Webby
Sat 25 Nov 2006
I am joining the group for dinner tomorrow night in a new hotel before we set off of Siem Reap on Monday morning. The overland trip from Bangkok to Cambodia is pretty famous (or notorious) on the backpacker circuit in Asia.
I have yet to get a visa for Cambodia but getting one on the border should be no problem although the threat of being ripped off by officials will loom large, especially as I will have no US dollars on me.
US Dollars simply cannot be bought where I am but luckily my mate had some to help pay for my trip fees!
So Monday will be a long day but the reward will be well worth it; the largest religious complex in the World!
November 25th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
I remember a long trip across town to get US dollars from the only bank that was allowed to sell them. They cost a fortune because the law requires that money be changed to baht and then converted back. So I gave them US dollar travelers checks, had them converted to baht (with commission, of course), then converted back to US dollars. I would have thought it would be easier than that by now.
November 26th, 2006 at 4:28 am
They will let you pay in baht and will maybe cost you the equivalent of $25 - not worth stressing about! However once you are in Cambodia the defacto current is US$ and you will be able to get them from banks or ATMs (and yes they do exist in Siem Reap -opened last Jan when I was there). Have a great time - cuirous to know why you chose to go with a tour?
November 26th, 2006 at 1:10 pm
ATMs in Cambodia forking out US dollars? That’s funny! When I went to the Thai/Cambodia border the Thai girl I sat beside on the bus didn’t have any US bucks and I had to lend her some. I think it was $20 at the time but I know there’s always a row about this because depending on the exchange rate, paying in Cambodia money (forget what it’s called) will work out cheaper but they never take it.
The road from the border ti Siem Riep is unreal… enjoy the bumpy ride and be thankful you’re not on the back of a pickup truck like many people I’m sure you’ll pass!
It’s a wicked place, have fun!
November 27th, 2006 at 3:02 am
Definitly $ - also over the counter advances were $ - the only time I got quoted rials was in the country at food stalls or when the change was
November 27th, 2006 at 2:02 pm
Why would having ATMs issue US dollars be so strange. It is actually pretty common anywhere the currency is weak. I got dollars from an ATM in Peru, for instance.
November 27th, 2006 at 2:49 pm
Uh… I dunno. I’ve never been anywhere where that happened. Didn’t realise it was so common. But hitting an ATM in any country and having a foreign currency come out just seems a bit odd to me. Am I the only one who finds that strange?
November 27th, 2006 at 9:22 pm
I’m with you Kirsty on this one - put a card into an ATM in Ireland - get Euros - do it in NZ get $NZ , Cambodisa and Laos both have stable, although not readily convertable currencies - in laos you get kip from ATM’s and banks, Cambodia you get $ - its weird !
November 28th, 2006 at 1:02 am
Angkor was a real highlight for me in 2004. Even though it was high season (this very week in November) it was not overly crowded. Truly magical place. You can feel a resonance in the atmosphere around there. Very humbling and those kids selling postcards, drinks and anything else they can are truly expert at their job…. and so cute too.
I absolutley loved Cambodia. I had some of the most profound experiences of my life there…..there now I am missing again!
November 28th, 2006 at 6:19 am
If a currency isn’t convertible, prices are often set in a convertible currency, then changed according to the current rate for the local currency. Dealing in hard currencies help to make the local currency more stable, as every one always has the option of dealing in the hard currency.
Do they still have those amazing money changing ladies in the market in Vientiane who whip from baht to kip to dollars instantaneously? And does your change for a meal still come back in mixed currencies? I remember paying dollars, and getting a combination of bahtand kip back because because they don’t use US coins and were out of baht coins.
I’m thinking about Angkor Wat at the end of February. Everyone makes it sound so great.