It’s all fun and Games
if you know what you’re doing. Where’s a doctor when you need one? Where’s the ATM machine? (they just came to Kep). Why is it so crowded today, when there was nobody here yesterday? (Holiday, perhaps?)
Money
The two official currencies of Cambodia are the Riel and US Dollar. Most small purchases are made in Cambodian Riel, and larger amounts (over a few dollars) are made in US currency. The current exchange rate is about 4,000 Cambodian Riel to one US dollar. You can exchange Thai Baht, Vietnamese Dong, and Euros in some places as well. Some banks have VISA and Master Card withdrawal services.
There are a few banks, and even more ATM machines in Kep. The pay out in Khmer Riel and U.S. D. Only a few places take credit cards in Kep. There are now a few ABA Bank ATMs in town. They charge around a $6 fee or MORE, and you can withdraw $500 at a time.
Dollars, dollars, everywhere, but you can’t spend them all. Be careful when accepting large bills, as there are a few counterfeits out there.
Help, I need a doctor
Medical services are very basic in Kep, less than basic in Kampot (half hour away). And a bit better in Phnom Penh.
Malaria is common in the jungles, but not in Kep. Most all drugs can be purchased over the counter at a few pharmacies scattered about town. Ucare Pharmacy is right at the Kep Beach Market, and open every day. The can deliver also. Also, pharmacies near the Kep Market. An hour drive away is the Sonja Kill Memorial Hospital near Bokor Mountain, which is the best place on the Cambodian Coast to get medical care.
Customs and Culture
Cambodia is a Buddhist country. Monks walk around in the morning, collecting food and money to maintain the Wats (Buddhist Temples). The Cambodian people are very polite and respectful, and expect the same in return. Don’t walk around naked, or nearly so. Smile and be polite, regardless of how upset or angry you are. That’s the way it works here.
Holidays
Every week or two comes a yearly holiday. Banks and government institutions are closed, but most other places are open for business when it’s a one day holiday…. On the multi-day holidays, lots of places are closed. In Kep, holidays are usually a bit crowded with tourists from Phnom Penh. If you see a holiday comes on a weekend, expect the following Monday to be a holiday as well. Khmers like to party like the rest of us!
Sex
Some people have it here, some don’t. If you are having it, make sure to “wrap it up”. “Number One” in Cambodia is a condom, not a number, and it costs about 25 cents each. Use it.
Visas
You can get your Cambodian Visa at any border, for most countries, if you don’t have one already. A tourist visa cost $35 (plus whatever else they can get), and you must have 2 photos. It’s good for 30 days and can be renewed once for 30 days for $50, while you’re in the country. You need to go here to figure out how to get a visa to Vietnam. You can get from Kampot to Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam by boat, and no visa is need while you’re on the Island (30 days or less)
Bathrooms
Public bathrooms are hard to find here. Buy a drink and use a restaurant bathroom, or if you’re on the road, just stop in a field and do your thing. Everyone else does.
Laundry
Almost every hotel / guesthouse here does laundry for a fee. Usually $1 a kilo or less. It might take a day or two to dry, especially in the rainy season. All around town there are laundry places as well. Some of the bigger ones have dryers, and charge quite a bit more, but you can get you clean laundry back in a couple hours, and ironed as well.
Police
Police are everywhere in Cambodia. But it’s usually hard to find one when you need help. Kampot and Kep are very safe towns, and most of the legal trouble foreigners have here is when they’re drunk. To be expected.
Telephone:
When calling Cambodia from overseas, the country extension is +855. Any phone number starting with a “0”, which are all the numbers here, you should not dial the first “0” when calling Cambodia from outside the country.
When calling from within Cambodia, there are no public phones, but in several hundred places around town, they have free Wi-Fi. You can also buy a tourist SIM in some places using your passport as ID. A SIM card for a phone cost about $2 here, and $1 gets you a 5 Gigabytes of data for one week. You’ll need your passport.