South East Asia should be your #1 choice for taking a budget vacation when you cannot afford to spend too much money. SE Asia, also known as the Banana Pancake Trail covers backpacker destinations like Vietnam, Thailand Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia. This region is ideal for backpacking mainly because everything you need is cheap here, whether it is accommodation, food or even transportation, no wonder this region is frequented by maximum backpackers from across the globe.
Cambodia is by far the cheapest of all the SE Asian nations and also has the maximum tourist influx when compared to other SE Asian countries. Travel to Cambodia for experiencing its colossal temples of Angkor Wat, sun sets, beaches and islands. I presume that Cambodia is going to be one of the many legs for your journey in SE Asia so I will be listing only the best places for your sight-seeing activities in Cambodia. American citizens traveling to Cambodia need a valid business visa or a tourist visa to get entry into this nation, as tourist you have two options 1) you can apply for a visa on arrival or alternatively 2) you can apply for an online e-visa in advance before you kick start your journey.
Angkor Wat region
Siem Reap is our very best pick for your sight-seeing activities in Cambodia, this small provincial capital is world renowned for its Angkor Wat complex which has the famous Angkor Wat temple and the ancient ruins of the Khmer Empire. Apart from temples and the ruins you can also sight-see museums, several colonial buildings, traditional markets and Angkor Archealogical Park. Siem Reap also has a lot of restaurants serving delectable food items from varied cuisines like Khmer, Asian and European, do not miss Cambodia’s signature Fish Amok dish for that one-of-a-kind native food experience. The nightlife scene is also not that bad in Cambodia, just hop into one of the night bars and sample the best foods and spirits of the bar and expect to bump into likeminded people around you in the bar.
The Angkor Wat Temple is the most ancient 7 wonders of the world and is also a Unesco World Heritage site, technically this is a pyramid which has a central place of worship that is four sided and opens into the sky, this temple also has steps on all four cardinal points and a small tower in the center of the structure. When we call it a pyramid don’t expect it to be like an Egyptian pyramid, this was built during the Khmer Rouge era and was intended to be a place of worship for Hindus of that time period and later for Buddhist monks. The other Angkor temples that may interest you are Angkor Thom, Prea Khan and Ta Som, these pyramids or temples also have the same architectural design like the Angkor Wat temple.
To sight-see these temples in the Angkor complex you need to buy a pass at the entrance of the complex, this pass is your gateway to all the Angkor temples and don’t pay anything more if someone approaches you to collect money for seeing these temple attractions. Just a word of caution for you, some of these pyramids are very steep, it’s easy to climb up but coming down can be really difficult and may even make you feel scared!
Getting around the Angkor Wat temples
Most of the Angkor Wat temples are easy to get around but some of them require you to travel on long drives and are in remote areas, our advice for you is hiring a TukTuk (a motor vehicle with 3 wheels) for your entire day sight-seeing will save you a lot of time, the best part about hiring a TukTuk is most of the tuktuk drivers have fairly good knowledge about the Angkor landmarks and so you don’t have to shell out any extra money to have a guided tour. So go for it, hire a Tuktuk to get around the temples of Angkor.
How to get to Siem Reap
There are umpteen flights from Phnom Penn (the capital city of Cambodia), Bangkok and Singapore to reach Siem Pore. The other cheaper option is to commute by bus, a bus ride from Singapore to Siem Reap only costs $12 and is a long 16 hour journey.
Sihanoukville beaches in Kompong Som Province
For experiencing warm sands and the hot sun you can travel to the Sihanoukville beaches found in the Kompong Som Province of Cambodia. Sihanoukville is considered by many as the backpacker’s beach destination because of the presence of so many cheap restaurants and hotels on its shoreline. The beaches of Cambodia are located in serene places and will guarantee hours of relaxation and happiness, experience the tranquility and the laid back beach culture of Cambodia while sampling some of the best cocktails during your fun time on these beaches.Our recommendations for best beaches in Sihanoukville are 1) Sokha beach, 2) Independence beach 3) Ochheuteal beach 4) Serendipity beach and 5) Otres beach.
Many outdoor beach activities like snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking and water rafting can be explored at these vibrant beaches and the best part is there are so many hotels ranging from luxury to economy across the shore line of Sihanoukville, just select one that fits your budget.
