FIRST LOOK

▾Play video’s!

And we discovered Popeyes after unenthusiastically feeding our bodies hotel provided croissants.

Some ground rules here that I think they’ve found a perfectly effective way to enforce:

LODGING @ LUB.D Hostel

We arrived pretty early in the morning, before 9:00, so we couldn’t check-in, but we quickly changed into lighter clothes and shoes and stored our luggage. As it goes with most hostels, it seems like a dynamic place for a younger crowd. We’re young, right? RIGHT???

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But, mashed potatoes are not ready that early in the morning so we left without it 😭 about 20 minutes before gates close, and about a 10 minute walk from our gate, we encountered the security checkpoint we suddenly realized we never went through. But it’s fine, it’s fine, we made it 😎.

We grabbed breakfast and multi-tasked to quickly get our bearings and agree on some rough plans so we could get a full day’s worth of tourist-ing!

TEMPLES & SITES

We partnered up with Saweng, our tuk-tuk driver for the day!

1. Temples

2. Shower

3. PTFO

Just kidding - I have more details to share, just exhausted. Let’s be real, a whole day of stone temples under the hot sun and humidity, and everything starts to blur together.

But also for real, these temples are BEAUTIFUL and awesome. And I mean “awesome” in the actual sense of the word, not in the American-hyperbole sense.

We followed the suggested “short” route with a few modifications based on Stefan’s research and Saweng’s input and hit these sites (in order). We saw a lot, so one of the next entries will have more photos and thoughts of the temples!

AnkorWatTemple

This is The One everyone comes to see. It’s also the most popular spot for tourists to get their sunrise fix - millions show up in the high season. The Corona Virus 🦠 is not a good thing. Obviously. But we did see that we did not have to deal with many crowds and throughout our travels so far, we are learning from locals that tourism and jobs are very much affected.

▴ See how sprightly we are at the first stop? It will not last.

Tonle Om (South) Gate

When the Khmer Rouge came through, they made a pointed effort of beheading all the Buddha’s they came across. I guess these ones were un-beheaded, restored, or just lucky! Whatever the case, I think it’s the grandest gate in Siem Reap.

We were so close to it, we didn’t see it. It was like a magic-eye deal (Dutch people: have you heard of it?) We kept walking around trying to figure it out and actually gave up and sat for a bit zoning out and started noticing how strangely the stones were curving.. and then Stefan figured it out. I’m not allowed to say “we” because STEFAN called it out.

If you still can’t see it, it’s a reclining Buddha! The head is to the left. It is definitely more obvious at certain angles.

After we basked in the success of discovering the reclining Buddha, we headed down to the base of the temple and started to walk back in the direction we came from, but along the outskirts of the temple.

▾ There weren’t many signs telling us what we were looking at, but the general area looks like it might have been a huge complex, and as we walked the perimeter we saw more ruins that were more overgrown with the surrounding nature.

Ta Keo Temple

We headed into (or is it onto 🤔) the temple we had lunch in front of. The sun is past its peak and the way it hits the temple is 👌.

Saweng helped us order some authentic Cambodian dishes.

▾ The curry looking thing is called amok, which we ordered with chicken (you can also pick beef or fish), and the plate of greens are morning glories.

▾ Not a bad view for lunch.

BayonTemple

▴ “Bayon” means “smiling Buddha”, according to one of the locals who was just hanging out there. How many can you spot?

By the way, this is one of the ways they beg for money, and they got us a few times before we had to harden up a little to say “no”. They offer you some tidbits of information and history, and sometimes, they will pull you to a hidden corner or easily bypassed spot to point out something that could easily be overlooked. When they are done and you thank them for sharing, they will ask for money or donations.

Baphuon Temple

From the Bayon Temple, we walked across a bridge, where we saw a monkey fight. And since live wild monkeys never get old, have a video:

▾ Play video’s!

Across the bridge, we found ourselves at another temple. Saweng told us to keep an eye out for a Buddha, so we did, but we didn’t know what we were looking for... something in the distance? Something at the top (that was off limits for restoration)? Carvings on the walls?

▾ Can you spot it?

Elephant Terrace

So turns out the only picture of this one I have is in my brain, but it’s a beautiful facade of engravings of elephants that are on low walls surrounding the area of the two previous temples.

See! I wasn’t on my phone the whole time!

Lunch Time!

We were getting super hungry, so we opted not to stop for other nearby temples, but we got a glimpse as we drove by.

▾ Play.

▾ We went through the East gate where the Buddha’s are, this time, missing most of their heads.

This one is most memorable for the climb to the top. It’s high.

▾ And we had this one who decided they would dine with us. This is only cute because I was done with my food. Don’t try this at home.

Ta Prohm Temple

And now for the other one everyone comes to see. The Tomb Raider one. But it’s been so long since I’ve seen that movie I wouldn’t have known if everyone else wasn’t referring to it that way. This one was one of my favorites but reasons for that in that later post because sleep.

And at the bottom we also took a moment because we were so concerned about catching the sunset that we forgot to look at the massive thing we had to clamber over.

.. and then back into our frantic tuk-tuk ride to then frantically climb to the top of the temple to catch the disappearing act juuuuuust in time. In the moment, it really feels like we’re in the jungle..

We took our time at the top since we put in the cardio.

And then we were showered and in bed by 7:00PM. Well, Stefan was. I went to bed at like a grown-up time, like 9:00PM.

Saweng was amazing and we’ve asked him to join us again for our last day. More on tourism in Cambodia also in a later entry.

💩SO POOPED. But good, productive first day!

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#travel #holiday #vacation #southeastasia #city #cambodia #siemreap #tuktuk #sunset #lake #monkey #elephant #temples #buddha #hindu #popeye #hostel #airplane #burnthecouch

You would think this temple would be the epic way to end temple touring. But we are ambitious tourists on our first day in a country we’ve never been to before. So, it’s not the end.

Sunset & Pre Rup Temple

We’re pushing limits so we jump back into our ride and race to see the sunset. It’s a race because in the dry season, the sky gets hazy and cloudy so the sun will likely disappear and we don’t know if or when that will happen.

But we passed a beautiful view and had to stop for just a few minutes to enjoy..

.. and then the climax is over so you come back to your surroundings, which include a bunch of other Western tourists 😂. But at the same time it’s nice to be in that silence with strangers who all had the same idea to enjoy the same beautiful sight.

We started our day off with Rong, our guide, in an air conditioned van this time. The AC was a nice change, but I miss the unobstructed view of a tuk tuk.

This was meant to be a group tour, but again, 🦠 took out a huge chunk of the tourist population so it ended up being private!

COUNTRYSIDE

First order of business: get out of the city.

▾Play for first looks of Siem Reap’s countryside.

We said goodbye and moved on to the classrooms with slightly older primary school students.

▾ Play video

No, children are not tourist attractions. These are just for friends and family to see a little bit of what was shared with us.

There are lots of internet sources that talk about “fake” schools set up to satiate tourists. Stefan did some research, and we can only hope that we’ve done enough due diligence to tour responsibly and try to choose wisely where our money goes. To this point, all our paid guided tours use profits to give back locally (more on this in later entry)!

There is also a lot of online advice to not give money/gifts to or make purchases from the young children who approach you. These viewpoints assert that it encourages parents to continue to send their children out to collect charity instead of sending them to school.

Rong shared some information (independent from above stuff) that makes me believe it is not that black and white.

I didn’t fact check anything, so with a grain of salt, a few things that offers a little bit more of a nuanced context:

• Unlike most education in the USA and The Netherlands, schools are in session for only half days. Usually primary schools are in session in the mornings, and when it gets much hotter during the day, the older children are in school.
• Although education is government funded, there are peripheral costs that are not, such as transportation, mandatory school uniforms, materials, etc.
• Some children live in villages that are 10+ km away from the nearest school. If they do not have a bicycle, motor bike (there is no age minimum for this), or some other means of transportation, which usually costs money, they cannot go to school.
• The primary economy of Cambodia is not tourism (but it is for Siem Reap), it is agriculture, which does not require an education. The majority of wealthier families are successful farmers.

Personally, we have decided not to give anything to children who beg because there are other ways to give, even if indirectly, with more confidence that our money is being used for the purpose we intend for it to be used. But it’s just a good reminder that even the most well-meaning advice on the internet can lack insights on more complex factors, so it doesn’t hurt to be a little critical.

Okay, stepping down from my Responsibility Pedestal, and thanks for reading that part 🙏.

LIVE MARKET @ ROLOUS VILLAGE

Don’t worry, we did not eat or even touch anything. And FYI at this point in time, there are no confirmed cases of 🦠 in Cambodia, and only 1 suspected.

Besides, tables flipped and turned out we, or rather Stefan was the main attraction.

As we walked through the dense market after the morning rush hour crowd, we could hear the chatter of mostly women.

▾ But as we passed by, we started to hear an interruption in the chatter and a slow wave of chittering and giggling move up ahead of us.

Our first stop was a primary school, and when we arrived, all the teachers for the youngest students were in a meeting, so the children were unattended in their classrooms, just playing and screaming the way small school children do. We definitely heard them before we saw them, those shrill beings.

Tall, white Stefan easily attracted their attention, and it only took a few to come run out to us before we were mobbed by an entire classroom. Since there is a definite language barrier, we resorted to high-fives, waves, and lots of big smiles.

▾ Play video’s!

We ditched the van for some bicycles. We are definitely not in Holland anymore.

CONVERSATION & USEFUL PHRASES

We took another ride on our bikes to return them to their owners.

▾ Play Here’s a little bit of the scenery. When I say “little bit” I guess I mean nine minutes 😂. I was too afraid to handle the phone too much while biking on dirt roads with random potholes and other oncoming (faster) traffic.

Edit: I had to shorten it to a few separate clips because it wouldn’t load 🙈. Couldn’t get away with the laziness and not that you would have watched nine minutes.

Wanna see what’s inside one of those tin tubs?

▾Play video

▴ Snails are one of Cambodia’s biggest exports to Thailand, Singapore, and other Asian countries.

Bee met! Bee met, barang!

Two meters! Two meters, white guy! Stefan’s height is a sight to behold.

But here are the sights we came to see 😝.

I don’t have a photo, but Dasani water is branded very differently here - plain thin green font and green borders on a mostly white label. I know, SO interesting.

Edit: I found it again later!

▴ See the golden Buddha in the background and the massive temple complex? It’s under construction, still being built. Religion here is bigger than life - as poor as the people are, they think to give to their faiths first (according to Rong).

LUNCH

Homecooked noodles, but forgot to ask what it’s called 😭. They definitely went easy on the spice for us because when we looked over at the table where all the local guides were sitting they had more than a few chili peppers on their plates!

▴ Rong!

▾ We had lunch at a homestay I would love to come back to in the rainy season!

▾ The view from the homestay - breathtaking glimpse into a different way of life.

FLOATING VILLAGE: JONG PRALAY

So we get on the Mekong River which will take us to the largest lake Tonle Sap where the floating village is.

But I will share some of the language he shared so we would have the basics.

Disclaimer: we’re learning that spelling can vary depending on who you’re learning from.

• sousdei hello
• barang kpous nas very tall white guy
• akun (jreun) thanks (a lot)
• akun thomthom thank you so much
• orte akun no thank you
• leahey bye
• somtos sorry
• thlai nas too expensivechha mi stir fried noodles

FISHING VILLAGE - KAMPONG KHLEANG

So, in the rainy season, you would normally have to switch from car to boat to reach the village, but we’re in the middle of the dry season, so the roads are perfectly accessible.

This village was such a new sight to me, totally on stilts, and I loved it. It looks poor, but honestly I’m not really sure what else to think about it because I come from such a different place with such different standards.

▾ Play video.

Headed down to the river after lunch for the next part of our tour.

▾ Some more views from the ground.

We went out of our way to avoid the floating villages that cater to tourists because we wanted to see a more authentic representation of what life is like here, especially after the decline of the Khmer Rouge. But you can see in the video below a bigger group of tourists that is uncommon here because the season is so dry that the water levels in more popular villages closer to the city will not allow for villages to float (or touring boats for that matter).

▾Play video

▾Play video. This is the actual floating village. It’s much smaller than the ones you see on brochures. This one is made up of Vietnamese nationals who also hold a Cambodian nationality - they came to fight the Khmer Rouge and then never left!

We wrapped up our time here wandering around the temple complex a bit and then headed back home (to the hostel) by car.

▾ But not before we stop by a road-side stall to try krolane otherwise known as \240bamboo sticky rice!! Rice, coconut milk, beans, amd other stuff are all stuffed into bamboo and then grilled.

During the rainy season these floating houses move closer to the deltas as the winds make the higher water levels unsafe out in the middle of the lake.

Fun fact: the surface area of the lake in the rainy season can grow up to 4-5x what it is in the dry season. WHAT. Part of what causes this dramatic change, aside from heavy rain or dry sun, is that the directional flow of the river switches as the seasons change!

But also bad news.

Recently, China began blocking or manipulating their water source(s) that connect with the Mekong River, affecting water levels in communities down river including the fishing and floating villages we are visiting today. The fisher(wo)men are already over-fishing, but the changes to the water levels are exacerbating the fish/snail population and supply because it affects there movement between the rivers and lakes.

But back to happy stuff. The locals hold this huge lights and water festival on the river and the lake to celebrate the changing of the season and river flow. The timing is based on the moon cycle, but usually this ends up being some time in November.

▴ A whole days worth of catching snails in those bags! These are what we saw seasoned and peppered all over the market earlier in the day.

▾Fishing in action.

▾ Fishers start wrapping up and heading back to the village in the mid-afternoon to be in time to load the trucks that carry them off for exportation.

We moved over to the poolside bar when we were done with logistics and learned about the Olympic Shot. There’s a score-board by country that tallies the number of tourists who order that shot. Guess who’s at the top? The USA. This is not me speaking with pride - I don’t know what I feel. All I know is that I’m not surprised.

We also indulged in a coin toss against the bar tender. Heads you drink, tails you drink, but if you guess right, the drink you ordered is free! I got a free gin & tonic 💁🏻‍♀️. Stefan got a not so free beer. Winning is fun.

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#travel #holiday #vacation #southeastasia #cambodia #country #countryside #school #children #socialresponsibility #charity #market #village #whiteguy #stilts #fisherman #fishing #religion #buddha #temple #homestay #fish #snails #river #lake #pool #bar

We are not done with temples, but we didn’t want to be so templed-out that we wouldn’t enjoy them, so shifting gears today.

BREAKFAST

I got the same thing as the day before (Cambodian noodles) and Stefan tried the fried pork with rice. The food here isn’t anything special, but it’s tasty and still gives you a sense of where we are.

▾ Play video

WINDING DOWN

Back at the hostel, we weren’t quite ready for bed and there was plenty of day light left, so we rinsed off and changed into swim suits and took advantage of the pool! Did some planning and made some bookings for the upcoming days and had a few drinks with some weird rendition of pizza and complimentary normal rendition of popcorn 🍿.

You can see where some have certain touches added to make it a home. Some are really ramshackle, some have been very resourcefully put together. Some are tiny, and others are very spacious in width and in height.

▾ Rong is super conversational throughout, we learned so so much, but too much to share here. Maybe will share some tidbits later.

We took a short break for drinks. I’m always entertained by the different packaging of familiar products, I don’t know why.

By the way, we are reunited with Saveng, our tuk-tuk master from the first day. He’s still awesome - he took us to where he likes to eat breakfast and mix in with the locals! Always a treat.

Anddddd I forgot to take a photo of the food. We had hot noodle soup - egg noodle and chicken in mine and white noodle and beef in Stefan’s.

▾ But here’s a blurry photo of where we ate.

▾ We are gathered here today... But really the crowd was not a crowd, the numbers were just about what you see in the photo. Most other tourists prefer to watch it at Ankor Wat so that they can see both the temple and the sun reflected in the waters. But it’s beautiful here, too!

▾ I had tucked my phone away to be in the moment, but then had to make sure to share this vision of the pink stained clouds!

KBAL SPLEEN HILL

Our next stop is a wildlife conservation center called Ankor Conservation Center for Biodiversity (I think). They rehabilitate threatened and endangered species native to Cambodia, and this morning, they celebrated the release of some birds that I can’t remember the name of but YAY!! 👏 👏 👏

▾ And what am I doing here, you ask? Play video

Just across the way from the ACCB, we started the not-too-demanding 1500 km hike to an archeological site with ancient stone carvings. It’s right by a river, which doesn’t really exist right now in the dry season, and I’m not sure if it used to be a temple or just carvings?

▾ Well, I’m trying to get the bird to do this! Play video

Because the keeper told me that it means it’s happy, so I thought if I communicated that I was happy, it would do the same. It’s a Chinese crested.. something 😕. I can’t remember.

▾ And a few more highlights. Play video’s

The otters were very hungry.

I haven’t been taking many photos of the plants, but there are so many bright colors here. Of course the one I took a photo of to share with you guys is white

But finally we get to the stone carvings.

There were definitely more than a few moments where I wanted to George of the Jungle my way through instead of walking on two legs.

▾ And there were a few of these - in the rainy season, the water rushes through at the bottom. Excuse my dusty dusty shoes.

MOAR TEMPLES

Only one more (for this country, or maybe city). My favorite one (tied with Ta Phrom) - Banteay Srei! For it’s color, carvings, mystery/romance.

▾ And also for the good laugh I had at Stefan’s expense.

MUSEUM

By this point we are sweaty and dusty, and whoever is responsible for curating the route around the temple and to the exit makes you walk through stalls full of souvenirs and more and more things and endless stuff and we make it through without batting an eye, but we fall apart at the old women selling fresh amd juicy tropical fruits just in front of our tuk-tuk.

I know the picture is way off center, but the tuk-tuk ride is really bumpy OKAY.

And we’re off to The Cambodian Landmine Museum. I would describe it as a “home-made” museum. There is a lot of information and the audio guide can be pretty repetitive on some points, and its not always intuitive where you’re supposed to go next, but it is as much about one human harnessing his nightmare to make a difference in the world, as it is about the landmines that so many Cambodians fell victim to.

Long story short, the founder Aki Ra used to be a child soldier for the Khmer Rouge and was really good with landmines, both laying them and modifying them. He defected and joined Vietnamese soldiers and post-conflict (and still presently) devoted his life to finding landmines and removing/destroying them before they do more harm.

This museum is full of landmines he disarmed with just pliers (and later using methods that are safer and internationally approved with the required certification).

In earlier years, the museum also served as an orphanage and school for landmine victims. Many of them have university degrees and have started their own NGOs. There are a lot of moving stories told here that belong to Aki Ra and other survivors, as well.

Sadly, the USA played a huge role in the landmines that remained and today has still not joined many other UN nations in signing a treaty to destroy and discontinue use of landmines and similar devices that target personnel. This is said to be due, at least in part, to their agreements with South Korea regarding the DMZ.

Mango pannacotta. Is that how you spell it? It looks funny. This was the only thing I could have lived without. It was good, but I prefer lighter ones.

Gnocchi - the duck sauce is to die for.

Pizza - omg omg omg. Everything the crust, the sauce, the pepperoni with the mint (yes, mint, not basil)! I died over and over again.

Pub Street

If you can’t tell just by looking at the photos, this is where the nightlife happens! There’s also a dense market nearby that feels like a maze. We sat down for a drink and noticed that the chairs and furniture are very very heavy. Possibly to help out the stumbling drunks who grasp for balance as the night progresses?

Okay, back to the chef.

▴ That’s him at the counter right there with his back to us, and you can also get a feel for the place, and don’t forget that we are in a dusty, dry, mostly underdeveloped place.

He is tatted up, has army pants on, a clean black apron, and he speaks with a not-so-light Italian accent. That he is so passionate about his food and his restaurant is immediately evident.

He is so professional he might as well be wearing whatever you call that suit that fancy waiters wear and he tells us about what the “first seating” was like and what the “concept” of his restaurant is - he focuses on food from his “region, street food, and mama” ◂ SO CUTE. Is it not?!

He proceeds to direct our attention to the open kitchen (behind that counter in the photo) where two Cambodian employees are prepping, and shares that he enjoys teaching locals some “Italian skills” and that they are slowly (lol) learning.

We did watch as they prepped our bruschetta and it was very endearing how slowly and carefully they loaded the bread.

He also shared that he used to live in Kampot, a small town Sputh of Cambodia that we subsequently kept hearing about. He says there are a lot of expats and lots of great international cuisine. We’ll just have to come back.

We meandered back to the hotel and let ourselves be called into a massage parlor for a cheap thirty minute foot massage, where the poor ladies had to touch our gross feet, but they giggled about Stefan’s height, and it doesn’t get old for us either because it becomes an easy way to connect.

Stefan thinks thanks is due for the enhancement of my experiences with the locals.

▾ Play video

We’re pretty pooped at this point, so we head back to the hostel. We said goodbye to Saveng and I am so upset we forgot to ask to take a picture with him. So all I have is his back. He shared a lot with us about his family and tidbits about his country and culture and it was as much a treat as all the sites he took us to.

SIEM REAP BY NIGHT

I just didn’t know what to call this part, so disclaimer on the “by night”: we were definitely in bed by 20:00.

▾ We walked by this interesting place - you’ll want the sound on. Play video

We were halfway asleep by the end of the massage, and we finally made it \240home so we could be full-way asleep.

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#travel #holiday #vacation #southeastasia #city #cambodia #siemreap #tuktuk #moon #sunrise #lake #monkey \240#temples #buddha #hindu #hike #jungle #tree #local #italian #museum #fruit #chef #pizza #restaurant #massage #burnthecouch

We found an Italian restaurant to check out for dinner because I was really craving Western food. It’s a surprise to me that Stefan didn’t crave it first!

But omg I LOVE this restaurant. Stefan thought it was good, but had some tiny \240qualms. But don’t listen to him, this is my diary.

Dinner @ La Bruschetta

First of all, the chef is a character, but more about him after the food. Priorities.

Bruschetta - the usual tomato kind, eggplant vinegar, onion with fennel. Eggplant variant was our favorite.

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#travel #holiday #vacation #southeastasia #cambodia #city #cafe #pizza #italian #spaghetti #roadtrip

Generally good enough, but won’t go back because there’s enough other places to try.

We needed to do some planning for the next few days so we headed to Choco L’Art Café for a Nutella crepe and regional tea. I forgot to take a picture, but it was okay - again, good but not special enough to forego trying out other places.

Not enough of a first look, but we managed to \240no plan a full next day, so we called it a night!

The overwhelming consensus was yes. But I’m a magnanimous girlfriend so he suffered no consequences. This time.

▾ Dish of oregano with a side of spaghetti bolognese.

TRANSIT

AND THEN we got in the car for our 3.5 hour drive from Siem Reap to Battambang. And I completely fell apart. At first it was fine, I was curious and looking out the window and talking everyone’s ear off. And then I got sleepy and woke back up and the only thing I wanted to do was vomit. I don’t know if it was the yogurt breakfast or the rough car ride.

I guess right now is a good time to mention that roads are awful and driving practices are .. exciting, let’s say. Lots of swerving, potholes, slowing down, accelerating, near misses, worse than anywhere else I’ve ever seen. There’s a lot of gambling that involves staring at the huge front facade of a truck approaching you and looming larger and larger, and then all of a sudden, just in the nick of time, you’ve switched back to your proper “lane” and you’re facing the back of a vehicle going in the same direction as you. As it should be.

LODGING @ ROYAL HOTEL

Anyways, I did not vomit in the car. But I’m pretty sure I alarmed the hotel reception when I walked in and immediately stumbled to a bathroom. Where I also did not vomit. Sorry for the anti-climax. I only peed and then noticed I had no idea how to flush the toilet. This morning was not my most graceful.

I took a nap in the room and felt like nothing happened, so I think maybe it’s safe to blame the car ride and not the food, but for me, dragon fruit now has two strikes as far as I’m concerned. I’m not gonna wait for a third, so for the rest of this trip, no more dragon fruit 🙅🏻‍♀️.

So, now I’m in my right mind to take a look around and there are no photos this time of our hotel because I want to spare you. It was clean, but a you-get-what-you-pay-for type deal. And we paid 30 USD total for 2 nights.

There was a trail of teeny tiny ants along one of the edges of the bathroom wall, and then we did our round of showers, and I noticed the next morning, there was one ant that did not learn.

DINNER

Stefan was really craving pizza, so we looked up some options and reviews and found La Casa and turned out it was literally across the street.

Bat Caves

And for the grand finale, which we almost messed up, but would never have known..

▾ So this is where we started.

If there is nothing else, this by itself makes this trip worth it. But we are still wondering how it starts. Do you think it’s like a democratic process - they all take a majority vote yay or nay and then leave in mass? Or is it like the early risers first and then as the others stretch and pull themselves out of sleep they file out? Or is it like one bat that just can’t take the heat anymore and just gtfo’s and the rest are followers? Or are there like priority bats, loyal bats, and then groups 1-4? Or is it just a bum rush? How does it work? How?? HOW.

▾ Play video

Bamboo Train

First stop - bamboo trains. There are two options we know of, we went to the one closer to the city purely because of logistics.

These used to carry twenty or more people at a time, and they used to be mobilized by a human with a stick. But now they are motorized, and purely for tourism, otherwise they would have fallen into disrepair and become obsolete (according to Rith).

Rith drew us a quick map so we could move ahead at our own pace. I don’t have too many photos to share because the history is dark and I didn’t feel right about having my phone out for photos, but if you’re curious, I’m sure Google will not disappoint.

The Killing Caves are where the Khmer Rouge pushed Cambodians into a cave to fall to their deaths. The temple that we get I just before it was where they were held before they were escorted to the cave.

Their remains are said to still be there. It was too dark to see and we didn’t try that hard to look. It was a very heavy feeling already - call me crazy, but the vibe there was not happy.

Then we got to the top and enjoyed the view for a bit. I can only imagine what it looks like with the greens in the rainy season. The monkeys don’t seem to care about the view, only the food they can get their little hands on.

It’s the most important meal of the day, right?

And as if we hadn’t had enough, the first stop our tuk-tuk driver made was for bamboo sticky rice, which he said would taste different from what we had in Siem Reap. Which he was right, in Battambang it was saltier (still sweet) and way more beans, but maybe this difference is a fluke.

SIGHTSEEING

But let me back up a little. Our tuk-tuk driver for the day is Rith! And I suck! Because I forgot to ask for a picture together, again! So for you, again, here’s his back.

▴ The menu doesn’t specify - this is a variation of mango sticky rice.

This is just a fast, straight ride from one end to the other and back, on a single track. At the other end there is a small village and souvenir stalls. We met a 13 year old boy who tried to sell us things, and when we politely declined, he replied - okay, but if you change your mind you buy only from me okay? He had very good manners so it was very humorous.

When we got back, Rith greeted us with, “Did you win or lose? On bamboo train, somebody always wins and somebody always loses.”

We were proud to report that we won all five times.

Can you guess what “game” this is?

▾ Here’s a few hints if you need it. Play video’s

▾ Play video

We didn’t stay for the whole thing, which we were very sad about. This is a little out of the way and it’s safer to get back on the main roads before dark, so along with the others who were sitting here, we said goodbye to the bats and wished them all the best, really, to feast on the goddamn mosquitos that are feasting on me.

DINNER

We took a violent tuk-tuk ride back home. If you didn’t have to pee before, you definitely do now, and if you’ve never had any sort of brain trauma, you sure do now. And if you never knew what it might feel like to be a rag doll completely not in control of the movement of your own limbs, you know.

I’m not complaining, a lot of traveling well is having a healthy it-is-what-it-is mindset, but also want to share the bits that aren’t 🌈 and 🦋.

But speaking of, we kept reading and hearing about this restaurant that if you only had one meal in Battambang, it had better be this one.

Jaan Bai

After having eaten there, that label is a little hyped in my opinion, but it was very delicious.

▾ I’m feeling lazy again at this point, so here are the photos, and the menu at the end will tell you what they are if you want to know.

▾ But with some conversation and questions and a better alignment with Rith, this is where we settled.

▴ And this is the damage that nobody thinks is necessary to warn you about.

▾ After the cave, we visited the Big Buddha, but I really liked sitting across from the accompanying little ones.

By the way, the children have been one of those small, but bright highlights of the trip so far. They seem unaccustomed to seeing Westerners (so I think for them this is mostly Stefan with his height, hair, and eyes), and it’s almost as if they have some secret game they play. When you wave at them, the biggest smiles break, and if they initiate and you wave back.. oh my god, they giggle and laugh with their entire bodies!!

Killing Cave

▾ Here’s where we are headed next. Play video

That’s right - remember when I said single track? We won every stand-off. It feltlike the equivalent of hitting all green-lights 💪.

Country Sights

High off our wins, we headed into the country-side.

If you’re clear on what he was trying to communicate, I would really love to know.

At the bottom, we couldn’t find Rith right away and we were a little earlier than the estimated time, but we spotted home-making of mango salad in action and decided to try some!

▾ Play video

Random Sharing

On our way to dinner, we participated in the most satisfying game of charades. Within 2 seconds, Stefan managed to communicate to the zero-English speaking pharmacy grandma that I need Dramamine.

Driving (steering wheel) + vomit.

And bam. The pills were on the counter, the ingredients and directions were in English, so we could confirm, money was handed over, and we all know how much Asians love efficiency. Stefan is a little more loveable right now.

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#travel #holiday #vacation #southeastasia #cambodia #city #cafe #tuktuk #caves #bats #salad #dinner #sunset #children #bamboo #train #rice #stickyrice #country #countryside #monks #temple #hike #roadtrip

▴ Oh, but this one’s not in the menu. It’s a virgin Lychee Margarita. Yes, virgin. I want what I want. The server set it down with, “And here is your lychee.... juice”.

▾ And my favorite bit of conversation with Stefan, I also wanted to share with you guys. For this, you have to know that below is the view we were both staring at when we were talking. The audio clip is in the video after the photo because I can’t figure out how to upload the voice memo.

We came across a temple where all the kids flock to after school to learn how to use computers. I took this photo with the permission of the monk.

And then we experienced the most magical thing I have personally experienced for myself in nature.

▾ See that stream in the sky? That will go on for FORTYminutes. For forty minutes, 15 MILLIONbats FIFTEEN!!! will exit this cave because it has gotten too hot and they will hunt for food. They split up into a bunch of smaller groups and in even smaller bunches \240return to the cave by morning.

▴ And I went for the bagel with cilantro pesto spread. If it were possible to trade my clothes and replace all my luggage (all 20 kg) with this spread, I would have done it. \240It will just settle for attempting to imitate it at home.

TRANSIT

So, this time I’m armed with Dramamine for the 4-8 hour ride. Huge spread, I know, but Google Maps combined with nightmare stories from other travelers we’ve met, plus the internet makes anything in this range sound reasonably plausible. Guess how long it took us?

7.5 hours. You win some, you lose some.

Our ride started as a private taxi to head to Phnom Penh, but our Good Samaritan driver picked up a monk who was about to try to do that ride in a tuk tuk (crazy), and we didn’t really mind.

LUNCH

Surprisingly delicious. I think we were at the equivalent of a rest stop and we got vegetable fried noodles. I wish I hadn’t shared 😝.

▴ Stefan had a fresh juice with carrot and apple (?) and their breakfast burrito and that pico de gallo was so fresh and tasty and everything else was just so fluffy.

▴ Really great vanilla latte, which I also enjoyed destroying because I’m still 5 years old like that on the inside.

LODGING @ PATIO HOTEL

We chose this place on recommendation from another older Dutch couple we met, since we hadn’t done any research on our own. Later learned this was a good spot in the BKK 1 neighborhood away from the “favorite” touristy spot by the river and closer to some of the (for now) hidden gems.

And what a coincidence - the monk’s destination was the massive Wat Langka temple right around the corner from us!

The hotel is a more luxury spot than our previous spots, but I think we’re ready for a small splurge at this point in our trip so we can recoup for the next stretch. Yeah, that’s what we’ll tell ourselves. Headed straight for the rooftop infinity pool.

And the view is not complete without my beautiful travel companion. I’ll bless you all, as well, with this vision.

Aaaand we did not forget that it’s Valentine’s Day!

But this is not where we had our dinner. Because rooftops like this for romantic Valentine’s Day dinners are for couples who plan ahead and make reservations.

FIRST LOOK

▾ Not to fear, we had a good ground-level dinner here! Hey, that rhymes 😎.

But getting a little ahead of myself. We took a tuk-tuk and got a nice introduction during sunset.

▾ Play video’s!

Okay, okay, for real, back to the food.

Vegetarian fritters with chipotle mayonaise. I think the insides were zucchini, cheese, and some other unidentifiable green.

And in the top left corner is lime cilantro butter to die for with a baguette that did not make it into the photo, sorry baguette.

Food was satisfying and delicious, and I would come back, but if you’re looking for “good” foodie food spot where food is meant to be judged lol, this is probably not your first stop.

And the food coma kicked in before we could ask for the bill.

Good night! I also forgot to take my own photo of the room 🤦🏻‍♀️ so here it is from Booking.com.

Laksa! This is something the restaurant is popular for.

Sea bass salad.

Passion fruit meringue with mango.

Pork quesadillas - easily the best quesadilla we’ve ever had!

VALENTINE’S DINNER

Okay back to food. We had dinner at Friends the Restaurant, which is one of many restaurants that the Friends International organization has all over the world.

I’m telling you, social enterprises and responsibility is huge in Cambodia, from what we’ve seen (and again, separate entry on all the ways and organizations we personally were introduced to this).

Happy Valentine’s Day, Stefan! Capturing funny looking moments of you is a form of affection.

Oh quick side note - Cambodia welcomed the quarantined cruise ship that has been refused port by most other Asian countries, and most of those passengers will be traveling through here, but I don’t think there have been any confirmed cases of Corona on board.

Unfortunately, this is something we can’t steer clear from. They say here that “all roads lead to Phnom Penh” - if you’re traveling through Cambodia, logistics will almost always put you in the capital.

But we will remain cautious and vigilant, no worries 😉.

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#travel #holiday #vacation #southeastasia #cambodia #breakfast #coffee #cafe #roadtrip #bagel #burrito #noodles #rooftop #pool #infinity #valentine #sunset #monument #palace #royal #friendsinternational #charity #children #friends

We’re going to try the traditional lok lak which is marinated beef served with rice and egg, and also a burger rendition of it!

The verdict? De-licious, but the traditional version is much more preferable. Unless you’re dying for a side of mashed potatoes and the taste of bread, and you don’t want a fried egg, there is no flavor difference and the burger is much messier to eat! I ended up using a fork and knife, but was mindful not to let my pinky pop.

Apparently, Phnom Penh is quickly becoming a digital nomad and foodie hub. We do see a very noticeable difference from Siem Reap and Battambang in wealth and western presence, and also just a lot of younger people at leisure. The dogs are also noticeably “wealthier” - they’ve got proper collars, their coats are shinier, and their breeds are identifiable. We saw like four Yorkie puppies. Together. At the same time. I died.

Also - I miss Guinness. From our amazing neighbors, Margo & Harm, who are temporarily adopting him while we travel:

ANYways..

CITY SIGHTS

Went by foot around some monuments. Something we couldn’t arrange was an architectural tour (guided by local architecture students) because they usually run on Sunday’s and we weren’t staying long enough to arrange in advance a private one on a different schedule. If we ever come back, it will be at the top of my list because I’ve read that it’s another perspective to learn about the history of both the city and the country.

Statue of King Father Norodom Sihanouk

Independence Monument

I don’t have a photo from during the day for some popular monuments, but I think there’s are probably videos in the previous entry. Just in case, here they are in this entry. I probably took a video every time we passed any of them at night because theyre just so pretty when lit up.

▾ Play video

Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Monument

There is an annual Cambodian Urban Art Festival, which some, or maybe all, of the ones we saw are a part of.

By this point, our bodies are threatening to strike so we took a break at the super cute ARTillery Cafe in the same alley, right across from the last mural.

And then it was time to go home. We needed time before bed to come up with some creative luggage solutions because our next airline’s check-in allowance was 10 kg less than the previous flight. That’s like 22 pounds, and by “we” I mean “me”.

Good thing I planned on throwing some things away, and even better that Stefan is a light packer even if I’m not 😬. I did have to look like a dork wearing my heaviest items, which are not fashionable when all work together. But at least it worked.

Okay, good night.

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#travel #holiday #vacation #southeastasia #cambodia #foodie #city #lordoftherings #juice #burger #statue #monument #palace #museum #arts #dance #myth #tradition #culture #puppet #riverside #river #boat

STREET ART

My favorite part of the afternoon was a tiny little alley we almost missed.

CAMBODIAN LIVING ARTS

This is a cultural dance show that performs at the National Museum of Cambodia, six nights a week. We were fooled by the location and thought it would be indoors, so we didn’t bring mosquito repellant. So many regrets.

It wasn’t bad at all, but somehow I am struggling to remember to take photos, which probably thrills Stefan, so you can imagine on your own the fried shrimp (dim sum), Kuai Tieuw beef noodles, and another one with just chives and egg. I probably slaughtered that spelling, sorry.

▾ And this is where we ended up eating. It was a Chinese-touristy spot, but the view was nice so we chanced it.

The atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge resulted in the murders of what is estimated to be 90% of artists, endangering the Cambodian arts.

In 1998, Arn Chorn-Pond started the Cambodia Living Arts in the pursuit of preserving and restoring the arts. It started with just once a week shows to provide artists with a stable job while show casing their skills and heritage to tourists. With the help of grants and the generosity of others, this has since evolved to consist of mutiple dance troupes where the artists are part of a multi-year vocational program that includes paid employment and skills training.

The artists focus on music, dance, theater, and shadow puppetry.

Royal Palace

Which is under heavy construction and not much to look at during the day right now.

ARTillery is yet another business that supports the local community with a focus on growers and art. Also around the corner of that last mural us one of many fair trade shops within a small radius. I really wanted to make some purchases and find some small souvenirs, but our baggage allowance shrinks from here on out 😔. In case you were wondering, no, we are not backpacking. We have massive proper suitcases.

And after our long break, we decided it needed to be longer. It was the hottest part of the day, So we went back to the rooftop pool at our hotel to rest before evening plans, and too bad we couldn’t stay for sunset because it was looking promising.

▾ Another view of the Royal Palace.

They really love their lights here.

And here’s the Father King statue lit up.

▾ Play video

Before the show, in a recorded video message, the founder shared his dream that he hoped these artists and their works would serve as a role model to other post-conflict (and also “no conflict”) countries in demonstrating the power that culture and art holds in preventing violence against humanity ❤️.

The show itself was beautiful with traditional live music, elaborate and elegant costumes, story-telling, and of course dancing! Traditional elements are four types of characters - man, woman, giants, and monkeys, and story-telling motifs center around conflict between these characters, peace between enemies, and challenges of life in Rural Cambodia.

One of my favorite parts is a part where I think a character is saying “no” to a giant trying to steal a magic stone she has.

▾ Play video

▾ And monkey are always funny. Play video.

CITY BY NIGHT

After the show, we failed at dinner. Our two top picks were both closed, so we improvised and walked along the river and found a market where lots of local youth and children were hanging out or playing. We also discovered party boats?

Prisoners were the enemies - they were city folk consumed with wealth and possessions, or intellectuals who could challenge the regime, or even western diplomats who could expose the reality that was hidden from outsiders as a genocide took place. The only innocents were country folk who were honest workers of the land. The irony is that many city folk were country folk who had fled bombing in the countryside from the previous wars and conflicts.

They do allow you to take photos and videos, but I personally wanted to avoid anything that has to do with remains or graves, etc. When it rains, there are still bones and clothing that expose themselves above ground.

But the grounds are beautiful. They have taken down any old buildings that served a purpose when this place was a murder site, some some minimal landscaping around the mass graves, and it is peaceful and quiet.

The Killing Tree and Magic Tree still stands, but the Killing Tree is now decorated by colorful bands in remembrance of the babies that were killed against it as their mothers watched.

Beyond the grounds of the memorial are still hectares of land where they have decided to leave the dead in peace. A dike protects these areas from excess water.

The Memorial Stupa below was erected to hold clothes and bones of some of the remains recovered. The squiggly things at the tips of the roof are naga, mythical snakes, and you can’t see well in this photo, but there are Garuda, also mythical creatures, in the corners right below the first roof. These creatures are enemies, but when depicted together, it is a strong symbol for peace.

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#travel #holiday #vacation #southeastasia #cambodia #city #statue #monument #memorial #museum #remember #genocide #love #forgiveness #tuktuk #burnthecouch

Some stories that for whatever reason really stayed with me are below.

▪︎One survivor shares a dream his mother shared that she lost him in the jungle and then found him safe in a hammock between two mountains. She believed this meant her son was going to have a bright future and a good life. His mother’s dream persisted in his mind while he was a prisoner, so he took for granted that he could die a prisoner - even if he was a prisoner now, he was meant to have a future. Only many years later as an adult did he realize that his mothers dream was a source of hope, even if he didn’t know it at the time. He believes that he watched many others die around him because their hope had died, but his mother had given him the gift of hope and the ability to survive.

▪︎A woman survivor was a young mother at the time of her imprisonment. She was forced to labor in the fields all day, and never fed enough. She could not produce enough breast milk to feed her baby and her child died. The pain of that loss is unbearable still many years later.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Also known as S21 - this was a school (I think secondary) that became the center of a secret network of over 200 prisons used to torture prisoners. There are only 12 confirmed survivors.

For me, learning about the violence committed against masses of people from the previous museum made this museum more impactful. The first museum was already emotional, but seeing the faces and hearing the stories of individuals was even more so.

This museum was much more graphic - there were photos of torture, and the bed frames to which tortured prisoners were shackled remain in the school classrooms. You can see the floor still darkened where their blood pooled.

My heart hurts remembering the endless photos of faces, of other human beings, that walked through this prison. Some of their torture methods sound like they came straight out of midieval times, except they happened in our parents’ lifetime, when they were young adults.

More stories that I will remember for a long time from this museum below.

Bophana

She was 25 when she was killed and it’s said that she was targeted because of her pale skin and beauty. When she arrived at the prison, she attracted the attention of the prison director and was tortured into writing more than 500 pages of confession. Her husband was a monk-turned-Khmer Rouge official (it sounded like it was for survival, but not sure) who was stripped of his standing when love letters between him and Bophana were found. Intellectuals were enemies, and any form of correspondence was forbidden. They probably didn’t know it but they were killed on the same day.

Kerry Hamill

Wrong place, wrong time. He had a dream of sailing the world, and he and his friends sailed into Cambodian waters and were imorisoned. Confessions extracted from him included references to western pop culture that would mean nothing to the Khmer Rouge, but to other westerners would render his confession completely merit-less. His brother describes it as a testament to his sense of humor even at the end.

Tidbits of the confession are here, as well as the transcript of Kerry’s brother’s very emotional confrontation of the prison director. I definitely could not not cry when listening.

💔💔💔

What strikes me the most is that in listening to all the personal testament and survivors’ stories, there was a consistent thread of forgiveness or avoidance of hatred. They endured physical and emotional pain at the hands of their own countrymen, but they are committed to looking to the future. I think even the date that marks some milestone for the Khmer Rouge is now the memorial day for either the killing fields victims specifically or more general for all genocide victims (sorry - I can’t remember the specifics).

I don’t know how representative this attitude is of all survivors and families, but even that a handful of them are capable of this kind of love is unbelievable and amazing.

GOODBYE, CAMBODIA

We rushed out of the museum having stretched our time to the max and headed to the airport with our trusty tuk-tuk driver.

Look at the small things he put into it - Buddha with fresh flower offerings, daily calendar, overhead light, a small basket (for what?), his wife’s purse? It’s like a game of I Spy!