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| By
: Heng Raingsy. |
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For those
seeking to really sample the exotic, the Temples
of Angkor and the Cambodian way of life are perfect
ingredients for your palate. Besides traveling by
air, there are other routes to take into Cambodia.
To really experience the sights of this marvelous
country, one can also chose to travel by river,
sea or overland.
By Air: Visitors can land at either of the two major
airports, the Pochentong Airport in the capital
Phnom Penh or the Siem Reap Airport in the province
of Siem Reap where the famous Angkor temples are.
The Pochentong Airport in Phnom Penh is currently
being upgraded. The airport will have a new passenger
terminal with four air-bridges by the end of this
year and a fully modern
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second terminal
will be ready in the year 2002. By which time, the airport
will also be equipped with aerial radar control system
to monitor all flight activities over the Cambodian air
territorial integrity. According to a civil aviation source,
the present three-kilometer runway is reinforced and sturdy
enough to handle any airliner on its 40 meter width. Tourist
arrivals through the Pochentong Airport have increased
by nearly 35 percent this year and the airport is expected
to see bigger numbers in the future. With better facilities,
the new Pochentong Airport will have no problems handling
the increase in passenger arrivals. Among the most innovative
routes, Bangkok Airways now offers direct flights from
Koh Samui and Pattaya in Thailand.
Last year, passenger numbers on direct flights to Siem
Reap increased three-fold on 1999 figures. As renovation
work continues on Pochentong Airport, the authorities
have not overlooked Siem Reap Airport. Plans are on the
board to upgrade the facilities and to give it a new face-lift
too. The 2.5 kilometer by 45 meter runway has since December
1999 been made more active following the implementation
of the "Open Sky" policy recommended by Prime
Minister Hun Sen. At the moment about 70 flights operated
by local airline companies and at least 10 other international
airliners are keeping the airport bubbling. Local carriers,
in alphabetical order, are President Airlines, Royal Air
Cambodge, and Royal Phnom Penh Airways. A new player,
the Royal Khmer Airlines, is planning its launch soon.
International operators by alphabetical order are Air
France, Bangkok Airways, China Eastern Airlines, China
Southern Airlines, Dragon Air, Korean Airlines, Lao Aviation,
Malaysia Airlines, Mandarin Airways, Shanghai Airlines,
Silk Air, Thai Airways and Vietnam Airlines among others.
The other provincial towns of Battambang, Koh Kong, Mondulkiri,
Rattanakiri, Sihanoukville (Kampong Som) and Steung Treng
each has their own respective domestic airstrips.
By 'Water': To meet the increasing number of tourists,
the government recently granted permission for visas to
be issued to tourists at three border checkpoints. These
are at the international seaport of Sihanoukville, the
Ka-am Sam-nar checkpoint bordering Vietnam in the province
of Kandal and the Chamm-yeam checkpoint bordering Thailand
in the province of Koh Kong. Very soon, an alternative
access to Siem Reap town will be made available as a construction
project on the Phnom Krom Wharf is currently underway.
The road leading from the vicinity is in the meantime
also being reconstructed and paved.
The crossing on the Mekong River between Laos and Cambodia
north of Steung Treng was also recently declared open
in both directions.
Overland: The two existing border checkpoints by land
are the Bavet Checkpoint of the southern province of Svay
Rieng bordering Vietnam and the Poipet Checkpoint of the
northern province of Banteay Meanchey.
From Thailand, the drive from the border town of Poipet
to the province of Siem Reap and the Angkor Temple Complex
is now a casual one and a half hour trip. The Temple on
the Preah Vihear Mountain in the north has long been a
strong attraction luring a very large number of tourists.
The railway provides another option for tourists in case
they so wish to travel by train to the capital city from
whichever point of entry preferred. For people coming
in by sea through the port at Sihanoukville, the journey
by train to Phnom Penh is an interesting 266 kilometer
trek through farmland and sometimes thick forests. Enroute,
the tourist can take in postcard scenes of farmers tending
to their crops and fishermen hauling in their nets. Men
scaling the towering sugar palm trees is another common
sight. Local folks tap the sweet juices from the palms
for palm sugar and palm wine, a delicacy loved by many
tourists as well. From Poipet to Phnom Penh is about 385
kilometers. This route meanders by many paddy fields where
water buffaloes plough and beautiful white herons peck
busily away as they pass their day.
Many national roads linking the border check points to
the capital city and other resort sites are under reconstruction.
However, the road leading from the airport in Siem Reap
to the Angkor Wat Temple is a good stretch. Reconstruction
jobs on the roads surrounding the 'Small Circuit' has
been done and the access leading from the Angkor Wat Temple
to Prasat Banteay Srei is now paved. All the bridges in
the vicinity are being upgraded.
In view of the many reconstruction jobs underway around
the country, it may be wise to plan ahead before embarking
on any trip as the time required to cover certain distances
may take a little longer than usual. |
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Suite
B8, Regency Square, InterContinental Hotel, 294 Mao Tse Toung
Boulevard,
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.
Tel: (855) 23 213 133 Fax: (855) 23 213 033
E-mail:
editor@leisurecambodia.com |
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