Traveling through Thailand and Cambodia is generally very easy. There are busses going pretty much everywhere, with a set timetable and a fixed fare. For shorter distances we’d hire a tuk-tuk or, my favorite, a motorbike. Especially in Thailand this is a very good option if you have some experience on a bike.The traffic there is chaotic but much more defensive and friendly than it seems. In Cambodia we never rented a bike and it was only an option for rural areas, as the drivers in the city and especially on the highways behave like they are mad. In the busses it was usually best to buckle up and not to pay too much attention to the driver…
Especially in Cambodia we were surprised how many people spoke English fairly well. In Thailand people were usually doing their best but were very hard to understand or didn’t know any English. Most of the time we made it work by pointing at things (we want what this guy is eating) or another customer tried to help us.
The accommodation was mostly cheap, you can get a room for 10 – 20 €. Most of the time the quality of the room is very good. Compared to Ethiopia, where the room prices were similar, everything was done a little better and a little newer. Most of the time there was a fridge and a kettle in the room, and one or two bottles of drinking water. This actually seems to be the peak of civilization: When tap water is safe to drink. And especially in Germany, where it’s not only safe but tastes pretty ok (and not like you are drinking from a swimming pool).
Most of the time breakfast was not included and so we made our own. The main reason was not to save money because if you get something from the street it’s not really more expensive. It was rather about convenience. You have to find something that you’d want to eat and often it was a bit of a guessing what they were offering. Even though we usually stayed for more than one night, we often left in the morning heading for our next destination and it’s just good to know breakfast is safe. 😀
Overall the food there was delicious. We really enjoyed the diversity of flavors they had to offer. While we did like the Ethiopian dishes, it did get a little repetitive after a while and we did enjoy a pizza or some pasta from time to time. We did not have that craving here. There is just so much: There is different kinds of curries, we liked them especially in Thailand where they are spicy. We had excellent fish and I had some delicious squid (Chris hated it… more for me!). I loved mango and sticky rice, where a ripe mango is served with some slightly salty rice and a coconut sauce. In Cambodia we were served a dish I loved: cucumbers, pineapple and Onions. All just sautéed together with rice. Sounds weird but was maybe my favorite!
Regarding drinks: Beer was rather expensive in Thailand, about 2 € for a large can in the supermarket. Depending on the bar you went to that could go up to 10€ (we immediately left). In Cambodia it was really cheap, during Happy Hour you can get a draught beer for 0.5 US$. The cans in the supermarket were not cheaper! Milk is more expensive than in Germany, about 2€ per liter. That’s because it’s all imported. Cows in Thailand and Cambodia are there for meat and not milk. We saw milk from Japan and Australia.
In both countries tourists often have to pay more than locals. While I understand this to a certain extent, they sometimes go to far. Especially for National Parks and such, where even the Thai or Khmer go mostly for a weekend trip, which only the wealthier can afford. Here we were asked prices that were 6 to 10 times the price for the locals. In many cases we just didn’t go. I understand the distinction for religious and cultural sites – and even here sometimes it goes too far – but not for recreational areas. What we learned is, you always (!) have to check the price beforehand. A few times we didn’t… it’s surprising how quickly you reach the European price level and beyond.
Overall, we felt very safe, and this was one of the major differences to Ethiopia. Walking around after dark was no problem. Of course, we tried to keep our valuable out of sight and took the usual precautions. But in the cities the streets were well lit and, in the villages, the biggest danger were the dogs roaming the streets.
We really enjoyed our time there. Of the two countries, I think I liked Cambodia more, because there were so many and different interesting things to experience. And with Angkor, they have one of the premier sights of the world! We would have loved to see Vietnam, but in retrospect, maybe it wasn’t the worst thing. Sad, yes, but imagine you get sick, or stuck in a country with a health system whose quality varies greatly depending on the city and hospital. Not speaking the language, which makes it so hard to communicate with authorities and medical staff. I hope we get a chance to try again some time soon!
To give you a better overview here is a summary of where we were and when
January
February
- 1 – 4 Sukhothai
- 4 – 7 Chiang Mai
- 7 – 11 Pai
- 11 – 13 Chiang Mai
- 13 – 15 Chiang Rai
- 15 – 16 Chiang Khong
- 16 – 18 Chiang Saen – Golden Triangle
- 18 – 21 Bangkok
- 21 – 24 Koh Ta Kiew – Kaktus
- 24 – 25 Sihanoukville
- 25 – 28 Chi Phat – Jungle Trekking
March
- 28 Feb – 4 Siam Reap – Angkor
- 4 – 7 Battambang
- 7 – 12 Phnom Penh with some significant changes to our plan