The Rough Guide to Cambodia (Rough Guide Travel Guides) [Paperback]

A comprehensive guide to this destination, with evocative accounts of all the attractions from the atmospheric temples of Angkor and Phnom Penh, to the laid back resort of Sihanoukville and the jungle-clad hills of Rattanakiri. It includes a detailed background on Cambodian history, religion and the resurgance in cultural life since the end of the Khmer Rouge era.

As the author of the Rough Guide to Cambodia, I feel I have to reply to John Ekins' review which seems to be describing a different book from the practical travel guide I wrote. Yes, there are pages of text, but there are also dozens of colour photos, maps, town plans and temple layouts, all of which make this a comprehensive guide book - not a coffee table glossy.
Cambodia is a country that I know well and love, and for whose people I have the utmost regard. By the time the Khmer Rouge were overthrown in 1979 the majority of the population was starving and the country devastated; however, like it or not, some Cambodians were Khmer Rouge supporters. Between 1989 and 1996 the town of Pailin was a Khmer Rouge enclave, where the Khmer Rouge leaders exploited logging and gem-mining to get rich. Here (and in Anlong Veng), the locals, isolated from the rest of Cambodia by fighting, lived a fairly comfortable life on the back of these illegal activities.
During my visit to Pailin, longstanding residents told me they were "looked-after" by the Khmer Rouge. This included the provision of healthcare and education, and food for the elderly. Things changed in 1996, when the area became accessible to the rest of Cambodia. It was soon flooded with urban Cambodians seeking to make their fortune from gem-mining and competing with the Pailin residents for "riches".
At Rough Guides we pride ourselves in getting under the skin of the country and make no apologies for this. In fact, for most people, the depth of our research is the main reason to buy the guide, and it is unusual for readers to be upset by it. We remain dedicated to providing our readers with authoritative and accurate information. Judging by John Ekins' other reviews, he may by now have actually visited the country and perhaps formed a different impression of the Rough Guide, as have readers at amazon.com.

Beverley Palmer has been visiting Cambodia regularly throughout the last decade. She runs her own specialist Cambodian tour operation, leading the groups herself.

WHERE TO GO
The alluring Angkor Wat is the highlight of any trip to Cambodia, but there are many more temples to be discovered, both around Siem Reap, the engaging town closest to the Angkor Heritage Park, and scattered through the country. At Angkor itself, the compact Banteay Srei, with its enchanting reliefs of demure divinities, the other-worldly Ta Prohm, clamped in the grip of giant trees, and the overwhelmingly complex Bayon all vie for your attention. Would-be explorers will be entranced upon reaching Banteay Chmar, an expansive temple in the northwest near the Thai border, and will relish the expedition needed to visit Preah Vihear, clinging dramatically to an escarpment right on the Thai border in the far north.

Most tourists make for the cosmopolitan Phnom Penh at some time during their visit to Cambodia. A pleasing, low-rise city graced with leafy boulevards, the capital offers the chance to take in the extravagant splendour of the Royal Palace, and the unique array of silver tiles at the appropriately named Silver Pagoda next door, while the cream of ancient Khmer art is housed a stone’s throw away at the National Museum. The capital also boasts a vibrant riverside where cafés and bars cluster, and is the best place in the country to shop – you’ll soon find yourself tempted by shimmering silks and intricate handicrafts in its colourful markets.

Lazing on pristine white-sand beaches lapped by the waters of the Gulf of Thailand is the order of the day at Sihanoukville, where you can easily escape the crowds even on busy weekends or, for your own tropical-island experience, take an overnight camping excursion offshore. Just out of Sihanoukville, you can putter downriver at Ream National Park while monkeys play in the mangroves and fishing eagles soar overhead.
East of Sihanoukville, and connected to it by the most scenic train journey in Cambodia, on which you’re sandwiched between the sea and the hills, Kampot is a delightful town with mixed French and Chinese influences. It’s also the base for a visit to Bokor National Park, a popular destination for its ghostly, deserted hill station, and for its jungle-clad slopes, home to some rare species of flora and fauna; huge pitcher plants hang from scrub in the mossy bogs, while occasional giant hornbills cruise above the treetops. Another simple side trip from Kampot brings you to the tiny seaside resort of Kep, smacking of faded gentility; with a minuscule beach at which to picnic and frolic, it’s a popular day-trip from Phnom Penh. Inland from here, the dusty town of Takeo is the base for reaching Angkor Borei, the capital of Cambodia in the third century; for much of the year it’s only accessible by water, as is the nearby sixth-century hilltop ruin of Phnom Da.

Northeast of the capital, and readily reachable by the daily express boat, the Irrawaddy dolphins of the Mekong are the lure at Kratie, their graceful undulations through the rapids intriguing to watch. Getting right out to the northeastern provincial capitals of Banlung and Sen Monorom takes a little more time and effort, but the natural beauty of this part of the country is unrivalled in Cambodia, the jungled hillsides brimming with wildlife, peppered with scenic waterfalls and home to villages of the minority chunchiet tribes.

The northwestern border crossing from Thailand at Poipet is an increasingly popular point of entry to Cambodia, and nearby Battambang, retaining some of the country’s most attractive colonial architecture, makes a convenient stopover on the way to Phnom Penh or an interesting side trip from Siem Reap.

WHEN TO GO
A tropical country, Cambodia is pretty warm year round, though there are three distinct seasons. Unsurprisingly, the cool season, from November through to February, is the peak time for tourism, when it’s cool enough to clamber over the temples in comfort and yet warm enough to sunbathe by the coast. Temperatures then are typically in the mid- to upper-20s Celsius, but occasional cold snaps can bring them below 20?C, which feels decidedly chilly in a country where everything is designed to keep you cool.
Following on, the hot season typically runs from March until May, when the humidity and temperatures soar, with Phnom Penh and Battambang seeing peak daytime temperatures of 33–35?C on average. At this time, it’s best to do as the locals do, rising early to get out and about, returning for a snooze at midday and emerging again late in the afternoon. This is also when the dust thrown up from the country’s dirt roads is at its worst, the billowing clouds ensuring that everything and everyone is coated in a fine film of grit. At Angkor the unrelenting sun, allied to the lack of any breeze, makes for a baking visit, though this is an excellent time to hit the coast.

The rainy season lasts roughly from June to October, as the southwest monsoon coming off the Gulf of Thailand deposits rain on the whole of the country. River levels are very high a couple of months in, and in September and October communications are at their most difficult, with dirt roads reduced to a deep slurry and a risk of flooding in provincial areas. Thankfully, the rains aren’t unrelenting and fall mainly in the afternoon, so if you don’t want to get off the beaten track, this isn’t a bad time to visit: it’s the quietest time for tourism (at Angkor you’ll have the temples pretty much to yourself), and you’ll be able to concentrate your travels in the mornings. Naturally, this is also when the countryside is at its lushest, and the rice fields are verdant with new growth.