Chi+Minh+City,+Vietnam/@11.6067771,103.5941893,8.14z/data=!4m62!4m61!1m5!1m1!1s0x317529292e8d3 dd1:0xf15f5aad773c112b!2m2!1d106.6296638!2d10.8230989!1m5!1m1!1s0x3109513dc76a6be3:0x9c010ee85ab525bb!2m2!1d104.9282099!2d11.5563738!1m5!1m1!1s0x3110169a8c91a879:0xa940aaf93ee5bbfa!2m2!1d103.8540484!2d13.3573405!1m5!1m1!1s0x31054996eaddd7e5:0x9c55ce955ce9e393!2m2!1d103.2022055!2d13.09573!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x310 67b22ca252add:0x7441355fcc439015!2m2!1d102.9331203!2d11.6163801!1m5!1m1!1s0x3107e1dd2f564c45:0x13f1f8da254362ed!2m2!1d103.5233963!2d10.6253016!1m10!1m1!1s0x31a0b383f135522f:0xb503ed2c7808c8a!2m2!1d105.0910974!2d10.021507!3m4!1m2!1d105.7518183!2d10.052436!3s0x31a08876f4fc7a01:0x6018e8776a8d6d8b!1m5!1m1!1s0x310 a8330a8ca3155:0xa08e36d3d587e295!2m2!1d105.9523622!2d10.2792074!1m5!1m1!1s0x317529292e8d3dd1:0xf15f5aad773c112b!2m2!1d106.6296638!2d10.8230989!3e0 Page 1 Vietnam Cambodia Trip 2020.docx Updated 02/01/2020 10:06:00 About Cambodia Cambodia still manages to straddle the line between tourist hotspot and untrodden eastern destination. Without the crowds of Thailand to the west, enclaves like the deep north and the wild Cardamom Mountains have remained off-the-beaten-track, with visitors now slowly revealing their tribal villages and mysterious Khmer temples. That said, there are of course, some visitor magnets in this corner of Southeast Asia, ranging from the lichen-spotted halls of UNESCO-attested Angkor Wat to the shimmering beaches of the Kep Peninsula. Meanwhile, places like Sihanoukville and Battambang tick over to the hubbub of backpackers, or the slosh of the Thai Gulf, and the capital at Phnom Penh offers an informative and enlightening glimpse at the horrors of Cambodia’s 20th-century past besides its temples and royal court rooms. Schedule 12/01 Fly out 13/01 Arrive and pick up bikes Ho Chi Minh 14/01 Day 1 Ho Chi Minh City Phnom Penh 223 15/01 Day 2 Phnom Penh Kampong Cham via Killing Fields 158 16/01 Day 3 Kampong Cham Siem Reap 260 17/01 Day 4 Angkor Wat 0 18/01 Day 5 Siem Reap Battambang 164 19/01 Day 6 Battambang Phumi Prâmaôy 137/210 20/01 Day 7 Phumi Prâmaôy Koh Kong Beach 145 21/01 Day 8 Koh Kong Beach Preah Sihanouk 239 22/01 Day 9 Otres Beach / Koh Rong Island 0 23/01 Day 10 Preah Sihanouk Kampot 99 24/01 Day 11 Kampot Rạch Giá 140 25/01 Day 12 Rạch Giá An Binh, Vinh Long via Can Tho 150 26/01 Day 13 An Binh, Vinh Long Ho Chi Minh and return bikes 135 27/01 Fly out 28/01 Arrive home Page 2 Vietnam Cambodia Trip 2020.docx Updated 02/01/2020 10:06:00 Bike Rental - Dragon Bikes 182/5A Đường Đề Thám, Phường Cầu Ông Lãnh, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh http://dragonbiketours.com/ $210 for the days selected $2 optional insurance per day per bike $2,000 deposit on each bike, balance refunded minus rental charge on return Honda XR150 https://hondaph.com/products/motorcycle/sports/the-all-new-xr150l/?Red Visas Vietnam Do in advance at https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/apply-online/ - get multi-entry Notification letter from Vietnam Immigration Completed visa application form 2 passport photos Cambodia Printed out e-visa. Apply online at https://www.evisa.gov.kh/ 2 passport photos just in case Page 3 Vietnam Cambodia Trip 2020.docx Updated 02/01/2020 10:06:00 Driving in Cambodia In Cambodia they honk a lot. But fear not, there’s always a good reason. With so many vehicles doing whatever on the road, honking means “watch out I’m moving close to you”. So it is usually a life-saver signal used for overtaking, turning, sudden U turns or simply while doing something risky. So do as the locals and always honk when overtaking or making a turn. In general, choose a path carefully and stick to it trying not to zig zag too much. Everyone else will hopefully go around you. Always wear a long sleeved T-shirts along with long trousers and a scarf on your mouth. Put sunscreen on your hands and on your face. This is a valid rule for every motorbike trip, but in Cambodia it is especially easy to get beaten up by the strong sun and the dust. Always carry a rain cover for your backpack and a plastic poncho that is large enough to cover your legs as well. Tropical rain is sudden and strong. Smartphones don’t always get signal in remote areas. For this reason, it’s always better to carry a good old paper map. If you’re lost, you can ask the locals. They may not be able to read a map but they can point out the direction of your destination. Be careful not to underestimate distances. What looks like a major state road on a map can turn out to be a super busy, single track road used by oxcart, scooters, huge trucks, SUVs, local bus, etc. Try to avoid the police. They will try to find any excuse (true or false that it might be) to fine you. In Cambodia it is very common to cross entire families of six on the same scooter, people carrying animals (dead or alive) or transporting massive loads of goods. No matter what, the police will rather stop the foreigners that drive carefully wearing a helmet. That’s because in Cambodia fines are a big part of policemen wages. If the police stop you, it will probably be a matter of a few dollars. In Cambodia road bribes can vary from 1 to 5$. Everything more than this means that they are trying to rip you off. In this case just play it cool, don’t pay attention to empty threats and haggle just like if you were in a market. Page 4 Vietnam Cambodia Trip 2020.docx Updated 02/01/2020 10:06:00 Currency Vietnam Cambodia Time Zone Indochina Time - UTC +7 Page 5 Vietnam Cambodia Trip 2020.docx Updated 02/01/2020 10:06:00 Traffic rules in Cambodia For newcomers, finding out about the traffic is a very complex thing indeed. So for your convenience, I have collected some of the rules of traffic in Phnom Penh. This will hopefully give you an idea about how to act in traffic (hint: carefully). Indicating to the left/right: Someone turned on their indicator by mistake and haven’t discovered it yet. Honking your horn: Can have several meanings, including: “I go straight”, “I turn left”, “I turn right”, “I stop”, “I speed up”, “You should move”, “You should stay”, “I have a new car” and “Don’t you honk your horn at me”. Driving side: Right-side-driving seems to be the most popular, with almost 50% choosing to drive here. Middle-of-the-road is second most popular, with about 30% of the traffic, and Left-side-driving only sees about 20% of the traffic. Left side and middle-of-road seem to be gaining popularity, though no official polls are known to this author. Max load: An ongoing competition to see who can put most people and stuff on any vehicle. Zebra crossing: If you are an actual zebra, traffic might stop for you here. Purpose of these drawings are hitherto unknown, though, as the number of zebras in Phnom Penh is rather low. No u-turn: This indicates the place best suited for a u-turn and people queue up to do one here. Full stop: This sign decorates many streets. Its origin and purpose has not yet been discovered, but it is assumed to be religious. Speed limit signs: These indicate 2-digit numbers on streets where your max speed is 5 km/h. This explains to drivers that it would be safe to go this speed if it weren’t for all those other guys blocking your way, which seems to make everyone happy to know. Traffic lights: A festive decoration in the main streets. Red means “go if you can”, as do yellow and green. The traffic light’s festive colours soothes everyone. Driver’s license: A souvenir sold to expats and other long-term visitors in Cambodia. A very small group of locals have been known to purchase this souvenir too. Sidewalks: A convenient location to park motorbikes and do street vendoring. Walking here is frowned upon, as it may inconvenience someone trying to park a motorbike. Tuktuk: Both a means of transport, and the most popular way to greet westerners visiting the Land of Wonder. If you choose to drive a motorbike, go with the flow. If it is “your turn” to go, even if the light is red, people will get annoyed at you for standing still. Page 6 Vietnam Cambodia Trip 2020.docx Updated 02/01/2020 10:06:00 Essentials Phrases Greetings Chom Reap Sour (chom-reap-sore) / Hello (formal) Cambodians have an extremely respectful culture, with elders and those of a higher social standing greeted using this more formal hello. Susadei (Soos-a-day)/ Hello (informal) This is a more informal greeting that is used between peers or friends. It is also accompanied with a sampeah. Soksaby (soks-a-bye) / How are you and I am fine It may seem strange but the Khmer way of asking “how are you?” and responding “I’m fine” is the same. Chom Reap Lear (chom-reep-lear) / Good bye (formal) Again, this is the formal way to say goodbye in situations where respect is required.