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International dialing

Passport and Visa

Required is a passport with at least 6 months validity.

For the most countries a visa is required. At the airport in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh and at the border Poipet (Thailand, Cambodia) you can buy a tourist Visa for US $ 20 (Price may be changed in some places) which is valid for 30 days and Business Visa for US $ 25. And you can also ask for Visa in your country at the Cambodia Ambassador. If you like to stay longer than 30 days you are able to ask for a business visa, prices us$ 25,- in Phnom Penh and in some travel offices in Siem Reap you can change your business visa for longer as 30 days (till one year).

Tourist Visa can be extended for another one month, but only one time, the Visa extension can be made at Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

Business Visa can be renewed indefinitely. 

Cambodia Embassy of Cambodia in Bangkok:
185 Rajadamri Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel: +66 2 254-6630, 253-985, 253-9851
Fax: +66 2 253-9859  

Safety and Hygiene:

A lot of people always mail me how about the mines, is it safe to walk on the streets, what kind of disease Cambodia has and what's the risk. Here some answers:

Safety:

In Siem Reap it's safe to walk on the street also in the evening, there are no mines in the wide area of Siem Reap. The local people are very nice and friendly so don't worry about this.

The mines who are still in Cambodia are far away in the countryside.

The safety in Phnom Penh is the same as in all big cities around the world.

Hygiene:

Don't drink the water, you can buy on every corner here bottle's of water.

Don't use a lot of ice in your drinks, especially in the beginning when you are arriving in Asia, your stomach has to use to it. Eating in the cheap streets restaurants is up to you, there is always a risk that you will have a bad stomach or what else.

Visit always your house doctor or a medical institute before you are visiting Cambodia, he can tell you exactly what you need and what you don't need.

Coming from Bangkok - Poipet or Phnom Penh to Siem Reap.

The road from Poipet to Siem Reap is very bad, especially in the rain season.

Sometimes the bridge or bus is broken and cannot drive, they will bring you by a pick up car.

So take your time and don't be angry when you arriving.

Cheap flights from Bangkok to Phnom Penh !

http://www.airasia.com/site/kh/home.jsp (online booking)

See the prices from Air Asia, it's very interesting to take a look.

If you take the plain from Bangkok to Phnom Penh and then the bus (or boat USD 25,-) to Siem Reap it cost you around USD 50,-

(+/- USD 44.50 Bangkok-Phnom, the bus from PP to Siem Reap is +/- USD 6,-)

The best bus is Mekong Express or a little bit cheaper and less comfortable is

Neak Kror Horm (In every travel agency and most of the guesthouses you can by bus tickets).

By booking a room online by us, we pick you up for free.

Taxi Poipet Siem Reap:

If you like you can take a taxi to Siem Reap. It cost you about us $ 30-60,- (depends on how many people) you will sit comfortable with AC and you will be arriving within a few hours (3-5 hours). You will find them outside the border gate, ask the people on the street they will help you.

Bus Poipet Siem Reap:

Take care: If you have a reservation by Baca Villa, the driver in the bus will try to bring you to an other hotel or guesthouse because he get a commission from them. Make sure that you have the reservation from Baca Villa with you and show the driver this before you enter the bus. If you have any troubles let the driver make a phone call to 012-260440. Our staff will handle this for you.

Airplane Bangkok - Siem Reap.

If you are coming by airplane to Siem Reap, by reservation

http://www.baca-villa.com/reservation.php we will pick you up for free.

You will recognize us at:

Welcome

Mr.xxxxxx/Ms.xxxxx

Baca Villa

Phnom Penh:
If you like you can make your stay in Cambodia longer by visiting Phnom Penh by flight, boat, bus or taxi from Siem Reap.

Phnom Penh is a city with one million people along the Mekong river. A visit to the Royal Palace of the King from Cambodia should be in there also the National Museum and the Khmer museum is a must to see, rather than this you’ll also visit the prison ( S21 ) and killing fields during Pol Pot regime.

Air, bus or boat from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap:

Would you like to go by air, boat or bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap ?

If you book the rooms by Baca Villa we will bring you for free from the airport, bus station or boat terminal to our guesthouse.

As soon as you know which air, bus or boat company and day and time you would like to travel, send an email to info@baca-villa.com with this information.

There are more bus companies

- Mekong Express and

- Neak Kror Horm

and there are more bus stations in Siem Reap.

Buses are leaving from 07.00 / 07.30 / 08.00 and 08.30 AM and in the afternoon at 12.30 and 13.30 PM dependent on the bus company.

Ask in your guesthouse or hotel for tickets. (There are also al lot of travel agencies on the street).

CLIMATE
Cambodia knows 4 climates.

1. November      –        February        = cool and dry

2. March           –        May              = hot and dry

3. June             -        August          = hot and wet

4. September     -        October         = cool and wet

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:

Click here for all the Public Holidays in Cambodia.

TRANSPORTATION
In Cambodia there are many kinds of transportations. You can make your choice for a car, bus, motor bike, Tuk Tuk or Bicycle. But the most popular transportation in Siem Reap is Tuk Tuk.

Tuk Tuk is the name of a motorcycle trailer; it’s the very favorite one. The capacity of one Tuk Tuk is 3 or 4 persons ( Including the driver ).
 

All our drivers inside Baca Villa have excellent experience of the many good places to visit in the area. They all speak English. More than these, they are very kind and helpful.

If you like you can also visit by elephant some temples.

By arriving in the guesthouse every guests will receive a visitors guide book with all kind of information like the history of Angkor, descriptions of all the temples and actual information about Siem Reap with locations maps. 

CLOTHES
Wear light, airy, covering clothing to protect yourself from the sun and mosquitoes. The sun can be intense so bring a hat, sunglasses and perhaps sun blocks with you. For mosquitoes is DEET recommended. Ask you doctor for medical information in Cambodia.
During the rain season wear a raincoat, most of the time it’s raining in the afternoon. 

In pagodas:  Put your shoes and hat or cap off before entering, discreet clothes is appreciated.

Currency: 4000 Riel is $ 1,- (date 15-07-2005). With dollars you can easily pay everywhere.

               Don't change money at the Poipet border the currency is very bad ! You can pay 

               everywhere in Cambodia with us dollars and get some small change in Riel back.

Credit Cards: some places accept credit cards and travelers checks. Visa and MasterCard are the most commonly accepted cards. Most business cards charge 2% - 4% fee to accept credit cards.

Eur is not acceptable, of course you can change it here.

In Phnom Penh and in Siem Reap there is ATM.

The ANCIENT ANGKOR TOUR
You can make tours from one, two, three, a week or more days for visiting the monuments.

The driver pick you up in the morning at the time you like (if you wish to see the sunrise you can ask him to start at 05.00 or 05.30 am in the morning depends on the season). Because of the hot sun in the day time, it’s better that you start early in the morning and come back at 11.00 a 12.00 am for a brake, shower, lunch and maybe a little sleep. You can restart your visit at 14.30 or 15.00 pm.

In the guesthouse you can take a cool shower, enjoy your lunch in our restaurant and take a brake.

PLACE OF INTEREST SIEM REAP
After the temples tour you have the possibility to enjoy the other area (Sights) around Siem Reap, like:

  Bicycle Tours: (Pictures from the countryside of Siem Reap)

  For the bicyclists who are working with GPS, the waypoints coordination from Baca Villa are:

  N 13°   21  62.3

   E 103°  51  202

- Traditional Countryside tour you will never forget.
  Baca Villa has made some very nice bicycle tours with or without our English speaking guide.

  Bicycle tours are in English, German and Dutch Languages.

- Tonle Sap (is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world) (a boat trip is possible).
- Floating fishing villages, where people live on the water, sleep and eat. Where you will

  experience the life on the water.
- Visiting the interesting places of the pagodas, where they are the seat of Khmer culture and

  you can see the Buddhist monks praying to Buddha. To get a true feel for Cambodia, you at least

  visit one pagoda.
- Mine museum is where many weapon remain from the civil war are kept (shows the mine

  problems from the war)
- The central market shows how the people sell there vegetables and fish etc. In the old market

  you can buy all kind of souvenirs. (Clothes are not expensive to buy here).
- The rise and/or sun set in Angkor is always very nice and beautiful to see.
- Cambodia Culture Village, a unique sprawling new cultural attraction in Siem Reap shows the

  culture and history scenes and figures from history.
- Silk museum, it shows the whole process from worm to silk.

- Massage salons, let you enjoy and relax by one a of the massage salons.
- Butterfly garden.

- After a busy day you can enjoy an excellent meal together with a traditional dance

   performance  or puppet show.

- etc. etc.

The countryside from Siem Reap is beautiful. As soon as you leave the town of Siem Reap you will see how the kindly Cambodians live in sometimes very primitive circumstances Khmer huts.

After your visit to Angkor, take the bicycle and spent some days to learn Cambodia. You will see that Cambodia has much more to offer than only Angkor.

Two very good restaurants in Phnom Penh are

Frizz Restaurant: http://www.frizz-restaurant.com/

Ulrich's restaurant Edelweiss : http://www.phnompenh-edelweiss.de/

Learn the art of Khmer Cooking by: Cambodia Cooking Class.

More information: www.cambodia-cooking-class.com

14, Street 285 Phnom Penh

023-88 23 14

012-52 48 01

Or in Frizz Restaurant

Sihanoukville

If you like, after your stay in Siem Reap and/or Phnom Penh go to Sihanoukville by bus, there you can relax at the beautiful beach.

A very good place to stay in Sihanoukville is: Orchidée Guesthouse:

http://www.orchidee-guesthouse.com/

For more information about adventures tours, please ask us. Soon we will have more information on this website about adventures tours in whole Cambodia.

All information, tickets and places to stay, we can arrange for you.

   Help organizations in Cambodia

  (If you are in Cambodia, please visit one of these):

  - In English, German & Dutch "Sala Riin Kampuchea": http://www.cambodia-school.org

 - In English & Dutch :  http://www.colt-cambodia.org

 - Our city bikes rent is 100% going to : HSPCCO (Helper Student for the Poor Children of Cambodia

   Organization) To see the results of this we are pleased to visit them.

If you like to visit these, please mail me : info@baca-villa.com

  LINKS:

- Eric de Vries a Dutch photographer who is visiting Cambodia for a long time, his beautiful pictures

  are hanging in our rooms and restaurant, his website : www.ericdevries.nl

- Robert and Mascha who are also helping us with our projects ! http://www.shiatsubeek.nl/Cambodja

-  Beautiful pictures from Cambodia made by the Dutch photographer Frank: fotobenb@xs4all.nl

-  Beautiful pictures from Cambodia made by the German photographer Gerard Essaka: http://www.essaka.de 

-  For the German guests contact : http://www.anderes-reisen.de Immanuel kann dir alles

    Uber Cambodia Erzahlen.

 - Frizz restaurant: http://www.frizz-restaurant.com/

 - Ulrich's restaurant Edelweiss : http://www.phnompenh-edelweiss.de/

 - Cambodia Cooking Class : http://www.cambodia-cooking-class.com

 - Erich: http://www.princemekong.ch

 - More about Cambodia : http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Cambodia.html

 - In our restaurant we serve the excellent ERDINGER Weissbier:

    Read more about this tasteful beer: http://www.nmk.co.za/products/beers/erdinger.htm

- Reinhart Zieler, Autor & Researcher in Angkor (specialist Angkor Guide):

   http://www.wunderangkor.de

- Treve & Katrina Exploring the Khmer Empire in Cambodia

   http://www.tktravel.co.uk/index.php/2005/09/19/p31

#026, Phum Taphul, Khum Svay, Dangkum, Siem Reap-Angkor, Cambodia. Phone: (855) 63 965 328, E-mail: info@baca-villa.com, www.baca-villa.com

Copyright @ 2005 by www.baca-villa.com All Rights Reserved.