The Best of Cambodia & Laos

either a car with a driver or a motorcycle. Cars cost around $20 per day and motorcycles
rent from $5 to $8 per day. The motodups are everywhere during the day, but seem to
evaporate at night. If you are going any distance for the evening it may be a good idea to
hire a motodup for the evening at about $5. A ride in town should range 500 riel to 1500
riel, while crossing a bridge to the east bank hikes up the fare. Double those rates at night.
Many hotels rent out bicycles for $1.50 a day. There are now tuk-tuks in Battambang, and
if there are a few of you they make a sensible alternative to the motodup convoy.
Battambang
ATMs There are a number of bank offices ringing Psar Nath, and each bank has
an ATM. Canadia Bank has the lowest charges.
Banks & Currency Exchange Canadia Bank (& 053/952-267; open Mon–Fri
8am–3pm, Sat 8–11:30am), UCB (& 053/952-552; open Mon–Fri 8am–3pm), and
ANZ (& 053/953-830; open Mon–Fri 8:30am–4pm) are situated around Psar Nath.
ACLEDA Bank (& 053/953-171; open Mon–Fri 7:30am–4pm, Sat 7:30am–noon;
Western Union and traveler’s checks only) is on the east bank of the river just
over the Old Iron Bridge. All of these banks cash traveler’s checks, exchange major
foreign currencies, and issue advances on Visa and MasterCard. There are also
money-changers in Psar Nath itself. There is no real reason to use them unless
you are caught cashless out of banking hours and you don’t have an ATM card.
Business Hours Business hours are generally between 7am and 7pm from
Monday to Friday. In the center of town some shops may stay open a little later.
Doctors & Hospitals The Polyclinique Visal Sokh (junction of St. 3 and NH#5
north of Psar Nath; & 053/952-401) is your first stop if you need medical attention.
They have a pharmacy and an ambulance and some English is spoken. If it
is anything serious, your second port of call is Thailand. The closest Thai hospitals
are in Aranyaprathet and Sa Kaeow, but it’s best to head to Bangkok.
Internet Cybercafes are plentiful on Street 1 and the adjoining roads. They cost
about $1.50 an hour and speeds are variable. The Bus Stop Guesthouse on Street
2 has free Wi-Fi with a fast connection. The Gecko Cafe also has swift Wi-Fi. Many
hotels also now have Wi-Fi.
Pharmacies The Polyclinique Visal Sokh (see above) has a pharmacy. There are
also a number of others around Psar Nath.
Post Office The main post office is situated near the river where Street 1 forks after
the museum, near the main junction between the Old Stone Bridge and the Old Iron
Bridge. It is open Monday to Friday 6am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to noon.
Telephone Internet cafes are equipped for long-distance calls. There are also
scores of shops selling mobile SIM cards and phones all over the center of town.
A new SIM card costs as little as $2 and is your best option if you want to make
local calls.
Tourist Information The Tourist Office (St. 1; & 053/730-217; open Mon–Fri
7–11am and 2–5pm) is situated in a very swish French villa, but the actual information
they provide is a little thin.
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FAST FACTS: BATTAMBANG