| This cool little country is located in South East Asia, in | | | | pretty good sealed road. Close your eyes and picture |
| the region known as Indochina. It is bordered by | | | | white sand and turquoise water and you have pretty |
| Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. There is lots to see and | | | | well visualized the beaches of Sihanoukville. Hey do |
| do, and it will cost you a fraction of what it would | | | | not go packing your surfboard, the waters of the gulf |
| tripping around in the west. So come on a journey of | | | | are invariably calm and waves seldom exceed knee |
| discovery. | | | | height. Put these cool beaches together with really low |
| The capital is a frenetic city called Phnom Penh, which | | | | cost, and you will see why this is such an alluring and |
| is easy to get to from the major regional airports like | | | | desirable place to visit. So lets look at how |
| Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Min City or Singapore. | | | | inexpensively you can spend say a week in this part |
| While Phnom Penh has some curious charm of its | | | | of the world. |
| own, like a lot of capital cities it performs better as a | | | | International flights have either hovered at the same |
| gateway than as a destination. | | | | price or have fallen noticeably over the past few |
| The two areas I would like to talk to you about lie in | | | | years. So have a look on the net and you will possibly |
| the north and south west of this nation respectively. Up | | | | be pleasantly surprised at the cost of getting to |
| north sits one of the seven wonders of the world, the | | | | Cambodia. Once you are at the airport, a thirty day |
| Ankor Wat temple complex. This ancient marvel is | | | | tourist visa will cost you $20 usd. For $35 or so you |
| breathtaking and justifiably on that well known list of | | | | can hire a car with driver to bring you the 235 |
| 100 things to do or see before you die. To quote a | | | | kilometers to town, or spend about $7 for a seat on a |
| recent visitor, I expected a pile of old rocks, but I got a | | | | bus instead. |
| powerful significant experience instead. It is a massive | | | | Of course you will need somewhere nice to stay. |
| site, far bigger than most first time visitors imagine, and | | | | There is a wide variety of accommodation on offer in |
| can easily take three days to walk around. Ankor Wat | | | | town, everything from a mattress above a bar to a |
| is situated adjacent to the northern regional town of | | | | five star resort with all the trimmings. As a guide, an air |
| Siem Reap, which is a one hour flight or a six hour | | | | conditioned room here with a hot shower, cable TV |
| road trip from Phnom Penh. Siem Reap can also be | | | | and a fridge will cost you around $15 per night! Food |
| reached by air or road from Bangkok in neighboring | | | | and drink is also wonderfully cheap with a tasty meal |
| Thailand. | | | | for around $3 and a cold beer for $1 a can. |
| The second place I want to tell you about is the | | | | Put all these advantages together and I trust you will |
| seaside town of Sihanoukville. Also a regional town, | | | | agree that Cambodia is an as yet undiscovered gem, |
| Sihanoukville lies on the edge of the Gulf of Thailand, | | | | just waiting for you to come over and unwind. |
| about three to fours hours from Phnom Penh down a | | | | |