Customer Reviews

Cambodia Handbook Hb (Footprint Handbooks)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have never read a travel guide book like this. It gives you the overall and detailed picture on Cambodia. Besides history, politics, peoples, places of interests and the information any travel offers, the authors, gives abundant knowledge related to Cambodia, like Buddha's footprint, Pol Pot's life, ruby and saphire... The Ankor area map is the most detailed i have ever seen. Without deep affection to Cambodia, it is impossible to write such an detailed travel guide book.

I've been very happy with other Footprint Handbooks, particularly the Pakistan Handbook, but this one falls short of the mark. Maybe it is because this is only the 2nd edition and there has been too little feedback from users. The background info is very well done (that part is worth 4.5 stars) regarding history and religion, but the description of sights is only mediocre. I thought Lonely Planet described things better, and the Moon Handbook was the best of the three. I could have done without bringing this guidebook.

Compared to the excellent Lonely Planet guide and even the rough guide, the Footprint book on Cambodia leaves much to be desired... it is full of errors of history and fact, and even gives wrong coordinates on its maps, especially its important map of Phnom Penh. If you buy one guidebook to Cambodia, let it be Lonely Planet, not this very disappointing Footprint guide, no matter how pretty the pictures are.

D.G. Longmuir
former Canadian Ambassador to Cambodia