Phnom Penh: A City of Ruin and Regrowth.

When people recounted their experiences of Phnom Penh to us, there appeared to be a recurring theme: dirty, polluted, busy; overall an uninviting image. So it was with bated breath that we made the journey from the quiet and tranquil Kampot to the Urban hub that is Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s biggest city. It’s true, along the way we passed some edge of town areas that were less than appealing; overflowing garbage, offensive smelling sewage rivers, and dusty dirt roads. But by the time we’d reached our hostel, the scene outside had changed and instead we were greeted by smart high rise buildings, relatively well kept streets and some familiar faces; Costa Coffee, Dominoes Pizza, and Burger King to name a few! It turned out that we were staying in one of the nicer districts of the city, and indeed we had no complaints during our stay there.

We arrived at our third and final Mad Monkey hostel, and were rewarded with our free T-shirt (which turned out to be a vest, but beggars can’t be choosers!) and set about organising our Vietnamese Visa and bus to Ho Chi Minh City. The Visa proccess was plain sailing, and $65 and 24 hours later our passports  arrived back all stamped and ready to go. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for booking our transportation. We’d settled on the most expensive bus company, Giant Ibis, for the price of $18, as the journey from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh is 6 hours long. However, after discovering that their Monday buses were full, and that the second and third best companies were also fully booked, panic began to set in. Having already booked a hostel for our arrival in Vietnam, we were set to lose $11 each if we failed to arrive, and have to fork out for another nights stay in Phnom Penh. In the end, we had no choice but to opt for the cheapest (and worst rated) bus company, which we had previously written off after their google search returned hits such as “do not use this company!!!” Other than this minor hiccup, the rest of our time in Phnom Penh was plain sailing and enjoyable.

We were spoilt for choice in terms of restaurants and nightlife, in fact it would be fair to say that we enjoyed some of our best meals in Cambodia here (non-local cuisine). With a little help from good old Trip Advisor we hunted down some of the best rated restaurants in the city, most notably an exquisite Indian, Flavours of India, and equally incredible Mexican, Taquiera Corona. And yes, we will admit that we caved to the temptation of a Dominoes pizza, which was actually quite dissapointing. After making the transition from a small town to a buzzing city, we were eager to check out the nightlife scene, so on our second night after a few drinks at our hostel a group of us headed to Pontoon, the biggest nightclub in Phnom Penh. The music was pretty good, the drinks were expensive, the ratio of young Cambodian women to old western men was uncomfortable, but overall we had an enjoyable night, and even made friends with a young Khmer girl who spent the night dancing with us.

Rest assured, there is a great deal more on offer in Phnom Penh, besides food and drink. There is a great deal of history attached to the city. Most significantly, Phnom Penh was overthrown by the Khmer Rouge on the 17th April 1975, marking the end of the civil war in Cambodia and the beginning of a horrific genocide that would last almost four years, and see approximately one quarter of the Cambodian population wiped out. Two sites that hold partiuclar significance in relation to the Khmer Rouge regime are Toul Sleng (S21), the notorious prison camp where just 7 people survived out of an estimated 20,000, and Choeung Ek, the Killing fields located about 15km away. Innocent men, women and children, along with Khmer Rouge cadres suspected of treason, were brought to S21, tortued and forced into confessing fabricated crimes, and then herded to the killing fields where they would be brutally murdered, before being buried unceremoniously in mass graves.Today, both of these sites are open to members of the public, in the hope that educating people about both the atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge regime, and the dangers inherent in over-investment in political ideology, will prevent the re-occurence of such an incident. As you walk around the S21 prison, which has partly been left exactly as it was found on it’s day of liberation, and partly converted into a museum, the emphasis placed on education as a means of promoting peace and regrowth is overwhelming, and admirable. After all, during the Khmer Rouge regime all people of educated status (doctors, lawyers, teachers) were systematically wiped out, for fear that they posed a threat to the idealistic Communist society the Khmer Rouge sought to create.

Needless to say, the experience of walking around these sites was not a pleasant one, but a necessary one in order to fully appreciate how far Cambodia has come in rebuilding itself after such a terrible period of darkness. For this reason, Phnom Penh seemed a fitting place to end our time in Cambodia. Once the site of much destruction and desolation, now Cambodia’s most developed city, Phnom Pehn epitomises the journey that Cambodia has made, and is still making, towards a restored society.

Kampot: Mountains, Motorbikes and Massive Meat Challenges

We were drawn to Kampot by the promise of a small but charming riverside town, set against a stunning mountainous backdrop. It delivered on every part of this promise.

Due to it’s small size we settled on a two day stay in Kampot, giving us time to explore the picturesque Bokor National park that lies just 10km outside of Kampot town, and take a trip to the nearby seaside village of Kep. Because the roads are fairly quiet in Kampot, and it’s about 30km from the bottom of Bokor Mountain to the top, renting motorbikes was a no-brainer. The roads that run through the National Park were some of the best we’ve experienced in South East Asia so far, and pretty much deserted, so our first day was spent cruising around at our complete leisure. The Bokor Region initially gained recognition when it became a French settlement during the 1920’s. You can still visit some of the abandoned French settlement buildings, including a church and a palace-turned-casino, which had an incredibly eerie feel to it. Today, the development plans for the area are slightly more ambitious. Chinese companies have already constructed a luxurious casino and hotel complex, and there are plans to create an entire community including schools, supermarkets and golf courses. Our curiosity got the better of us and we ventured into the casino, which turned out to be a very enjoyable experience. The staff were very nice, politely ignoring our out of place backpacker attire, and we had a reasonably priced lunch in one of the luxurious restaurants (not your typical backpacker haunt, but we were hardly spoilt for choice at the top of a mountain). Josh even tried his hand at the roulette table! The real beauty of Bokor lies in the stunning views that are granted from the top: miles of untouched jungle, allegedly still home to wild elephants and tigers, set against a beautiful blue coastline and sky. We can genuinely say we had one of our most enjoyable days in Asia to date here.

Our second day followed a more typical tourist-y agenda, in the form of a tuk tuk tour of the highlights of the Kampot area, including a trip to Kep. The trip took slightly longer than anticipated as our tuk tuk suffered not one but two flat tyres throughout the day, leaving us stranded for almost an hour a time. Despite this, the day was still enjoyable and educational. During our time in Kampot we learnt about the three main exports of the region (pepper, salt and Durian), and had the opportunity to visit a couple of sites where these items are produced. First up was Sothy’s pepper farm, a small pepper plantation that focuses on producing Kampot pepper in a sustainable and eco-friendly way; only natural pesticides formed from various seeds and leaves are used, and shelter for the plants is constructed out of palm leaves. Learning about the processes involved such as the drying of the peppercorns and sorting the various colours was really interesting, and at the end of our visit we enjoyed a traditional meal of squid with Kampot pepper, which was delicious. Another highlight was our short visit to the seaside village of Kep, famous for it’s fish market. After a tip-off from a fellow traveler, a few of us decided to try the boiled crab. To our amazement the fisherwoman we’d approached turned, waded into the sea, caught us three crabs and promptly chucked them into one of the many boiling pots sat atop an open fire in the market. You can’t ask for fresher than that! Needless to say, the crab was delicious. Other stops along the way included the salt flats, where sea water is flooded in, then trapped, allowing it to evaporate and leave behind vast quantities of salt, which, as previously mentioned, is one of Kampot’s biggest exports. The day really provided an insight into how the people of Kampot have utilised their natural resources to sustain their livelihood. We’d almost seen and experienced everything that Kampot has to offer. There was just one thing left on our list, and that thing was the 1.5kg (approx 52 ounces) rib challenge at the Rusty Keyhole restaurant. Anyone who knows Josh knows that he is not only a big eater but also extremely competitive and stubborn, a lethal combination in the face of an eating challenge. We’d figured that by the time you subtract the bone weight it would be more like 1kg of meat, a tough but manageable portion (you also have to consume the accompanying portion of fries). So understandably it was much to Josh’s horror when the meal arrived and it appeared to contain not ribs, but a giant joint of meat. Indeed, as he began eating he quickly realised that other than four small bones, his plate was piled high with pure meat. He tried valiantly, and managed to consume a good two thirds of the meal well within the one hour time restriction, but was well and truly beaten in the end. Still, when you consider that the steak challenge of a similar size in our local steakhouse back home costs 60GBP, the 10GBP spent on his meal seems like an absolute bargain!

With that, our short stay in Kampot was over, and it was (unbelievably!) time to head to our final Cambodian destination, Phnom Penh, to complete the trifecta of Mad Monkey hostels and earn our free t-shirt!

Sihanoukville and Koh Rong: Southbound and in search of sun, sea and a secluded island

After five days in Siem Reap we began to feel the beach calling to us, so headed down South to Sihanoukville (via a very dubious 12 hour night bus). We’d been warned that Sihanoukville was nothing but a dirty, seedy tourist town, so it’s fair to say our expectations were low. However during the four nights we spent there (2 on either side of our Koh Rong visit) we were pleasantly surprised. Sure, some of the beaches were dirty, but hey who doesn’t love spotting a used condom by their side as they sit and soak up the sun?! In seriousness, we found Sihanoukville to have plenty of restaurants, a good nightlife, and some quieter and nicer beaches. Most of our short time here was spent touring the different beaches and snorkelling around some of the small nearby islands. However, the main purpose of our stay in Sihanoukville was to access the island of Koh Rong, which is about 45 minutes away from the mainland via speed boat.  

Tourism is relatively new to Koh Rong, so understandably the island has only reached a limited level of development. To give you an idea… 24 hour electricity is a very new concept on the island. A few weeks old, to be precise. In some places foul smelling sewage water flows freely down the beach and into the sea. There are no roads, air conditioning and flushing toilets do not exist yet, and you’ll be pushed to find a stable internet connection. But what Koh Rong lacks in development, it certainly makes up for in scenery. Away from the main strip of bars and restaurants the beaches are calm and pristine, with sand so untouched it squeaks underfoot.

A four night stay proved the perfect amount of time to enjoy everything the island had to offer. Whilst the majority of our hours were spent lazing on the beach, along with the occasional volleyball and frisbee game, we also took the opportunity to explore the highlights of the island. Due to the lack of roads on Koh Rong, most of its beaches are only accessible by water taxi, which we found to be quite expensive by backpacker standards. However, one beach that we did manage to access was Long Beach, which is considered by many to be the most beautiful beach on the island, and indeed one of the most beautiful in the world. It took a fairly gruelling 45 minute hike through the jungle, during which we almost got lost several times, but it was more than worth the journey. The long stretch of pure white sand was occupied by a small handful of tourists, and only got busy when the boatloads of tourists arrived to view the sunset, for which Long Beach boasts pretty spectacular views. 

Other than it’s gorgeous beaches, Koh Rong is almost entirely covered in jungle which is abuzz with wildlife. Keen to get stuck in, we decided to try out the rope course, High Point, which takes you on a route through the centre of Koh Rong’s jungle by means of zip lines and various other obstacles, all whilst suspended in the tree-tops. At the reduced rate of $25 (for low season) it was a fraction of the price of other zip line courses we had seen in Asia, and was not only fun and challenging but provided spectacular panoramic views of the island and face to face encounters with some primate friends. 

For us Koh Rong was an absolute no brainer. We picked the perfect time to visit, knowing that the rights to develop the island had recently been sold, and that inevitably in a few years time Koh Rong will have lost some of it’s undeveloped and untainted charm. After an expensive week in Siem Reap, four days lying on the beach also enabled us to recoup some of our dented budget, another bonus. But what we considered to be the main achievement of our stay on Koh Rong was avoiding the food poisoning that so many people had warned us to expect on the island! 

As amazing as our time on Koh Rong was, it’s fair to say that by the end of it we were more than a little excited at the prospect of a proper shower and a bed that wasn’t covered with sand. We headed back to Sihanoukville for two nights, which we spent planning our next destination, Kampot, and recovering our personal hygiene levels!

Siem Reap: Temples, Tomb Raider and Too Many Shots

First post from Cambodia! We’re now travelling as a four along with a British guy and a Dutch guy who we met in Chiang Mai and Bangkok.

Having heard many horror stories about the border crossing from Thailand to Cambodia, involving long delays and scheming touts, we were slightly nervous about making the journey from Bangkok to Siem Reap. However, it turns out we needn’t have been, as the whole thing ran perfectly smoothly, and even better, the bus stop happened to be directly opposite our hostel! We quickly learnt that our hostel, titled the Mad Monkey, certainly lived up to its namesake with free shots and beer kegs on offer every night, as well as the infamous grenade: a lethal combination of a shot of tequila, a shot of jager and red bull. Needless to say the majority of our evenings were spent at the rooftop bar (which was covered in sand!!) taking advantage of said drinks offers, as well as the beer pong and the excellent local cuisine that was on offer:

We were also lucky enough to have a swimming pool at this hostel, making it the perfect hang out spot.

In terms of sight-seeing, Angkor Wat is the main reason people visit Siem Reap, and for some Cambodia as a whole. And for good reason. The temple complex covers an area of roughly 400 square kilometres, made up of temples ranging in size, most notably the main Angkor Wat and Tah Prohm, which most people will recognise from the first Tomb Raider film:

We booked a two day tour of the temple complex, costing $40 per person plus the cost of the tuk tuk hire for two days, which was an additional $35 between the four of us. It’s become common practice for tourists to make a sunrise pilgrimage to the main Angkor Wat site, in hopes of capturing the perfect silhouette of the temple. Luckily, we had fully anticipated the crowds gathered at the front of the lake, tripods set up ready for sunrise, and so were spared the disappointment of thinking we would be the only ones there at 5:30 in the morning. All the same, the views were spectacular and we all managed to get a great sunrise photo (maybe not by professional standards). Our second day was a bit more chilled out. Having visited the two most tourist-y temples, the main Angkor Wat and the tomb raider one Ta Prohm, we were a little bit more at leisure to wander round and explore some of the smaller less well known temples, our favourite being Preah Khan.

Aside from the Angkor Wat complex, we also took the time to indulge in some relaxation, including a 90 minute restorative yoga class and a 60 minute Khmer full body massage, which we found to be much gentler and more enjoyable than a Thai massage. The perfect combination for a good nights sleep! Another real highlight of our time in Siem Reap was watching a performance by Phare the Cambodian circus, a branch of the Phare Ponleu Selpak, a non profit organisation that offers education in the arts and other areas for disadvantaged children. Through the means of dance, drama, acrobatics and painting, the group told the story of a young girl who is haunted by her memories of life under the Khmer Rouge regime. It was a truly moving and masterful performance, and with the proceeds going to such a worthy cause, I’d urge anyone staying in Siem Reap to check it out. Here is a link to their page:

http://www.pharecambodiancircus.org/circus/

All in all that pretty much sums up our time in Siem Reap. It’s early days, and we have a lot more to see of this beautiful country, but so far it’s fair to say that Cambodia definitely hasn’t disappointed. The only downside to that we’ve discovered thus far is that as their main currency is the USD, it actually works out a lot more expensive than Thailand; based on our first week’s expenditure we expect to spend more in 3 weeks in Cambodia what we did in 4 weeks in Thailand. (Hint hint parents!!) However, next we’re off to the paradise Island of Koh Rong, which has limited facilities and is only powered 6 hours of the day, so hopefully our spending will even out.