As soon as I crossed the border from Vietnam to Cambodia, my mood lifted as if by magic. The landscape suddenly became lush and green, the roads clearer and the people 'smilier.' Still traveling with Louise and Floor, our first stop was Sinhoukville; a standard stop on the backpacker circuit. We were planning on heading down the coast to Otres beach but the rain was torrential, so we decided to hole up in Serendipity beach where there was more going on - i.e. other people to talk to and lots of bars in which to while away the wet days...
When the rain paused for long enough for us to jump in a tuk-tuk, we headed to Otres Beach and Mushroom Point, a guesthouse that I had been looking forward to visiting ever since my friend Lucy had told me about her stay there earlier in the year. Run by a Slovenian couple, it is an unusual concept where everything is round - the huts, the beds, the bathrooms, and run to such a high standard you can see why they are always fully booked.
After 4 days of waiting for the rain to stop, we gave up hope of enjoying the beautiful beach, and boarded a bus for Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. I was pleasantly surprised by the city - as ever, other people's experiences had coloured my preconceptions, totally unjustifiably. It is much more relaxed than Saigon in Vietnam (the last big city I encountered), with fewer motorcycles and much more green space.
We spent a day seeing the obligatory sights of S-21 prison and the killing fields. As you can imagine, this didn't make for a happy Eleanor... but i'm glad I went and learned about the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge. Some of the things they did make Hitler look like an amateur. But I won't dwell...
From Phnom Penh, Lou and I took a bus north to the town of Kumpong Chnang, which translates at the 'Port of Pottery.' We stayed for a couple of days and explored the beautiful surrounding countryside with the aid of two very helpful local motorcycle guides - visiting pottery workshops, a lotus flower lake and a floating village where we were greeted by dozens of very happy children, waving a shouting 'hello' (plus this little fellow above who had a novel way of moving around the village)!
After Kumpong Chnang we took yet another bus to Battambang, Cambodia's 4th city. It was rather underwhelming, but we spent a nice day there exploring the local countryside and temples.
At Bayon Temple we met a lovely local lady who was a child during the Khmer Rouge's rule (it's rare to meet anyone over the age of 40 in Cambodia - the average age is frighteningly young). She told us that she wasn't pretty enough to get married, and didn't have any parents after losing them as a child. Very sad, but she was very upbeat and we enjoyed speaking with her. Typical of Cambodia actually, they have been through so much - arguably more than Vietnam - but still manage to be friendly and welcoming to visitors.
Another stop was at Ancient House, where we were shown around by he elderly owner. She has lived her whole life in the house built by her great-grandfather at the end of the 1800's. Fortunately for us, she spoke fluent French due to earlier colonial rule, so we were able to talk about her life (though we tactfully avoided asking anything about the 1970's).
We took the boat from Battambang to Siem Reap across the vast lake of Tonle Sap. Early the next morning we were up at 4.45am in time to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. And what a site worth getting up for!
Despite the hordes of Japanese (and every other nationality) tourists, it was a beautiful moment. If I had taken ear plugs with me it would have been absolutely perfect! By 8am we were ready for bed... but pushed onto see Angkor Thom, and many more temples on the 'small circuit.' Bayon (the one with the faces) was a highlight, as was Ta Som where I had just finished saying "wouldn't this be a great place to play hide and seek" when we rounded the corner and came across a group of local children doing exactly that!
After day two of seeing the temples, I said goodbye to Louise who was heading back to a life of luxury in Monaco (via Dubai)! I'm now back with my travel buddies Floor and Zu and am looking for a school in which to teach English for the next month or so before I go to the last country on my list (well... this time around) - Myanmar!
If you would like to see any more pictures check out the link below:
1 comment:
I enjoyed reading that Ele. Looks like you are having fun! Peter M
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