Cambodia Feb2025 general observations

Cambodia Feb2025 general observations

ETA and VoA
Cambodia now requires everyone entering the country (even their own nationals) to fill out an ETA (electronic travel authorization). https://arrival.gov.kh/ Online, free, worked well for me. Available from 5 days before arrival. At airport, I had to submit my data again on a tablet (there used to be desks with paper arrival cards and VoA applications, now all tablets). It might be possible to fill in the ETA on arrival? VoA (visa on arrival) is no longer a sticker that takes a full page in my passport, plus an entry stamp, but a sticker that is visa and entry stamp in one and the size of 1/6 of a passport page.

Public bus in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh City Bus app works well, and buses can be followed by GPS. I took several buses during my stay and all according to schedule. Pretty cheap (1500 KHR = 0.37 USD), currently 21 lines, details in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phnom_Penh_City_Bus and https://www.facebook.com/phnompenhcitybus.gov.kh (in Khmer, of little use). Bus stops vary from just a sign to roofed shelter. All buses are aircon and I always got a seat (unlike Bangkok and Yangon, where buses are often full). A convenient and cheap way to get around!

Line 2A is supposed to pass Kandal Market and Wat Ounalom. Picture is bus stop, left side Wat Ounalom. However, on the app, the line does not pass there. But I saw buses, with passengers, pass! The stop (#11) is on their map at the sign. No idea what's going on. 

Construction work
There is construction going on everywhere. Since my last visit a year ago, two new bridges opened in Phnom Penh: Norea Bridge and Russey Kéo Bridge. 7-Eleven now has over 100 branches. Wat Ounalom got new sidewalk and trees and bollards and chains to prevent people from driving there, but as well driving out various businesses that used to be in that area before (restaurants and hairdressers).

Even the former Hotel Renakse, prime location on the river, has construction activity after decades of abandonment.

Coin laundries
The first coin laundry opened 2021 (Google maps: រាជនី បោកគក់ Queen Coin Laundry #1 (near royal palace) and recently closed. But there are several new elsewhere. Of little use to me, as I get my laundry done at 1 USD/kg at a laundry near my hotel, get it back dry and folded within 24 hours. So cheap, not worth bothering myself and in particular I only have 1-2 kg of laundry, not worth an individual wash in a washing machine.

Riverside walking street
Riverside is now a walking street on weekends. Fabulous! I still remember with dread the many times I crossed street 1 = Sisowath Quay among cars. Now the street is full with pedestrians!

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501662101/in-pictures-crowds-enjoy-promenade-on-phnom-penhs-popular-walk-street/
March 31, 2025 IN PICTURES: Crowds enjoy promenade on Phnom Penh’s popular Walk Street 

US-Dollar vs. Khmer Riel
The exchange rate has been stable for many years at 1 USD = 4000-4100 KHR. USD is widely accepted. Every now and then, there are news about the government's efforts to eliminate USD. But I like it that way (no need to change to local currency, I do most of my business in USD) and they should rather promote Cambodia as a travel destination where you can use USD instead of local currency!

Siem Reap and Phnom Penh airports
The old airport in Siem Reap closed 15oct2023 and the new one is 46 km by road from Pub Street. That adds significant cost and time to getting to/from the airport. A similar fate awaits Phnom Penh. The new airport is near complete and is planned to open in July 2025. That will be 30 km to Riverside vs. 12 km with current airport. In both cases, I can't see capacity or economical reasons (or in case of Siem Reap, potential damage to ancient structures) for the move, I think it's all political.

More observations
By Jun on gaybuttonthai: Phnom Penh Feb2024 by Jun.
https://www.gaybuttonthai.com/viewtopic.php?t=11539
We have similar areas of interest, Jun quoted here in Italic with some comments from me.

Well, thanks to Covid border restrictions, I was last in Cambodia in Dec 2018.
I could have gone in 2023, but figured that trying the new Laos railway whilst the Chinese still had covid restrictions on rail traffic was a good idea.

How it Was:
Phnom Penh had some kind of bus network, with a very low frequency. I tried one bus and missed another, as I couldn't translate the number fast enough.
The best way of getting around was "Pass App". Like a local version of Bolt, using Indian Tuk Tuks. Quick, efficient & cheap. The older Cambodian style tuk tuks were also plentiful, but you either need to haggle well or pay 2~3x the price.
The airport was on the outskirts of the city. To get into the centre, I just walk past the tuk tuks in the airport compound and found one on the road, willing to take me to the centre for about $7.
I gather, as with Siem Reap, they are intending to reduce the attractiveness of the destination by building an airport that's too far from the city.

Boys were on the apps. Some asked for about $40 or $50, but there were also lads asking for nearer $20. Which I believe is more like it, on the basis that Cambodia is cheaper than Pattaya. There were a handful of bars, but only Toolbox was to my liking.
It looks like several bars have relocated since my last visit.
I will update with 2024 information later, but other board members are welcome to beat me to it.

How it Is:
Airport: Still astonishingly efficient. Where else can you go from being on the plane to outside the terminal in 20 minutes, complete with a checked in bag? I did have the e-visa.
Then walk a very short distance past the taxis and tuk tuks in the airport compound, onto the road outside the airport and catch a cheaper tuk tuk into town for $7.
[I pay 5 USD, and on PassApp similar price.]
If you already have "Pass App" installed on your phone, that's likely to be even cheaper for a tuk tuk. This is the local "Bolt" equivalent, except it works far better.
There is a bus service from the airport, but it has about 30 stops, none of which is outside my hotel. The tuk tuk wins. I gather the bus might be just over $0.5.
In the city, there is a bus network. The route map just doesn't match what I found on the internet.
I can easily walk or use Pass App to get a very cheap tuk tuk. A very easy way to get around.

Phnom Penh: Massages and Sauna
The gay massage shops here seem to charge $15 or more for a 1 hour oil massage.
More like Bangkok prices than Pattaya prices. The reviews aren't that good either, particularly the genuine looking reviews.
I also suspect they don't have many customers. I've had numerous messages on Grinder from people at 2 of the shops. One wanted $20 for massage and another $30 for extra service.
I'm not paying over 700 baht for the massage.
Meanwhile, there are numerous girlie massage shops advertising $5 oil massages.
I checked some of these on google maps, looking for any indication of some male staff. However, what's really noticeable is the appalling customer reviews, with complaints of theft at multiple shops. Either involving theft from lockers, supposedly with a door on the back side, or having an accomplice crawl under the bed. One reviewer even posted a photo of someone hiding under the bed.
[My hotel in Phnom Penh has a notice warning their guests not to go to these shops. Those I saw at riverside all have the same advertising, with typo and "Air conditioning". However, I have seen some with higher prices.]

I was quoted $7 for a massage at the sauna, "The Love Spa". Which has a $3 entry fee. That's more like a Cambodia price, however, I had no need to try the massage, as this seems to be the only sauna I know where some of the young lads actually chase after someone of my age. I recommend this place.
The lockers seem secure and there are no reports of theft on google maps.
I suggest showering before going, as the showers are a dark area and if there is any soap, finding it isn't easy.

Visas
I have used an evisa on all my visits to Cambodia.
This is usually approved within 48 hours and entry into Cambodia has always been speedy.

Currency
USD, with KHR for smaller transactions. The KHR seems to be creeping into higher value transactions, with KHR more common for any change under $10.
The ATMs charge several USD per transaction. With the pitiful £300 withdrawal limit from UK banks, I figured I would be losing about 1.5% in ATM fees. I believe Christian PFC finds BRED Bank are the most competitive for ATM fees.
[Indeed, their fee is 4 USD which is one of the lowest. But more important is their withdrawal maximum of 2000 USD. After raising my limit with my bank in Germany, I can withdraw 2000 USD at a fee of 4 USD and no fee from my bank.]
I bought USD from Superrich in Bangkok. The rate was better than mid-market. So converting from GBP to THB and then to USD still only cost around 0.5%.
I got $20 notes, as experience tells me these are easier to get rid of than $50s. I forgot to specify notes in good condition, so was given some with folds and one with a small tear. Some restaurants and my hotel didn't accept some of the worst notes. I sorted the worst of them and managed to pass these off at convenience stores and Starbucks. Starbucks seem to take anything. [The standard of coffee at independent coffee shops in Phnom Penh was not as good as Thailand, so I made a few visits to Starbucks].

Phone
A SIM card was purchased at the airport, with lots of data and 1 month validity, for $8. Oddly, despite them requesting my passport, it was registered in another name. I popped into Metphone next day and they fixed that in about 5 minutes.

Transport
Use Pass App. Like Bolt, but cheap, and far better, with an oversupply of tuk tuks. Unlike 5 years ago, it has a choice of Indian or Cambodian style tuk tuks. The rate for the Indian Tuk Tuks is slightly lower than for the traditional Cambodian Tuk Tuks. The latter have space for more people and luggage.
Most of my fares were under $1.5.
Therefore getting around is far easier than in Pattaya.
Some tuk tuk drivers try offering you a "Pass App" service, then quote about 3x the pass app rate. I always used the app.
[That's my experience as well. For research purposes, I asked a few about fare to a certain place - if not well known, the first struggle is to communicate your destination - and then tried to haggle them down to PassApp fare, in vain, and finally using PassApp.]
Phnom Penh also has a city bus service, with fairly frequent buses. There's an app which shows the routes. On this trip, I didn't try the bus.

Hotels
Some adequate options for around $20.

Costs:
Cheaper than Pattaya: Hotels, restaurants, coffee shops
Similar cost to Pattaya: Gay bars (between Jomtien and Boyztown prices)
More expensive than Pattaya:
Gay massage. $15 and more. Based on past experience and review scores, there's a risk of low quality. Convenience stores.
The gay bars charge around $3 for a beer, so about 108 baht. In the cheapest other bars in town, beer is available for around $0.75 and sometimes $0.5.
This is fine if the gay bar is good, as in the case of Toolbox.
I don't see the point of paying $3 +10% per drink to sit in the dark at POC. Nothing to see.

Boys:
Some are free, just because they like farang. Even at my age.
Money boys will quote between $20 and $100, the latter presumably trying it on. Between $20 and $30 seems to be the going rate.
Grindr is by far the busiest app, followed by Jack'd.
Many of the boys on Grindr have jobs, so that cute lad who is pushing for a meeting when you're out at lunch probably won't be available later on in the day.
Lots of boys don't seem to have their real photo on the profile, so ask for it. Another favourite tactic is to send a photo shot from some distance, so the face is occupying about 1% of the picture.

Copyright 2025 ChristianPFC except quote