I just came from Cambodia with Benj and it was a blast! We spent our 9 days in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Here’s a rundown:
10 – Tuk tuks
Yep, you read that right! I love them!!! They are very persistent and can be very annoying but c’mon..they are just trying to make a living. I like the fact that I can stretch my legs and nap in Tuk tuks! Coming from Philippines where our equivalent of the tuktuk is the tricycle. They are cheaper than tuktuks but they’re so cramped and the drivers can just refuse you at point blank. Tuktuks are always there for you, wherever and whenever!
9 – Biking
I am a big fan of biking! I usually bike around my city but it gets daunting since cars, motorbikes and most especially jeepneys don’t care at all! I’ve heard too many horror stories of bikers getting run over and die…
In Siem Reap, we were lucky enough to have free bicycles from our hotel. It was only in Siem Reap where we could bike since Phnom Penh is a bit too hectic. I love that they have proper bike lanes and cars are very respectful of cyclists.
8 – Plenty of space
This is really random but I value space since I come from Philippines and lived in HK.
The Cambodian country side is really beautiful. It is similar to Philippines’ but there’s less people and houses.
7 – Khmer Clothes
Pajamas anyone? I also like that fact that Cambodians dress conservatively. Most of the men wear tailored shirts and pants and many women wear colourful tops and pants which come in pairs. Too bad I don’t have a photo of the women in pajamas!
6 – No McDonalds!
Hallelujah! No McDonalds in sight!! They do have KFC but I believe they only have 2 or 3 nationwide. I think Khmers are really thin. I tried looking for extremely overweight people but I failed. Back home, I can find 3-4 obese individuals in 5-10mins of walking in the mall.
5 – Blue Pumpkin
Our jaws dropped when we entered Blue Pumpkin. It’s such a brilliant business idea! If you are sweating buckets walking around the city, take a break and chill out here. They have a good selection of food and really delicious ice cream. The best part? Take off your shoes/slippers and lounge on the comfy couch!
Must try: America Cup Ice Cream
4 – Mee Cha (Deep Fried Noodles)
For $ 1, this makes a really good meal / midnight snack! I’m salivating as I post this photo.
3 – Happy Pizza
Let’s just say, the pizza does really make you happy!! 😉 The best place for this is Ecstatic Pizza in Siem Reap. The ones in Phnom Penh were not as happy as it should be.
2 – The temples
Of course this should be on the list! I thought my reaction would be “Ahhh ok” but when I saw Angkor Wat for the first time, I was like “OMG HOLY SMOKES! It is indeed magical”. It was a good thing we came during monsoon season because the rain made our temple hopping more bearable. Cambodian heat can her very unforgiving.
1 – The Khmers!
We really had a great time thanks to the lovely Cambodians we met. Most of the people we interacted with were very nice and even went out of they way to help us! I’ve read many stories on tourists having unpleasant experiences in Cambodia. Of course we had the occasional aggressive tout/tuktuk and one time, there was a kid who verbally abused both Benj and I because we refused to give him money. I guess we were lucky to meet a handful of friendly Cambodians under the names of Rathy, Kagna, Mr. Si Ta, Tee, Chey, Pros etc.!
On another note, Cambodia’s recent history is really traumatizing. It was so painful to go through Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields because it was just around 37 years ago. On the streets, you can see beggars who had their limbs cut off because of land mines. Poverty is very evident and education is not within reach for many. I believe the people are still in agony but are doing their best to recover.
I can say that Cambodia’s one of my favorite destinations in Asia and I’ll definitely be back.
anakristinalaadventurera.wordpress.com 