Cambodia and Vietnam

anna_24

Originally Posted by PompeyPete
Been to Thailand loads of times, and Cambodia twice. Both countries are very, very easy to do independently. The problem with Tour companies is that you are more or less bound to follow their itineraries. Travelling independently you set your own pace, and if you fancy loitering somewhere, which you will, then you simply tweak your programme. No need to book hotels in advance, other than your arrival hotel in PP.Thanks for the advice on this i wasnt sure if this was possible - have a look around, and decide on your budget, there is accomodation for all price ranges. I prefer to book the bulk of my accomodation before i go, but it depends on the type of trip. But easy enough to book when you are there, as long as it isn't very busy times
I can't comment on Vietnam, but this is how we we did Cambodia 4 months ago...

Flew Air Asia from Don Muang (Bangkok) to Phnom Penh (PP). Takes 1 hour. thats the internal airport is it not? as opposed to the international one ( sorry dont mean that to sound cheeky... when we went to chiang mai we flew from a different airport than when we arrived from london) yes, different airport. Bangkok air flies from the main international airport - more expensive flights though as they have the monopoly on the bkk-siem reap route

Visa on arrival is US$20. US$ is the de facto currency and there's no need to buy Cambodia Riel. Plenty of ATMs and Banks. Canadia Bank is the best. You'll get Riels in your change (US$ = 4,000 Riel), but they're easy to spend. There are no coins. - visa on arrival is a full page, nice though. you can also get an e-visa, but if i remember rightly it is $5 more

Loads of hotels and restaurants in PP to suit all budgets.- yup, just decide what you are after

4 nights will probably be enough, taking in Killing Fields, S21 Genocide Museum, Russian Market. There's loads more to see depending on what your interests are.Thanks thats a great help i wasnt sure how long we would need in each place - PP wasn't the place for me, I could have left after 24 hours, but everyone is different - I could have spent a month in Siem Reap, whereas most people struggle with more far less. S21 and the killing fields, and the royal palace can be seen in one day. a crucial thing to visit, but emotionally very hard, so we did it first and then did something slightly more cheery the next day! - friends went to the markets, whilst me and another friend went on a cooking course

Bus to Siem Reap. Giant Ibis is the best company. Takes 6 hours.
i noticed they also do a boat trip which is 6 hours ... the bust costs $10 and the boat $35 if i have that right - wouldn't go for boat. Is very dependent on the levels in the lake, can take a long while, and is rather crowded. Could also hire a driver if you wanted to stop and explore en route - my chosen option

The main sights in Siem Reap (SR) are at the Angkor Historical Site. Can be done over 1 day or several days. It depends on how quickly you get temple fatigue. We stayed in SR for a week. i noticed we suffered from that in Thailand so i would love to see the best but not too many ... obviously if they are that good though i dont want to miss them - I spent 2 weeks just poking around the Angkor complex, and could have spend much longer. Most guide books, use a well formulated 3 day plan, so you can hit the main sites. But you can take this faster or slower. There are the temples in the main complex, the Roulos group, out the other side, take a trip on the tonle sap - to the floating village,or down to the flooded/floating villages, or go further afield to Koh Ker, Bantay Srei, Beng Melea or take a walk to see the lingas and waterfalls around phnom kulen

Bus to Battambang (3 hours). Stayed 5 nights. is this a beach area? - no. this is south west of siem reap. Beach area is south of PP, and is called Shiankouville, some like it, others don't. but if you want a really nice thai like beach, go to thailand

Taxi to Poipet (infamous Thai/Cambodia border).- can be arranged via your accomdation normally,

Train back to Bangkok.i like this idea

There's loads of other sides trips you can arrange independently, but getting around is very easy by public transport. Don't travel overnight.- for ideas of trips, look at all the guide books, organised tours, but also somewhere like Peace of Angkor - is a hotel in Siem Reap, but do some fabulous tours (can be private if you want)

Didn't have much of a problem with mozzies in March, and used Jungle Formula (50% deet), and Avon So-soft, which did the trick for us.- was there jan/feb, and didn't have a massive problem. Use a decent Deet repellent - day and night (dengue fever mosis are out in the day, malaria ones come out at night), cover up, use plug ins/coils in your room

I got most of our advice from the Trip Advisor discussion forum, and Lonely Planet/Rough Guide.- good place to go!

Weather in jan/feb can get quite warm - into the 30's, but just plan your day around it - if you are in the temples then, go to one that is more of a structure as opposed to a pyramid.
Is an amazing place. Am going back next year for 4 months, can't wait!

elantan

Hi again everyone, thanks for contributing its appreciated

Have been working silly shifts again so all my reading has been done via phone ... Will read in depth everything you have all shared and get back with responses once I am on the laptop again, have been doing some reading and slight bit of planning, slowly we are getting an inkling into what we want to do etc, I am liking the idea of not taking any official tour guide but getting a local English spoken ( as I am useless at languages ... Can't even manage English correctly sometimes) guide a that should help the locals a wee bit.

So far were thinking Bangkok (2 nights to get over jet lag )

Transfer to Siam Reap for 5-7 days with 3 days done at Angkor etc $40 for a three day ticket, bus to Phnom phen stay 3-4 days fly to Hanoi for 3 nights then train to HCMC for 4 nights ( although I quite fancied Nah Trang but its kinda out the way... Then a beach place for a week or so, trying to pick a good beach area tbh Nah Trang looked good but I read that there is a Russian !!!!! type issue ... I also fancied Phu Quoc but then there was a beach area in Cambodia that looked ok ( began with an S but can't remember it) ... I seem to keep going back to Phu Quoc but am not entirely sure.

I'm a bit concerned as I feel we may still be missing out on things Hoi An for eg ... I still have a long way to go but slowly with your help we are getting there

Thanks again

PompeyPete

Doshwaster wrote: »

My experience is that unless your GP takes a special interest in travel medicine then most of them are fairly clueless when it comes to knowing what is required for particular regions. When I asked mine about a trip to India he just said "you might as well have everything."

Sack your GP! If that was the attitude I received then his/her boss would soon be put in the picture!

Your GP might not have much interest, but he/she should refer you to their or the closest Travel Clinic, which is often held in the same building every couple of weeks or so. The nurse who runs ours is a specialist.

The appointment we had was thorough, as was the MASTA Health Brief we were given at the end of the appointment. If it had been a useless exercise and a waste of time I wouldn't be recommending it!

PompeyPete

elantan wrote: »

So far were thinking Bangkok (2 nights to get over jet lag)

There are 1000s of hotel in Bangkok, and choosing one can be a nightmare. I can thoroughly recommend a standard room at this place right on the river, close [but not too close] to Khao San Road...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g293916-d1763955-Reviews-New_Siam_Riverside_Guest_House-Bangkok.html

Transfer to and from the airport by metered taxi takes about an hour depending on the time of day. It'll cost between 400-600 bahts including tolls and airport levy.

Bangkok is a great city, but can be a bit overwhelming. Staying by the river gives you a bit of space, and it's easy to get around by public ferry and the Sky Train (BTS). After a couple of days you'll be ready to move on.

For flights between Don Muang airport and Siem Reap or PP look at Air Asia. About £55 each way, depending on when you book.

There is absolutely no need to get an e-visa in advance for Cambodia if you are flying. Visa on arrival costs US$20 and is simple and quick.

The hotels we stayed at in SR and PP were fine, but I won't recommend them because there are better ones in the same price-range.

We flew LGW-BKK with Oman Airways, with a short stopover/change of aircraft at Muscat. Excellent airline.

Doshwaster

PompeyPete wrote: »

The appointment we had was thorough, as was the MASTA Health Brief we were given at the end of the appointment. If it had been a useless exercise and a waste of time I wouldn't be recommending it!

For India, I actually ended up going to a private MASTA clinic. It was a business trip so my work paid for the jabs. They were excellent, really knew their stuff so hopefully those immunisations will cover most of the leisure trips for the next few years.

I've never bothered with anti-malarials when I've been to Thailand and Cambodia. The little sods can bite but they don't carry malaria.

elantan

Is it not more dengue you need to watch out for ?

PompeyPete

elantan wrote: »

Is it not more dengue you need to watch out for ?

Could be, depends on a few things...

http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201306/28/P201306280339.htm

Make sure it's something that's covered when you have your appointment at the Travel Clinic.;)

PompeyPete

Doshwaster wrote: »

I've never bothered with anti-malarials when I've been to Thailand and Cambodia. The little sods can bite but they don't carry malaria.

Nor me. And they weren't deemed necessary by the Travel Clinic nurse, which is just as well because I still wouldn't have taken anti-malarials.

The only vaccinations I've got are the 4 UK standards.

Nepal in a few months, so that's another trip to the Clinic.

lovesgshp

elantan wrote: »

Is it not more dengue you need to watch out for ?

Son, who lives in Phuket, Thailand, has recently got over a case of Dengue Fever and would not wish it on his worst enemy. He had all the symptoms that are shown in the link above. He does not take anti-malarial tablets either!!

anna_24

Dengue is most definitely a concern, so DEET and covering up is important during the day. Tourists don't tend to suffer from the haemorrhagic version (which affects more locals), but don't underestimate the "mild" version!

Anti malarials are recommended for a large part of Cambodia, although not for the Angkor area and PP (although this may have changed). If you plan on venturing further out of Siem Reap, then it may be worth thinking about them.
I would highly recommend a trip out to Beng Melea for the Indiana Jones experience!