The Best Things to See in Cambodia

Cambodia - Which way to go Cambodia is bordered by three countries, Vietnam to the East, Laos to the North and Thailand to the West. Therefore, there are three different border crossings you can use to enter the country and three different directions to travel through the country. There is no set route through Cambodia and each way is just as popular as the next. 

It's easy to combine a trip to Vietnam with a visit to Cambodia. If you are entering Cambodia from Vietnam, you will cross the border at Chau Doc and continue onto the capital of Cambodia - Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh is a modern city with paved roads and modern stores. It's easy to spend a few days in Phnom Penh soaking up the lively atmosphere. You could also visit the Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields, a reminder of Cambodia's troubled past under the rule of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. From Phnom Penh you can continue to head west to Siem Reap, by boat if you are adventurous. The boat trip along the Tonle Sap river offers the chance to watch the world go by slowly with views of life along the river bank. When you reach Siem Reap make sure you visit the world famous Angkor Wat. Most people take at least two days to see Angkor Wat, and don't forget to set your alarm for the sunrise over the temples - a definite 'must see'. From Siem Reap, you can continue travelling westward to cross the border into Thailand at Poipet. This trip can be done in reverse as well - starting in Thailand and travelling east through Cambodia into Vietnam. 

If Laos is first on your itinerary, you would enter Cambodia from the north, at the border crossing town of Veunkham. Travellers will not be able to get a visa on arrival at this border crossing, so make sure you have your Cambodia visa organised beforehand. You'll be travelling along the famous Mekong River from Laos into Cambodia, to a town called Stung Treng. Stung Treng is a quiet town far away from the tourist towns. It's quite basic and you will really feel like you are experiencing the real country. From Stung Treng you can again travel along the mighty Mekong river towards Kratie, which is home to the rare fresh water dolphin, the Irrawaddy. The best time to spot these dolphins is either early in the morning, or at the end of the afternoon as the sun is going down. After Kratie, you can travel by bus to the nation's capital Phnom Penh. This cosmopolitan city is easy to get around and has lots of historic buildings. From Phnom Penh you can continue on towards Vietnam to the south, via Chau Doc, or you could continue in the opposite direction towards Thailand. As a side trip from Phnom Penh, you could also continue travelling south in Cambodia and visit the beach side towns of Sihounkville and Kep. Sihounkville is more developed than Kep, but the beaches at both towns are a welcome relief from the tropical climate inland. 

 It's popular to combine Vietnam and Cambodia and a lot of people travel from Saigon, along the Mekong River, cross the border at Chau Doc and continue onto Phnom Penh. And a visit to Cambodia is not complete without seeing the Angkor Wat, particularly at sunrise. Just remember to set your alarm clock.

If you feel like travelling to Cambodia please consider http://www.cambodiaonline.com.au for a nice bite sized travel adventure.

Responsible Travel and Voluntourism

So this week, Rickshaw Travel >has been sharing a heap of info on different types of responsible travel and thrown some questions around about what it means to actually be a responsible traveller.

It is a common misconception that a voluntarism holiday is a form of responsible travel but through numerous studies (including by UNESCO and UNICEF), it has been shown that they can often do more harm than good if people don't go into them with the proper training and intentions. 

To avoid having a negative affect on vulnerable children and communities, Responsibletravel.com has developed the below guidelines and only deal with operators who adhere to them;

Qualifications, skills & experience:

• Volunteers must have appropriate qualifications, skills, experience and understanding of vulnerable childcare and have provided proof of these in the form of certification and references which the partner organisation has taken up. Suitable qualification areas include: social work, psychology, counselling, medical health, appropriate educational qualifications etc.
• The organisation will 'skills match' all volunteers working with vulnerable children to specific, clearly defined roles using specific selection criteria.

Placement length:
The volunteer placements must be for a minimum time period of 4 weeks. The partner organisation does not take on volunteers to work with vulnerable children if they are unable to commit at least 4 weeks of their time. 

Screening:
All volunteers (British) are DBS checked (or national equivalent e.g. police checks in the US).

Codes & policies:
Our (responsibletravel.com's) partner organisation has clear and comprehensive child protection policies in place which all volunteers must agree to (policies must be published e.g. website and presented as part of the responsibletravel.com membership process). In addition, the organisation has clear reporting mechanisms for violence, abuse or any other form of child protection concern (including internal reporting systems and anonymous reporting to the appropriate authority i.e. UNICEF if government mechanisms are not possible). The organisation must also have clear media, photography and publishing guidelines in place which protect the use of children's images and personal information (again, guidelines must be presented as part of the responsibletravel.com membership process) Images or personal information of vulnerable children should not be published (including through social media without written permission of the child's legal guardian). All policies, guidelines and codes must be shared with, and agreed to by volunteers before their placement.

Other roles (not alongside children):
Volunteers agree to consider volunteering in other areas such as supporting locally employed full time permanent/professional staff in training and development of programmes, admin, construction. Care will be taken to understand the volunteers' skills transferability in the context.

Training & preparation:
We require that our partner organisation provide the volunteers with the following information prior to travelling:

• details of who they will be working with and supported by

• where they will be working

• what they will be doing

• what they cannot do

• details of the setting, including children's ages, number of children and staff/children ratio (as advised by the relevant country Government)

• copies of policies, codes and processes should a problem arise

• contextual information detailing the social and cultural environment

• copies of the centre's legal registration and legal status

• the abuse and complaint reporting process, both internally and externally (to police / government / regulatory authority)

• An on the ground orientation upon arrival by a project leader
• The setting (whether a partner organisation operating with mutual agreement or run by the same organisation)

Our (responsibletravel.com's) partner organisation has undertaken thorough due diligence and are satisfied that:

• the organisation is properly registered and operating under local law

• there are no staff (field or senior management) who have been arrested or convicted of a crime related to child abuse, neglect, harm or any other form of child related criminality

• the children within the setting have arrived through credible government or NGO agencies with the organisation having clear intake procedures and case management files of new children

• the school age children have access to suitable education

• efforts are made to return the children to a family setting where possible. This includes effective family tracing, family connection services, family reintegration and future plans, services or referral to foster care and other alternative care options for children that cannot be placed in biological family

• preparation is made for life after the setting

• adequate child protection policies are in place and are regularly reviewed

• the setting is properly and transparently funded

• the setting has a formal system of recruiting volunteers

• the centre does not allow spontaneous visitors and volunteers who have not undergone safety checks

• there are adequate processes in place to support volunteers

• local staff to children ratios and volunteer to local staff ratios are adequate. Centres should follow the standards established by the relevant national authority (where standards do not exist, follow the standards of the UNICEF country office).

So, when considering a volunteer holiday, think about what you really want to get out of it and if your main concerns revolve around what you will get out of it instead of what you can put into communities you will be working in....maybe voluntourism isn't for you.