Cheap Travel Today

Daylight robbery at Laos Cambodian border: not worth the fighting I have crossed several borders overland in recent years, and even now there is a strange sense of excitement and apprehension as I approach the border guards. They have it in their power to make life very difficult for someone, and it is always my hope that that someone will not be me that day. We approached the Cambodian border with southern Laos at around 2pm on a hot December afternoon. There was no-one in sight, and as the Lao driver who had brought us on the final stretch of road to the border waved us off, we walked to the Lao departure point, an old wooden hut holding the final Lao flag that we would see on our trip. One dollar the surly official said, and then added two people, two dollar. I had read about these processing fees and was not too surprised, but wanted to query him further. I got an irritated stare when I asked him what the dollar was for, and following a subtle kick from my wife Sam under the...

Northern Cambodia: River dolphins, pyjama people and the karaoke bus I wish wed had more time to spend in Cambodia. The little we saw of it was captivating, and the warmth of the people along with the delicious Khmer cuisine meant that we were sorry to leave when we did. I am grateful at least that we did get to see a little of the north of the country, through our decision to take the road trip from the Lao border to Phnom Penh. The road itself is decent, and our speed varied between 80 km/h in a car to a very scary 130km/hr in a big passenger bus. The road passes through many neglected overgrown fields, and at closer inspection its easy to see why they are derelict. Signs by the roadside warn passers by not to enter the fields due to the mortal danger of landmines. Yet another stark reminder of the tragic legacy this part of the world still suffers. Stung Treng Our first overnight stop was Stung Treng, a small sleepy town on the banks of the Mekong. We arrived in late af...

Phnom Penh: A Cambodian Christmas Just up from our hotel; the local slums Phnom Penh was one of my favourite stops on our SE Asia trip. Considering I spent a large part of one day there (Christmas Day to be precise) in close proximity to our hotel bathroom, that is quite a compliment. Its not a pretty city, with only a few buildings of note. The Royal Palace houses many impressive buildings and temples. Its not particularly old, with construction only starting in the late 19th century, but then Phnom Penh only became the Cambodian capital at that time, by decree of the French colonial authorities. For those travelling on a budget its a very expensive attraction at $6 a head. Its easy to pass a couple of hours in the Palace complex. Be warned though that if you have arrived having recently seen the Grand Palace in Bangkok the Khmer equivalent will not look so impressive. Royal Palace, Phnom Penh Beyond that you can visit Wat Phnom, a hillside temple on the only hill in P...

A lesson in customer service: The Cambodian laundry Outside the laundry shop, Phnom Penh I dont know what it is about travelling, but we seem to be particularly aware of the extreme levels of service when we are away from home. We all have stories of the appallingly bad; whether it is imcompetence, incomprehension or service given with added undiluted hostility. Occasionally though we also experience the very highest standards of service, and often its found in the places where we least expect it. One such case for us was in the suburb of Phnom Penh where we staying over Christmas. We were overdue for a laundry day, and needless to say the hotel we were staying in was not an option (it would have come to around $50; exactly what we paid for a nights stay). Walking through the neighbourhood we didnt find any of the $1/1kg laundry signs that were so prevalent in the tourist hot-spots of Laos. But we did find a place that looked as though they might wash our clothes (a general s...