Phnom Penh, Cambodia – To visit Cambodia, most tourists prefer the direct seven- hour bus ride from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh or quick flights from Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City, no advance purchase necessary.
Instead, I chose a river less traveled.
I journeyed from Vietnam into Cambodia on the Mekong River. Via motorboat, dugout canoe, ferry and bus, I spent two days plying the waters that served as the main watery highway of the Vietnam War. But the Mekong today is more than just a backdrop for scenes from “Apocalypse Now.”
The world’s seventh-longest river at 2,700 miles is the lifeblood of more than 60 million people and a way to get up close and personal with some of the 100 ethnic groups that call the Mekong Basin home. And the border crossing is a terrific window into two nations going in opposite directions fast. Besides, at what other border crossing in the world do you go through immigration by passing a water buffalo?
The adventure is extraordinarily easy to arrange. Ho Chi Minh City has numerous travel agencies advertising Mekong River trips for all lengths and destinations. For just under $30, about a dozen other travelers and I boarded an air-conditioned bus near my hotel and drove 30 minutes through urban sprawl and rice paddies to the river town of My Tho.
We poured into a motorized longboat for a water tour of town. We passed creaky fishing boats tethered to wooden huts on stilts with boys waving from open-air windows. The river was the same color and general visibility of cream of mushroom soup.
After a tour of My Tho’s remarkably clean fish and fruit market, we motored past islands and barges carrying sand to construction sites and stopped for a short hike into the jungle, where we sampled delicious wares at a coconut candy factory.
It’s just one of the many industries blossoming on the Mekong. Its fishing industries produce $1.45 billion of business a year, and the paddies produce enough rice annually to feed 300 million people.
The Mekong didn’t look very mighty when we meandered down narrow, steaming tributaries barely wide enough for the boat. After a couple of hours, we boarded another bus for a four-hour ride to the town of Chau Doc where we spent the night, included in the tour charge.
The next morning we boated to a fish farm and Cham Island, home to Vietnam’s Muslim minority, and slowly puttered toward the Cambodian border. We passed water buffaloes cooling themselves in the river, boys keeping afloat holding onto coconuts and fishermen spreading their wide nets.
Crossing the border into Cambodia, however, best contrasts the two countries. While the Mekong on the Vietnamese side is lined with development, from fisheries to rice production to boating, the Cambodian side had nothing.
I saw a lone fisherman, waiting patiently for a bite, but there was no industry on the riverbanks.
The boat took us deep into Cambodia before we boarded another bus that took us the final stretch into Phnom Penh, where we were on our own – on a road more traveled.
…
The details
Getting there: There are no direct flights from the United States to Cambodia, but most visitors fly into Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, which serves Angkor, via Ho Chi Minh City or Bangkok.
Airlines serving those connections include Thai Air, Vietnam Airlines, Bangkok Airlines and Siem Reap Airways. From Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap and
Phnom Penh, Vietnam Airlines charges $223 round trip. One-way tickets can be purchased close to departure dates, with no penalty, for half that. Thai charges $284 from Bangkok to Phnom Penh.
Numerous airlines fly between the U.S. and Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok. All Nippon Airways charges $890 round trip from San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City. China Airlines charges $593 round trip from Los Angeles to Bangkok.
Slow but reliable bus service is available from Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh takes seven hours (10 during the summer rainy season or longer if there’s a problem with visas at the border). Cost is only about $6.
Most travelers coming from Bangkok visit Siem Reap first. You must take a bus for $3.50 to the Thai border town of Aranyaprathet, then transport 3 miles to the border crossing at Poipet for under $1. Then you can take buses 30 miles to Sisophon and another 60 miles to Siem Reap.
The most interesting way is by a combination boat/bus. Numerous travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City offer two- and three-
day trips up the Mekong River from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh. TNK Travel, 230 D De Tham (011-84-837-8276, tnktravelvietnam.com), offers two-day trips for around $30 (price includes hotels). Both offer options of entering Phnom Penh on the Mekong or by road.
If you take the two-day trip, hang on to your receipt; sometimes you’re transferred to another company, and your itinerary may change unless you have proof of purchase.
Visas: They’re required for U.S. citizens and are available at the Cambodian Embassy in Washington, 4500 16th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20011 (202-726-
7742). Cost is $28. They can be acquired at the Cambodian Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, 41 Phunk Khac Khoan St., Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (84-8-829-
2751). They also are available at border crossings for the same price. To avoid surprises at the border or wasting a day in Ho Chi Minh City, get it ahead of time. It takes five to seven working days.
Where to stay: In Phnom Penh, Westerners like the Café California 2 & Guesthouse, 317 Sosowath Quay (011-855-23-982-
182, CafeCaliforniaPhnomPenh.com, cambodia_hotel_California@hotmail.com). A roomy double with A/C, minibar and balcony overlooking the river is $20. Back rooms are $15. The Juliana Hotel, 16 Juliana 152 Road, (011-855-366-070 , juliana@camnet.com.kh), is a good top-end bargain for $55-80.
In Sihanoukville, the Orchidee Guest House, 23 Tola St., is terrific (011-855-12-380-300, orchidee-guesthouse.com, or
chidee@camintel.com). Double rooms with A/C, Internet and swimming pool are $15.
In Siem Reap, Molly Malone’s Irish Pub & Guesthouse, (011-855-63-963-533,
mollymalonescambodia@hotmail.com) is new with outdoor seating near the bustling market area. Rooms with A/C range from $20-$40. In a quieter area near the airport is Nokor Phnom Hotel (011-855-63-963-8559, nokor_phnom@hotmail.com). All amenities, including a swimming pool, from $65-$120. Budget hotels with a fan run about $5.
Where to eat: In Phnom Penh, authentic, cheap Cambodian food can be found at La Ngeach Sros, (also known as Restaurant 54) Street 184 between Street 63 and Monivong. For more elegant dining, sit on comfy pillows at
Khmer Surin (011-855-23-363-
050) No. 9 Street 57.
In Sihanoukville, Le Roseau, halfway down Occheuteal Beach, has excellent, inexpensive traditional Cambodian cuisine. Treasure Island Restaurant on Koh Pos Beach is best for seafood. Locals in Siem Reap flock to The Soup Dragon, #369 Group 6 Mondol 1 (011-855-63-964-933, asianexp.net, soupdragon@camintel.com), for some of the best noodle soup in Southeast Asia.
When to go: The dry and cooler season is November to March. Temperatures go up about 5 degrees in the spring, and the rainy season begins in June. April is the hottest month; every day tops 90 with about 80 percent humidity. December is the coolest month at about 85 degrees.
Money: Cambodia does not have cash machines. However, it is becoming increasingly easier to cash travelers checks and withdraw from Visa and MasterCard at city banks. The commission on travelers checks is 5 percent. Warning: Wear a money belt. Theft is fairly common.
Information: Cambodia has no government tourist offices abroad. An excellent one-stop travel service in Phnom Penh is Mr. Travel & Express Services, #277 Heo. St. Sisowath Quay (011-855-23-220-
346-47, mrtravelexpress.com, mr.travel@everyday.com.kh). It also has a branch in Seattle, 7126 Martin Luther King Way S. #103, 206-725-4620.
– John Henderson
