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.
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