Tourist and Business Information

Official Name: Kingdom of Cambodia

Government
Constitutional Monarchy, HM Preah Bat Samdech Prea Norodom SIHAMONI, King of Cambodia ; HE Samdech Hun Sen the Prime Misniter

Climate
Over the year temperature average 27.5 degrees centigrade Hot season: March-May, Rainy season: June-October, Cool season: November-February.

Clothing
Take cool casual clothes. It is preferable for women to cover their arms and legs, particularly when visiting a temple.

Time
Cambodia is seven hours ahead of GMT. When it is midday in Cambodia it is the previous evening in San Francisco , 1am in New York , 5am in London , 6am in France , and 3pm in Sydney .

Population
13,094,442 estimation of 2001 (11.5million, National Population Census 1998)

Ethnic groups
Khmer 90% of the population is of this faith. The rest are Muslims, Christians and others.

Religion
The official religion is non-theravada buddhism[tantra] and almost 90% of the population is of this faith. The rest are Muslims, Christians and others.

Language
The official language is Khmer while the second language (spoken by educated old people) is French. However, in recent years English has gained popularity. Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese are used frequently, too.

Electricity
Electricity in Cambodia is 220 volts electric power sockets are round two pin varieties. Three-pin plug adapters can be bought at the markets.

Money
Though Riel is the official currency, almost every business set their price in US. Dollars and can be exchanged into riel at any sidewalk money changers at the price of about US$1=4000 riels, but this exchange rate may vary a little depending on the date of exchanging.

Credit cards
Visa, JCB, Mastercard and American Express are the most widely accepted especially at the major hotels and restaurants in Phnom Penh , Siem Reap and Sihanoukville. Banks are usually open from 8:00am to 3.30pm, from Monday to Friday. A few are open a half-day on Saturday.

Traveller Checks
Traveller checks can be changed only at a limit number of banks in Phnom Penh , Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Battambang, and Kompong Cham. A minimum of 2% commission charge to change traveller checks.

Instant Cash Transfers
The Foreign Trade Bank and Cambodia Commercial Bank can arrange reliable money transfers. Cannadia Bank and Singapore Banking Corporation Bank can operate Instant Cash Transfers through respectively MoneyGram and Western Union .

Customs
Customs procedures are always subject to change. Passengers fill out a form declaring jewellery, camera, equipment and other valuables. Antique objects are subject to inspection and seizure by customs authorities with no compensation made to travellers. Like any other countries Cambodia does not allow travellers to import weapons, explosives or narcotics, cocaine's and drugs.

Health
Avoid un-bottled water, ice and raw vegetables. Peel vegetables and fruits. Vaccinations are not required, except for cholera, typhoid and hepatitis for a visitor coming from infected areas. Malaria drugs are advisable, if travelling out of Phnom Penh , Siem Reap or Sihanoukville.

Business hours
Government offices open from 7:30am to 5:00pm on weekdays only. The lunch break is from 12:00am to 2:00pm. Most restaurants, food and business hours are from 7:30 or 8:00am to 11:30 or 12:00 Noon and 2:00pm to 5:30 or 6:00pm and some places are open till 11:00pm.

Communication
The country code for telephone calls to Cambodia is 855, Phnom Penh code: 023, Siem Reap :063 and Sihanoukville:034

The telephone network includes satellite, landline, mobile, GSM and radio systems which connect Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Battambang, and other provinces internationally. International direct dialing can be done from the main post office and main hotels/restaurants and roads accept phone cards.

Telephone
At present the average cost of an international is around $2.5-$3/mn. The cost of international calls is reduced by 20% on Saturday and Sunday. Local calls are 500r/mn and domestic long-distance is $1mn.

Fax
Most of the hotels in Phnom Penh have reliable business centres that can send and receive fax. For sending a fax may cost US$1 to US$3.

Internet/Email
Internet services are popping up all over the capital and main hotels and restaurants have internet available of their guests. Prices are now around $2.5/hour.

Food
Rice and fish are the basic meal among Khmers. Local specialties include curries, soups and many varieties of dishes prepared with beef, pork, poultry and seafood. Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and Western cuisine are also available in some restaurants in the capital.

Greetings
The Cambodians traditionally greet each other with the “sompiah”, which involves pressing the hands together in prayer and bowing. In general the higher the hands are the lower the bow the more respect is shown. In recent decades this custom has been partially replaced by the western practice of shaking hands. But, although men tend to shake hands with each other, women usually use the traditional greeting with both men and women.

Routine of visiting someone
In Cambodia , a small token of gratitude in the form of a gift is always appreciated when you visit someone. Gifts should always be offered with the right hand. If you want to be particularly polite, support your right elbow with the fingers of your left hand as you do so. Before entering a Khmer home, always remove your shoes, hats and sunglasses .

Visiting Pagodas
The Khmer are tolerant and may choose not to point out improper behavior to their foreign guests, but you should dress and act with the utmost respect when visiting wats (pagodas) or other religious sites. This is all the more important given the vital role of Buddhism has played in the lives of many Cambodians in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge holocaust. Proper etiquette in pagodas is mostly a matter of common sense. A few other tips include:

. Don't wear shorts or tank tops.

. Take off your hat when entering the grounds of the wat.

. Take off your shoes before going into the vihear (temple)

. If you sit down in front of the dais (the platform on which the Buddha's are placed), sit with your feet to the side rather than in the lotus position.

Getting in Cambodia

Flight To/From Cambodia
Most of travelers fly into Phnom Penh (former known as Pochentong) International Airport in Phnom Penh , though some visitors choose to fly directly to Siem Reap. From Bangkok Singapore , Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur , Saigon, a growing numbers are also arriving overland from Thailand , Vietnam , and Laos .

Arrival/Departure

Visa and Extension Services
Requirements Visas can be obtained at overseas embassies or upon arrival at the international airport in either Phnom Penh or Siem Reap and at all overland border crossing points except Moc Bai. One-month tourist or business visa can be obtained on your arrival. Fill in visa forms, provide two passport photographs and pay $ US 20 for tourist and $25 for business. Overstaying carries a fee of US$5 per day. Three months extension tourist visa can be extended. You can renew your visa through a travel agent or at the Immigration Office.

Thai visas are issued at the bother but Cambodian visas are available only at the Poipet crossing points. Vietnamese visas are available at Vietnamese embassy only.

Getting There & Away

Flight: To/From Cambodia
Cambodia has two international airports: Phnom Penh International Airport and Siem Reap International Airport , which services visitors to Angkor .

Getting Around Phnom Penh

Taxis
More and more taxis are operating within the city as well as car rental and mini buses. Taxis can be found at most large markets and international hotels.

Motor-Taxis or Motodup
They are omnipresent in front of the main hotels. They are cheap and plentiful, the average charge is 500-2,500r for most other trips round town. An hourly rate of $1 can sometimes be negotiated.

Cyclos
The humble cyclo can be a romantic and practical form of transportation though not as safe as a car or fast as a motor. They cost a bit more than a motor.

Hiring Motorcycle
You can find best place on Monivong Blvd. opposite of Street 184. Small motors $5/day, larger $6-10/day. Your passport as deposit.

Bicycle Rental
A few guesthouses rent bicycles for around $2/day.

Hiring a Car
A car with driver can be hired by the day for $20-$40. 4WD vehicle can be run $50/day and up.

Getting Around Cambodia

Air travel, bus, ferry, taxi, and pickup truck are the most common means of domestic transportation.

Royal Air Cambodge (at the publication date all departures have been postponed), Royal Phnom Penh Airway, President Airline and Siem Reap Airways are Cambodia 's domestic carriers.

Most of taxis, vans, trucks and buses leave from the western corner of the Central Market. Ferries depart from dock on Sisowath Quay, north of Chroy Chongvar Bridge .

Buses
Buses leave from the southwest corner of the Central Market for Kien Svay (RN1), Takhmao (RN2), Oudong (RN5) and Kampong Speu (RN4), hourly, from 6am to 6:00pm, every day. 1,000-3,000r. there are new air conditioned bus services to Sihanoukville. The journey takes approximately three and a half hours and costs 12,000r.

Boat
Travel between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap is possible by fast boat and there are similar services running from the capital to both Kampong Cham and Kratie. Ferries depart Phnom Penh daily at 7:00am from the docks north of Japanese Bridge ( Chroy Changva Bridge ) on Sisowath Quay. Most of the guesthouses in town sell boat tickets cheaper that at the ferry offices. There are also boats traveling between Siem Reap and Battambang, which can be a good way of avoiding the misery of RN6 between Siem Reap and Sisophon. The travel is best during the wet season (June-November). This boat journey is probably the most spectacular in Cambodia as you pass through protected wetlands and narrow channels. You can travel by boat from the Vietnam crossing border on the Mekong River at Chau Doc.

Angkor Wat :everybody in the world know angkor wat,the temple you see here,.this is the most famous,the most beautiful,and one of the biggest religious temples in the world.this is the original one,more than 800 years old,in cambodia.it situated 6 km in the north of the town of Siem reap.it is measured in 1500 meter long and 1300 meter wide.it has been the holiest buddhist -hindus temple in southeast asia.

Bayon Temple - this temple represented the Buddha,one of the concepts of Buddhist Tantra in the late twelveth century AD. If you see only two temples, Angkor Wat and Bayon should be the ones. The giant stone faces of Bayon have become one of the most recognizable images connected to classic Khmer art and architecture. There are 37 standing towers, most but not all sporting four carved faces oriented toward the cardinal points. Who the faces represent is a matter of debate but they may be Loksvara, Mahayana Buddhism's compassionate Bodhisattva, or perhaps a combination of Buddha and Jayavarman VII. Bayon was the Jayavarman VII's state-temple and in many ways represents the pinnacle of his massive building campaign. It appears to be, and is to some degree, an architectural muddle, in part because it was constructed in a somewhat piecemeal fashion for over a century.this temple is 160 m long and 140 m wide.

West Mebon Temple - Ruins of the central island temple of the West Baray. West Mebon is in poor shape, consisting primarily of a single wall displaying some carvings in fair condition. The carvings exhibit some of the first examples of carvings of animals in natural, non-mythological scenes, reminiscent of carving on Baphuon. West Mebon may have originally housed a renowned bronze Buddha statue which is now held at the National Museum in Phnom Penh. The West Baray, though ancient, is filled with water year round and has become a local recreational area. Take route #6 west from town. Turn right about 3 km past the airport turnoff. A short boat ride is necessary to visit the ruins.

Ta Som Temple - Small, classic Bayon-style monastic complex consisting of a relatively flat enclosure, face tower gopuras and cruciform interior sanctuaries much like a miniature version of Ta Prohm. Many of the carvings are in good condition and display particularly fine execution for late 12th century works. Take note of the devata carvings which show an uncommon individuality. A huge tree grows from the top of the eastern gopura. It is destroying the gate but it is a photo classic. Best photographed in the afternoon. Ta Som is the most distant temple on the Grand Circuit.

Ta Prohm Kel - A single small sandstone tower located opposite Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm Kel is the ruin of the temple or ‘chapel’ of one of the 102 hospitals built by Jayavarman VII throughout the kingdom. Of very similar design and state of ruin to the Chapel of the Hospital near Ta Keo. The Buddhist-themed carving on the northern pediment is in fair condition and displays marks of vandalism characteristic of the 13th century Hindu resurgence. The coarsely rendered carvings on the interior of the temple are probably from a much latter period.

Ta Keo Temple - Towering but plainly decorated temple-mountain dedicated to Shiva. Known in its time as ‘the mountain with golden peaks.’ The first to be constructed wholly of sandstone, this temple employing huge sandstone blocks. Constructed under three kings, begun by Jayavarman V as his state-temple and continued under Jayaviravarman and Suryavarman I. When Jayavarman V first constructed Ta Keo, he part ways with previous kings, constructing his state temple outside of his main capital area. Construction on Ta Keo seems to have stopped particularly early in the decoration phase as evidenced by the lack of carvings. Ta Keo is well worth a visit, but if you are pressed for time, see Pre Rup instead.

Preah Ko Temple - Roluos Group. Six towers displaying set on a platform, all beautifully preserved carvings . Originally surrounded by walls and gopuras of which only vestiges remain. Preah Ko was one of the first major temples of the empire at the early Khmer capital of Hariharalaya. Preah Ko (Sacred Bull) derives its name from the statues of bulls at the front of the central towers.