To make your trip to Cambodia not only safe but also really comfortable, follow these rules carefully:
- Because of the hot and humid climate, the most common form of clothing is casual, hiking clothing. It must be lightweight, breathable, and sufficiently dense. Cotton is ideal in this respect. However, when visiting government offices and official events, a business suit is recommended.
- When visiting temples, men should wear pants and long-sleeved shirts, while women should wear blouses and skirts. It is customary to remove head coverings and shoes when entering a temple that contains an artistic or sculptural representation of the Buddha.
- Before taking photos of local people, get their permission. Permission is also required to take photos and videos inside temples. It is strictly forbidden to take pictures of objects belonging to the army, police and gendarmerie.
- It is offensive to the locals to touch their heads in any way, including stroking and patting.
- Try to carry some small money with you to buy souvenirs, and even for alms. In this case, they will just get away from you faster. Although it's more common to try to sell something inexpensive here than to just ask for money. And always haggle. Tipping is not obligatory, but it is very welcome.
- Medical care for foreigners, including emergency care, is paid for. The quality of medical facilities outside the capital is extremely poor. It is recommended to be vaccinated against the following diseases: typhoid, diphtheria, tuberculosis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, cholera, yellow fever, rabies. Get a health insurance policy. And try to avoid even mosquito bites in this country.
- The communication system in the country is rather outdated, modernization is slow. Automatic international communication is underdeveloped, and calls abroad can be made only from a hotel, post offices or an intercom station (in some cases it is just a stall with a telephone). On the streets of the capital you can occasionally find public pay phones from which you can make calls to the province or abroad. Phonecards are sold in post offices, hotels and department stores. On weekends and holidays there is a 20% discount on calls, while in the provinces the price is at least 2 times higher. The international telephone code of the country is 855. For domestic direct calls, 1211-5 is dialed before the area code, and for international calls 1201-5 is dialed before the area code.
- The biggest danger in Cambodia is mines, which can be stumbled upon all over the country, it is said that between 4 and 6 million of them have not yet been found. The provinces that remain mostly mined are Battambang, Banteaymeanthieu, Pursat and Kampong Thom. And even though the tourist spots in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville are considered defused, you should not go off the beaten tourist path and even in the territory of Angkor Wat it is recommended to take an informed guide.
- Cambodia has a strong hierarchy in society, social status matters. It may seem that you are asked a lot of personal questions, but this is more to determine your status than out of curiosity. It is not considered polite to show anger or other negative emotions. The traditional greeting is a bow with hands folded together. The lower the bow and the higher the hands, the more respect you want to show. If you want to address a man, you should add the address "lok" before his name, to a woman "lok srey". If you are meeting a group of people, the person with the highest rank will be introduced first, you should do the same so that your Cambodian vis-a-vis understands the rank system.
- In a restaurant, it is important to observe the formal rules of table behavior. If someone invites you to dinner, wait until they tell you where to sit so as not to upset their plans. The oldest person is usually seated first, starting the meal before anyone else. You should never start the meal before the oldest person does. It is not customary in a social setting to discuss business. If you don't know how to behave, just repeat after those around you. Usually these rules have little to do with tourists running through iconic places. But if you are delayed, or caught up in this or that ceremony, it is important to consider these points.
