On the Road in Cambodia

We made two bus trips in Cambodia: one from Phnom Penh to Kampong Cham, and one from Kampong Cham to Siem Riap. On the whole, I would say that bus travel in Cambodia is relatively easy, somewhat comfortable, and extremely cheap.

Our first bus was late, slow, crowded, and hot. Aside from feeling stuck to the seat, however, it was not an unpleasant ride. The scenery was interesting, and the comedy show playing on the TV was not obnoxious. (See Brian's blog for a funny description of some of the obnoxious bus entertainment in Thailand!) The second bus was spacious, cool, and quick. I think it just depends on luck. I’d advise travelers to have morning departure times when possible. Nighttime bus travel isn’t safe in Cambodia.


Many of the locals can’t afford the air-conditioned buses, of course, or they might not live near a route. They might instead ride something like this:Or this:

Watching vehicles go by on the highway was better than a movie!

Air Asia: Takes You Where You Want To Go

My first set of entries on this blog will describe our post-Peace Corps vacation in Cambodia and Malaysia!

We wanted to see a bit more of Southeast Asia before returning home after our service as Peace Corps Thailand Volunteers ended in March, but with the hot season arriving in this part of the world, we also wanted to be sure to take it easy and travel in some comfort, even on our low budget. After hearing a few horror stories about the overland route from Bangkok to Cambodia, we did a little investigation and decided to go instead with Air Asia, the budget airline based in Malaysia.

We flew first from Bangkok, Thailand, to Phnom Penh, Cambodia; then from Siem Riap, Cambodia, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and last from Kuala Lumpur back to Bangkok. Two of the three flights were delayed, but not so significantly as to negatively impact our travels. All the flights were smooth and comfortable. We purchased the tickets online in advance. The website can be problematic at times, but after several tries we finally had all our reservations made.

Air Asia is cheap because they don’t have any “extras” associated with their service. Seating is not pre-assigned. Inflight food and beverages must be purchased if you want them. For the short flight distances in southeast Asia, though, these are not significant details. I highly recommend Air Asia for budget travelers in this part of the world!