I have to admit, I was really hesitant to go to Cambodia.
I have my reasons though, my sister had travelled to Cambodia and had her passport and possessions stolen by a local whilst on a night bus.
So as you can imagine, I was quite nervous when our time in Vietnam had come to an end, and we headed on an 8 hour bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh.
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital city, and like every other capital city, there comes the risk of crime. Most notorious are the moped muggers, who will grab your possessions and speed away, never to be seen again. This can happen whilst you are walking down the side of the road, or even whilst you are travelling in a tuk tuk.
My first impressions weren't that great. Phnom Penh is an odd city. A mixture of government official buildings, American fast food brands (they even have a Costa which is exciting for us Brits) and the odd temple.
People mostly go to Phnom Penh for two things: to see the S-21 Tuol Sleng Genocide museum, and to see the Killing Fields. Admittedly, we saw only those things.
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| S-21 Toul Sleng Genocide Museum |
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| The Killing Fields |
Both are incredibly important to visit in order to gain an understanding of Cambodia's dark history. You've all heard of the holocaust, but most people my age never knew there was a similar genocide happening in Cambodia around 30-40 years ago, and that the perpetrators were actually acknowledged as head of the country by the UN.
There's much more involved surrounding what happened, but visiting the S-21 museum gives you an insight into how they tortured prisoners. I'd recommend paying the extra $2 for the audio guide.
The killing fields, on the other hand, is a little drive out of town and can be quite upsetting. I love the way they have presented the site. It's very peaceful and tranquil which is the complete opposite to the events that happened there 30 years ago. You can walk around the mass graves whilst you listen to an informative audio tour. You will also see many of the skulls of the victims who were sadly murdered there, which can be upsetting for some.
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| The Killing Fields |
Of course, there's much more to see in Phnom Penh such as the Royal Palace, but we decided to move on to Sihanoukville.
Stay at: Mad Monkey Hostel
Eat at: Felix Hostel, Cafe & Bar
Spend: 2 days
Must see: S-21 Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum & The Killing Fields
Sihanoukville
This was simply the place we crashed for the night before heading to the remote island of Koh Rong Samloeum. There isn't much to do there, so don't stay too long.
Stay at: Onederz Hostel
Eat at: Olive and Olive Mediterranean Food
Spend: 1 night
Must see: Otres Beach
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| Biggest pizza ever! |
Koh Rong Samloeum
Our next stop in Cambodia was the remote island fo Koh Rong Samloeum. We had heard bad stories about its neighbour, Koh Rong, involving dodgy tummies, so we opted to go for the quieter but equally as beautiful Koh Rong Samloeum.
It was exactly as I imagined, a desert island with secluded beaches, peaceful hammocks in the sea and tropical jungles. We stayed at the expensive Mad Monkey Hostel, but you pay for an amazing experience. You can only get there by boat from Otres Beach, and then Mad Monkey have their own boat to take you to the hostel.
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| Koh Rong Samloem |
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| Mad Monkey Hostel rooms |
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| Room view |
Rooms are... well, very naturistic. Basically there are no proper walls, but the view and experience is incredible. There is nothing that brings you closer to nature than actually sleeping outside.
As you are isolated to the hostel, it does mean your only option for food is the hostel food. My advice would be to bring snacks from Sinhoukville for breakfast/lunch. It saves you paying for two meals.
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| Lazy Beach |
Every evening, the whole hostel meets at the bar/restaurant to eat, drink and party! It;s crazy, and so much fun! There are also boats trip and vrious other activities arranged by the hostel, allowing you to meet so many fellow travellers. But don't forget to take a hike outside of the hostel to discover the amazing secret beaches elsewhere on the island.
Stay at: Mad Monkey Hostel
Eat at: Mad Monkey Island Resort
Spend: 2-3 nights
Must see: Lazy Beach
Siem Reap
After topping up our tans, it was time to leave island life behind and head to our final destination of Cambodia. So we hopped on an 11-hour bus journey toward Siem Reap.
This is the beauty of Cambodia. Home to the incredible Angkor Wat. People from all over the world flock here to witness the sunrise, before exploring the temple ruins.
But Siem Reap has so much more to offer.
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| Pub Street |
If you like drinking and partying, take a trip to Pub Street, where you can finds the worlds cheapest beer. If you want to improve your cooking skills, book a class with Le Tigre de Papier to perfect the art of Khmer cooking.
Visit the various night markets situated in the centre, if you want to stock up on souvenir or cheap designers clothes. You can also taste deep-fried insects, at a cost!
If you want to explore the local scenery, hire a local tuk-tuk driver to take you to Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre. To get there, you have to drive through the beautiful Cambodian countryside. A visit to the land mine and war museum is also a great day out.
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| Butterfly Sanctuary |
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| Le Tigre de Papier cooking class |
We saved the big excursion for our last day: Angkor Wat.
Prebook a tuk-tuk driver in advance to pick you up around 4.30am. He will take you to the ticket office, where you join the queue with all the other tourists to purchase your day ticket ($40) (or 3 days if you need more time to explore).
At 5am, Angkor Wat opens for visitors to take their seat to witness the sunrise. It will be busy, but try to block out the hundreds of other people taking selfies and take in the tranquillity of the ancient ruins.
There is nothing else in the world that compares to witnessing the sunrise over Angkor Wat.
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| Angkor Wat |
Next, it's time to head inside the temples to explore the ancient ruins. Make sure to cover up, and be respectful of the monks. This is a sacred site, so exploring with respect and dignity is vital.
By this time, the sun will start rising and you will be getting hot. I think this is the perfect opportunity to get your tuk-tuk driver to take you to a nearby local restaurant for some breakfast and a cold drink. It's more expensive than the ones outside of Angkor Wat, but it breaks up an exhausting morning.
After fueling up, you can then take your pick at any of the other temples to explore. The most popular ones are Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm (a.k.a the Tomb Raider temple).
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| Angkor Thom |
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| Ta Prohm |
We managed to drag our day out till 9.30am, which some would say is weak, but when you've been up since 4am and its 40 degrees out, I'd say that's pretty good! Plus, the crows start to get heavier to the point where you can't move, so by this point, it was time to head back to the hostel for some much-needed sleep.
Siem Reap has so much more to offer, and we spent 6 days exploring the local shops, restaurants and meeting the locals. There are cinemas, luxury hotels with pools to use, countless bars to drink at and plenty of shops to browse in. Siem Reap is by far the crown jewel of Cambodia, and I thoroughly recommend spending enough time to enjoy this beautiful city.
Stay at: One Stop Hostel
Eat at: Joe To Go Restaurant, Miss Wong Cocktail Bar
Spend: 4-6 nights
Must see: Angkor Wat, Pub Street, Siem Reap Night Market
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