Ancient Empires, Lost Civilisations And Historic Birthday Celebrations

Cambodia has been much more of a challenge to travel around than Thailand which is overly geared up for travellers. The hassle factor has increased but that makes every day more eventful and exciting. The border crossing from Hat Lek to Koh Kong was tiny and as expected Cambodian officials tried to overcharge us for the visa. After a little negotiation they finally said that if we wait an hour they can do it for 20 dollars (aka the correct price). Agreeing, we waited outside patiently for 5 minutes before they were complete and we were on our way again! Then we were surrounded by people offering lifts for inflated rates and trying to take us to money changers and hotels they had connections with before we finally shook them off and reached the town of Koh Kong.

Finding a nice guesthouse we arranged an onward ticket through them and suddenly everything was calm and organised again, leaving us the evening to relax and explore the town. Wandering around town it felt like we had become famous as we were constantly bombarded with cries of "Hello, what is your name?" from the local children. This it seems is the first thing they are taught in school and they often don't expect an answer as they run away shyly.

The following day we embarked on an epic journey from Koh Kong to Sihanoukville on the southern coast. Winding up and down across rutted red mud roads, through the middle of roadworks and crossing rivers on delapidated car ferries we finally arrived after a full days travel. On route we passed through and stopped in many small villages which gave us an intriguing insight into local life. Children and animals everywhere and everyone trying to scrape a living.

Crossing into Cambodia from Thailand one of the first things you notice is the increased poverty. Houses are wooden shacks, children are playing in the dirt miles from anywhere and everyone is desperate for your custom. The other thing is that Cambodia is a stunningly beautiful country. Sweeping paddy fields, forested mountains and amazing coastline dominate the south, making even the most boring bus journey a fascinating experience.

In Sihanoukville we walked for miles. First along the sandy beaches, then across the crumbling rocks crawling with insects before heading inland towards the town centre. The beaches here are fantastic, which was surprising as I never really thought of Cambodia as a beach destination but considering it is on the same stretch of coastline as Thailand it makes a lot of sense really! We finally ambled into the town centre, shockingly sweaty (so sweaty infact that Sam was demonstrating a talent for ringing her hair out!) and found some refreshments. Then we ducked into the Psar Leu market and it felt like we had travelled back in time to Victorian England as we explored the maze of dark, dank alleys whilst enjoying the pungent aromas of incense, spices and urine.

As in most of Asia, motorbikes are everywhere and it is amazing how many Cambodians you can fit on one. I think the most I've seen is a family of six(3 children) and of course there are no crash helmets to be seen. If a Cambodian is lucky enough to have a car then they will invariably be driving a Toyota Camry for some strange reason. As you have probably gathered by now we are finding one of the highlights of travelling to be tasting the different dishes of each country and Cambodia is no exception. We have enjoyed amazing rich and flavoursome Khmer curries and the tasty national speciality Amok.

Before heading to the capital (Phnom Penh) we made a stop over in the pleasant town of Kampot. The town sits between the sea and mountains and is very peaceful and picturesque. As usual we had a nice evening stroll along the riverbank and found ourselves engaged in conversation with some young Cambodian boys practicing their English, before finding yet another great place to eat. Then it was time to move on and actually do a bit of sight seeing for once.

Phnom Penh was an insult to the senses. Incredible heat, noise, smells and traffic along with the constant accompaniment of at least five tuk-tuk drivers trying their best to score some business made for a less than relaxing time. After the quietness of Kampot it came as quite a shock! Crossing the road became an extreme sport and it became apparent that Phnom Penh does not cater for pedestrians. None of the many tuk-tuk and moto drivers could understand why two travellers who could afford to take their transport, would want to walk anywhere. We caused them great confusion and sometimes anger as they felt that as rich westerners we should be giving them a job, which resulted in us feeling guilty that we just wanted to take a walk.

On our first full day we happened upon the national museum. It was very impressive from the outside with a beautifully designed roof and a gorgeous red colour on it's walls. Inside was quite a disappointment though, featuring broken recovered artifacts with little information about what we were looking at. It was fairly uninteresting and I can’t say I learnt much.

We decided to visit the Tuol Sleng museum the following day. This was a former high school which the Khmer Rouge turned in to a prison. They tortured and killed thousands of people here and it was really upsetting to see the pictures of people of all ages including babies, who had died at their hands. The cells in which the prisoners were kept were tiny, with barely room for a person to lie down. With the subdued atmosphere and strange smells, it was hard not to imagine the prisoners trapped here. We found it strange that with all the pictures of tortured men around the place, they had found it necessary to paint over a mans penis on one of the art works. Some of the methods of torture were truly evil. Children were taken and trained up to do these terrible jobs and are reported as being the cruelest of the lot, presumably because they had been so thoroughly brainwashed. Outside the museum the usual beggars, newspaper sellers and tuk-tuk drivers awaited. We fought our way through the crowd and found our way to a café where we cooled of and had some of the most delicious noodles we have tasted! The visit to Tuol Sleng was very difficult and emotional but it was important to see the real history of Cambodia and to understand what these people have endured.

The following day we decided to visit the royal palace. Unfortunately, we timed it badly and turned up in the middle of the day when it was closed. We weren’t too worried though as we still had a fantastic view from outside so we were satisfied. It is an amazing looking palace, very lavish and imposing with beautiful roofs. It was far too hot to wait around for it to re-open so we could go inside, so we headed back to the coolness of our room. The visit to Phnom Penh had its interesting points but I was glad when the time came to move on.

We decided to get a bus to Kompong Cham. When we got there the first thing we noticed was how quiet it was. They obviously get fewer tourists than the major areas and the people seemed fascinated by us. Every child we saw shouted hello and screamed in excitement when we waved and replied. Everyone was so friendly and the atmosphere was lovely, so relaxing. We walked around town, stopping to buy a drink and have a chat with the locals. We found our way to the bamboo bridge which is built every year by the villagers so that they can cross the water to get to an island opposite. When the monsoon comes the water level rises above it and they have to build a new one the next year. It is quite an amazing creation although I felt a bit wobbly walking across it with motorbikes driving over it causing a lot of noise. It seems pretty strong though and we were very impressed! It also looks beautiful so that’s a bonus too! We had a really enjoyable time in Kompong Cham and felt rejuvenated and ready to take the bus to Siem Reap the following day.

The bus journey to Siem Reap was not the most comfortable we have ever had due to the very inadequate air-conditioning. We spent 5 hours cooking to death squashed in to very small spaces and the bus driver seemed somewhat on a mission. We hit something as we drove along at high speeds, which was accompanied by lots of beeping and shouting from the front, but we never did find out who or what it was as he didn't find it neccessary to pull over.

Halfway through the journey we pulled over for a rest stop and I went off to find the toilets. It was then I remembered that the town of Skone was about halfway between the two places and that we were probably there. This caused me much panic as I remembered that Skone is famous for it's speciality food, fried hairy tarantulas. As I emerged in my panicked state, eyes darting around, I saw them. Several women were carrying trays piled high with the things, holding them unneccessarily close to their faces. I darted back on to the bus and hoped that no one from our bus would buy any! As it happens, one man at the front of the bus decided he would. We watched as he devoured the tarantulas along with several locust type bugs. He was pulling of legs and shoving them in his mouth and he even ate the body, which we had read is quite bitter tasting! I couldn't help watching. It was strangly mesmerising! Unfortunately we didn't get a photo as we didn't want to get off the bus and risk getting too close to them. I couldn't help wondering where the ones waiting to be cooked were being kept.

Siem Reap is obviously very reliant on tourist money. On arrival we had a bit of a job trying to get a tuk-tuk to take us just to the guesthouse as they were all trying to score work for the rest of the week and get us to commit to them. The guy who ended up taking us wouldn't leave us alone until we had taken his phone number. It is however, a much easier place to be than Phnom Penh. We spent the first few days relaxing, taking short walks and enjoying the delicious food on offer and not doing much else, as it has been insanely hot. Eventually, we decided that we really better go and see what this Angkor Wat is all about and brave the heat. We got up early and managed to get ourselves a very friendly tuk-tuk driver who gave us a good price for his services for the day.

Angkor Wat was our first stop and it is in one of the best condtions of the temples, making it easy to imagine what it may have been like a thousand years ago under the rule of the Khmer empire. It is a fascinating place on a grand scale yet crammed with intricate detail. You could spend hours pouring over the carvings and construction. I managed to burn my hand climbing some steep sun drenched steps though but it didn't put me off.

We then spent some time looking around the maze of ruins that is the Bayon temple. In much worse condition it looks like it has recently fallen in an ancient battle with crumbling pillars toppled everywhere. Upon reaching the upper level it becomes more impressive as you can see the remains of giant faces carved in the rocks that must have been an amazing sight upon creation.

Moving on we reached Ta Prohm. An equally crumbling temple that has merged with nature. Mighty tree roots are draped over the walls and almost impossibly taking root on top of stone buildings. The whole thing had a kind of mythical feel. After that the heat had sapped our energy and we headed back into town. We were left reflecting on a fascinating glimpe of the ancient Khmer empire and the feats they had accomplished.

We also celebrated my 22nd birthday during our visit to Siem Reap. I had been told by Jed that we would be staying somewhere else for the day, but he wouldn't give me any clues so I was a bit worried where we would end up. I packed the night before, ready to move on and in the morning after breakfast Jed disappeared off to make sure we could check in at the mystery room. We left our little guest house and wandered up the road. We seemed to be heading in the direction of the gorgeous "La Residence d'Angkor" hotel but I knew that was way out of our budget and didn't get my hopes up that high. How surprised was I when walking past it, Jed turned to go in and said "Ok, this is it!" I thought he was joking and we would be turned away, but instead we were greeted by warm smiles and cold towels. After the staff took our backpacks (which I think they were a little surprised by) we were asked if we would like to see our room. We followed a member of staff through the beautiful grounds, me with a smile plastered on my face and I nearly screamed when I saw the pool! It was absolutely beautiful! That was nothing compared to the room though. As the door opened I thought there must have been a mistake. The room was enormous with bamboo screens separating the bathroom which was massive. The bathtub was like a swimming pool in itself and we had a view of the pool from our balcony! After the porters had brought our bags up we were left alone. I was running around the bathroom in disbelief when the doorbell went and in came two staff carrying champagne and chocolate fondant. I was in shock as I sat down and looked around. I felt like a princess! The day was spent splashing around the pool, having an enormous bath which I found I could make in to a water slide if I slid around the edge and generally eating and drinking far too much!

As we sat in the bar that evening we enjoyed a beer whilst watching a storm that had blown in. When the storm was over we went for a delicious dinner in the old market area and I thought the day couldn't get any better! We returned to the room and minutes later two members of staff came to the door. Jed let them in and they came carrying a birthday cake with a candle and singing happy birthday to me. I couldn't believe it and Jed insisted he hadn't organised that bit so the staff had sorted it out themselves. It was a really special birthday!

The next day we took full advantage of the pool and our complimentary breakfast and even squeezed in another bath before reluctantly leaving. We ironically checked in to a guesthouse around the corner, from which we could see our room from the previous night. It wouldn't have been as special if we stayed for two nights though, and I know it will be a birthday I will remember forever. Turning 22 was great fun!

From here we will be heading back to Thailand and travelling up to Laos from Bangkok. We have had a great time in Siem Reap and will leave Cambodia with some great memories. It is a truly beautiful country and the people make it a really special place to be.

Sam and Jed x

---

---

Part of trip: Asia

---