Cambodia
- Selena Ryan
- Sep 4, 2022
- 8 min read
Cambodia is the country that stuck the most to my heart. And this is thanks to the people; they impressed me to the very core of my soul and rewrote any preconceived ideas about what a 3rd world country can look like in it's deep poverty layer, in terms of human behaviour.
In november 2018, I arrived to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, on a bus from Vietnam, fresh and eager to explore this land that I heard of mostly through Angelina Jolie's endeavours and movies and on history channels about the tragic rule of the Kamer Rouge regime.
Sometimes, it's better to just listen to your instinct and less to people. To tell you the
truth, many told me that in Cambodia I need to be careful, guard my belongings, that its not so safe. Nothing further from the truth!
And there I was, in the room I rented in the city center, on the bank of Tomle Sap River, scared to go out.
Looking out the window I saw one floor down, a man sitting like a monkey on the balcony corner. This is my first visual memory from Cambodia.
On the river, there was some competition and boats with lots of people were floating rapidly along the stream, in great noise of celebrarion from the side viewers. And then I saw it! A rooftop bar/ restaurant. Looked like people are having fun and all I had to do to get to it was to cross the street.
I arrived to the bar very eager to meet some people, be them locals, or tourists....just to get my exploring mode on.
Less than 5 minutes later, I was getting beers with Veasna, a super inteligent and welcoming cambodian and with her South Korean boyfriend and his friend.
It wasn't long until Veasna made me feel super confortable and happy with me being there. She started telling me so many things about Cambodia - culture, history, food - basically, she lit the spark.
Yes, one person can change your vision on life. 100%
Once in motion, Cambodia was on the way to become my favorite country from all that I ever visited. The cultural shock was huge. Even compared to Vietnam. The level of poverty is mind blowing and you can feel it everywhere around you, but somehow, the people have a self respect and a national pride like I haven't seen.
They might not have tap water, natural gas connection, internet, even electricity, or anything you expect in a place called home, but they are kind, warm and filled with an ancestral knowledge and wisdom that impressed me to the core.
I personally never saw a refrigerator anywhere along the way. All the meet is kept outside, at 30°C, the water is not clean, so the risk of getting stomach issues and various diseases is very high.
Due to the fact that I didn't get any vaccines whatsoever and didn't have any adequate medication in case of emergency, I had to be extremely careful with everything related to food.
And this is how I survived during most of my trip throughout Cambodia: with bananas. There were entire days when I was eating bananas as my only food. And water? Only bottled. If there wasn't any, then no water.
I lost around 5kg, my stomach shrunk, but hey! I didn't have any health issues and that was the most important thing :)) I could call it an unplanned detox.
In few places that I considered more safe (now looking back, I think I just got lucky), I chose to experiment the cambodian cuisine. I am not a picky eater or anything, but their food is just not tasty. And I really tried. Once I ordered from a place, around 10 dishes, in the hope that I will like at least one.
They use some herbs and condiments that were giving a bad taste to everything. But on the other hand, it helped me with my banana diet. :))
Cambodia is rich in culture and history and you can get a good idea of this by visiting the magnificent Cambodia National Museum. It has more than 1,800 objects on display with a variety of ancient Khmer artwork including the Vishnu head excavated near the vast temple complex at Angkor Wat.
Other notable places that I dearly recommend to visit are
- the Royal Palace with it's beautiful architecture;
- the Tuol Sleng Museum which is a former Khmer Rouge prison, where around 17,000 people were brutally murdered. The cells are filled with photos from the time. It's a very rough experience, but it is part of what Cambodia is today;
- Wat Ounalom - the national headquarters of Buddhism
- take a walk on Sisowath Quay , Phnom Penh's most popular promenade. It's is a great place for photographing the boats on the Tonle Sap River, for a stop in one of the cafés or for simply hanging out, especially during early evening time.
You can get lost while observing the people passing by, or the ones taking care of their boats, children playing around - everything at a different pace than what I am used to.
And again a thing that got my attention, is how clean the people are. I never saw people dressed with torn clothes, dirty, smelly. Never! And it was
really really hot outside.
After exporing around and spending a lot of time with my new friend Veasna, I decided it is time to leave to Siem Reap, the city that holds the magical Angkor Wat. By the way, in case you are wondering, "wat" means a Buddhist monastery or temple (in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos).
The temples of Siem Reap are a fascinating UNESCO World Heritage Site that should not be missed when touring Southeast Asia.
I had a great experience with taking a night bus, with beds, from one city to another. So many advantages: I didn't need 1 night accomodation, travelled while sleeping like a baby, saved time, woke up in a new place.
In the morning, I took an AirBnB in the city center, had breakfast (you guessed: some bananas), and just strolled around the city.
Unlike Vietnam, where the most common way to get around is by motorbike, in Cambodia the most common means of transport is the tuk tuk - a motorized rickshaw.
The polution is extremely high and driving on unpaved roads, through dust, will sufocate you. In Vietnam I could do only with a face mask, while in Cambodia I had to wear my sunglasses all the time so that I don't get my eyes full of dust.
I know, ...I look like a Michael Jackson that got lost in Asia :))
In the evening, I went to the city center, as I heard that it is the place to be - with great atmosphere, events, parties, good restaurants (foooood!!). Entering Pub Street is like a complete different world compared to what I saw until then.
The streets were filled with people strolling around, dancing, having fun; music, games of light, delighting food smells for every corner. I soon made some friends and we walked around, until I said it's time to eat something that is not bananas :)) And I was told to try crocodile meat.
I tried many types of exotic meat in my life, and none really impressed me, but I instantly fell in love with the taste of crocodile meat. It is different, unlike anything else you ever tasted.
And that's how I became a regular of the same restaurant until I left the city.
Then, some drinks in 'Angkor What?' bar, were the perfect ending of my night.
Next day, I went for a boat trip to Kampong Khleang Floating Village, with a local.
Some of you may wonder what is a floating village; well, it is a setting of houses built on the banks of a river, on very tall stilts or floating on bamboo rafts. Same as for hospitals and schools.
The inhabitants of the floating villages in Cambodia are vietnamese and cham. They came to work here during the French Protectorate. During the rule of the Khmer Rouge, many were killed, deported back to Vietnam, and the ones that survived were left without any documents. So they are basically stateless migrants, with no rights in either Vietnam or Cambodia; hence, they cannot build houses or develop further.
All the villagers fish for a living (the ones that aren't tour guides at least). So my driver asked me if it is ok to stop in the fish market, somewhere on the river, so he could buy fish. The fish prices vary according to how many days ago they have been caught (1-3 days) - with no refrigerators.
A household has around 4-5 family members and different generations live in the vecinity.
The river serves for traveling; as source of water for food, drinking, bathing and it is the place for both human and animal poop. For me this was pretty hard to digest.
So I told my boat driver that I want to visit one of the houses. He said that in all the years since he is a guide, he never had such a request.
I was so intrigued and wanted to see how people live. So, while we were floating down the river, he asked a family if I can come up, and they said yes. I climbed the wooden structure all the way up to the actual house. Once there, I was told I need to take my shoes off in order to not bring dirt in
the house. This is a common practice across Asia.
Everything was very modest, but extremely clean (I mean... can lick the floor clean).
I felt like crying; I was so impressed by the state of things, by how different can life be. But we took a photo, I smiled and thanked them and then me and my guide went back to our boat.
Further down the village I came across some young little girls on their way to school. The curious looks, the deepness in their eyes, the clean uniforms, the decency and self respect left a deep mark on me.
Next stop and my main interest in visiting Cambodia was Angkor Wat - a temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world, constructed at the beginning of the 12th century. Built by the Khmer Empire, Angkor Wat was originally a hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu, and later, turned into a Buddhist temple.
The temple complex has faced extensive damage
done both by nature and by human intervention, but was meticulously restored during the past century.
It is an extremely fascinating place to visit, where you will have an immersive experience, feeling that you are going back in time. The grandeur of the place will sweep you off your feet and make you feel like in an Indiana Jones movie.
I took a tour with pick-up from my hotel as
getting there on your own can be a bit difficult, especially if you want to be there for the sunrise - the recommended choice.
Outside the temple complex there are a lot of elephants waiting to take you on a ride. Now I know better then I did then and I would resume myself to only bringing some confort to the poor animals instead of riding them as they look deeply unhappy and neglected.
Other places that are relevant for the local culture and a must see are the Made in Cambodia Market , the Lotus Farm and if you want to dive deeper into the ancient culture, go and explore the many other temples located in Siem Reap.
I wish you will visit Cambodia with respect, a humble heart and open mind.
I m off to Thailand!
As recommendations, bellow are most of the links that helped me build my wonderful trip:
Travelling from Vietnam to Cambodia, and inside Cambodia by night bus
Phnom Penh AirBnB - Grand River Boutique Hotel
Siem Reap AirBnB
*The events above aren’t necessarily written in chronological order.
If you are interested in custom built tours, feel free to reach me at Contact
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