I first went Cambodia at the end of 2003 (I think – trying to work out when I actually went – but it was a while ago!). I travelled overland with a friend with an Intrepid trip which went from Bangkok, through to Cambodia, Laos and then ending in Bangkok. I wanted my husband to see the magnificent temples of Angkor Wat and the Bayon – plus the many others from the surrounds of Siem Reap. It is a country that has been through the horrors of genocide at the hands of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge and emerged out the other side, only now to be experiencing further political ‘issues’.
South-East Asia is my favourite part of the world as a region – I love its chaos, hum of humanity, amazing resilient people, sites and of course the food! One of my fondest memories of the 2003 (again not sure of the date??) trip was staying at a small town in Lao son the Mekong River – not far from the Cambodian and Laos border, when we were sitting having a beer Laos watching the sun set over the Mekong and having that moment of thinking I wonder what everyone is doing back home. It was magnificent.
I will say I was conflicted coming back to Cambodia with the situation of democracy in the country going backwards, but as I said, I wanted my husband to see what are some of the greatest sites in the world. Also to remember and see what happened to the people during the 1970s – this story has to be told.
As when I travelled to this part of the world last time, we travelled over Christmas and New Year, leaving Melbourne, Australia on 22 December, travelling through Singapore and spending the night at the Singapore airport hotel (see Singapore 2019), and then flying to Siem Reap.
Siem Reap
When I was last here the main way to get to Siem Reap was by road. The Khmer Rouge has systematically destroyed most infrastructure in returning the country to Year Zero, so there was no train travel and travel by road – the roads had been improved between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh – but travel was still slow. Siem Reap was literally a sleepy town – not a city – with no major infrastructure for the temples, one main street through the centre of town – bar street (now called Pub Street), which is still there. There were some bigger hotels and resort starting to appear and a couple of golf courses being developed, but it was such a quiet place where you could wander along the river dodging chickens running around beside you, and find a great Amok restaurant that set up each night in someone’s garage.
I was stunned to see the difference! Siem Reap is now a bustling city of over 1 million people and over 2.5 million tourists were visiting every year. There were big hotels, bar street was now full bars and nightclubs and cafes and tourists (some of them there for nefarious reasons), big shops and traffic, traffic, and more traffic. The now city still was and is the South-East Asia I love with chaos, bustle, markets, smells and still the food.
We arrived on 23 December at the very busy little Siem Reap airport and got picked up in the old Mercedes from our hotel. South-East Asia also does very well with lovely boutique hotels and again I used the ever reliable Mr and Mrs Smith to find out hotel – Heritage Suites Hotel. The hotel was a little out of the main centre of the tourist area – only about a 15 minutes walk – and down a small dirt road by a school. It had beautiful lush gardens, a gorgeous pool area and a very cool restaurant and bar. We stayed in the more hotel style Heritage rooms which were very well appointed with wooden floors.
In the afternoon we went for a walk into the centre of the tourist area- again I was so stunned by the difference – and had a fish Amok lunch down The Alley at a place actually called Amok and a wander around the central market – Psar Chaa – before walking back to our hotel. The afternoon was spent by the pool with the gorgeous sound of children playing as the nearby school. That evening we went for a walk along the Siem Reap River that runs through the centre to find a place for dinner. We ended up at Chanrey Tree that was recommended in Lonely Planet.
Our first full day was a tour to the temples with Intrepid Urban Adventures taking in Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom and the Bayon. Angkor Wat is a place that is still magical for me. The first time I saw it, it was one of those moments in life when what you imagined something to be is even better. It is an amazing site and to understand how it somehow survived the Khmer Rouge regime is truly remarkable. We didn’t go to see the sun rise over Angkor Wat – when I was here last we did sunrise and sun set – but I think Angor Wat is amazing at any time of day and fortunately there weren’t too many people so it was a pleasant visit as well.
After short stop at Phnom Bakheng – one of the oldest temples – we had a huge generous lunch at a local restaurant and then went on to Ta Prohm. On my last visit to Siem Reap – all those years ago – Ta Prohm was one of the highlights. We were the only people there and it was a wonderland with the jungle and huge trees growing through it and a discovery around every corner. I was so looking forward to my husband seeing as it was amazing. This time – like everything – was so different. This was the most crowded temple of the day and it was almost like the temple version of Disneyland. I completely understood what our guide said in that if the huge numbers of people want to come to this temple, then it needs to be made safe – as it probably wasn’t before – or they can either have small numbers there on a managed visit – as we had before. However, people want to visit the ‘tomb raider temple’ – as Angelina Jolie filming Tomb Raider here made it famous – but it did make visiting here not an overly good experience and unfortunately was where the ugly tourist made an appearance. Pushy, crowded, wanting photos taken in front of everything, rude.
We then went on to Angkor Thom and the Bayon which was – as it was before – wonderful. Again we were very lucky to have not too many people here – they all seemed to be at Ta Prohm! The words in Lonely Planet guide to Cambodia sum this site up perfectly:
It is hard to imagine any building bigger or more beautiful that Angkor Wat, but in Angkor Thom the sum of the parts add up to greater than the whole”.
The beautiful serene faces of the temples are amazing and every angle brings something different and remarkable. It is very hard to describe in words this site and photos obviously don’t do it justice. It was a wonderful way to end the day of visiting the temples with this amazing site.
Another afternoon was spent by the pool. This time with a cold Angkor Beer before having a special Christmas Eve dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Christmas Day was spent with a morning by the pool after breakfast, and then a tuk-tuk to Psar Chaa – the old markets and lunch at the Red Piano. The Ref Piano was there on Pub Street when I first went to Siem Reap – with only a few other places around it – in a lovely old renovated building. I wanted to go here as it was familiar from my first visit and looked a lot the same, obviously with about ten times as many tourists. We had a lovely lab and nicely chillied stir fry. It was the older, white male tourists sitting next to use that we conversed with for a while until I indicated the conversation had ended. It was pretty obvious they weren’t in Siem Reap for the temples and culture, but when they expressed certain views about the First Peoples’ of the country they originated from – one of them used the word ‘boy’ to describe his ‘servant’ which might give an idea of where they were from – this was when I think both husband and I muttered something about racism and said we’ll eat our lunch now and turned our backs.
I saw some of it – but nowhere near the levels it was now, of the tourists – significantly white, older men – here to drink cheap beer and take advantage of a large, young and poor population. It is an ugly and vile side of tourism in this part of the world, but anywhere there is a country opening up to tourists with a population that is in poverty, it draws those wanting to take advantage of that. There is now some level of monitoring of this sort of thing and as tourists we should write about and call it out, but it is everywhere when you go to these countries and it is hard to know what to do – you do feel like you have brought it with you.
We got a tuk-tuk back to our hotel and the pool. That evening we did an Intrepid Urban Adventure tour to Siem Real Street Food by Night. We got picked up by moto rickshaw at our hotel and travelled a bit out of the tourist area to see how locals eat. We went to a fantastic markers and tried a variety of snacks and things on stick plus amazing varieties of fruit. We then headed to a a local picnic spot where there were stalls set-up with tables, sellers and makers of all sorts of things and of course the carts with the of course varieties of fried insects. I tried ants – which I have had before in Mexico – and a cricket but just couldn’t eat the others. We then travelled to a local restaurant and had some very tasty amok. As always on these Intrepid tours you definitely get value for money and the great thing, get out of your comfort zone.
On our last day in Siem Reap we travelled out of the main city area on another Urban Adventures tour to Tonle Sap to see the floating villages. It was a VERY dusty and bumpy trip – enhanced by being in a remork/auto rickshaw for the whole trip – but also kind of fun as well and nothing a good swim and shower couldn’t deal with when we got back to the hotel. I would highly recommend visiting Tonle Sap to see this massive lake – one of the world’s most productive bodies of water – and see a totally different way of how people live. Also getting you out of the tourist spots and once again, out of the comfort zone.
At the timeof posting this (August 2022), Urban Adventures weren’t running in Cambodia and the website sahs they will be returning in 2023.
On our last night we went for dinner to Marum – which was just near our hotel. Marum is one of the number of social enterprise restaurants in Cambodia run by the Tree Alliance which provides training and employment. Marum is in a lovely house and gardens and the food – as at all of these restaurant sb- is delicious. You will rarely see locals eating here but as I said the food is lovely and it is giving local people work. It’s a good idea to book – especially at busy tourist times – as these restaurants – Marum in particular – is popular.
Phnom Penh
We set of early today for a long drive to the capital of Cambodia Phnom Penh. What should have taken 4 and a bit hours took 6 hours one we got near Phnom Penh traffic. I have to say again a bi change from my last trip. We caught a bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh and it took the best part if a day as the roads were still catching up from years of infrastructure destruction and neglect by the Khmer Rouge, so 6 and a bit hours wasn’t too bad in reality. As always, I do like – even though its long – travelling by road or rail – rail is the best but not an option in Cambodia – as you get to see the life of Cambodia as it passes you by.
Phnom Penh, as was the case for Siem Reap, had vastly changed since I was last here. When I came last the city was still dominated by crumbling, old French buildings that had been left during the time of the Khmer Rouge and a general lack of care, primarily too because the city’s population had been driven out. Now it was a big, busy city with lots of traffic and obviously a lot of investment including many fancy shops and restaurants.
We arrived early afternoon at our hotel Rambutan Resort which friends had stayed at and recommended as did Trip Adviser. We opted for a higher up balcony room – which was still a very reasonable cost – which had great views out over the rooftops and back yards of the area, and also looked out over the hotel pool. Rambutan had a lovely airy open reception, bar restaurant and pool area with very colourful furnishings. Very friendly service and a nice feel about it.
We had some yummy snacks at the hotel restaurant and then spent the afternoon in and by the pool. Late in the afternoon it absolutely poured rain which somewhat hampered the plan to take a short walk from the hotel to eat at a local restaurant. Walking the streets of Phnom Penh isn’t easy at the best of times – the ever enterprising residents don’t let a foot path go to waste so there are make-shift motorbike and car spots, restaurants, barbers, and shops set up. Add to that puddles of water and rain and what might look like a short walk on a guidebook map, probably is going be ten times harder.
We got a autorickshaw thinking it would be easier to find the place in the guide book but it probably made it harder and got lost in translation. As you do often find in South-East Asian cities, sometimes a restaurant that was there a year or so ago, is now gone, so the restaurant from Lonely Planet we thought we would try was quite obviously no longer there. We ended up leaving the auto rickshaw and went on foot, as the rain had lessened quite a bit and went back to a place we had passed and was also in the guidebook called Farm to Table. It was like walking into a little oasis in the middle of the busy city – an open air garden restaurant with tables spread around and even chickens wandering around under your feet. We ended up having a lovely meal here and would highly recommend it.
Our first full day in Phnom Penh started with a lovely poolside breakfast at out hotel’s poolside restaurant, before being picked up to do our Urban Adventure Tuol Sleng and Killing Fields tour. I found seeing and hearing about this history of Cambodia was absolutely essential when last here and while it’s incredibly confronting, it feels like the world has forgotten about something which is still shaping the Cambodia of today. We heard from some people after being in Phnom Penh that there was a shift to ‘move on’ from the past including less focus on teaching about the genocide at schools and only having a government approved history through headsets for tourists at sites – no longer delivered by guides.
Our first stop was Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former school which was a prison and torture centre during the Khmer Rouge regime. Our guide relayed the descriptions of the horrific beyond imagination tortures and deprivations that the people who ended up here endured. As when I came here before, I just couldn’t take photos of what was a place of such unimaginable suffering and I did find confronting the hordes of tourists – when I came her last we were the only group of tourist visiting the site and this time there were literally hundreds. Again, I know I am being judgmental and every person experience at a place is different and it is good that tourists – like us – come here and learn about the history. But the woman telling me to move so she could take a picture of the bed where people were tortured to death was a bit hard to deal with. I could see our guide maintaining her air of calm – just.
The again confronting but truly astounding part of Toul Sleng is the exhibit of just some of the thousands of photos the Khmer Rouge took of each of the people they imprisoned and killed – it is one of the amazing things of this regime that their documentation of victims of their crimes was firstly done and secondly survived. The faces of these people – some terrified, some defeated and already beaten, some defiant and angry, and the women holding babies – no words.
We then headed the sort distance to the outer edges of the city to visit the Choung Ek Memorial and site of the Killing Fields – one of the many sites in Cambodia where people were brought to die horrific deaths and their bodies buried in mass graves. The huge pagoda that looks over the site encloses around 8,000 human skulls retrieved from the graves. One of the things that was so confronting coming to this site last time is that everywhere you stepped you could see bits of cloth and human bones coming out of the ground and in an effort to try and avoid this, you just ended up stepping on more. There was one good thing from this visit this time in that they had built raised walkways so that in most places you were walking above rather than on the site, as the pieces of cloth and bone were still ever emerging.
Once again I was taken aback by the disrespect by some tourists – taking smiling happy snaps or selfies in front of the pagoda full of skulls or in front to the tree where babies were bludgeoned is gobsmacking. After the tour we sat under a tree at Chuog Ek for a cold drink and our young, but incredibly wise young guide told us about her life in Cambodia and the struggles which people now face. What I found this time in Cambodia and before was the resilience and maturity if young people in Cambodia who are living with the legacy of what happened and is now happening in Cambodia and the impact this has on their life.
We then went for lunch at Romdeng – one of the Tree Alliance restaurants in Phnom Penh – and once again the food and setting was lovely.
We got an autorickshaw back to our hotel and had and another afternoon by and in the pool. That evening we had the idea of again going for a walk locally and finding somewhere to eat. The thing about the area we were in is that there were quite a lot of more exclusive restaurants so we didn’t quite cut it with our slightly more relaxed travel clothes. We ended up going back to our hotel restaurant and had a really great meal.
The next day – after delicious mango pancakes for breakfast at the hotel restaurant – we went for a walk to the Russian Markets – which weren’t too far from the hotel and there was enough footpath to be able to take the walk! The Markets are quite fascinating – as was the walk there past local shops of all sorts. I love markets anywhere but South-East Asian markets are particularly great. It’s the crush of all sorts of things to buy. I Ioved that in these markets in the area selling clothes and the stalls piled high with goods, that you good barely see the stall holder and wondered how they could find anything – but they do. We went for a walk around the area to find a place for lunch as there were many great little interesting cafes. We ended up at a place from Lonely Planet called Sesame Noodle Bar which was Japanese influenced food and had a delicious lunch.
The afternoon passed with another leisurely afternoon by and in the pool with cake on our hotel room balcony. We got an autorickshaw late afternoon to do the very touristy thing of going to the Foreign Correspondents Club to have a cocktail looking out over the Mekong River as the sun set. We ended up chatting to a young American man who had brought himself to Cambodia to have a good time but didn’t seem to know much about the past or current history of Cambodia so gave him the advice of keeping that in mind while he was here. We had dinner with the American at the FCC and caught an autorickshaw back to the hotel.
Kep
Our last couple of nights in Cambodia were spent at Kep a small seaside town in Southern Cambodia, not far from the Vietnamese border. Kep was largely abandoned during the time of the Khmer Rouge and there are many crumbling French villas and mansions, as Kep was a holiday location for the well-heeled. Many of these old villas are now being converted into hotels. Lonely Planet said some people found it soulless as there was no real town centre and it had a torpid pace. It also was in no way at all a party town.
We left Phnom Penh mid-morning. The driver we had arranged arrived an hour late – it seemed a combination of the Phnom Penh traffic and getting lost. This did mean that our driver was now behind schedule so he drive VERT fast whilst dealing with issues – at least it seemed that by the tone of his voice – on his mobile while he sped through the various towns and villages on the road to Kep. The drive was about 3 hours – so not too bad in terms of time – but we were very glad to make it to Kep in one piece!
We had a lovely couple of days at Kep. There wasn’t a lot to do but relax, wander to the markets and drink cocktails watching the sunset. There were walks to do in the nearly national park- so you can be more energetic – but as a place to relax, it certainly made you do that.
We again used the ever reliable Mr and Mrs Smith and stayed at Knai Bang Chatt a resort on the beach, with gorgeous gardens, a pool looking out over the sea, and rooms spread across the property in converted villas. We had a fantastic room – near the restaurant and away from the main accommodation building looking out over the pool. We had a sizeable sitting room, big bathroom and chairs outside where we could sit and look out to the sea. The restaurant was a big open-air space, and you could also go to the nearby Sailing Club for meal and cocktails.
We got there just after lunch so had a delicious late lunch at the hotel restaurant – The Strand – and then spent the afternoon by the pool. Late afternoon we head to The Sailing Club to watch the sunset over a cocktail. This is was obviously a popular spot and was when the tourists who you didn’t see during the day came out. For dinner we walked up to the Crab Market to find a place for dinner. The smart people had a torch with them! There wasn’t a lot of lighting and the dirt roads had many holes – filled with water – bit at least it wasn’t far. Kep is known for its seafood and crabs in particular. We ended up going to Kimly – which was recommended in Lonely Planet and it seemed a large number of tourists in Kep has also read Lonely Planet and come here. In hindsight, we probably should have gone to a slightly quitter place as I am sure the food would have been good. Kimly was slightly chaotic, and unusual service. It was very busy and the wait staff struggling to keep up with the loud and ever urgent bell ringing from the kitchen as meals sat unserved. We don’t normally say anything at restaurants – and remembering where you are – but when two tables who arrived much later than us received their meals we did ask. I think ours were probably being called out for by the urgent bell ringing in the kitchen. The meal was OK and each crab dish did look suspiciously similar. But it was an entertaining experience. In the evening we had dessert at The Lounge at the hotel restaurant.
The next day was New Year’s Eve. The hotel had a dinner included for guests – it did make it sound compulsory – but it was part of the accommodation and it was a nice place to spend a quite New Year’s – New Year’s Eve never really being a ‘thing’ that I do. We had a very leisurely day – going for a swim and then a walk around the area looking at some of those crumbling villas; a delicious lunch at The Sailing Club; and the afternoon again by the pool. The dinner at the hotel started with canapes and champagne in the garden and then a set dinner at The Strand.
It was one of the odd experiences where we felt slightly out of place, even though we were obviously just like any other tourist, but nobody really interacted and spoke to each other – we did try. We had a nice chat to the manager who was from Australia and he was very happy to be able to talk footy with us when he found out we were footy fans. The people with it sounded like British accents, belittling the quality of the wines and food descriptions on the menu, and then the couple near us complaining and storming out because they didn’t get a suitable vegetarian meal, did make us want to hide. We just made sure we were possibly overly friendly to the staff who were obviously very proud of the meal they were serving and the setting, and again we were all very privileged to be here.
We had a very early start the next day – 4.30am – for a drive to Phnom Penh airport for a flight from to Singapore, so we didn’t stay until midnight, although we may have given the fireworks at midnight which sounded like they were on our balcony! It was a very nice evening regardless. I would recommend Kep as a place to just completely relax. You get another insight into the history and life of Cambodia.
Singapore
We had a very early start from Kep – getting picked up by a driver at 4.30am to head to Phnom Penh airport for a flight to Singapore. We were a bit worried about getting to the airport on time, but our driver was very confident and assured us we’d be fine. It was a completely different experience from our drive to Kep – our driver drove very evenly, was calm and got us there with plenty of time. We gave him a big tip!!
This was another trip to Singapore for us. This was my fourth time here and is one of the places we come to before we return home after being on an overseas holiday. I always need a fix of Asia on a trip if I can – it’s my favourite part of the world. Singapore if a place to experience the wonderful food of the region and you can get almost any type of food here and it will be good.
The flight to Singapore took about three hours. We got a taxi from the hotel to our hotel – The Mandarin Oriental by the Bay. We had stayed here before and it is a fantastic big luxury hotel. Last time we stayed it was a bit quitter but this time, being just after New Year’s, it was very busy – getting a chair near the pool, was a fight!
We had a late lunch at the mazing buffet restaurant. Mist people probably think ; hmm really a buffet’ but there is not buffet like a Singapore buffet. It was special New Year’s lunch and as we got there late, one of the restaurant staff very nicely said you can just pay for one person so we did slightly gorge ourselves an amazing seafood. We spent the afternoon by the rather busy pool area. In the evening we walked along the waterfront to Lau Pau Sat Hawker market for dinner. Lau Pau Sat is in a fantastic octagon shaped building with ornate wrote iron columns. The food markets in Singapore are fantastic and you get delicious very reasonably priced food. As it is nearly all the time, it’s hot and steamy but getting a plate of satays, some roti, char kway teow and a cold Tiger beet is just great. Lau Pau Sat is a great one to visit and easy to walk to if you are staying anywhere around the Marina Bay area.
The next day after a fabulous buffet breakfast, we got a taxi to the Singapore Botanic Gardens. I had wanted to go here for some time and had never made it on my other visits, as the Gardens are renowned including for the Orchid Garden. The gardens are an oasis in the big busy city. Immense expanses of greenery, walking paths, big open areas, fountains, cafes – you name it and all impeccably maintained. It was wonderful to see Singaporeans jogging, picnicking, walking their dogs, just going for a walk.
The Orchid Gardens itself is stunning. You do have to pay an entry fee – but not for the rest of the gardens- but it is absolutely worth it. I think I took almost one hundred photos! They are truly beautiful. The gardens are worth a visit just for the unpaid entry areas – it’s a top highlight in Singapore for me.
We then caught a taxi to Orchard Road. You can catch the metro for the gardens but it is steamy in Singapore so the we went with the taxi option. We did a bit of shopping – as one does in Singapore – and paid our regular visit to Kinokuniya – the largest bookstore in South East Asia and quite overwhelming. I leave husband here for at least an hour. Lunch was at another of favourite places to visit in Singapore – Din Tai Fung in the Paragon shopping centre for fabulous dumplings.
The afternoon was spent by the pool – tough competition again for a poolside spot. Dinner tonight was at National Kitchen by Violet Oon at the National Gallery of Singapore. Violet Oon is well-known in Singapore for Peranakan cuisine. The restaurant tin the National Gallery is small – so booked ahead – and beautifully decked out with Peranakan tiles and dark wood interiors. It takes a little bit of searching to find it in the gallery but it does mean you get to see some of the gallery without the crowds – an added bonus. The food was delicious – quite rich absolutely yummy. Great service and a generally intimate atmosphe
We walked back to the hotel along the waterfront Marina Bay area – we had mistakenly taken a taxi there thinking it was further and it ended-up it was almost just around the corner! On the way back we had a soft serve ice-cream at Hawker which was a small Singapore style fast food chain.
On our last day after a leisurely breakfast and swim, we went for walk around Marina Bay Sands shopping complex. Most of the shops here are very high end luxury and well out of our price range. I do wonder when I see all these shops who actually shops here! Very wealthy Crazy Rich Asians! There is a pretty good food hall and we had a nice Haianese Chicken Rice for lunch. We had tea and cake at a place appropriately called High Tea and walked back to the hotel before heading out to the airport.
Another great visit to Singapore. You do get the best out of Singapore when you venture away from the tourist spots and see some of its wonderful sites and experience its fabulous food. If you are nervous about doing this – as we encountered chatting to people at Marina Bay Sands – Singapore is the absolute place to do that!
