Cambodia Wrap-Up

Ok so I finally got around to doing this. Cambodia exceeded my expectations, to say the least. A country I had heard was very sketchy and dangerous turned out to be exactly the opposite of what I experienced there. I only had one time where I felt I was in a dodgy place, but it was minor at best. Cambodia still is the wild west in some respects, but much safer than I expected. I had some great times, traveled with two great people, and saw some great things.

The good: Angkor Wat. This will go down in my books as one of the most epic things I've ever seen. The sheer magnitude of the temples that fill the area around Siem Riep is amazing. Siem Riep itself is a really cool city, full of great night life and people. Speaking of the people, I found the Cambodians to be very warm and hospitable. Our tuk tuk driver we hired to do Angkor Wat, Ang, was a really cool guy, so much so that we decided to take him out for dinner and beers after our tour. The shooting range in Phnom Penh was totally awesome, apparently I'm deadly accurate with a light machine gun. Seeing the old abandoned French villas in Kep was very interesting, and there is no shortage of them! Ripping around the Kampot countryside on scooters was definitely a highlight, and so much easier and more fun than doing the same thing in India. The boat tour we took in Sihanoukville was epic, one of the most fun days I've had so far on this trip. And I can't forget the prices. Cheap cheap cheap!

The bad: Getting pickpocketed by hookers. Bitches. Although I can't attribute this to Cambodia, as I've heard of this happening everywhere in Southeast Asia. The last bus ride sucked too, being stuck in a plastic chair in the isle of the bus for four hours would make anyone unhappy, but since I was seated next to two friendly, good looking girls, I can't complain too much. Phnom Penh was kind of a hole, big and dirty, with no good night life to speak of. Not too many bad things to say about Cambodia from the Kyle front.

The costs: Again, I drank quite a bit. Likely to happen when you hang out with an Austrian who also likes to drink. In all, Cambodia can be done for around $20 a day if you drink less than I did and eat at food stalls when possible.
Total days spent: 10
Total money spent: $576.50 ($180 spent on shooting machine guns, $40 for Angkor Wat, $55 for the boat tour and scuba diving, $20 pickpocketed, $20 on purchases)
Total daily expenses: $281.50
Average cost per day: $28.15

For the present, I'm heading straight to Chiang Mai on an overnight train to start exploring the jungles of the north. My original plan had been to go to Mae Sot, but my time is short so I have to start trimming my itinerary.