Volunteer in Cambodia I: Getting There

The first thing you need to get into Cambodia is a visa. And it will cost you USD36.
It's now convenient that you can apply for an e-visa online. You should go to this government website: https://evisa.gov.kh
It may look simple, but this is THE ONLY official website. Other websites may look fancy and glamorous, but they are usually agents who charges higher price while the validity could not be guaranteed. You will be asked to fill in personal particulars and your travel plan, such as port of arrival, date of of arrival, residence while you are in the country and length of stay and so on. I had a change of schedule and managed to change my port of arrival and arrival date by logging in to the online system and via email, so don't worry if you have any changes, their reply is quick.


These are the screenshots of the web page, mobile version on top, PC version at bottom.

Next, you will need an airticket. I travelled from Hong Kong (HKG) to Phnom Penh (PNH) by Lanmei Airline. Other airlines include Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Express (only to Siem Reap (REP)).
A return ticket from HKG to PNH costs less than 200USD with Lanmei, as for HKG to REP, it's even cheaper at a little more than 170USD with HKExpress.


The screenshots above shows direct flight options, flights operated by Cathay Pacific charges 30% and 50% higher, respectively.

"Lanmei Airlines (Cambodia) Co., Ltd. was founded on Mar. 7th, 2016, and commenced its maiden flight on Sep. 29th, 2017, which is a Cambodian native aviation company. Named after Lancang-Mekong River, Lanmei Airlines’ logo looks like a peacock spreading its tails. "-from its company website.
However, the website has only English and Simplified Chinese version, but Khmer version. At the time I bought airticket, it accepts RMB and Alipay as payment method. More interestingly, most of its destinations outside Cambodia are in China. It's hard not to think of its relationship with China and the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative. Think positively, this would mean, it's a good choice to fly with Lanmei if you can also travelling to China after Cambodia. An Ukrainian I met on the way to Sihanoukville is going to Zhangjiajie of Hunan, China after acquiring visa from the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh.

What is easy to tell though, from its price and the A321 fleet, is that Lanmei is a low cost carrier (LCC). The flight I took was operated by a second-hand A321 from a Spanish-speaking airline, since I find all the signs in Spanish. Despite the fact that it's LCC, the service is good, the flight is on time, ahead of time actually, with flight attendants speaking both English, Khmer, and yes, Mandarin.

One can easily understand how China is influencing this South East Asian country once you're landed, but let's leave it for now. I will explain in the stories to come.