Hello All! Thank you in advance for your assistance. A group of us English teachers would like to visit Angkor Wat during our Jan. break. We understand that Shanghai Air flies PVG - Phnom Penh direct. We are having a bit of trouble negotiating their website and even more when we telephone, so we thought we would ask the forum for help. Could anyone recommend a relatively hassle free method of travelling shanghai - pp ? We are not totally against the idea of having to route thru HCMC or Bangkok. Thanks Again

Hi, I went last year at the same time. If I remember correctly I flew Bangkok air, from Shanghai to Bangkok and then to Siem Reap directly. I think...we use so many different airlines it gets confusing. But, we had a great time In Siem Reap and then we took a bus to Phnom Penh. The bus ride was good, if you have time for that, but I personally would avoid the capital city if I were you. We spent three full days in Siem Reap and we could have stayed alot longer. We felt pressured (out of desire too) to go sightseeing all day. It's really hot, so a longer trip (avoiding PP) would have allowed us to relax and see temples too. There are many great restaurants there and our hotel was great. If you really wnat to see PP then fly there first, otherwise just fly straight to Siem Reap. I think Thai airlines might fly direct.

Ever heard of a travel agent? Don't bother with the airlines direct. Give "Flair" a call at 6225-8088. She hooked me up with the direct flight to PP last year, while the other travel agents were trying to send me through Bangkok. I highly recommend the direct flight, and by all means, avoid the overland border crossing from Thailand. There's only 2 direct flights a week from Shanghai to PP. You can get a quick visa at the PP airport. The new road from Siem Reap to PP is great, so you dont have to do the crazy boat ride anymore, although that was kinda interesting.

Phnom Penh is frankly not the greatest place to hang out more than a couple days. The markets are neat and the waterfront and Foreign correspondents building are good options. Nightlife is a bit scary. Siem Reap is a small town but Angkor's worth 3 days.

Another thing --- get some american dollars before you get there. A stack of ones is essential.

Definitely spend a bit longer in Siem Reap if you can. It is really hot so the best time to visit the temples is sunrise and sunset. Go to Ta Phrom (a really amazing temple that has been preserved the way it was found with the huge trees around the ruins) just after sunrise to miss the crowds. The same applies for Angkor Wat, the bus loads of japanese tourists (real pain in the arse I have to say!) go there to see the sunrise and then leave for other temples so there's just you and about 10 other people.

Siem Reap the town is lovely, really small with loads of amazing restaurants! Make sure you check out the Ivy, excellent food and lovely staff. Another cool place to hang out and drink tea in the hot afternoon when you don't want to be outside is a little Japanese cafe called Molopor (can't remember exactly where it is but I think it's near the Butterfly Garden). They give you cool towels when you go in and serve peanut cookies with your tea.

The hotels are really good value there. I stayed in a smallish guest house which charged $5 for a room with a fan (really comfy beds and a nice bathroom too), I think the price went up to $10 for a room with air con and a fridge with a $7 room somewhere in between - it was called Rityrin I think

Definitely get US dollars before you go as that is the currency you will be using and as far as I can remember there are no ATMs there although the banks will give you a credit card advance I think. Around the temples there are loads of stalls with kids selling t-shirts and postcards and tea etc. They are pretty insistent that you buy stuff but I think that is only because they really need the custom. Most of the things they sell only cost 1 or 2 dollars so even if you don't really want anything it's good to buy something from them anyway.

Another thing, the beggars in the town are real beggars (as opposed to the dubious beggars of Shanghai) alot of them are landmine victims so do some good and give to them as well.

I don't have any advice about travelling there from Shanghai i'm afraid but if you want to know anything else about Siem Reap just drop me a PM.