#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Cambodia Forum >  >  > Cambodia Questions >  >  Planning Ankor Wat trip Qs

## Bruce

We're planning a trip to Siem Reap, Ankhor Wat etc in June and, after reading some threads here, wonder if the old hands could confirm a few things or answer a few Qs.
1. Bangkok Air to Siem Reap is ridulously expensive as its a monopoly so its better to fly to Phnom Penh (appears about 3500 baht return on AirAsia) and then come back to Siem Reap, yes? 
2. What's the best way back to Siem Reap? Are the buses OK? I saw a mention of a boat on a lake, is that right? Dare we consider flying?
3. Can you recommend hotels in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap which are OK, clean, comfortable and safe, but we don't need actual luxury?
4. Do we just flag a vehicle from Siem Reap to Angkor Reap or are any of the touted tours worth the money?
5. In Phnom Penh, there's some museum about Pol Pot etc I gather. Is it handy by local vehicle? Any thing else worth seeing there?
6. Are the locals bigger ripoffs than the ones we met in Hanoi?
7. There are 3-4 day online tours advertised at around 15-17,000 baht per head plus air fares, but I seriously wonder if its necessary to go that route or if we can just do it ourselves, as we have organised in other countries. We're reasonably experienced travellers. What do you think?
Incidentally, this is not a sex tour, but a middle aged couple interested in culture and history.
Any tips would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance...

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## Blake7

the boat is nice if you have enough time. Bring strong sun lotion and sit on roof. Your hotel in PP should be able to arrange the boat tickets and sometimes a bus from the boat company will pick you up from the hotel. It leaves really early though....

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## bongthom

> Bangkok Air to Siem Reap is ridulously expensive as its a monopoly so its better to fly to Phnom Penh (appears about 3500 baht return on AirAsia) and then come back to Siem Reap, yes?


ya, get a bus from pp to sr. costs under $10 and is quicker and cheaper than the boat. 

you could fly one way for about $50 but the bus only takes about 5 hours 






> Do we just flag a vehicle from Siem Reap to Angkor Reap or are any of the touted tours worth the money?


there are thousands of taxi/moto/tuk tuk touts in SR. you can get a tuk-tuk for about $10 a day.....they might be able to speak some english but don't expect a full guided tour. they'll just drive you to a temple, go snooze, drive you to another temple, snooze etc all day 

i never got a taxi but imagine it'd be at least $25 a day 





> In Phnom Penh, there's some museum about Pol Pot etc I gather. Is it handy by local vehicle? Any thing else worth seeing there?


the museum is called S11 and is defo worth seeing. also check out the killing fields, national museum and the royal palace. the main market is also a nice example of french art-deco architecture. motodops will take you anywhere for about $5 a day. 





> Are the locals bigger ripoffs than the ones we met in Hanoi?


i find that depends on the individual and your attitude. i speak a bit of khmer and never had any hassle. just know the going prices, keep the cool and be ready to walk away if they take the piss. 






> There are 3-4 day online tours advertised at around 15-17,000 baht per head plus air fares, but I seriously wonder if its necessary to go that route or if we can just do it ourselves, as we have organised in other countries. We're reasonably experienced travellers. What do you think?


no need to shovel cash into the hands of travel companies. i always much prefer to do things at my own pace. 




> Can you recommend hotels in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap which are OK, clean, comfortable and safe, but we don't need actual luxury?


Gordon Sharpless runs a great little guesthouse in SR...rooms are big and clean and he's one of the soundest lads you'll meet. he runs the talesofasia.com website 

for PP rooms have a look on Khmer440 ... those boys know the scene better than i do.

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## SEA Traveler

> We're planning a trip to Siem Reap, Ankhor Wat etc in June and........  Any tips would be appreciated.
> Thanks in advance...


When I was there a few years back (3 or 4 years ago), within the historic area which is emense and once entered, no need and may very well not be exited the whole day, everything is $1 US.  Soda, water, post cards, chips, etc, etc.  Take lots and lots of $1 US bills.

We had an English speaking guide who we arranged before hand and he provided an enomoius amout of background info on the sites we visited.  He took us everywhere we had previously identified we wanted to go and then some additional historic places that were off the beaten path.  The guide in fact often gave too much info and we had to ask him to let us just appreciate the ruins that we were spectating.

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