Toiletries & Medical Supplies, Phnom Penh

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Even though drugs (the medicinal kind) are easy to buy in Phnom Penh - I would never go without my own supply. Needing them, and getting to them can be 2 different things. I always take a supply of Lomotil, Immodium and Maxolon, with careful instructions. It is also a good idea to take some powdered electrolyte solution as well, as this can be sadly neglected if you are still trying to soldier on.

I had some poisoining that started in Siem Reap and carried on for days afterwards. I was directed to a pharmacy to buy some single dose drug in the end - which either fixed me or coincided with being fixed.

I have also had the experience of going to a pharmacy, having a quickie "consultation", and going away with many more drugs than I figured I really needed.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: We always take either cleansing wet towelletes, or a disinfecting handwash - which is refreshing and quickly absorbed - and make sure that we wash our hands before we eat anything! It is so easy to pick up bugs just from what you touch, so this is a start to helping to have a healthy holiday.

Mind you, one of my memorable experiences was sitting at a restaurant, when I was still quite sick, and just "happening" to notice one of the waitresses picking her nose! Geez - best not to look in the kitchen - and I am guessing that they don't use the handwipes!

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Ladies who visit Cambodia and use tampons should be sure to pack extra supplies just in case. I tried to buy tampons as a precautionary measure in case I didn't have enough and they don't even know what they are in Cambodia.

I went to half a dozen shops including chemists (if you could call them that) and they had no idea what I was talking about, even when I showed them one. After showing one girl a tampon, she tried to sell me condoms. They only use sanitary pads there.

I did not see any better quality shampoo in their hairdressing shops than Sunsilk either, so be sure you have plenty of whatever you need before you go.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Keep in mind that Cambodia, like much of Southeast Asia, is in a malarial zone; therefore, it is possible that the nasty little bloodsucker that just bit you in the back of the leg might have given you malaria. Ouch! So be sure to get your doctor to prescribe some malaria pills before you leave home. You'll be happier. And bonus! Some of the pills can give you hallucinations! So it's really a two-for-one deal!

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Oil of lavender - stops mosi bites hurting (almost instantanious releif).
Cloves - for toothache (put the clove on the tooth and suck).
Ginger (boiled in water. drink the water as you would tea) - for stomach upsets.
bananas - eat a couple to stop diahorehha.
papaya - eat one to stop constipation