Forget your designer shoes… but show off your cool phone. Cambodians love their smartphones. It’s really easy to get a local SIM card if you have an unlocked phone. With a few tips from us, you’ll be able to call home, get online and keep posting about your Cambodian adventures.
The Royal Palace is one of Phnom Penh’s main attractions. Spend the day exploring the historical pavilions and admiring the King's Regalia. Take your pick from the Throne Hall, the Moonlight Pavilion, the Silver Pagoda or the Pavillion Napoléon III.
Cambodian classic rock from the 50s to 70s sounds like rock ’n’ roll, but with a Khmer twist: from surf guitars to psychedelic beats!
Cambodia’s official national currency is the riel (the unofficial one being the US dollar). The riel has been in use only since independence in 1953.
The national currency of Cambodia is the Khmer Riel but US dollars are commonly accepted for everyday transactions. There is no need to change your money into riel before you get there.
You can come anytime to Cambodia! But depending on whether you like it hot, cold, wet or dry, some days are better than others... Probably when the kids are off school and your boss lets you take a well earned holiday...
Amok Trei (Fish amok) is a traditional Cambodian dish of steamed curried fish. The fish is presented in a banana leaf cup in which it was cooked. Don’t eat the banana leaf! Although there is some gravy, amok trei is nowhere near as liquid as fish curry. Fish amok is steamed, not boiled or baked.
If you don’t know the usual price for an item you are interested in. I suggest you check prices at three different stalls to have a feel for the prevailing market conditions! With the exception of a few scoundrels, Cambodian vendors don’t usually ask for crazy mark-ups.
For a quick start, you only need to learn numbers from 0 to 5 and multiples of 10. That’s only 16 Khmer words to be able to count to 1000! Khmer has the particularity of using a bi-quinary counting system (base 5 and 10), which makes it easier for visitors to pick up.
The easiest way to get around in Cambodia is on a motorbike. You’re travelling with a group of friends. Should you all fit on the same moto dup (Cambodian motorbike taxi) or hail separate rides?
