Review: Lonely Planet Cambodia

My copy of Lonely Planet Cambodia came in the mail today. It said it arrived yesterday but I couldn't find it anywhere. For a second I was worried about mail snatchers, but, seriously, who would go around doing such a thing in Boulder? Anyway, the book appeared today by our door in the usual Amazon order drop-off location, so maybe the tracker just couldn't tell what day it was.

The guidebook is everything that you would expect from a Lonely Planet. It's got travel by region since it covers an entire country rather than just a city, and it includes overviews on what to do, where to stay, where to shop and eat, and even some information about leisure activities. Everything from large chains to small, expat-run businesses make the cut, and it's well-researched by people who know Cambodia, inside and out. However, the culture, history, and information sections in this LP go above and beyond; there's a full overview of Cambodian history and a lot of cultural information that goes beyond Dos and Donts. I was very impressed (and LP is my go-to for guidebooks) by how thorough this guide was. However, that does make it quite heavy; at over three-hundred pages, it's also very bulky for a travel guide.

Since sections are organized by content, it's easy to find whatever you're looking for; I read the book cover-to-cover to get a feel for the entire guide. In my review of Responsible Travel Guide Cambodia, I noted that the book failed as both a travel guide and a comprehensive overview of Cambodia. Now, choosing between a book that's put on by a nonprofit and a LP series book is like choosing between shopping at your local mom-and-pop or at Walmart in some ways, but I can't recommend the former after having read the latter. The writers are well-aware of the special problems a traveler faces in Cambodia, and they have passed their knowledge on to a ignorant tourist in many ways that I found commendable:

• Ways that tourists get ripped off in various circumstances (border crossings especially; taxi fares, etc) and how to avoid them
• Knowledge that the sex trade in Cambodia runs rampant, and tips on how to avoid dicey establishments including massage parlors that offer 'special' services
• Reminders about pedophilia/illegal drugs/all the other things irresponsible and reprehensible tourists go to Asia to do
• Many, many, MANY warnings about landmines and how to avoid them, including very helpful tips on what to do if you find yourself or someone else stuck in a potential landmine-containing area. If you read this guide before you go to Cambodia and you blow yourself up anyway, you probably deserve it
• How to deal with children who are begging or selling items, and how to 'help' the people you see around you (some of this is general stuff, like, give food rather than money, but some is Cambodia-specific)
• A long list of nonprofits that take volunteers and/or help with further research on volunteer organizations, and a list of responsible shops and restaurants. The guide even proclaims its desire to list organizations that help disadvantaged Cambodians, which means it has the same goals as Responsible Travel Guide, but its execution and comprehensiveness are tons better
• Ways to interact with everyday Cambodians, such as homestays in remote areas, rare or dying crafts that you could purchase, and other tips to help direct money to honest, hard-working people rather than exploitative or underhanded ones

In short, if you are travelling to Cambodia, you need this guide. I don't care if you'll be staying in the luxury of Phnom Penh and never leaving the city--in fact, since Phnom Penh is known as a tourist destination, your chances of getting ripped off, stolen from, or encountering some unsavory people/practices is high. If you're coming to volunteer, I can't think of a better reference. And it does all the things a guidebook should.

One final note: the guidebook contains far more phrases than Responsible Travel Guide Cambodia, including some 'make it yourself' constructions, and a pronunciation guide to Khmer, making it an excellent resource for beginning Khmer students (there is a decided lack of textbooks and phrasebooks). Even Lonely Planet's phrasebook is for Southeast Asia, not just Cambodia itself. However, if you just need a bit of Khmer in a pinch to be understood or to be polite and learn a couple phrases, the guidebook is all you need.

Pros:

Excellent information, goes above and beyond a travel guide. Good detail about Cambodia's history, culture, people, and current problems; great compilation of activities, suggestions for what to do, and responsible travel hotels/stores/restaurants/tips.

Cons:

Very bulky and long, especially for an LP. Some people may not want to read so much in depth. Sometimes esoteric organization. Still not enough of a cuisine guide, more highlighting exotics than what you might eat every day. It may terrify 'ordinary' tourists with its frank admissions about Cambodia's sex trade, drug trade, awful state of the roads, child exploitation, etc (although I think an ordinary tourist might prefer to go somewhere else). If you're a worrywart, remember that it's better to know the possible worst than to travel in ignorance, and try not to lose sight of the phrase 'the possible worst.'

Final Verdict:

I'll be starting to make travel arrangements soon; I've heard from the school about some details of my teaching practicum and they're just waiting on me to set dates! I will also be planning my itinerary using my new guidebook and thinking about possible side trips and other fun stuff for this blog. I'm going to use the phrasebook section to kickstart my Khmer learning efforts, though I haven't decided on a definitive course of study yet.

The future seems wide open with possibilities! I'll be keeping the blog updated as I go along.

Review: Responsible Travel Guide Cambodia

I bought this book out of curiosity, because it's hard to find reliable Cambodia resources. My feelings are mixed, partly because the book itself is a kitchen-sink mixture of information about various aspects of Cambodia, its history, travel information, and nonprofit organizations.

It's available through the nonprofit that wrote it, Friendship With Cambodia, for $11.95 plus $3 s/h (the site says $14.95, but if you click the Paypal link it charges a lower price). You can read a sample here. Since the book is $14.05 currently via amazon, I encourage you to buy via the nonprofit's site. There are corrections and additions, current as of March 2014, available on the nonprofit site as well. This is very useful, since businesses in Cambodia can be fleeting and the problem with any travel guide is its relevance. Edit: It's also available as a $6 ebook from the main page of the site, not the book page, if you scroll down. Very confusing.

Who should read this book?

Anyone who is traveling to Cambodia, especially the main areas of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, and wants to spend their money responsibly either by shopping, dining, or staying in franchises that support Cambodia and whose money does not leave Cambodia. Anyone who wants a general overview of Cambodia the country, including travel information, timelines and history, and customs.

How useful is the information in the book?

As a travel guide, the book has a strange melange of information. I think it's worth knowing some decent places to spend money while in Cambodia. You may pay a higher price but you can feel good about where your money went. However, the book fails as a travel guide in two major areas. 

First, it doesn't include enough information about what to see in Cambodia. For instance, the Phnom Penh section highlights the "cultural treasures of the Royal Palace" and the "outstanding collection of ancient sculpture at the National Museum" (11). It includes a suggested three-day itinerary with bullet points such as "Visit the National Museum (ancient sculpture)" without saying anything more about the National Museum (11). For opening times, more details about its exhibits such as what famous/recommended pieces are in the museum or even what there is besides sculpture and more logistical information, you need to do further research. That's fine if you're planning a trip, but not so great if you are in Cambodia and chose to make this guide your only in-country resource.

Second, it is not comprehensive. You can, as long as you are willing to pay slightly more, get along only patronizing the recommended establishments in Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, but I would have liked more comprehensive coverage of other regions or nods to other choices which, if not worthy of a 'responsible' label, would guarantee that a traveler could get along solely with this book.

As an informational resource about volunteering in Cambodia or making an altruistic impact, the book seems to have succeeded. Though I would have liked a list of organizations and tourist traps to avoid, they cover topics such as sex tourism, the exploitation of children, and reliable places to volunteer along with contact information and what type of volunteers the places need (including length of stay). Since Cambodian websites are sometimes untranslated, poorly-formatted, and full of uninformation, I'm very happy I bought the book.

As an informational resource about Cambodia, the book is a mixed bag. Basic information about customs and holidays lives side-by-side with a heart-wrenching 'sample' account of a survivor of the Pol Pot era. The food section is more an infographic than a real guide with names and recommendations, and given the difficulties of Cambodian script and the often vaguely-translated menus for tourists, a detailed menu guide would have been appreciated here. There's a basic section with a few Khmer phrases, but no guide as to pronunciation. In general, I would have liked the information included to be more focused, both on the travel aspects of the book and on the education about Cambodia. Most of the information isn't as good as what you would find in a Lonely Planet introduction, for instance. However, it is more comprehensive and focuses more on responsible tourism than a LP guide would.

The book also includes a bibliography of books about Cambodia, a good starting point for further reading.

Conclusion:

Any travel guide should include more details about food, places to stay, tourist attractions, and alternative options, especially in a country where public internet is tricky and expensive, and corruption runs rampant. The book is clearly the work of a team of amateurs; some of the sections seem included just because someone wanted to write them, and others could have used a critical eye to amend some of the glaring omissions or lack of specificity that plagues the guide. It's put out by an organization that deals intimately with Cambodia, not a worldwide organization that can't afford to check out Cambodia-specific venues, so its generality is disappointing.

Also, the guide does recommend some travel tour companies with Cambodian offices, but if you check out the Friendship with Cambodia website, you'll see that they run a tour of their own. I appreciate the parity in recommending other tours, but the book does serve to advertise the Friendship with Cambodia tour and encourage readers to donate to its programs and buy its book of Khmer Rouge survivor accounts (hence the sample excerpt). I would have preferred more information and less advertising, but I will probably buy and review their other book to support this worthy nonprofit.