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Friday 19 January 2018

Why Cambodia should be on your travel list

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.

S-21 Toul Sleng Genocide Museum

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.

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


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.

Koh Rong Samloem

Mad Monkey Hostel rooms

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.


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.

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.

Butterfly Sanctuary

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.

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).


Angkor Thom

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


Tuesday 2 January 2018

2017

2017 has been a bad year for some, but for me, it couldn't have been any better.

The year started off slow, as I counted down the days till I embarked on my four-month journey around South East Asia. Below is just a (fairly large) selection of the incredible places I experienced.

Where it all began. Saying goodbye at Heathrow airport

Starting off our cultural experiences with a visit to the Grand Palace in Bangkok

And the other travelling culture, buckets of alcohol!

Fulfilling my dream of visiting a cat cafe

Exploring the Thai islands



And the infamous Full Moon Party!

Being amazed at how beautiful every single beach is!


Finally getting to that famous beach from 'The Beach', only to have the world's worst weather

Meeting these incredible creatures

Finding the beauty of Laos

Discovering my love for Vietnam's Banh Mi's

Walking around Hanoi

Hiking to see this view of Halong Bay

Walking up however many steps in the blistering heat for this view of Mai Chau

Falling in love with Hanoi

Taking a trip down the Mekong river

Discovering Cambodia's dark history

And also it's beautiful islands


Taking a cooking class in Siem Reap

Seeing the most famous temple in the world

And pretending to be Lara Croft from Tomb Raider

Taking numerous sunset photos during Gili T's golden hour

Having a monkey steal pringles from my bag!

It was an incredible four months that filled me with adventure, unforgettable experiences and a new perspective on life. As I approached the end of my travels, I also got to experience what it was like to travel by myself. I spent a week traveling alone in Singapore and Malaysia, where I learned that I do not like traveling by myself! I'm proud to have given it a go, and it was the moment where I felt ready to go home. 

Discovering the best breakfast in the world, Kaya Toast

Seeing Singapore's skyline lit up
Watching the Ramayana ballet in front of the wondrous Pramabanan

Witnessing incredible sunsets
Riding this baby around the streets of Yogyakarta

Hiking through rainforests to find this

Pretending to be rich in Bali
Participating in a Balinese spiritual ritual (and getting to wear a cool dress)


Balinese dancing
Finishing my adventure in KL


Upon returning to the UK, I arrived in time for summer, where I spent the long, (sometimes) hot days catching up with friends, preparing for a new chapter in life and eating all those UK delicacies I had missed whilst in Asia (hello actual nice tasting Dairy Milk!)
Lots of catch up drinks!

An engagement party
And discovering some hidden gems of the UK

Summer beach walks
September brought around a change in my life. I started a new postgraduate course at a new university. One that, although is intense, is exactly what I want to do with my life. I made new friends, learned new skills and finally found my career in life. Now that is a very satisfying feeling!

I also found myself in a relationship, an experience which is still very new to me, but all the more exciting.

As the leaves changed colour during Autumn, I embraced the cozy nights in, made sure I enjoyed all the traditional festivities of Christmas, and relaxed with my family during Christmas and bringing in the New Year.


Celebrating bonfire night in style

Seeing the colour changes of autumn

Carnaby Street Christmas lights, London

Boxing day ice skating by the Brighton Pavillion


2018 will be slightly less adventurous, but that isn't to say that I'm not looking forward to growing as a person, creating new memories and having fun!

Happy New Year!

And if you want to watch some of my adventures, head over to my Youtube channel where I posted videos of my travels in Thailand, Cambodia and Singapore!