10 Reasons to Go Traveling in Cambodia

The best attraction to visit in Cambodia is Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is noticeably quieter than the hustle and bustle of the big city. Angkor Wat is a ruin on a mountain side that is over a thousand years old. Here, you can view magnificent stone blocks and exquisite reliefs everywhere. The site is an excellent example of Hindu and Buddhist craftsmanship. The site is home to the mysterious Khmer Smile, ancient temples with broken bricks and tiles, finely carved stone frescoes, and the Sky Hall which is built from large stones. It's all waiting there for you to savor and explore.

One of the Most Nostalgic Trains in the World. The train, starting from O Dambong, east of the old French bridge in Battambang, is driven towards O Sra Lav in zigzag direction along the rickety rails and dizzying bridges left behind by the French. The bamboo train consists of a wooden carriage, bamboo floor boards, and heavy duty wheels, and goes at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour. Trains cannot pass by one anther because there is only one track. Therefore, one train will be taken apart and removed from the track in order to give way to an oncoming train. After the opposite train has driven away, the first train will be reassembled so it can continue.

Kampot, located along the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, is a famous salt producing area in Cambodia. You can view many neatly divided salt fields from a spot 2 kilometers from the Kampot downtown area. The busiest harvest season runs from January to June each year, when the vast salt fields become like mirrors, reflecting the figures of workers toiling under the hot sun. This type of primitive salt drying has become a special scenic route as well as a must-see location many photography enthusiasts.

If you like cycling or would like to meet locals, then renting a bike in Cambodia is a great way to get around. As you ride your bicycle along the country roads, you can take in views of the tropical landscape as you breathe in the fresh air for a truly rare experience. You can even experience daily life of the countryside up close as you cycle along. For example, you can chat with children passing along the road, see the daily life of the local people, and try the food at different eateries. If you're lucky, you might see farmers harvesting rice in groups of twos or threes, or you might see the weaving and making of traditional silks.

Many people don't know that there is a port city on the southwest coast of Cambodia. This port city shares beautiful ocean and beach vistas of the Gulf of Thailand along with Ko Samui. The Port of Sihanouk (also called Sihanouk for short) is named after the former king of Cambodia and is a holiday paradise for Cambodian locals and backpackers from Europe and America. In Sihanouk, you can recline on chairs at your resort and enjoy brilliant seaside sunsets. You can go by sea to the outlying islands and enjoy the tranquility of the simple villages there.

Artisans Angkor is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to reviving traditional Khmer arts and crafts and improving the lives of thousands of Cambodians living in rural areas. Here, tourists can visit the workshops where handicrafts are made, including silk, wood carving, stone carving, lacquer work, silver smithing, silk painting, and jewelry. There are cafes and shops at Artisans Angkor. If you like these exquisite crafts, you can buy them to take back to China and send them to your friends and relatives as souvenirs.

Cambodia was a French colony for many years and is geographically situated between neighboring Vietnam and Thailand. Hence, Khmer cuisine combines Western characteristics with Southeast Asians flavors. Like other Southeast Asian countries, Cambodian food is rich in spices, and you can taste exotic flavors in Cambodian dishes. For example, there are many good restaurants in Siem Reap Old Market where you can taste Indian, Thai and Vietnamese dishes as well as Cambodian cuisine.

As a tourist city, Siem Reap has some great night life. If you want to go to a bar, you can easily find one on Pub Street near Siem Reap Old Market. If you want to go to a night market, there are plenty to choose from along the Siem Reap River. Pub Street is always busy, both day and night. The Red Piano and Temple Club are very well-known establishments along Pub Street. Apart from bars, Pub Street is also home to stores selling handicrafts as well as bookstores selling English books and postcards, all of which are worth a visit.

When you're tired after a day of traveling around, you can try the local Cambodia massage, which is very good at getting rid of the fatigue of the day. Although the technique is not as professional as in Thailand, it's still a good way to relax. There are lots of massage parlors in Siem Reap. The price for massage ranges from USD$10 to USD$100 per hour and the massage quality varies considerably. It is worth bearing in mind that you should look for a legitimatemassage parlor in order to get a massage.

Smile of Angkor is a cooperative project between the Chinese and Cambodian Ministries of Culture. The show is the biggest large-scale singing and dancing event that authentically reproduces one thousand years of the Angkor Dynasty. The epic uses the most representative cultural images among the treasures of Angkor Wat to relate its history, legends, customs, and the meaning of its stone murals. A laser show on stage creates the illusion of traveling through a time warp, bringing you back the Angkor Dynasty, 1,200 years ago so you can really appreciate the greatness of the Angkor Dynasty.