As you walk the streets, or drink and dine in Siem Reap you will at some stage undoubtedly be petitioned by children and adult male landmine victims to buy books or, in the case of the kids, postcards, jewellery or flowers. This post is not just a request to not buy anything from the children, but also a strong call to please buy from the adults.

Welcome to Cambodia -- don't forget to read the small print.

The thing is this: visitors who buy from street children, or simply give them money, perpetuate a system that keeps the children out of school (though they are trained to tell you that they do go to school), and ensures that they, and their children, will remain in poverty for the rest of their lives. Children selling on the streets make more than the dozens of excellent NGOs can give to support families in need, so it becomes an easy option in which the child’s future is sacrificed. In a horrifying new turn for Cambodia, a recent report in the Phnom Penh Post highlighted how parents in Poipet are breaking their own children's limbs in order to increase their "value" as beggars. It could only be a matter of time before such a practice emigrates to Siem Reap.

On top of that, while working on the streets, children are exposed to the dangers of drugs, trafficking and sexual predators. No matter how compassionate it may seem, giving to or buying from children perpetuates an act of cruelty. It takes strength to say no to them, but when weighed against the dangers it is a strength I’m sure we all can find.

You will be helping more than one child by buying from Phoeung and his associates.

If you would like to do something to really help Cambodians instead of giving to or buying from street kids, then there are alternatives. For example, each time you find yourself tempted to buy from a kid on the street, please put aside the money you would have given, and then go to visit the offices of ConCERT, an organisation with many extraordinary roles, one of which is collecting donations on behalf of a number of registered local NGOs who are required to meet certain standards of accountability, management and child safety. ConCERT transfers 100% of any donations it receives and can also provide guidance on which organisation you’d most like to support.

Another option is to buy instead from the adult landmine victims, even if they’re not as cute or charming or able to ingeniously apply the most fascinating psychological mind-games as the kids. Through organised books sales, they have been given an opportunity to earn an income that would normally be denied to them as a result of their injuries, and this is vital to their families and to the maintenance of their dignity following a devastating event.

Think twice -- then tell your friends.

This is the premise behind the local Think Twice campaign whose posters and flyers call on us to “Help adults to earn and children to learn”. I’m asking you to do more than that: tell everyone you meet on your travels the same thing too and help them to get the message across. Be an ambassador for the future of Cambodia’s children.

Tags: ConCERT, landmines, street children, Think Twice!

I’m one of those people who claims to be non-techie and unswayed by market caprice, but somehow always contrives to have something that’s nearly up-to-date, but insufficiently à la mode that I can lay claim to an air of above-it-all superiority. I think the technical term for it is hypocrite. I don’t have a Mac, but spend far too much time playing with Photoshop on my extra-wide laptop. I don’t have an iPhone, but an Android-equipped phone was inevitable. I spent years failing to understand a simple point and shoot camera, but then someone gave me a digital SLR, and ignited a passion I never knew I possessed.

The effort involved in getting a gadget fixed can feel akin to rebuilding a temple.

Take all of these gadgets, then chuck in an iPod, a Kindle, Siem Reap’s hot, dusty climate and the high risk of accidents, and you find you have one very nervous gadget owner. Then, because of the way karma seems to work around here, the chances are high that your computer will crash just as you’ve clicked "confirm"on the credit card details for a last minute flight booking (did it process or not?), or your iPod will go mute as you’re about to embark on a long bus-ride. Or, next thing you know, some drunken eejit will think it’s totally hilarious to throw their mug of Angkor beer over you just as you’re taking that masterpiece picture that will drive all your friends back home in the cold absolutely mental with envy.

And you’re in Siem Reap. There’s lots of dust and statues around here, but new iPods? Or how about camera repairs? The thought of that alone can be enough to make your hair stand on end. As it happens, you’re not entirely without technical support. The advice given here is based on personal experience, following several misguided efforts and nervous breakdowns. The time last year when my computer’s hard drive was wiped not once but twice within the space of a week, without my being consulted in the first case, and in the second case because the whole thing just basically exploded, still makes me wince.

So, dealing with computers. The first thing you do, if you still can, is back up your hard disk. If you don’t have one, go to Rogue, near Old Market, and buy yourself an external hard-drive. They're crazy cheap now, and 500GB should cost around $80 as I recall. Then you call Thaddée Bechtold at SFPDA, and he will advise you when to drop off your computer so that his team can look at what needs to be done. Thadée has proven consistently to be one of the most reliable and informed tech-heads in Siem Reap. You’ll find a map on their website for getting there.

If it's game over and you've been dealing with SFPDA, they may have some computers that you can purchase or can advise you where to go. If not, then several shops in the centre of town sell computers. It's hard to distinguish them from one another, so it really comes down to how you feel. There are two on XX

If it must be a Mac, then head to Future World on Sivatha Boulevard (a few doors towards town from Angkor Market).

Camera repairs are slightly more difficult. If you have a simple point and shoot, or low-level digital SLR, then Siem Reap Thmei Photo on Wat Bo Road is the only option that any photographer worth his salt recommends (if you head south from the junction where Wat Bo Road intersects with Route 6, you'll find them about 50 metres down on the left, there's a giant, green Fuji sign above the doors). You need to ask for the manager/owner specifically and request that no-one else do the work. Moreover, this shop also has a decent selection of point and shoot and DSLRs for sale if your camera has gone up to that great light-stalker in the sky.

If your camera is more hi-spec, then the nearest camera repair shop is in Phnom Penh or, preferably, Bangkok. In Phnom Penh, you can go to LOT Cameras & Equipment, #208 Monivong Boulebard, a few metres from the intersection with Charles De Gaulle Boulevard. Apparently they’re reasonably reliable, if painfully slow. Don’t book your tickets out of town after dropping your camera off here.

Rogue, mentioned above, is also a great outlet if you’re looking for MP3s including a wide range of iPods, or if you need to repair your old one. They’re also the only place in town you can get a Kindle too, and stock other accessories such as portable speakers.

If none of the above works, it might be time to head to a pagoda and make some offerings.

Rogue
Near Old Market
T: (063) 761 526
M: (012) 703 264

SFPDA
#615, 6A Steet, Banteay Chass, Slorkram
T: (016) 668 263

Siem Reap Thmei Photo
Wat Bo Road (south of Route 6, about 50 metres down)
T: (012) 978 080

Tags: cameras, computers, iPhones, iPods, kindles, Rogue, SFPDA, Siem Reap Thmei Photo

Eyes lit up in February this year when Myanmar Airways International (MAI) announced a new direct flight between Siem Reap and Rangoon, the former capital of Burma. Not only did this cut a great deal of time and hassle out of a trip from here to Burma, but the airline was also able to secure the availability of visas on arrival for passengers.  Overland travellers to Burma, and travellers from a number of origins still must obtain a visa in advance and, judging by the Travelfish.org forum and blogs, this question is still confusing and tedious.

Flying has advantages.

However, you’d better move quickly if you want to take advantage of the direct route from Siem Reap to Rangoon as that route will end on 30 October this year. Considering the amount of time, and transport and other costs saved, it still represents a great deal at roughly US$250 for a round trip (depending on dates and so on).

That’s not the end of the line though, as MAI will be introducing a new route between Phnom Penh and Rangoon starting in November. Siem Reap hasn’t been completely cut out of the loop as flights back to Cambodia will stop off here, en route to Phnom Penh. The route now looks more like a triangle than a circle. Passengers will still be able to get a visa on arrival when they land in Rangoon.

From November, the new services will fly at 13:50 from Phnom Penh to Rangoon on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with a total flight time of just under an hour and a half. The return flights will run from Rangoon to Siem Reap at 08:50 and then from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh at midday, with a total flight time of four hours between the two major cities.

As of early October, the fares are not yet available online though bookings are still possible through agents or if you contact the airline through the website.

Myanmar Airways International
http://www.maiair.com

Tags: Burma, flights

So many tourist markets, boutiques, jewellers and craft shops in Siem Reap can make shopping here a real pleasure. On the other hand, if you have a case of the midnight munchies, or just need batteries, its charms can seem a little over-worked. The practical things in life can rarely be found in the bottom of a recycled, eco-friendly, socially conscious, vegetarian handbag.

There are plenty of supermarkets in town though, and you’ll be stunned at what you can buy in them. Cambodia may be classified as a Least Developed Country (LDC) , but it’s an LDC that signed up the World Trade Organisation when it really had no business doing so. Good for you if you want to buy Marmite, Budweiser or Tim-Tams. Terrible for Cambodia’s balance of trade and virtually non-existent local industry.

But that’s a separate issue -- back to the batteries.  The main supermarkets are the two big ones quite near each other on the northern end of Sivatha Boulevard, Lucky Market in the Lucky Mall and Angkor Market. Then there is the smaller 24 Hour Market also on Sivatha, at the very end of Pub Street, and the Apsara Market on Wat Bo Road. The Angkor Trade Centre on the riverfront near Old Market also has a small supermarket inside. There are a couple of other, smaller, ones, but these five should serve most people’s purposes.

Not for sale!

On Sivatha Boulevard, Angkor Market is definitely the best, despite being only half as big as Lucky. The only problem is that dog food is more expensive here, though something tells me that might not be a problem for the average reader of this post. Angkor Market is locally owned, and the staff on the till are super-friendly and helpful if you’re stuck for anything. The staff on the shop floor tend not to speak English so go straight to the till if you have any questions. Of greatest concern to expatriates, who are quite civilised despite appearances, Angkor Market has the largest wine selection. But, whether you’re looking for batteries, food, drinks, magazines and newspapers, stationery, toiletries and cosmetics, or even more practical stuff like, for example Tupperware, it’s all here too. As for all supermarkets, you can’t get minor pharmaceuticals, like pain-killers or bandages, which are only in pharmacies. There is an ANZ ATM outside.

The Lucky supermarket in Lucky Mall is much bigger than Angkor though doesn’t really seem to have that much more. It's kind of like a reverse tardis. On the other hand, the supermarket shares space in the mall with other shops that may make going here a good idea. On the ground floor is a uCare pharmacy, a couple of mobile phone network operators, numerous ATMs, Bambou Indochine clothing shop, and a very pretty souvenir shop called Iris. Upstairs there is a department store, and you can buy all sorts of electronics on the top floor.

Going back into town, you’ll find the 24 hour supermarket at the very end of Pub Street. This is a definite stop off for the midnight munchies, and we can recommend the Walkers Shortbiscuits thoroughly. They mostly sell drinks and snacks, with assorted toiletries, batteries, some patés and pickles and rather random things like tahini. Condoms are available here too.

On Wat Bo Road, near the European Guesthouse, is the New Apsara Market, which has more dry or tinned consumables like pasta and sauces, snacks, drinks and stationery. They also have a small range of books and guidebooks. Neither Apsara nor the 24 hour market sell fresh fruit or vegetables. A note to the wise: if you do buy fresh fruit or veg at the markets, clean them thoroughly, then clean them again. Aside from the frightening chemicals the farmers use, the market sellers spend all day coating them with fly spray.

The Angkor Trade Centre has a supermarket inside, as well as a pizza restaurant and ice-cream parlour. The supermarket is small to mid-sized but the stock is poorly selected, and always manages to not have exactly the very thing you're looking for. It's freaky. Better hop on a tuk tuk and go to Angkor Market.

And if you're heading to Phnom Penh, we've already covered the best supermarkets there.

Angkor Market
Sivatha Boulevard
T: (063) 76 77 99

Lucky Supermarket
Sivatha Boulevard

24 Hour Market
Sivatha Boulevard

New Apsara Market
Wat Bo Road, near the European Guesthouse
T: (012) 941 474

Angkor Trade Centre
Pokombor Avenue
T: (063) 766 766

Tags: supermarkets

It seems fatuous to say it, largely because it is fatuous to say it, but the best advice for health care in Siem Reap is don’t get sick in the first place. Don’t go gnawing on irregular shaped pieces of ice that look like they’ve been chipped or shaved off a very large block, approach street foods with caution, don’t get drunk and think it’s hilarious to steal a local guard’s bicycle then crash it spectacularly (this happened), don’t do drugs – even the seller probably has no idea what they really are – and, last but not least, no pretending you’re Lara Croft when visiting the temples.

Don't drink the water!

But even with these and other precautions taken, everyone is prone to an array of tummy bugs, sprains, strange rashes, cuts and scrapes and other things that might strangely ail you when you visit strange places.  Most of these can be dealt with by a quick trip to the u-Care pharmacy at the top of Pub Street, but the level of service here can be erratic.  A couple of pharmacists here clearly know their job, but then there’s the one who tried to give me antibiotics for my headache and worming tablets for my flu.  Try to inform yourself as best you can before you go there. Whether or not you take anti-malarials, make sure you know what the symptoms for malaria and dengue fever are.

If that’s not enough, and in particular if you’ve been taking the express train to the bathroom for more than two days, then it’s definitely time for a trip to the doctor. The Naga Clinic is located behind Central Market (opposite Frangipani). The doctor is international and speaks Dutch, German, English, and French, a little bit of Swedish, and enough Khmer for consultation purposes.

If that’s still not enough to get your better, you'll be heading to either the Provincial Hospital or the Royal International Hospital. The first may be appropriate if you are with someone who can speak fluent Khmer and your language.  But a lack of resources means that it’s impossible to vouch for the services here and it is generally not recommended.  At the same time, the jury is out and may be so for a long time on the Royal Angkor International Hospital.  This is the best service that you’ll get in Siem Reap, and that’s pretty terrible judging by the experiences of numerous expats.  It’s also very expensive, and even the shortest visit may well end up costing you much, much more than a travel insurance policy.

Vehicle maintenance can be problematic -- and cause accidents.

If your condition is serious, but you’re still fit to travel, get on the first bus, taxi or plane to Bangkok, home to several world-class hospitals.  The Royal Angkor is actually associated with one of the big Bangkok hospitals, but for some reason standards are not the same.

Most people leave Siem Reap in more or less the same state in which they arrived, though their souls might not be.  Above all else, pay more attention to your environment than when you’re at home, keep yourself informed, and try not to do anything daft no matter how bright an idea it seems after eight buckets of vodka at Temple Bar, and we hope the same should be true for you too.

Tags: Healthcare