Cambodia

Cambodia: Travelogues, Trip Journals, and Tourist Information

Cambodia is unforgettable. Don't go if you cannot stand to witness suffering. Don't miss it if you want the experience of a lifetime.
For better or worse, Cambodia is like no other nation on Earth. It is not an easy trip to make, but it has a power that few places hold: if you keep your eyes open, when you return from Cambodia, nothing anywhere will ever look the same.
What is it like? The articles below describe several different trips to Cambodia over the last 15 years:

• Between Barbie and Murder: Cambodia 2005 by Bruce Sharp
• Trekking With the Rangers of Bokor by Antonio Graceffo
• Cambodia 2000: The More that Things Change by Bruce Sharp
• Cambodia, April - May 2000 by Emily Deacon
• Holiday in Cambodia, 1999 by Aaron Levine
• Cambodia, 1996 by Rachel Rinaldo
• Farther Than Wisconsin: Cambodia, 1991 by Bruce Sharp

A brief glimpse of a trip through Asia in an earlier time is available in a collection of postcards from 1966 and 1967:

• Postcards from Asia, 1966 - 1967

Visitors with an interest in Khmer culture should try to include Cambodia's National Museum in their itinerary.
If you are planning to travel to Cambodia, you might want to take a look at medical recommendations for travel in Cambodia. This article was written in 1992, but most of the information is still relevant.
Elsewhere on the web, there are several excellent sites devoted to Cambodia. Links to some of the best are listed below. These sites will open in a new window.

• Andy Brouwer's Cambodia Tales
  Andy Brouwer's "Cambodia Tales" is one of the oldest Cambodia travel sites on the web, and it's arguably the best. It includes an excellent, extensive collection of links to travelogues and trip journals, many photos, and discussion forums. Highly recommended.
  
• Peter M. Geiser's Internet Travel Guide: Cambodia
  Another excellent site that has been around for ages; it ranks alongside Andy Brouwer's as one of the best Cambodia travel sites.
  
• About Asia Travel
  A nicely-designed site devoted to travel in Asia.
  
• Lonely Planet: Cambodia
  From the publishers of the renowned low-budget traveler's guidebooks, an all-around excellent site on Cambodia.
  
• Rich Garella's Cambodia Travel Tips
  Rich Garella was formerly an editor at the Cambodia Daily. Few journalists know more about modern Cambodia, and his travel tips are worth heeding.
  
• Crazy Guy on a Bike
  Excerpt: "Have you ever had a Camry driving at you, miss you by a foot going a 120 kph? It doesn't make for a good morning. And out here that is happening a couple of times a minute for two hours. And the road turns into dirt and it's the same dust as everywhere. I'm covered in dirt and had to stop a few times to wash my eyes out. And this road goes on forever. I just want it to end. I just want back into Thailand. And then a Cambodian lady on the back of a motorbike will turn look at you and smile, and it almost makes up for all the misery, almost."
  
• Phileas Fogg: Cambodia 2004
  A handsome site, with outstanding photos.
  
• Ian Cremona
  A well-done travel site, with excellent photos from Cambodia.
  
• The Royal Embassy of Cambodia
  The official site of the Cambodian Government's U.S. embassy.
  
• Centers for Disease Control Traveler's Health Area
  Information on medical conditions in any region of the globe, plus info on disease outbreaks, health tips for traveling with children, and much more. Look at this site before you travel to any foreign country.
  
• Oanda.Com Currency Converter
  Need to know how many riels to one dollar? How many baht, or dong? Find out here.
  
• Ninety Days in Cambodia by Marcel Stoessel
  A very informative and evocative article on the author's 1998 trip to Cambodia.
  
• The Remaining Right Side of the Buddha by Gregg Butensky
  Handsome design, striking photos, and beautiful writing: travel sites do not get any better than this. Based on the author's experiences in Cambodia in 1993, this trip journal is compelling and fascinating.
  
• Shawn and Yasuko's Southeast Asian Adventures
  A nicely detailed journal describing the authors' trip through Southeast Asia, including Cambodia.
  
• Thailand and Cambodia 2000: Doug Burnett
  A very well-written journal describing the author's trip to Thailand and Cambodia. There aren't any photos, but it scarcely matters: the writer's vivid descriptions bring his trip to life.
  
• Mike Meaney on the Net: Travel Diary, Cambodia and Vietnam
  A well-designed site distinguished by absolutely terrific photos.
  
• Scuba Nation Diving Center, Cambodia
  Scuba diving instruction and tours, with offices in Sihanoukville (Kompong Som) and Sihanoukville.
  
• Travelhog Travelogues
  This site is loads of fun: it's a fascinating and exhaustive collection of links to travelogues all over the web. This site is well-organized and definitely worthwhile.
  
• Oriental Tales
  An elegant, easy-to-navigate collection of travel articles from East Asia.
  
• Around the World in 80 Clicks
  A handsome, well-designed site with photos and articles describing trips all around the world.
  
• Popular Guest House
  A guest house in Siem Reap. Personally, I haven't been there yet, but a close friend tells me it's a good place to stay.