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Three years ago, I fell madly in love with Cambodia. For three years, it occupied a top five spot on my list of favorite countries.
So when it came time to go back to Southeast Asia, I knew that Cambodia would be a mandatory stop. I was beyond excited to return to this wonderful country.
If you’ve been following on Facebook, you know that things didn’t go as expected.
I used to ADORE Cambodia.
I first visited Cambodia in December 2010, and eventually spent about seven weeks in Cambodia total. I visited several different places in the country: Phnom Penh, Kampot, Kep, Sihanoukville, Siem Reap, and the countryside outside Phnom Penh.
My favorite thing about Cambodia was the people — the kind, warmhearted Khmer people who greet you with smiles and waves wherever you go, who take you into their homes and treat you like a member of the family, who would give you the shirt off their backs if you asked.
My memories of Cambodia are happy ones, like the night a family invited us to celebrate the end of harvest in the countryside with them.
Did I have any problems? Yes, I did. My friend and I got robbed while skinny-dipping in Sihanoukville. But I didn’t blame anyone for that but myself. We were asking for it.
So please know that that the following words don’t come from a place of deep-rooted hatred. It breaks my heart that a country I loved so much has turned out this way.
Cambodia has changed — and not for the better.
Since the beginning of my trip, I’ve been involved in what has felt like a continuous crime wave. The country that I once regarded as rough in some places but largely peaceful has turned into a place that leaves me feeling unnerved and uncomfortable.
Here’s a rundown on what has happened:
Bag Snatchings in Phnom Penh
When I got into my first tuk-tuk in Phnom Penh, our driver warned me that men on motorbikes sometimes snatch bags from tuk-tuks, and he promptly closed the fabric on the sides of the tuk-tuk, sealing open space off as much as possible. I had never heard this from a tuk-tuk driver in Cambodia on my earlier visits, but it made sense.
To my surprise, I got the same warning again and again. These muggings were common.
And then it happened — my good friend S. was in a tuk-tuk with a friend (incidentally, his friend was one of my readers) and a motorbike driver reached in and pulled out S.’s friend’s bag.
S. is very athletic and vaulted out of the tuk-tuk, chasing down the thief. He and the thief fought over the bag and S. eventually punched his teeth out. Soon it became clear that the thief was part of a gang of five, and S.’s tuk-tuk driver joined in the fight, pulling off his belt to whip the accomplices.
S. got his friend’s bag back, and by that point, people were watching — some even videotaping — and the military police got involved.
S. later got a phone call from the military police. The thief was probably going to die, they told him, because he didn’t have health insurance and couldn’t afford healthcare. S. was shocked by this news, because the thief didn’t appear to be gravely injured. He now thinks that the thief was beaten more brutally after he left. The thief eventually died.
S. was featured on the news in Cambodia as the man who killed a bag snatcher. He was getting recognized on the street as far away as Siem Reap.
You need to get out of Cambodia, I urged him. What if his family comes after you? He has since left the country safely.
Extortion in Kampot
I decided to take a half-day tour to some of the sights around Kampot: salt flats, burned-out French mansions, Muslim fishing villages, a pepper plantation.
Early in the trip, on the road from Kampot to Kep, my phone bounced out of the tuk-tuk.
The man who picked it up would not give it back to me for less than $200.
I completely take responsibility for dropping my phone. It was an incredibly dumb move. I guard my phone closely and haven’t lost or broken it in years — but this was a moment of idiocy on my part combined with some bad luck.
As soon as the man picked up the phone, he began taking it to different shops and seeing how much they would pay him for it. $250 was what he was offered, he told our tuk-tuk driver over the phone. He’d “help us out” and give it back to us for just $200.
I wanted to involve the police, but having had bad experiences with the police in the developing world in the past, I opted to just pay the man and chalk it up to an expensive lesson.
Sihanoukville’s New Edge
While in Kampot, I chatted with a friend who has visited Cambodia off and on for years. We chatted about Sihanoukville, and he told me about the latest developments — that the Road to Serendipity has been paved and that Monkey Republic has reopened after being destroyed by a fire.
But the changes weren’t all positive.
Sihanoukville’s got an edge now, he told us. And not a good edge.
He described recent incidents in Sihanoukville — a woman was raped on the beach; a man was robbed on the beach. But the most striking story was that five different women got their drinks spiked while he was there.
Drink spikings happen all over Southeast Asia and the world, from frat houses to exclusive clubs. Most of the time, you can avoid spikings if you’re hyper-aware of your drink, but truthfully, you won’t be able to avoid them completely unless you have both a lid and a trustworthy bartender. But still, five different incidents — five different REPORTED incidents — within a short time frame, in my opinion, casts a serious reflection on Sihanoukville today as a whole.
Mugged in Siem Reap
Our friend S., the very same guy who fought off the bag-snatcher in Phnom Penh, was mugged by a gang of children in Siem Reap. He didn’t even have any valuables showing — one of the children reached into his pocket and stole his phone.
After running after the kid and smacking him, S. got his phone back. The children retaliated by throwing glass bottles at him, cutting his feet.
Others Confirm
On the minibus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, the girl sitting next to us told us that minutes after leaving the airport in Phnom Penh, she saw a motorbike driver rip a backpack right off a tourist’s back.
And while this incident didn’t affect tourists directly, my friends Dalene and Pete witnessed the recent Phnom Penh protest where police opened fire on unarmed workers, killing one woman.
I’ve also heard lots of stories about drug users being blackmailed by locals threatening to turn them in to the police. My opinion on that hasn’t changed since the beginning: if you’re dumb enough to 1) do drugs in a developing country 2) get caught doing drugs in a developing country, you deserve all of the consequences, whether it’s going to jail or getting blackmailed for hundreds of dollars.
Doing drugs publicly makes you a target. Period. This has always happened throughout Southeast Asia and other developing countries, and for that reason, I don’t consider it a factor in this analysis.
Cambodia’s Defenders
I have several friends who have fallen as deeply in love with Cambodia as I did that first time. Many of them are expats who have lived here long-term; others are travelers who found themselves returning to Cambodia again and again. And they haven’t been happy with what they’ve heard from me and Mario.
Here is a selection of what I’ve heard recently:
Bad things happen everywhere, not just Cambodia. Yes, I’m aware of that. The one time I was mugged was in front of my apartment in Boston.
Lots of places have worse crime than Cambodia, even in Southeast Asia. That may be, but I’m not comparing places. I’m talking about Cambodia.
If you have common sense, you’ll be fine. Often. But common sense is not a cure-all for anything bad that could happen to you. Some places need more preparation than just common sense.
Cambodia is in a tough position. It’s not just poverty, but poverty on top of corruption, domestic violence, no safety net, and painful recent history. Indeed, it is in a very tough position — tougher than anywhere else I’ve been. But just because it can be explained doesn’t make it any less true.
As technology becomes more widespread, more Khmers are learning how little they have compared to the rest of the world. Indeed, that’s true, and that must undoubtedly be a factor toward escalating crimes against tourists in the country.
Cambodia used to be a destination for serious travelers only, but these days is also popular with affluent inexperienced travelers and partying backpackers, my friend Michael Turtle astutely pointed out. Adding this to the previous points is like igniting a powder keg.
But if Cambodia loses the economic benefits of tourism, it will descend into chaos. That’s very true, and losing tourism would be the worst thing to happen to Cambodia. But I’m not going to omit critical information from my readers for the sake of keeping Cambodia’s tourism numbers up.
Let me be clear: I completely understand my friends’ points. Before this trip, I myself was one of Cambodia’s staunchest defenders!
But things have changed. I’m not here to demonize or destroy Cambodia — I’m just here to tell you what it was like for me to travel in Cambodia in late 2013.
My View on Cambodia
After the incidents of this trip, I can say without a doubt that Cambodia has changed since I was last here three years ago.
An isolated crime, or even multiple crimes, is one thing. But in Cambodia my friends and I experienced a series of ongoing incidents that altogether end up painting a pattern markedly different than a few years ago.
I won’t go so far to say that I feel unsafe here. I will say that I am no longer comfortable here, and have felt constantly on edge.
I even changed my travel plans. I was planning to visit the temple of Preah Vihear, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but upon hearing that there are no longer group tours from Siem Reap and that I would need to hire a private driver, I declined. I don’t feel comfortable being on my own with a driver in a very rural part of Cambodia.
Of all the questions that I get from readers, most of them are about Southeast Asia. Of all the readers that follow in my footsteps, most do so in Southeast Asia. Even though I’ve spent much more time in Europe, Southeast Asia is what I am best known for and the region on which people seek my guidance.
For that reason, I know my opinions on Southeast Asia carry weight. Writing a negative post about Cambodia could result in some of my readers — maybe two, maybe a dozen, who knows? — to skip Cambodia and spend more time in Laos or Vietnam or Thailand instead. And for that reason, I need to be very careful about what I write.
Should You Go to Cambodia?
YES. Despite its troubles, you absolutely should go.
Cambodia is one of the places that I have long believed all travelers must visit, because it shows you the reality of a country that is still raw from decades of blood, war, genocide, chaos, and death — yet despite this, the people will be some of the kindest people you will ever meet. In addition to that, it’s got so many cultural treasures, like Angkor, and nice beaches and peaceful towns and delicious food, all for dirt-cheap prices.
BUT — Cambodia is no longer the of-COURSE-it’s-safe! destination that I once lauded. Make no mistake, it’s not Somalia, but visiting Cambodia does require a greater level of caution than other countries in Southeast Asia, just as visiting Barcelona requires a greater level of caution than, say, Reykjavik.
Do visit Cambodia, but be vigilant throughout your visit. Hold on to your bags. Stay in lodging that locks properly. Lock up your valuables. Keep your purse zipped up. Don’t pay drivers in full in advance. Avoid isolating situations when possible. Watch your drink like a hawk. Don’t get too drunk.
Make sure you get travel insurance before you go to Cambodia – it will cover many of the things that might go wrong. I never travel without it and always use World Nomads.
And for travelers who are cautious and street-smart, you will find Cambodia to be an enormously rewarding destination.
You really should not be proud of this inane, libelous article about Cambodia, based on your unfortunate and completely random experience. Cambodia always has been somewhat dangerous place, but crime is not the real danger at all. The vast majority of foreigners getting hurt are in traffic accidents. Crime is not more of an issue in Cambodia than it is in Chicago or New York. Guess what Kate, innocent people get killed all the time even in your home city in the USA, unless you live in some small town or on a farm. In fact I would be much more afraid to go to downtown New York or Paris nowadays because of all the terrorists, than anywhere in Cambodia. You’re writing off a whole country – which badly needs tourism – because of your personal experience that others do not even back up? I lived in Cambodia over two years and the only crime I encountered was from my girlfriend! So this article is just silly, unprofessional and wrong.
Me and my friends are in Cambodia for the month, we are 18. When we arrived in Phnom Penh after visiting Siem Reap it was a disillusion. We don’t want to keep a bad souvenir of Cambodia so we are going to visit other places there but Phnom Penh isn’t somewhere you would like to live. As you said in your article, poverty, prostitutes, theifs… We don’t feel safe and comfortable.
At 6 oclock in the morning we got lost trying to come back to our guesthouse and as we were asking a tuktuk for help we saw a man grab a few days old baby from his mothers hands and just run away with it. The mother was screaming and crying, running after this man. We asked the tuktuk what had just happened and he didn’t answer.
We think we saw child trafficking, the scene was horrible.
Ten minutes before, my friend got her bag grabbed as she was walking in the streets, this in front of a policeman who didn’t move.
I can definitely say that Phnom Penh is not safe and isn’t an attractive town compared to Siem Reap or Koh Kong island.
That is horrible. That poor baby and mother.
I am a female travelling for the first time at the age of 33, I am also doing it solo.
I have read a lot of comments on this post and can see varying opinions. But seeing as I am nervous enough as it is, and well established at not risking too much, I will not be travelling to Cambodia on this visit to SEA.
Once I get my travelling confidence I may venture here, but at this point in time I do not wish to feel ‘uncomfortable’ and out of my depth.
Kate, I am very grateful for you to have written this post, I have been exploring through your site and blogs trying to absorb as much as possible and seeing my dream become a reality. You have (and I’m sure many others) made this seem much more reachable and so easy to research through others personal experiences.
THANK YOU X X X
Hi Kate, thank you for the insight. I’m planning to go on solo travel in Cambodia and I was all under the impression that it is relatively safe but this insight will help me be prepared.
I recently backpacked through southeast Asia (July 2016) and Cambodia was one of my FAVORITE destinations. We went to Siem Reap. Everything scary I heard about Cambodia was not true in my experience. Siem reap was amazing and I never felt any fear. A lot of people spoke very good english which was nice and we never felt the fear we were told to feel. People did tell us Phnom Penh was more rough, but Siem Reap was GREAT. Our small group was mostly women and we were fine and had a great time. We just used traveling common sense and everything went went. I love Cambodia and I would definitely go back.
I have just returned from nearly 3 weeks in Cambodia with my wife and two teenage children. I travelled quite a bit in the late 80’s and early 90’s including Southeast Asia. I haven’t been long haul for quite a while and not with my children. We decided to visit Cambodia as I have always wanted to. I did a little research online including this travel blog and I have to say I felt a little nervous by the time we actually got there. The person who wrote this original blog obviously had some bad experiences. All l can see, in balance, is that We had no problems whatsoever. I found Cambodians some of the friendliest and most easy going people ever. It is a wonderful country to visit and with a little common sense I think you should have no more chance of difficulties than anywhere else. I think there are way more difficult places to visit in terms of people giving you are a hard time or trying to rip you off etc. I am sure tourism brings great change over time but it also brings much needed development.
As i am i cambodian i recomend you should come to cambodia, it’s a peasure place even it’s an inseurity country.
Now i provide you some tip to stay in cambodia.
1. At phnom penh, arriving airport catch a tuk tuk to be safer, but be sure to make a negotiation with the driver to lower the price, normally around phnompenh it never take up to $20! To make sure you are safety please catch a taxi metre, it’s a bit expensive than tuk tuk but provides you a safety things. Ask the driver to get his mobile number, he’ll be 24 hours get you. On the side walk do not hold your phone careless, or talk phone with careless eyes, sometime you can be snatched by a gang (mostly teenagers)
Use your VISA, MASTERCARD, UNIONPAY…etc. there are many bank serve these ATM, i suggest you some of the bank such as, Acelida Bank, ABA bank, Canadia Bank, FTB bank, CAB bank..etc. your backpage should be on your back no one pull you off dont be stupid! but it can be stolden if you leave it away from your eyes. Your money should be in your pocket no one reach you unless you go to the crowded place. buy your foods in the shop or looking for item in super market, no burgary, no robbery, do not walk alone at night in the silent dark road, but i have no idea why some people go in the dark road alone? There are many 24hours place around the riverside. A comfortable place to sleep is $15 upper, do not go to the cheap guesthouse lower than $10
2. Walking on the street or crossing the street in daytime it’s alittle bit difficult and messy, be sure to watch left right correctly before making a decision to cross the road, otherwise you can be risk at accident. Going in simple market do not caring about baggers. Some of them are thieve! Tip to lower price when you buy something example clothes ( if the price is $30 please lower it to $15 or $20) this maximum.
I was just in Cambodia in April… (after Vietnam which I LOVED!!) I felt safe in the day but not at night. only there 3 days. we were going to go to the angry birds bar…. but once we got closer I said Nope… not going in! our hotel was just down the road so we sat at our roof top pool instead… no problems in the tuk tuk and our driver was great!! go there but be careful!… I found it wayyy to hot there…. went to Thailand after…..
It’s amazing that you stayed relatively still these two months and yet still have so much to write about! Interesting that you ran into cranky Thais more than once…hopefully that is not a trend!
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I hadn’t been to Cambodia for 12 years when I absolutely adored it – the people the unique culture and sites. So it was with much excitement that I returned but found it had radically changed – and can only concur with Kate,s view – not for the better. There is now a real desperation amongst the people which is really sad and where travellers are no longer safe either from being targets for crime and certainly corruption.As a travel hardened lover of South East Asia I found the Khmer people’s once friendly curiosity towards travellers replaced by disdain. Whilst on the surface it appears that the new generation of Khmers are as tech savvy as anyone else with mobile phones and screen use evident -.the once
friendly nature has been replaced by hostility . Whilst I don’t wish to chronicle the many poor experiences we had this time I like Kate sadly conclude that this current climate is not good for travel to Cambodia. We were particularly concerned that the days of freelance travel in Cambodia where you could book some accommodation after arriving is no longer a good idea. Some if the hotels we stayed at in Siem Reap central were terrible – from the moment we arrived. The staff unhelpful and surprisingly rude which was not a trait I ever recalled in my first trip. In one such hotel which demanded full upfront payment pre check in we were abused whilst we waited for the owner to locate the key to our room which they had lost from the previous guest . We eventually had to use the tourist police so we could receive a refund and leave the hotel to find another The alleged owner, a young Cambodian woman behaved like a spoilt child more akin to western brat culture , without a clue of customer service.. Perhaps I could blame the influence of western culture but realistically her rudeness signified a dramatic shift in the previous warmth I found in Khmer people.
We did the Temples again which are awesome – but did find the sellers very intense which again was a new experience.
So whilst I applaud Kate in her diplomacy and very carefully considered summary of Cambodia – I for one left earlier than scheduled and sadly felt relived to leave a country that appears I’ll equiped to deal with the huge surge in development- brought on by the tourist dollar . It’s evident that whilst Cambodians have suffered terribly in the past ,this current generation are not doing much outwardly to embrace ability in the country and the opportunities that tourism offers Where sadly crime and corruption Has spiked. I for one never thought I would be critically of a country I loved in the past – but that’s my individual experience
Was the same In 96 ‘
March 2017 I lived in PP four years ago 2013 and loved Cambodia. I brought my boyfriend back to see it. After driving motor bikes from Hanoi to south Vietnam, arriving in Cambodia I left my guard down as I was using google maps on my phone constantly as it was a habit after Vietnam, (we used it for driving). Maybe we were lucky in Vietnam but in Phnom Penh it got snatched out of my hand on riverside and no one did anything to help. The police came to me the next day for a charge of £30 to report the incident. The police officer tried to charge more on arrival but the hotel staff stood up to him and he wasn’t able to rip us off. I was surprised the staff would do this. I am grateful to them. But ever since I have felt on edge here & going to otres to get away from Phnom Penh after this was good for me.
We didn’t go near shinoukville due to sex industry being rampant there. You are mixing with people that will spike your drink if you go there as that’s the kind of mentality sex pests have. I feel like puking when I see fat bald tattooed men we wouldn’t touch with a barge pole flaunting their young vulnerable conquests.
I’m i kampot now but keeping my guard up. Was thinking of Cambodia for a possible move here, but thus trip has open up my eyes to a country that ex pats are taking over and opening their own business, the locals still get local wage, in tourism the money is going to foreign or rich investment and the local people who’s own country it is have yo work on the bottom line while we sit in front of them drinking their beer and using iPhones, mac books, driving fancy scooters, eating in places they could never afford, in their own country. I know people who work here and integrate and bring good to this country.
I know good people working in Ican & ngo’s doing really loving good work etc (not overpaid tefl backpacking teachers) but the tourists I can feel ashamed to be part of the problem and I accept responsibility for my phone being taken. Just wish the money went to a family and not to a phone thief gang.
I just returned from a Friendly Planet tour of Cambodia. Beautiful country. Go with a group tour as you should consider doing in any third world country. We had absolutely no problems in Cambodia.
I recently visited Cambodia in August 2016, I was volunteering there for 2 months in Siem Reap. During my stay I didn’t not see any crimes committed or tourists being attacked, granted I heard a couple of stories but majority of those were about tourists acting like complete idiots, (buying drugs from a tuktuk driver like duh thats not going to end well).
I felt completely safe the entire time I was there and of course I was never alone at night time and am a very observant and vigilant person when travelling. Cambodia and the people completely stole my heart, I encourage my friends and family to all visit Cambodia at least once even urge them to see Cambodia over Thailand. Obviously things like the ones that have been mentioned are going to happen it is a third wolf country and can be completely unpredictable but all you can do is be careful and have your wits about you!
PLEASE visit Cambodia, I am eagerly waiting till I can go back!
I have been living in Toul Kork, considered the more residential part of PP, for almost 2 years and I can’t take the rudeness of Khmer people any more. Even from Khmer coworkers I have been lied to, cheated and stolen from. Walk on the sidewalk and people with drink stands or grills on them yell, spit and even had one vendor kick, tripping and threatening me with a knife when I walked by. All for trying to walk on the sidewalk instead of in the street, really? Their driving skills are worse than New Yorkers, walking is such a hazard! Going through red lights, not stopping, driving the wrong way, driving on the sidewalk… Once saw a moto accident with 4 police on the corner and they did nothing. I recommend walking against traffic because motobike thieves are more likely to snatch your belongings from behind than from forward, but driving on the wrong side of the street is norm here. Was mugged once but had three attempts, 2 in the middle of the day. Once was dragged for half a block on the ground when my bag wouldn’t come off. In Burma, crimes against foreigners is punished by 2 years in jail, too bad Cambodia whose number one income is tourism doesn’t protect their tourist. Overall, I have found Malaysians, Burmese and Thais to be nicer and more helpful than the Khmers. (J ough/ jow like how but with a j) means thief in Khmer, a good word to know.
I agree Cambodia is a horrible place to travel in. It is filthy, chaotic, and crowded everywhere.
It offers such low quality of life. The people there are horrible, only cares if one have money to give them. It is such a soulless, shallow, ugly place.
I feel unsafe and harassed inappropriately everywhere.
I feel very upset that I even suggested this hellhole to husband as place to move to.
I find it weird that Asia being already so full with so many rich Asiatics are still so greedy.
It is certainly not a place to go to either to live or travel to.
Too many Westerners already needlessly died, some more brutally than others in Thailand, Cambodia, etc. I think their Asiatic societies is full of greedy, lazy, brutal and cold blooded people.
People should be warned about the danger of travelling to such a disgusting place in Asia.
I couldn’t agree more with the article. It shines light on something that deserves more light. I’ve recently spent 3 months in Phnom Penh and I find it quite sketchy. Sure the people can be quite friendly and nice but in my opinion there is an undercurrent of hatred, envy, racism etc, etc. It seems to run quite deep and at the end of the day, unless you’re French or have lived here a long time, they don’t have much respect for you as a foreigner. This will manifest in getting ripped off, crime and dirty looks. I’ve never known a place so unsafe for going out drinking. Don’t go out a lone. Also, there seems to be some collusion between bars and Tuk Tuk drivers. I’ve suspected various bars of spiking my drink with something that doesn’t necessarily put you out but makes you way more out-of-it and vulnerable than alcohol makes you. This leads to problems once you try to go home in a Tuk Tuk. I’m sure this is a known problem among law enforcement but there’s no will to handle it. The people think the tourists are wealthy and we deserve it, particularly those who go out at night. The irony for me is they don’t seem to mind the very wealthy people in their own country who often treat them like servants. They reserve all their envy for western tourists.
Informative read, Kate! I will be visiting Cambodia in late October. I am super excited about the culture, food, and history. That said. I plan to be vigilant and of course in any foreign countries I visit.
I did a lot reading and preparation for this trip. To prepare, I made arrangement for late night airport pick up by hotel staff. Pack emergency kit with meds… Other than that. I hope bring back lots of memories.
Happy traveling!
Why visit a country with a history of murdering its own people including children, while turning other children into murdering soldiers?
This blog really helped with how Cambodia has changed. I’m doing a project has changed since Norodom Sihamoni has been king. I used a lot of your information on how little things have changed, but are also a huge problem in their country. It has surprised me about how all this country runs and definitely would scare me if I lived there.
HI,
Thanks for your post. I have been living for 8 years now in Cambodia with my wife and, very sadly, I am confirming all your insights. When we relocated in Phnom Penh, there was kind of a positive mood, nearly no crimes against foreigners and lots of hope. Today is very different : poverty + corruption, + crowd manipulation by the government in place led to systematic bag or phone snatches ( i nearly hear of one happening every 2 days now) and other negative changes in general..
This situation is triggered somehow by a political background where the government entertains bad feelings against the foreigners through aggressive speeches against foreign human rights NGOs, with a heavy xenophobic and nationalist tone.
Cambodian minds have never been an example when talking of rush for easy money and corruption tricks (it is not Japan). But it became worst and worst over the years while the country leaders weren’t capable of diversifying the national industries and develop education standards (they only care about their bank accounts in Dubai).
Today’s frequent disappointment is to observe with many young (or less young) folks a systematic approach for stealing or swindling you in many different and very creative ways and with a very narrow short term view. Yes it must be understood that our main consideration should be: “Why should they stick to honesty and remain poor while watching those rotten guys at the top stripping all country’s resources in their sole and exclusive profit?”.
But it remains that the attitudes have tuned very bad within a few years time frame, and it makes you sad and hopeless for this country.
Cheers.
was in Cambodia for some time early 70’s, just before KR came in. LMG’s on street corners at night, curfew–except for me & bargirls.
USEMB USMC guard w/ M16 nice to have across the hall in hotel. Remember VN came in, fighting around downtown, watched from atop apt. bldg. where stayed w/ friend–apt. had been USSR EMB housing. Friend bought last available AW temple rubbings.
Nowadays no interest in Khmer, except short trips; heavy Chinese presence, lots more like BKK, a town I no longer know–lived there 20 years, except for regional knocking about, since 60’s. Next 20 yrs overseas, back a few yrs ago. Now in CNX.
First of all, great read- really enjoyed it.
So although I was born and raised in Austria, my parents spent most of their early life in Cambodia as well as my whole family and social network(society?? you know the people you grow up knowing because they are your parent’s friend or their children) are in Cambodia. And I for the most part don’t really mention my Cambodian ancestry out of either shame or fear. Shame because I have no relations to Cambodia other than my blood and skin, fear because I am very politically out- spoken and Cambodia IS NOT a country for a well- educated, poor young teen like me.
Moving on, although I have felt happy with the rise of interest in Cambodia and hopeful people love the country I dare not to love- I still feel icky when people tell me about their past travels or future travels to Cambodia. I mean as much as I am fine, I only am because of my extended family who happen to be powerful people in Cambodia (also smith. I never dare to tell) other people are on their own.
I thank you for your amazing read but also for the warning, because people should be better warned.
And if you ever want to visit Cambodia again, I do too (it’s been more than 5 years)- hit me up and I’ll pack my bag and have you protected AND a tour from locals.
– Soraya
Hi Kate, I like your blog and appreciate you sharing your experiences from Cambodia.
I read this article and some others while planning a recent solo bicycle tour in SE Asia, and they were almost enough to make me skip Cambodia altogether. But I ended up going and having only positive experiences (at least where the people were concerned – biking on some of the roads was a different story!). Maybe traveling by bicycle had something to do with it? Or maybe I was just lucky.
In any case, I wanted to add my experience to this conversation in case anyone out there is looking for examples of positive experiences and the factors that might have contributed to them.
Happy travels!
Have you gone back in last few years?
I’ve been to Cambodia in February/March 2019 and absolutely loved it. Stayed for a month (while i intended to stay 2 weeks).
I do not recognize this at all. I found the Khmer people to be extremely friendly, open, and helpful to a female solo traveler. I heard about the bag and phone snatching, but having been to Vietnam before that (where you are also warned about that) you just take a little more care of your belongings (and to be honest, I’m more worried about getting robbed on Las Ramblas in Barcelona then in Cambodia). I met and befriended a lot of young Cambodians (men), and never felt unsafe.
The only thing I found upsetting was Sihanoukville (which is just a massive construction site of casinos) and the growing Chinese influence in the country, which is not changing the country for the better.
In regard to your post and your friend S. it seems this specific person attracts a lot of trouble for just one person. That’s a crazy coincidence.
I lived in Cambodia for one year in 2007 and now (2019) already 3 years in Siem Reap. I see your point, and it’s a shame what happens to Sihanoukville (even if it never was really a beautiful place). But Cambodia has it’s beauty in the people, in particular those outside Phnom Penh and the tourist hubs. When you go to Banteay Meanchey and meet our host Voleak, who is a housewife cooking for our guests, you will experience Khmer hospitality at it’s best. I learned to love this country and it’s people through homemade food. Cooking and eating together connects, and even in Phnom Penh you can meet a modern artist whose work was exhibited in Paris and Tokyo. He will tell and show you a very different city. Society is changing, many are left behind, but for the most Cambodian living conditions are getting better. We are trying to help a bit with providing additional income for families
this is exactely what i have experienced too. it is defenitely getting violent more often. crystal meth in phnom penh is one of the new problems. go to sorya mall where a few years ago people went for a drink. nowadays is has become the hotspot of the crystal meth scene. what does phnom penh police do? you guessed it. nothing. cambodia has changed a lot during this economic boom. and not for its good. i have visited this country many times. but now 2019 will be my last visit. things change….
Please be careful. They also now running health or hospital scam where they try to keep billing you and doing less necessary to get you well. It happened to me in the most largest hospital in siem reap.i won’t name which but pls Google it. This so called international hospital has No surgeon or surgical ward at all in this huge international hospital.they also delayed procedures required until I pressured them and threatened to check out hospital next day
please note if you have complication in Cambodia get urself mentally prepared and book the next flight out to malaysia Bangkok or Singapore for medical assistance. I’m so scared after my Experience here… They refused repeatedly certify me a fit to fly cert to my home country even when we checked breathing blood pressure are all normal and tried to persuade us to stay. Luckily we took risk boarded plane home and gotten the necessary seugery here needed. Please traveller…. Be careful…… If u need serious medical help get the first. Flight out to other country which can help. I’m still traumatised……..the feeling is surreal..
And yes Kate ur right. I fell in love with siem reap 8 years ago when I first came. The kindness of people was from the heart. Now I see alot of eyes looking at me observing to see how much tip money or how much they can take out of my pocket.I still see kindness and sincerity from the most local but I also see more opportunist scammers and more daring individuals there as compared 8 years back.somehow in between modernization breed a new spices there. Evil ones.. And some smart devil’s in doctors or professional uniforms.. U get scammed easier.. Be careful be careful be careful…. Sincerely from my. Heart to u travellers…
Hi. Just read your article. I’m sorry you had such negative experiences and, yes, it’s true Cambodia has changed, for eg I no longer visit Sihanoukville as I don’t want Chinese casinos, the type of people that often go with a gambling environment and beaches ruined by tonnes of trash. However I’ve lived in Cambodia for nearly 4 years now, 8 months in the very rural south and now in Siem Reap. I moved from Glasgow, UK and for the most part feel very safe here. I adopted a Khmer boy from an orphanage so see life from my (late 50s) and his teenage perspective. I hate the way they drive here so I don’t. Electricity outages aren’t as frequent as some people would have you believe. It is true that petty crime, bag snatching etc is on the increase but so is poverty and reliance on drugs, especially as Covid has now trashed the economy. My attitude to personal safety is the same as it was in Glasgow. They can’t steal my bag, phone etc because they are worn in a bag that goes round my neck and under my clothing. I do not wear a watch or anything else remotely ostentatious. I have a job I love and earn a good salary. We live in a house I couldn’t possibly afford in the UK and a plus point is a security conscious landlord who provided us with a 12 foot tall strong metal fence and padlocked gate. I am as selective about who I let into my life as I was in the UK. There are undoubtedly some weirdos here, often drug or drink-addled ex-pats with massive chips on their shoulders but they are generally keyboard warriors so just ignore them on fb. Living is not so cheap here now and foreigners are often seen as ATMs but it takes time to work out where to shop for value. If the price asked is ridiculous I explain in my limited Khmer it is too high. We either negotiate or I go elsewhere. My son goes to English school and is having computer lessons. He often takes a very cheap bus to Phnom Penh to meet with friends there and loves it. One drawback is that he has a distressing mental illness probably as a result of childhood trauma. It has taken me a long time to find a decent psychiatrist and even longer to find the right balance of medication. This is expensive and a long-term monthly draw on my salary. Being an ex-medic has probably helped me here but truth is we often don’t treat the mentally ill very well in the UK either. Maybe my advancing age and previous life in what can be a tough city prepared me well for my current life but, despite the inevitable frustrations, I love it here. I just have to stop adopting things, one teenager and four cats are more than enough. I have seen a lot of western- type people fail here because they’re unprepared, they’ve done no research and seem to think people here have an “obligation” to help them. It’s amazing how many expect things to be the same as in their country of origin, they are not prepared to be sufficiently flexible, arrive with insufficient funds and often assume an attitude of cultural superiority which endears them to nobody. I live quietly, frugally, won’t be taken for a fool and am in the process of removing any negative, moaning individuals from my list of acquaintances. My advice is look and learn. If you take care, keep your eyes open and your wits about you, you too may come to love living here.
We’ve been traveling through Cambodia for the last 2 weeks. So far so good. Food is slightly sweet. Here in Phnom Penh now and just watched someone on a motorbike snatch a purse from a patron on a tuk tuk 30 mins ago.