Wonders, Islands and Devastating History, Cambodia

It took 3 days to travel to Cambodia from Thailand, me, $50 and an abnormally heavy backpack had no idea what to expect and no plans. I took a ferry with oil and smog coming out of it with two great Aussie girls Raphie and Pela, we came off the ferry black with dirt. We then got a 3rd class night train to Bangkok (I would never recommend to anyone). But luckily I had the girls and they made the trip much more exciting. I had around 20 hours in Bangkok so I said my farewells to Khao San Road by eating a scorpion and getting a final massage. The following morning I was in high spirits despite days of sleep deprivation and met a few people on the bus who were staying in Mad Monkey Hostel so I booked it, little did I know those I met on the bus would make such a big impact on the trip. From Bangkok to Siem Reap was a much nicer bus and this is where my Cambodia journey begins. 

SIEM REAP 

I don’t know what made me fall in love with Cambodia on arrival; my mood, the people, or the country. As soon as we got off the bus we were greeted by a tuk-tuk driver Tom who offered to show us around Siem Reap and take us to the hostel. I noticed the locals care more about you here and that the prices are cheap, despite many travellers saying it’s more expensive than in Thailand. We checked into Mad Monkey Hostel, it was very clean and spacious, but I hear Onederz Hostel is also very good. We walked around and got some really tasty Cambodian Khmer street food, we shared a few dishes and chatted with the woman and her children making the food. After we went to Pub Street, full of bars and clubs but not many people, it was nice, clean and not overwhelming. We then decided tuk-tuk drivers are our best friends and went on a half an hour ride around the city with our 7/11 beer. After we danced and played some games in Temple Bar, then we met many more locals, the children were playing and dancing with us in the street. I’ve never been somewhere with such kind and lovely locals. I didn’t come to Cambodia with expectations, of course, the saddening history that only happened 40 years ago, I was eager to find out the history and trauma the country went through and overcame. I think that’s why many people skip Cambodia because they want a nice beach holiday with fewer thoughts on history and reality, but I would recommend Cambodia! 

After forming a lovely and lively group, we tuk-tuk’ed around Siem Reap stopping in markets and looking at the scenery. Siem Reap was clean, easy to get around, had a lot of food and of course Angkor Wat the main attraction, one of the ancient wonders of the world. We booked a tour to Angkor Wat with Mad Monkey hostel, around 15 of us were up at 4am to make the sunrise over Angkor Wat. We were tired and it was cloudy, but seeing this Hindu Temple, also meaning Temple City, there was no wonder it is the national symbol of the Khmer people and their pride. As you walk through the temples there are carvings of Gods both Hindu and Buddhist, with attention to detail from top to bottom. This is also the largest religious monument in the world, measuring over 400 acres of land. We walked around, took many family photos and headed to 4 temples in total, we stopped and bought paintings and some of the boys bought instruments. We saw the Tomb Raider temple and learnt about the history of these 12th-century temples. It was interesting and our guide was lovely, if you come to Cambodia this is a must-see. We returned to the hostel and rested before heading out in the evening. 

Strangely my room in Mad Monkey had a bath on the balcony, it would have been rude not to use it. After meeting Megan on the bus, we made the decision to travel together and eventually leave Cambodia together into Vietnam. It was quite the love story meeting on a bus and crossing from border to border together. We had a bath and wine, then went to a restaurant to meet the rest of our dysfunctional family. The next morning, we checked out of the room but our night bus to the islands wasn’t until 6pm so we went to the Coco Cat Cafe. Our bus to Sihanoukville was another sleeper bus where Megan and I top and tailed until reaching the ferry port to get to our next destination.

KO RONG SANLOEM 

The bus to the islands was like no other, I’d gotten used to rough travel after my third class train days before, it was an experience to say the least. At 9am the next day we arrived on the slice of Cambodian paradise. The first thing I noticed was how untouched the island was in comparison to Southern Thailand, with bars barely filling with 10 people and white beaches, it’s a beautiful place. There was on one side of the island a lot of trash like I’d seen on many islands now which is really sad to see so a beach clean-up with your hostel friends is a must! We relaxed at Onederz Hostel where we spent a night before heading to Nest Hostel on Ko Rong, a short boat ride away. We visited sunset beach, it was beautiful and untouched. There are no roads on this island and you had to hike through mangroves to get from beach to beach. We made the mistake of leaving sunset beach in the dark which felt a bit nerve-racking, but there were no people around. We suspected the island had maybe 500 inhabitants. We ate in Bamboo restaurant which was mostly vegan and it was unreal. Another great reason why I love travelling with Megan is we split everything, we got a chickpea curry and quesadillas, and the flavour was great. The next morning I practiced yoga, hung around on the beach, walked along the beach to the ferry and headed to Ko Rong. 

KO RONG

We decided to explore both islands and headed to the larger of the two, Ko Rong. After an overpriced ferry of $15, we arrived in more paradise. The weather was great on arrival although it did rain the next days, that’s just island life. Megan and I walked on sand, through water up to our hips with our ridiculous backpacks and made it to Nest Beach Club, where I had been recommended a few times. The Nest was in the corner of the beach, it was social, with things happening every night, a beautiful beach in front of you, puppies walking around and trying to steal your food. The atmosphere of Nest was chilled out and you never had to leave, it felt like I had a holiday in a holiday here, we stayed for 2 nights. You can walk through mangroves to get to a small undeveloped town on another beachfront for fresh seafood as you watch children playing in the boat harbour. The island holds long strips of white sand all around so it’s great to explore although difficult to ride a bike and there is no transport so be prepared to walk. The ultimate relaxed hostel, although the toilets and rooms were pretty horrible and you won’t sleep that well. Aside from this hostel, there are large tents placed on the beach or small beach huts to stay in, so I would walk along the beach and get accommodation as I don’t think anywhere would have been fully booked if hostel life isn’t for you. We made friends with a guy Andy, we ate some street food and hung out in hammocks before our final stop in Cambodia. 

PHNOM PHEN 

What I love about Cambodia is each place you go is different to the last. Phnom Phen, the capital city was a complete juxtaposition of the islands and even Siem Reap. After the genocide that happened only 40 years ago, travellers know the main things to do is learn about the war. With our hostel, Onederz and another horrible night bus arriving at 1am, we booked the S-21 Prison and Killing Fields transportation. 

(After learning about Cambodia’s history, I was hesitant to post about it. Firstly, because it is not my story to tell, nor do I relate to the hell the people of this country went through and the devastation it left behind. On the other hand, as a Brit, I had never learnt about Khmer Rouge or anything to do with the ‘secret war’, so I think it’s good to spread awareness, here is a short history that does not compare to really seeing the sights of what happened.)

America had been bombing Cambodia years prior in 1969 as a plot to take over South East Asia while the Vietnam War was ongoing, so the Khmer Regime stepped into play and began to take over the government. The people of Cambodia supported the cause because they were told change would happen for the better. That isn’t what happened. S-21 was a school turned into a torture prison, between 12-20,000 innocent people were kept here in the 4 years, yet only 12 survived. Incredibly, some survivors work in the prison now and it is so inspirational to meet them. Seeing this genocide that took place not so long ago was a feeling I cannot quite describe. There were hundreds of prisons created throughout Cambodia and mass graves, the ones in Phnom Phen are the ones open to tourists so notably the most famous. Anyone who appeared suspicious of the regime was brutally tortured and murdered. This included people who wore glasses, had soft hands, had an education, and anyone in relation to you would also be killed so no revenge could be seeked. Innocent people were accused of crimes against the new state and had to give false confessions to stay alive. Visiting these places what an eye-opener to the blessings I have, it was unimaginable in those prison rooms, you could feel it. I don’t understand why Westerners didn’t step in, especially as France colonised Cambodia, history is not straightforward and I  left with many questions. 

The country from 1974-1979 turned into regions, so nothing had a name, no place and no person. This genocide throughout the 4 years created 196 prisons throughout Cambodia, leaving an estimation of 2 million innocent people dead. Vietnamese troops eventually invaded and overthrew the Khmer Rouge. It’s leader, Pol Pot, who transformed Cambodia into a one-party state by killing the country’s people, later said in an interview that he took no acknowledgement of what he had done only that “some mistakes were made”. He is said to have died of natural causes under house arrest which makes no sense and feels unjust. Of course, my opinion on this does not matter, it does not change what happened and I cannot relate to Cambodians and the pain the country went through. I am writing this because this is the truth and I’d like to spread love to countries that lack tourism because of the media. I knew not much about Cambodia before visiting, I came with no expectations and ended up falling in love with Cambodia and its people. 

I wonder where the country would be if war and genocide never took place, it would probably be completely different. So I encourage you reading this to go to Cambodia yourself, my words do not describe Angkor Wat, or Phnom Phen. Cambodia is a beautiful country and I wish I had more time to visit and see more places. Thank you, Cambodia.