FAQ for Visitors to Children's Surgical Centre

General Risks
These days, Phnom Penh is probably no more risky for Westerners than any big Western city: robberies do occur, especially after midnight, if you're on the street. The traffic is bad, and a traffic accident is probably the biggest tropical-medicine risk!

When you arrive, we require you to sign a waiver stating that you come and join us at your own risk and that we are not liable for any injury or illness you may sustain. If you incur medical expenses, evacuation expenses, etc. they will all be at your own expense, and it may be wise of you to obtain medical travel insurance before you come.

Vaccinations
In general, no-one needs more than what you've already got as Westerners, if you are just going to hang around with us, as it's reasonably safe in Phnom Penh, and medical facilities and medications are reasonably available.

But if you're going up country, backpacking around the mountains for weeks on end, or plan other adventures involving remote area travel, then you should think about more extensive precautions: inoculations against rabies, Japanese encephalitis, typhoid, or whatever is recommended for the areas you intend to visit.  Check the CDC website for more information, or your travel doctor.

Malaria
The 2 strains of mosquitoes that transmit malaria, are sylvan (they live in the woods), so there's no malaria to speak of in Phnom Penh: none of us use prophylaxis, unless we plan on going somewhere pretty unusual. However, there is always a risk of malaria if you travel outside of Phnom Penh, and you need to decide for yourself what prophylaxis to use.

Dengue
Mosquitoes carrying this virus are present in Phnom Penh and prefer to feed on humans during the daytime.  There is no vaccination so precautions such as mosquito repellant, bed nets, etc are recommended.

Insurance
Getting medevac'd to Singapore, Bangkok, or the West, is very expensive. Travel insurance is cheap and is strongly recommended. Medical care in Bangkok itself is good and really quite cheap, and a one-way airline ticket to Bangkok is about $100.

Visas
It's often a hassle dealing with Cambodian officials, wherever they are, but visas are available at the airport in Phnom Penh and at some of the border crossings. You need one passport photo and $20 for a 30 day visitor's visa (very difficult to extend), or $30 for a 30 day business visa (easier to extend).

Reaching Phnom Penh
Most people come via Bangkok, whence there are 4 or 5 airlines flying to Phnom Penh, so you can buy an airline ticket from Bangkok (for about $140 to $230 round trip) from one of the many travel agencies around town. Bangkok Airways is usually the cheapest, but only flies twice a day, about 7.30am and 5pm. Thai airlines is the most expensive, but most dependable, and also flies twice a day at about 8.20am and 4.30pm.

There are also flights to Phnom Penh from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Saigon, Hong Kong, Taipei, and other Asian cities, but no airline flies direct to or from the USA, UK or Australia.

Staying in Bangkok
Bangkok is a large city, with freeways like Los Angeles. There are myriads of hotels, of all price ranges, but for the budget travelers, if you're planning a stay for a night or 2 in Bangkok, here's a suggestion.

When you get through customs in Bangkok airport, you enter the arrivals hall, and everyone is trying to sell you something. The best thing is to change some money into Thai Baht (about 40B to US$1, even though they want some commission) as US dollars are not normally usable in Thailand, though they are in Bangkok. (Exchange rates are better outside the airport, in town, if you're changing a lot of money). Then, just outside the terminal building, there's a bus stand, with an information booth, and 4 different bus routes into Bangkok, with each route leaving about every 30 mins.

The backpacker's area is at Banglampoo, so get the bus there, if that's where you want to go, but the main tourist area is around Sukhumvit Road. There's a bus to Sukhumvit Road, (number 3, I think), and it costs only 70B to get downtown, so take the bus, and ask to be let off at Soi 11. (A taxi is about 200 to 300B, is metered, and quite safe and well organized).

Walk down Soi 11 about 200 or 300 yds, and on the left, you'll see the Federal Hotel...it's a moderate type of hotel, with a lot of expats staying, because it's cheap (700B to 1000B) and has a pool. You can get a room there pretty easily, even without a booking: it has a nice enough coffee shop to start you off on Thai food, and it's far enough from Sukhumvit Road to keep you away from all the noise and hustlers. If it's full, there are plenty of other hotels round about, at all sorts of price ranges. (A good tip is to ask for a hotel's cheapest room, as they automatically offer the most expensive, and then decide what you want).

Have dinner in the "Cabbages and Condoms" restaurant, on Soi 12, about a half mile walk eastwards, on the other side of Sukhumvit road! It's a trip, and a nice place!

You can buy an airline ticket from any of the million little travel agencies all around, and then get the airport bus, or a metered taxi back to the airport (200 to 250B, usually), depending on the time of day and the current traffic jams.

Overland
You can come overland to Cambodia, by following the backpackers! The Eastern Bus Terminal is further down Sukhumvit Rd, (jump on any bus going east, down the road, and tell them where you want to get off: costs about 3B to 6B). Then find the bus station, whence several companies, (so 2 or 3 different ticket windows), run buses to TRAD or TRAT (same place). It's a 6 hour bus ride, in an airconditioned bus so reasonably comfortable, and when you get to TRAT, you either stay the night, if it's late (border closes about 5 pm, usually), and get the minibus at 6am next morning (about 100B) to the border at Klong Yai, about an hour's ride away. Then, you pass through the Thai border, and get a visa ($20 and photo) into Koh Kong, Cambodia. (Visas are free in Thailand, and no photo is needed).

There is now a new taxi service starting up, from Bangkok to the casinos in Koh Kong, which is as cheap as taking the bus, and a lot easier. Ask in your hotel for details.

You're now in the gambling resort of Koh Kong, and you can stay in the big hotels if you like, but sooner or later, you need to get a motorbike taxi to the main town, across the toll bridge. The fare should be about 40B, or $1. Then there are 2 choices: going to Phnom Penh by the new road, or by the big fast Dragonboat to Kompong Som or Sihanoukville (same place), and then to Phnom Penh by road.

The new road is very scenic and interesting, and is a worthwhile trip. Pickup trucks leave Koh Kong in the mornings, and get to Phnom Penh by evening, crossing 4 rivers by old style ferries, and passing the Thai army road builders.

The boat leaves Koh Kong at 8am daily ($15 for a trip of 3 and half hours). Once arrived in Kompong Som, get a moto taxi again to near the Railway station, where you can catch the bus to Phnom Penh, without going all the way into town, if you want. The moto-drivers all know where to take you if you keep saying "Phnom Penh" (20B or 2000Riel), and then wait for the air-conditioned bus ($3) or take the minibus (6000Riel) which tends to be crowded, and it's a 3 hour ride to Phnom Penh.

Finding Us
When you arrive in Phnom Penh, our phone number here at Kien Khleang (KK) is 023 43 02 02.

KK is across the Japanese Bridge, then about 2km along the road, to where the big restaurants start on the LEFT side of the road. Right opposite the first big restaurant (currently named "Stung Meas" but name may change), is the little road leading down to the RIGHT, and KK...with the blue and white sign, telling you so! From the new market, or even the airport, get a motorbike taxi (moto) direct to Kien Khleang (say 4000Riel for a newcomer from the Market, and $2 from the airport), or a car taxi from the airport for $7.

Getting here from Pochentong airport in Phnom Penh: if there's no-one there to meet you, give us a call: 023 43 02 02, or get a moto ($2), or a proper taxi ($7) to Kien Khleang, and then find us right at the gate. (Sometimes, there are traffic jams on the road to the airport, and our car is stuck in one!)

Phone Numbers
The country code for Cambodia is 855, and the city code for Phnom Penh is 023. If you're already in Cambodia , you use the 0 before the other two numbers, but internationally, phone the international access code (signified by "+"), then 855, then miss off the zero, but use the other numbers. So, our office phone +855 23 43 02 02 internationally, but 023 43 02 02, from inside Cambodia. My hand phone +855 12 979 214 or 012 979 214 from inside Cambodia.

Kanya's hand phone +855 12 710 789, or 012 710 789.

ROSE house +855 23 88 22 98

Accomodation
There are plenty of hotels, guesthouses, etc., around, ranging in price from about $5 to $150 a night, so chose what you like. You can eat local, Khmer food, for about $5 a day, and there is a plethora of international restaurants of all different prices.

Money
The local currency is the Riel however US Dollars are also widely used.  1 US Dollar equals around 4,000 Riel.  Few places accept credit cards, however there are plenty of ATMs in Phnom Penh so you can easily withdraw money from overseas accounts.

Dress
Officials in Cambodia are usually quite smartly dressed, and we try to be similar when we are working. Backpacker dress does not go down too well with the Cambodian Government, so it is best to wear long trousers, short sleeved shirts, no tie or jacket, and sandals when on official business. (People take their shoes off inside homes and buildings, as outside there is so much mud and dirt, so slip-on sandals or shoes, with or without socks, are a blessing).

Dr. Jim Gollogly