Talk:Siem Reap

Getting in
I've updated the section "Get in" and added the text about travelling by train to the cambodian border. I've done this once (~ 2 years ago), it was incredible cheap but can't remember the price I payed for the ticket. Could someone update this ?

Images
I just added an image (first time I've tried the whole upload thing!) but it's probably way too big. If someone wants to save it and edit it down and upload it again, feel free. I have a ton of Cambodia picts at http://www.majink.org/trav/picts/cambodia/index.html but I'm lame with the image manipulation... (WT-en) Majnoona 12:51, 25 Jul 2004 (EDT)

Blind obedience to templates
One of the sections in the Siem Reap page is entitled "By land", as it covers buses, taxis and pickup trucks plying the same highways to the same destinations. I would like to keep it that way. Going by bus/taxi/pickup to Bangkok and Phnom Penh, on the other hand, are quite different because the first route involves crossing a tough border and the other doesn't; I would also like to keep the subsections for these separate. (As on example, a warning about scams and hassles at the border doesn't apply to anyone coming from PP!)

And why, pray tell, was the immensely useful external link to Tales of Asia's Cambodia Overland page removed?

So please outline any objections here before you go change the page. Thank ye. (WT-en) Jpatokal 23:43, 17 Jul 2004 (EDT)


 * Jpatokal, I'm not following you on why you think this link is appropriate under the ext link policy. Could you please elaborate? -- (WT-en) Colin 04:15, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)


 * Tales of Asia provides the exceedingly useful service of an up-to-the-week update on road conditions in the country. In the first world country, this would be provided by the "first source" of the Ministry of Transport, but this is Cambodia and such sources don't exist (at least not online). (WT-en) Jpatokal 07:09, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)


 * My new world country sucks at this kind of thing :-). I think the link can stay but it should be in the Get in or Get around section with some advisory that the traveller should consult the extlink for current road conditions.  It looks weird in the extlink section to me. And the emphasis should be on the usefulness of the current road conditions rather than the "chock full of information"  -- (WT-en) Colin 14:45, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)


 * I am frankly very tired of people being overly protective of their own pet pages. While arguably the "get in" section organization isn't a big deal (I'll always opt for consistency, but it's not that big a deal), the "Tales of Asia" link is definitely an "other guide" link, a secondary source, and has got to go according to the ext. link policy. -- (WT-en) Nils 04:19, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)


 * I place utility above vague policies. ToA is a must-read for anyone planning to travel overland in Cambodia, and Wikivoyage isn't about to replace it as such. (WT-en) Jpatokal 07:09, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)


 * The policy does not take "utility" into consideration. As I said, if you disagree with the policy, have it changed. Until the policy is changed, we shall follow it. -- (WT-en) Nils 11:04, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)


 * 1) Your beloved, carved in stone, Richtung und Ordnung policy says, and I quote, "avoid". It does not say "never, ever link to".
 * 2) The traveller comes first is a superpolicy that overrides anything else.
 * But the discussion has duly started on Project:External links. (WT-en) Jpatokal 11:23, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)


 * The rest of us are tired of people being overly fussy about "the rules", and running around deleting useful information all over the place without the tiniest amount of thought as to why the information is there, or how useful it might be. Could it perhaps be that somebody who's contributed a lot to a given page thinks the link would be useful for a traveler?  Perhaps those contributors are in a really good position to decide which links are worthwhile and which are not, and maybe just maybe we should consider Assuming good Faith before deleting that stuff willy-nilly. -- (WT-en) Mark 08:31, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)


 * If you dislike the policy, start a discussion about it and get people to agree to change the policy. It does not matter how useful those pages may be. Please point that paragraph of the ext link policy out to me. Do you guys have some sort of attention disorder that I have to repeat myself so often? -- (WT-en) Nils 11:04, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)


 * I'll take ADD over ad hominem attacks, thank you. (WT-en) Jpatokal 11:23, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)


 * Says the guy who brought user nationalities into the argument... But hey, whatever floats your boat. -- (WT-en) Nils 11:56, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)


 * "Useful and worthwhile" is a terrible justification for an extlink. Other guides are often useful and worthwhile, but we don't link to them.  In this case, current road conditions seems like a valid reason to me, but in general, usefulness and worth are insufficient cause. -- (WT-en) Colin 14:45, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)


 * Current road conditions seems like a valid reason to me too, and probably would to anybody else capable of reason, but sadly some people who like to appoint themselves site-wide policy enforcers don't seem capable of dealing with fine points or shades of gray, so sadly the policy will have to be clarified to adapt to such black-and-white thinking. -- (WT-en) Mark 16:00, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)

credit cards in SR
I visited SR in August 06. The credit card facility at the local international airport was 100% ok. There are no problems or difficulties using the service. Also, around town, there are several public access ATMs. This is in contrast to the story tourists are told at the Thai/Cambodian border that there are no ATMs in Cambodia. In addition to ATMs there are several banks in SR which will provide funds from a credit card.
 * I seem to recall that too. Feel free to Project:Plunge forward and update this and the Cambodia articles if you don't think they reflect this. Thanks. (WT-en) Maj 13:51, 23 January 2007 (EST)
 * I visited SR in Nov 06, and the airport's credit card system for paying service fees was "down" (and looked like it had been so for quite a while). But yeah, ATMs are all over the place now. (WT-en) Jpatokal 22:35, 23 January 2007 (EST)

OK- to me the SR airport looked as modern as anything in Cambodia, but if it is occasionally down then lets advise travellers of that eventuallity. I will leave entry as it is.

Happy happy joy joy
As far as I understand, cannabis is not legal in any form in Cambodia. However, it is a traditional ingredient in cooking, and the happy pizzerias are in a gray zone as far as law enforcement is concerned: sometimes the police crack down, something they don't. A long thread on the subject in TOA here.

So... how do we handle this? (WT-en) Jpatokal 00:43, 11 February 2007 (EST)
 * I think you already have. Just state what you have already written (with slightly more explanation if you deem it to be necessary). (WT-en) WindHorse 00:51, 11 February 2007 (EST)

Electrical bicycles
When I was in Siem Reap two years ago (2006), there was the possibility to rent electrical (battery-powered) bicycles along the road from Siem Reap towards the Angkor. Unfortunately I cannot remember the price I had to pay, and neither if this business is still in operation. If anyone is passing by there, kindly have a look if this information is still valid :). I have added it to this page and also to the Angkor Archaeological Park page. 155.56.68.220 05:11, 2 May 2008 (EDT)Martin

Driver recommendations
This was removed from the article:

Ask for Mith Bundy (Tel: 012 942 561) for a very friendly driver with basic (but workable) English skills.

I think this would be fine to keep, as it's a "primary telephone number" directly to a guide, but I understand that this could be a slippery slope. Other opinions? (WT-en) Jpatokal 04:52, 19 May 2008 (EDT)


 * There are hundreds of good drivers in town with good English and knowledge about the temples in town. There is absolutely no need to post the mobile number of a special driver here. I know these postings from Cambodian forums. There are a lot. By the way Cambodians sometimes/often change their numbers. Just go out of your hotel and ask the next driver. He will be good choice. Believe me. -- (WT-en) DerFussi 02:06, 30 June 2009 (EDT)

Not true. We had 6 drivers during our time here, and there were huge differences between them. The right driver can make a major difference in your experience. I would say that in Siem Reap in particular, it is more important than the hotel or restaurant to the overall trip. And so, a list of great drivers would have been a great help.

New Map provided
My map, that is included to this article here is out-dated. I have provided a set of new ones. I big SVG-File and a derived map with every district. I had to split the article about Siem Reap. There are a lot of information. Feel free to use the maps. ...here -- (WT-en) DerFussi 02:59, 26 July 2008 (EDT)

Heritage Watch
Does Heritage Watch deserve a logo and a paragraph of endorsement here? (WT-en) Gorilla Jones 14:08, 8 March 2009 (EDT)

Page layout is messed up
The entries for Skyway Hostel and Shadow of Angkor is messing up the page display in Firefox. The page becomes very wide and have to scroll left and right in order to read it.

I'd already tried to fix it but without much success. Can someone else help ??

Internet and Shadow of Angkor II
One thing you may want to point out is verifying internet connectivity at hotels. Both of the hotels I've stayed at here claimed to ahve internet connectivity but the first later told me it was down and would be fixed "the next day" for 2 days. On the third day I left and went to Shadow of Angkor II, which is a very new very nice hotel a few blocks from the original Shadow of Angkor, and they also claimed to have internet. It is available, but it's awful and doesn't work on the top 2 floors. They also claimed that it would be fixed the following day, yet here I am on the second floor because it is not fixed.

Self-drive by car to Siem Reap?
Now that the highway from Poipet on the Thai-Cambodia border to Siem Reap appears to be improved to acceptable standards (judging from the photo), is it possible to drive oneself by auto from Thailand to Siem Reap? The article doesn't say; the section describing ground transportation via the Poipet route discusses only public transportation options (e.g., bus and taxi). It would seem useful to add this info. to the article.207.228.160.146 19:55, 10 November 2009 (EST)


 * Will someone familiar with the area address this in the article? Does the traveler from Thailand have other options besides taxi and bus at the border? Specifically, can a rental car be driven across the border and on to Siem Reap? 200.10.166.198 14:00, 8 June 2010 (EDT)


 * I believe this border will not allow rented cars across, basically almost all passengers have to dismount and get in another vehicle on the other side both ways. If the bus companies and tourism ministries of Thailand and Cambodia  cannot break through this highly inconvenient but lucrative arrangement, a visitor has little or no chance of challenging it.

--111.118.147.27 23:48, 4 October 2010 (EDT)

Sleep section
Is huge! Needs a good culling to get us down 10ish listings in each sleep category. If anyone fancies having a go, please plunge forward. --(WT-en) Burmesedays 00:16, 20 January 2010 (EST)

On a related note, I stayed at the Earthwalkers gesthouse the last few days and while the description is correct (the place is indeed 'fantastic'), the description doesn't do it justice. The place has a few quirks; There seems to be some interesting plumbing as having hot water in our room seems to be a hit-or-miss thing and related to whether the shower drains quickly or slowly, the internet is workable but has trouble with certain sites (mainly hotmail), etc. They also can arrange lots of stuff for you including remork/moto drivers with their prices being consistent and, I think, acceptable (13$ small tour, 15$ grand tour, 22$ to bantei srei, 5$ one-way to Angkor Wat for example. The hotel takes a cut.), On the other hand, the rooms are indeed clean, it doesn't just have wifi but really has free wifi, etc. This is my only experience with Cambodian accomodations, so I'm unclear whether our intermittent hot water is on par with other budget Cambodian (or at least siem reap) gesthouses. I'm happy to condense all this into the earthwalker's description (and I think this particular inn should stay on the final list, it's a great place) although I don't know enough about siem reap accomodations to feel confident weeding out the whole list.(WT-en) Charles 07:40, 15 March 2010 (EDT)


 * I am going to look through. I travel to Cambodia every year and follow the feedbacks in forums as well. So meanwhile I know Siem Reap and Phnom Penh quite well. Maybe my recently finished maps of Siem Reap and it quarters may help as well. Feel free to use it: ...here-- (WT-en) DerFussi 06:01, 25 March 2010 (EDT)


 * Excellent DerFussi. Please do feel free to prune the sleep section here. It is certainly too large. It would be be great if you had a look at Sihanoukville as well, as some attention is needed there. Good looking maps and I see the SVGs are avaiable. We may well take you up on that offer. Of course, you are welcome to use my Cambodia country map if it is of any use to WikiVoyage. Thanks again. --(WT-en) Burmesedays 10:20, 25 March 2010 (EDT)


 * Thanks for your offer. Ok, i am going to check the article about Sihanoukville too during the upcoming weekend. No problem. -- (WT-en) DerFussi 04:23, 26 March 2010 (EDT)


 * I have started to comment out some of the hotels. I used some information from forums and communities like travelfish - and my own experiencesas well. Two more comments. 1. You show consider to separate the information and make articles of the quarters. (like I did on Wikivoyage - you can use the same quarters). I know. Siem Reap is a small twon. But it consists of hotels (around 300!) and shops and restaurants only. You have to arrange it anyway. Its the only way to manage this huge amount of addresses and places. 2. Put the restaurants in an order. (Western food, Asian food, Mediterranean .... -- (WT-en) DerFussi 02:43, 30 March 2010 (EDT)


 * Understood but please bear in mind that Wikivoyage never wants to be a directory of listings. The last thing we want is to look like the Yellow Pages. Even if there are a lot of hotels and restaurants, Wiktiravel aims to show a selection of the best in each category. This is the case with even our star-rated articles. --(WT-en) Burmesedays 23:16, 30 March 2010 (EDT)


 * I am aware of that. But your aim is, to guide the travellers. Nobody wants a link list. The quaters articles can be short. The advantage is, that firstly the traveller can find a suitable restaurant near their hotel. And the traveller can find a suitable hotel easier when they know, that: 1. Old market area is busy and not that quiet but you have short ways. 2. Taphul Village and Wat Bo Area have a lot of budget guest houses. Many midrange upmarket hotels are at the airport road and north of town. That is what a star article (set of star articles!) represents. By the way. Who voted for Sihanoukville as destination of the month off the beaten path?? Its ridiculous. You should see it in relation to the country. Its the mostly visited place in Cambodia after Siem Reap. Its a real destination of the month, and not off the beaten path. Kratie of Banlung or maybe Battambang would fit that demand. And the Sihanoukville's article is not that suitable cause you should separate all the hotels and restaurants. Every beach area in Sihanoukville has its own style and flair and his own kind of travellers - and the distances are quite big (thats the reason why I made separate articles about the quarters in Sihanoukville on WV). The first question for a traveller in Sihanoukville is: To what area/beach i should go and stay? Just an idea to think about. -- (WT-en) DerFussi 06:11, 31 March 2010 (EDT)


 * No idea on Sihanoukvile. I spent 24 hours there and got out as fast as possible :). A dreadful place full of the sleaziest westerners imaginable.--(WT-en) Burmesedays 06:15, 31 March 2010 (EDT)


 * SHV is not that bad - if you know where to stay :) on the other hand - 4 days are enough.... Been busy recently. I will take a look at SHV and look through the sleeping section in this article. -- (WT-en) DerFussi 01:58, 10 May 2010 (EDT)

Ken Dooley
If I had a quarter for every time I came to wikivoyage.org... Amazing writing!

How long is the bus ride from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap?
The article discusses the length from Thailand to Siem Reap, and the cost from PP to SR, but not the time? ta -NB


 * It takes around 6 hours. -- (WT-en) DerFussi 08:13, 19 October 2010 (EDT)

Bus journey SR to BKK is no problem. The scams are BKK to SR only.
Shocked to read the false information about scams SR to BKK. My advice, a small bribe is normal entering poipet, but any problems poipet to Thailand are either due to a vehicle breaking down and their attempts to find a replacement, or idiot tourists asking to be ripped off.

I travelled both ways 20 times in the past 3 years. Every time SR to BKK was ok, although occasionally there was a delay for various reasons, but the ticket is cheap at $10 or less and no scams. Equally I witnessed major scams and problems EVERY time BKK to SR, not once was I taken all the way, every time i had to either pay the scam or arrange my own taxi poi pet to SR. Basically BKK to SR the ticket is cheap BECAUSE enough tourists fall for either the visa scam or the no bus available from poipet to sr scam. Taxis cost about $30 poipet to sr, including police bribes which are paid on the way out of town, by the driver, in cash.

Until the Cambodian authorities reclaim control of poipet, it is best to allow $5 or more for scams bkk to sr, but there is no need to fuss SR to BKK. Thailand would not allow their police to be involved in scamming tourists so blatantly, it looks bad.

The main source of scams are the Thais issuing Cambodian visas at 1300 baht. This is apparently legal in thailand. If you have exact money, just $20, and a passport sized photo, visas to Cambodia are ALWAYS available directly at a small cambodian police booth after the Thai passport control ONTHE SAME (left) SIDE OF THE ROAD. On the opposite side is the police barracks, where off duty police will grill you, but as they are off duty anything goes. No photo, usually $1 fine, but if you look rich and stupid... It's their lucky day! . $50 note? No change given. Thai baht? 1300 fixed price. Cambodian Riel? Not accepted, nor any tourist place in Cambodia, US dollars only and in good condition. These police can be very pushy, but they are OFF DUTY from the government and apparently out for their own gain. Cross the road and they cannot refuse the government price of $20 and a photo. Of course your bus to siem reap evaporates, it never existed unless you pay the visa scam, so get a taxi for $30 or so - the police take a cut so it varies.

But i say again, SR to BKK, i recommend the 11:30 am bus, change your ticket for a red or other colour sticky tape at the border, walk across 1km, wait for bus or taxi to bkk, no problem, no scam, just sometimes a delay for genuine operational reasons like a broken or missing vehicle, or your fellow passengers delayed from battambang. If you are alone, or a pair, chat to the boy who decides who gets on what bus or taxi to bkk as he needs to fill odd numbers of seats in the various vehicles and when full they leave for Bangkok.

In Thailand you will get a seat by law. In Cambodia for backpack prices, vehicle problems lead to either plastic seats in the aisle or sitting on the floor, or next day travel. --111.118.147.27 00:53, 5 October 2010 (EDT)

Check your toilet stops with each driver, sometimes you are many hours on the road and other times you stop at his brother in laws shack for 30 minutes, where food and water inexpensive and often very good, but toilets leave much to be desired.

Anonymous comments
Removed from the page: (WT-en) Texugo 07:40, 30 December 2010 (EST)

Curry Walla Restaurant run by A Sikh (Singh in Hindi स ) Sikh is a follower of Sikhism (Sikhi in Punjabi) they are sikh and sale beef and Halal food, Sikhs would not eat in restaurants that are exclusively halal or kosher. So how can they sale food Halal and Beef also i don’t believe this.. But they do Because maybe they only like to make money from Muslim market and they don’t care and respect about own religion. Sikhism, but they should be care and respect others .. What are the main laws or beliefs relating to food? Sikhs do not believe in Halal ritual killing and are told to refrain from eating meat .....Halal.. .....kosher.. killed by such rites. Sikhs are expected to be active and alert and are therefore required to refrain from alcohol and drugs; not on the grounds of impurity but mental and physical fitness

Which ingredients are forbidden? Halal meat Kosher meat

Is there a link with vegetarianism? Because of influences of the sub continent social environment, some Sikhs will not eat beef; others will not eat pork and others will be vegetarians. Because of such varieties and sensitivities all food served in a gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) is vegetarian. We often visiting to siem reap due to  business peruse. There are muslim / Halal food options very limited. Recently i found a place on web and local guide books advertised a restaurant named curry walla serving Halal Food. During our recent visit in siem reap we went to that place and inquired about food to make sure is it Halal or Not? Local staff and owner was just answered “food is Halal”. When we asked “what is halal”? they kept quite, even they did not know about actual things and meanings about Halal. We was angry because they are lying and cheating to Muslim customers for money. we mentioned these things in Our blog too. This same things doing other non muslim Indian Restaurants too. Any restaurant can not claim and advertise about Halal Food with Non Muslim ownership/ management/chef/ kitchen staff. So, 100% Surely this restaurant is not serving Halal food. We did not eat here and told to my friends and known persons too. Halal / Muslim food available in Siem reap on following places:

1-Local food : Khmer Muslim Restaurant; next to neak mah Mosque

2-Malysian food D Wau Restaurant: No 275, Road No. 6, near Psa Leo Market.

3-Indian / Pakistani Food Maharajah Restaurant: Street No. 7, Old Market Area. 4- KFC

Madam Beergarden UNDER CONSTRUCTION
This listing has been (minor) edited and moved here as the listing appears to be for a project rather than a currently available facility. It can go into the article when it opens. Please note that "affordable" is a highly subjective qualification, hence that comment has beed edited out of the listing. -- (WT-en) felix 12:24, 26 July 2011 (EDT)

UNDER CONSTRUCTION:
 * Thai and Khmer food in a nice atmosphere. Enjoy the garden or sit inside in funky environment. Cocktail, draft beer and soft drinks are served with lunch and dinner.


 * As per advice left on my talk page (08:09, 13 August 2011 IP: 175.100.59.61)

"hello felix505 i do not really understand why you have edited our company listings regarding madam beergarden UNDER CONSTRUCTION as the company is opened and has been for around 4 months with me as the owner... the name is madam beergarden UNDER CONSTRUCTION so please put it back on thank you very much"
 * Accordingly restored the listing to the article incorporating Madam Beergarden Under Construction (Under Construction is part of the name). -- (WT-en) felix 05:32, 13 August 2011 (EDT)

Get out "Thailand"
I added back in most of the information on how to get from Siem Reap to Thailand & Bangkok in particular. It seems a commonly traveled route. Was there a reason for the information's surprise deletion in the first place?

Simply listing "Get Out - Thailand" is of nearly no use to anyone. If we keep things that simple, why not simply link a map of SE Asia on the "Get Out" section? See the countries that touch Cambodia -consider visiting them...

Get out to Thailand
No seriously - why has this been deleted? Siem Reap to Bangkok is a very popular route, and the explanation pretty much covered the entire process/possibilities. So...why remove it? (WT-en) bbb0777 01:58, 13 March 2012 (EDT)