Cambodia was closed to foreigners for many years and more recently it was simply not safe to go there. All that has changed; tourist facilities are operating, there are excellent restaurants, and it is safe to go anywhere. I have gone to Cambodia at least twenty times and have been taking tour groups there since late 1999.

There is a lot to see in Cambodia but in most of the more remote areas the roads are poor and hotels are problematic. This tour is an exploration of “Classic Cambodia"; we go the Angkor Complex at Siem Reap and the attractions in and around Phnom Penh.

The temples near Siem Reap (Angkor Wat, etc.) are perhaps the wonders of the world. But Cambodia is much more, beginning with the Great Lake (Tonle Sap) south of Siem Reap. There are water villages, gas stations, fish farms, and even small pig farms, all floating on the lake.

Ways of life in the towns and hamlets are interesting, as are the items of material culture. Certainly the market in Phnom Penh has an incredible array of utilitarian items for sale, something like Talaat Sou in Vientiane 8-10 years ago. Soon the authentic items will be gone.

I have been able to spend two extended periods in Cambodia, going well beyond Siem Reap and Phnom Penh to look for interesting places, which are also not that difficult to reach and have good hotels and decent restaurants.

It should be a great trip. I feel comfortable in Cambodia now, and know my way around the places we will visit.

The cost of $1,200 (begin in Bangkok) covers all air, hotels, airport transfers, vans in Cambodia, and some breakfasts. Single supplement is $240. It does not include most food, individual taxi, laundry, airport tax, visa, etc. A deposit of $500 will hold a place; first paid, first accepted. The final payment is due September 25. Registration forms available on line or by mail.

I have lived for half of the past 20 years in Southeast Asia and taken groups to Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India, and Myanmar. Some go to quite remote areas, including perhaps the only tours along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. I will be with you all of the time.

Weather in November should be clear and sunny, with day temperatures of 70-80 degrees.

To make a reservation, please print the tour registration form, fill in all blanks and mail with a $500 deposit to:

Robert Phillips

Mekong Tours

7135 Fawcett Creek Road

Tillamook, OR 97141

 

(503) 842-7198

MekongTour1@Hotmail.com

www.MekongTours.com