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Last Updated 16th November 2005 The following information is an indication only of the information available for travelling in Cambodia, and should not be taken as definitive. All participants in the Greater Angkor Project (GAP) and the Living With Heritage Project (LHW), or those considering travel in Cambodia independently, should seek updated advice on specific matters. If you would like to submit any additions or corrections, please email or 1: Getting There 1.1: Flying to Cambodia There are international flights directly to Siem Reap from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Hue, Hanoi, Bangkok, Singapore, and at least one destination in Laos. Most people flying from Sydney get a ticket on Singapore Airlines via Singapore, on Thai Airways via Bangkok, or on Vietnam Airlines via Saigon. Depending on the season, flights to Siem Reap from Sydney can cost anywhere from $1400 to nearly $2000. Prices are less expensive if you depart after 14 January or thereabouts. Ask your travel agent. About a third of this cost is the short hop from your stopover point to Siem Reap: only one or two airlines fly each of these routes and they can basically charge whatever they want (and do). The same applies for flights into Phnom Penh (note: there is an additional route from Sydney to Phnom Penh on Malaysian via KL). 1.2: To Siem Reap from Phnom Penh Some people fly into Phnom Penh, or go overland to Phnom Penh from Vietnam (not recommended), and then take a boat up from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Don't take the "road" from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap: it's brutal and a long haul. There are several speedboats daily from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, cost is USD$24 one way. They all leave very early in the morning, the trip takes 4 hours and is reasonably safe, and you can buy tickets from any guesthouse in PP. There are also several daily domestic flights from PP to Siem Reap. 1.3: Overland from Bangkok Several GAP/LWH participants every year just get tickets to Bangkok and then take the bus overland from there to Siem Reap, saving hundreds of dollars on airfares. The Thai road is perfect, and the Cambodian road from the border to Siem Reap varies in condition from year to year. There are dozens of travel agents in Khao San Road area in Bangkok that sell bus tickets, and lots of places in Siem Reap selling tickets going back to Bangkok. These tickets usually cost about USD$5 or less and the total time is 8-12 hours depending on the condition of the road in Cambodia. They wait for you at the border while you get your documents processed. Alternatively, you can make your own way to the Thai border by bus, and hire a taxi (invariably a Toyota Camry) on the Cambodian side. The cost varies alarmingly, and is much higher than getting a bus, but you can always haggle if you are so inclined. Either way, it's a long and uninspiring journey and not recommended for people taking expensive or heavy equipment etc, but if money's an issue then consider it - return flights from Sydney to Bangkok can be had for as low as $950 depending on the date of departure (although prices in the $1100 - $1400 range are more common). Check this page for details about the current status of the road from the border to Siem Reap, and for detailed information about how to make the journey independently (i.e. using public transport) if you don't want to buy a through ticket from a travel agent. 2: Visas and arrival formalities Most nationalities (Australians included) need a visa for Cambodia. There are two types of visas you can get: tourist visas and business visas. Either are OK for GAP/LWH participation, and almost everyone usually just gets a tourist visa (US$20) as there is no obvious benefit to getting a business visa (US$25). Please note that only a business visa can be renewed. In previous years people flying into Siem Reap or Phnom Penh airports with Australian passports were issued tourist visas on arrival but you should check with the Cambodian embassy to make sure this is still the case. If you are planning on getting a visa on arrival, make sure you have US dollars and some passport sized photographs (bring at least 4 passport sized photographs, you will need them also to obtain a permit). You will normally be given the arrival documentation in the departure lounge before you board the plane to Siem Reap, or during the flight. People travelling into Cambodia overland from Bangkok can also get a visa on arrival at the Cambodian border but it can speed up the process at the border if you get a visa beforehand, and you can also save yourself lots of time at Siem Reap airport by arriving with a visa instead of applying for one on arrival. The application form and information is available online. Both tourist visas and business visas last for a month. In previous years people staying in-country for a longer period were able to get extensions arranged through travel agents in Siem Reap. Participants intending to stay in Cambodia for longer than a month (very few people do, and it's not recommended by the Project) should make inquiries at the Cambodian Embassy before they leave as to their options. Once you get your visa and clear customs you can get a taxi or a moto-taxi into town. The airport is 6km from Siem Reap town. Moto-taxi fares are usually about $2-3 and taxis between $5-7 for a ride into town. You'll have no trouble finding transport. Many hotels will arrange a pick up from the airport, but you should be aware that the drivers normally assume that you will use them during your stay in Siem Reap. The ferry terminal is just south of Siem Reap town at Phnom Krom and motos into town cost $1-2. You'll have no trouble finding transport here either. 3: Accommodation Team leaders are normally housed in the same location during the field season. In recent years this has been at the Red Piano Guesthouse in Siem Reap (http://www.redpianocambodia.com/). Other participants are welcome to arrange a booking at the Red Piano, but must make their own arrangements for accommodation, and must bear the cost of accommodation & food expenses themselves. Siem Reap is a burgeoning tourist town, and there are a vast range of accommodation options available. There are several web sites (such as http://www.angkorhotels.org/index.php; http://www.travellerspoint.com/budget-accommodation-en-ci-1179.html) you can use to browse and book accommodation in Siem Reap. You should have no trouble in finding accommodation in Siem Reap. However, if you would like specific advice, please contact us. 4: Insurance Participants in GAP/LWH (volunteers, staff and students) that are deemed to be conducting authorised University activities on behalf of the University are covered by the University's insurance policy. Participants are only considered to be on University business if their involvement has been approved by a Departmental Head within the University. That approval will be obtained by the Project once participants have been finalised. Please note that once that coverage expires you will no longer be permitted to work with GAP/LWH. It is the responsibility of GAP/LWH participants to keep up to date on the University insurance policies, to make themselves aware of the conditions and exclusion clauses listed at http://www.usyd.edu.au/risk/insurance.shtml and to make any claims. You should have personal travel insurance, in addition to any insurance coverage offered by the University, if you plan on travelling either before or after your time in the field. 5: Health and Safety A general policy document relating to OHSRM procedures in the field is available for registered users. Detailed risk assessment for specific field work tasks is also available. These documents will be provided in the field. 5.1: Fieldwork Safety Guidelines All students (undergraduate and postgraduates), staff and volunteers involved in the GAP and LWH Projects are individually responsible for ensuring they have read the following guidelines: Fieldwork Outside Australia http://www.usyd.edu.au/risk/ohs_manual/fieldwork/FieldworkOS.shtml Fieldwork Safety Guidelines (http://www.usyd.edu.au/risk/ohs_manual/fieldwork/index.shtml). 5.2: Vaccinations and medication Vaccination advice can be found here: GAP/LWH participants commonly take anti-malarial treatments, which can be prescribed by your doctor. We recommend you consult with your doctor (particularly with respect to the likely side effects of the medication), but emphasise that you should take this precaution. Some people occasionally get stomach upsets, but this is par for the course - as with travel to any developing country. Care should be taken when eating from roadside stalls and you should avoid drinking unbottled water. Bottled water is readily available and very cheap. We provide large bottles of water on site during work days, but you should always have water with you. Medical facilities are of a lower standard than is usual in Australia. With this in mind, field trip participants with pre-existing medical conditions should review their particular medical requirements with a medical practitioner prior to departure. If you require regular or preventative medication it is YOUR responsibility to supply this medication (do not assume it can be obtained in Cambodia), and to advise your colleagues where it is kept and how and when it is taken. You should particularly note that field work in Cambodia is very hot, often extremely strenuous, and you may be working in situations that you are not familiar with, or that have inherent risks. Any injuries or illnesses, regardless of how small or insignificant they are deemed to be, should be reported as soon as possible to the site supervisor and/or the field safety officer. Several regular GAP/LWH participants are trained in First Aid. These people are identified as Field Safety Officers, and their names and contact details will be given to you once you arrive. 5.3: In-Field Communication Internet access is readily available in Siem Reap, and wireless access is now appearing in some of the more salubrious establishments. Most participants find that email/instant messaging is the cheapest, fastest and most efficient way of staying in touch with people back home. Increasingly, GAP/LWH participants use mobile phones to communicate whilst in the field. Coverage is patchy, particularly north of Siem Reap, but this is normally the best way of communicating rapidly with other members of the team. Talk to the organisers once you get to Siem Reap regarding the purchase of SIM cards for your phone. Remote sites will have UHF communication available. All sites have a vehicle available in case of emergency evacuation. In some cases, a vehicle will be shared between two sites. When this occurs GAP/LWH staff will have UHF radio communication between sites to mobilise the vehicle if an emergency occurs. 5.4: Medical Emergency If a medical emergency occurs, the nominated first aid officer will attend, and stabilise the injury. First Aid kits are provided. The patient will be moved to the Naga Clinic (# 24 593 Airport Road, Siem Reap, TEL: 063 964 500; FAX: 063 963 274). The clinic will be advised en route and they will make the necessary arrangements if emergency medical evacuation – most probably to Bangkok - is required. The emergency contact person will be advised of the incident, and one of the project Directors will accompany the patient. 5.5: Safety To date, there have been no serious incidents in terms of safety, security or theft. However, all participants in the Project should keep themselves up to date on the security situation in Cambodia. Current travel advice can be found at the DFAT website: http://www.dfat.gov.au/consular/advice/cambodia.html Current news about events in Cambodia can be found at News from travellers 'on the ground' in Cambodia can be found on Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree: The GAP/LWH organisers will register all participants with the Australian Embassy in Cambodia prior to the field season. This will enable rapid communication between the Australian government and the project in case of a change in the status of the Federal Government's travel advisory for Cambodia. Registration is also important in the unlikely event of a natural disaster or terrorist incident. 6: Money You won't be able to use ATMs in Siem Reap (although they are now appearing in Phnom Penh, and will surely be available in Siem Reap in the very near future), so make sure you either bring traveller's cheques (US dollars, preferably Thomas Cook or American Express, which are available from all major banks here at home) or US dollars cash. Don't bring Australian dollars cash and expect to be able to convert it. The Cambodian currency is the Riel, although most transactions (most involving Westerners anyway) are conducted in US dollars, with small change returned in riel and large amounts of change returned in US dollars. A couple of banks in Siem Reap give cash advances on Visa credit cards. The best and most up-to-date information on the money situation in Cambodia can be found at this site: 7: General Information Cambodia is not what it was ten or even five years ago: travel and tours there are straightforward these days and a guidebook like Lonely Planet will provide more than enough information to get you through your stay. By far the best, most comprehensive and most up-to-date source of information you'll find anywhere on Siem Reap and Cambodia is freely available over the Internet: visit the Cambodia FAQ section in the Tales of Asia website, maintained by expat, traveller and long-term Siem Reap resident Gordon Sharpless. 8: Useful links: |
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Written by Administrator on Saturday, 25 June 2005. Last Updated by Dan Penny on Thursday, 01 December 2005 |