Cambodia

Destination – Asia

Adventures in Cambodia

One Month Is Way Too Long

We spent 28 days in Cambodia, December 7th to January 3rd, and thought it was entirely too much time. Originally, we loved Cambodia despite the food poisoning Lindsey got on our third day. We loved Siem Reap, the Angkor Temples, and Battambang. Things took a bit of a turn in Phnom Penh. We couldn’t seem to escape the loud thumping music and sex tourism during both our stays in Phnom Penh and especially our time on Koh Rong. We budgeted a month in Cambodia because we thought it would be quiet, rural travel. We were disappointed to find that Cambodia is firmly on the backpacker trail filled with twenty-somethings looking to party on the cheap. They are easy to identify because they blatantly ignore local customs by wearing skimpy clothing and usually have bandages covering new tattoos or motorbike crash injuries (no license required). The more we tried to avoid the backpacker scene, the more we couldn’t get away from it. However, on a positive note, the Cambodian people are some of the friendliest locals we have encountered anywhere.

1. Go

Transportation in Cambodia is a hot mess. We can easily say that it was never boring and kept us on our toes. They usually drive on the right, but only if it’s convenient. There are sometimes road signs, which are universally ignored. There are trucks loaded way too high, mopeds with a family of four, and tuk tuks vying for road space. The only thing that keeps all this from being terrifying is the slow speed that most vehicles travel (at least in towns). Tuk tuks are common in Cambodia for both tourists and locals. We did several tuk tuk tours which are some of our favorite memories from all of Cambodia.

Cambodia – Siem Reap – View from the tuk tuk

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Our wonderful tuk tuk driver!

Cambodia – Battambang – View from the tuk tuk

We had the pleasure/misfortune of taking several boat rides. The first was a four hour ride that turned into eight brutally hot hours from Siem Reap to Battambang. Then some ferry rides and transfers to and from Koh Rong. These were some of the sketchiest boats we have ever been in. The ferry was fine, but the seas were so rough, we named it the “Barf Boat.” The transfer boats were not only questionably safe, they were often overfilled.

Cambodia – Tonle Sap Lake

Cambodia – Koh Rong – boat transfer in rough seas (not the “Barf Boat”)

Total traveling distances:

Plane – 400 km
Minibus – 740 km
Boat – 160 km
Tuk Tuk – 192 km
Foot – 267,000 steps

2. See

People typically come to Cambodia for one reason – the Angkor temples – and they are outstanding. Aside from that, the only thing we really thought was worthwhile was the S21 Museum and Killing Fieilds documenting the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, but were charmed by the city of Battambang.

Favorite Sights:

Angkor Temples – How can you not love this place? We were worried about battling the crowds, but we only found it to be a problem twice: first at Ankor Wat during sunrise and then at the Tomb Raider temple. We found lots of temples with very few people. It was simply magical.

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Preah Ko

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Ta Prohm

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Chau Say Tevoda

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Angkor Thom

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Angkor Thom – The Faces of Bayon

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Pat exploring Preah Khan

Favorite Museums:

S21 – This former school was turned into a prison and torture center during the Khmer Rouge regime. It is now a museum documenting the atrocities committed during their reign.
Killing Fields – This is one of many killing fields littering Cambodia. It was the final resting place for thousands of Cambodian people killed by the Khmer Rouge for being a threat (including teachers, lawyers, doctors, and their families).

Cambodia – Phnom Penh – S21

Cambodia – Phnom Penh – Killing Fields

Favorite Surprise:

Battambang – This is a dusty, small town (actually, Cambodia’s second largest) that is still on the tourist path, but skipped over by most people. We stayed in a weird business hotel and did a tuk tuk tour of all the sights in one day. The town pretty much shut down around 8pm, which we really appreciated. None of the sights were all that impressive, but we were charmed by our tuk tuk guide and felt like we got to see the real Cambodia for the first time.

Cambodia – Battambang – Our driver/guide with his six month old son

Cambodia – Battambang – The Bamboo Train

Cambodia – Battambang

Cambodia – Battambang – Phnom Samplou

Cambodia – Battambang – Phnom Samplou bat cave exodus

3. Eat

Meh. Although food was easy to find, it felt very contrived and sterilized. Every restaurant served the exact same thing. They all had Khmer curry on the menu on one page, then hamburgers and pizza on the next page. All the street stalls were selling banana and chocolate pancakes. We did not see locals eating at the majority of the restaurants we visited, except for Battambang.

Favorite Foods:

Amok – We tried this mild Khmer curry multiple times and liked it every time. It’s traditionally made with fish and wrapped in banana leaves.

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Lunch!

4. Drink

We happened to be in Cambodia during Christmas and New Years, but there wasn’t much variety in the drink selection. All the cocktails were ones you would expect at a resort in Florida and the beers were generic light lagers that were refreshing in the heat, but not terribly interesting. There were lots of stands selling fruit smoothies and juices, but after watching the ice being transported, we had some serious food safety concerns. We did have a few juices and smoothies, but only at cleaner establishments.

Favorite Drinks:

Hot Toddy – Pat came down with a nasty cold during our week on Koh Rong. We taught the bartender how to make a hot toddy (hot drinks aren’t all the popular when it’s 95 out).
Fresh Fruit Juice – Delicious and served everywhere. Unfortunately, we only enjoyed them a few times after seeing the questionable cleanliness of most places serving them.

5. Sleep

We had very mixed experiences with our hotels/hostels/campsites in Cambodia. It was one of those countries where we had to make an effort to escape the partying backpackers, but didn’t always succeed. Regardless of the quality of the establishment, the staff were always beyond friendly.

Favorite Sleeps:

Villa Medamrei, Siem Reap – Our first nights were spent in this lovely, quiet place tucked away.

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Villa Medamrei

6. Move

Continuing with the hot and humid countries has made working out difficult. Cambodia was not an easy country to walk or run in. We struggled even walking a few blocks since there are rarely sidewalks which means we would have to walk in the street with traffic. Pat found a few running routes along rivers, but they tended to be smelly from all the trash and had inconsistent quality. The only place we were able to walk at length was in and around the Angkor temples.

Favorite walking spot:

Angkor Temples – We spent three days wandering these gems. Many were not crowded at all and allowed us to wander and climb at our leisure. We had some very high steps count during our touring days.

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Lindsey on Pre Rup

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Angkor Thom – Pat climbing into the Library of Bayon

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Lindsey on the boardwalk to Neak Poan

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Angkor Thom – Bayon

7. Etcetera

As we’ve mentioned before, our rough budget for this trip is $100 a day (for two people). Our daily average in Cambodia was $72.76. We were surprised it wasn’t cheaper. Everything we read before said that everything from food to lodging would be cheap. We paid a little more for hotels sometimes in an effort to avoid the party crowd.

Our biggest surprise overall was the friendliness of the locals, and not just towards us, towards each other. They were very physical with each other in a playful way – like teenagers flirting. It was not uncommon to see grown men putting each other in headlocks or chasing girls with something gross in hand. At one restaurant we visited, they kept closing the refrigerator door while someone else was trying to get stuff out. The trapped worker would then chase the other trying to kick them, all with huge grins and fits of laughter. It was refreshing to see people unabashedly having fun.

Check out all our photos from Cambodia on Flickr and our post, Colors of Cambodia.

Also, check out our weekly posts from Cambodia:

Colors of Cambodia

Nomadic Cadence - Header - Color - RAINBOW

Cambodia – Phnom Penh – The Royal Palace

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Chau Say Tevoda

Cambodia – Battambang – Gas for motorcycles in sode bottles

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Angkor Thom

Cambodia – Tonle Sap Lake

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Silk

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Angkor Wat

A collection of some of our favorite photos from Cambodia, one for each color of the rainbow. Click on the first photo to view a slideshow. Check out our Flickr page to see all our photos from Cambodia. Also, check out our photo collections by color.

BLACK & WHITE

Cambodia – Battambang – Phnom Samplou sunset

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Preah Ko

Week 31 – Koh (W)Rong and Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The Case of the Stolen Shoe and a “Happy” New Year

Cambodia – Koh Rong

Note: We apologize for the lack of photos this week! We were not in our best form.

Wow. Just wow. What a week. We finished the end of last week skeptical about the “resort” we were staying at. We were half way through our week long stay (Christmas to New Years Day) and it continued to be a mixed bag. The location was beautiful, the water was warm, and it was always sunny. Unfortunately, the staff had no idea what they are doing, there was a stray dog that stole shoes, music blared from 11am to 11pm (later on NYE, obviously), and there was trash everywhere. The trash problem was actually a huge issue. They cleaned the beaches daily, but every morning more had washed ashore. There was another beach a short walk away and one end was just covered – enough to fill several dumpsters. It was also all around the tents – the boxes the tents came in, the tent instructions, plastic bottles, boxes from light bulbs sitting below lights… etc. We are only paying $5 for the tent, but we aren’t sure it’s worth it. It’s been quite an experience, but we would never recommend it!

The worst was when the stray dog stole Pat’s nice hiking shoe after we returned from a long, hot hike and were laying in the shade to cool off. It was just before sunset, and the black dog named Serious, ran up, snatched the shoe, and took off. Just then, some cyclists zoomed past. Serious got excited and started to chase them with the shoe still in his possession. We were barefoot and did our best to chase after him, but he was too fast. Before we knew it he was out of sight and the shoe was no where to be found. Pat was feeling too drained from the hike to do much, so Lindsey grabbed a flash light and searched for an hour before returning empty handed. We asked the staff for help and they just brushed it off – “oh, yeah, he does that” was all they said. We went to bed furious and frustrated. Lindsey woke at dawn to search again, hoping those P.I. skills from Thailand would pay off. Again, after over an hour, she returned empty handed. About mid day, Pat was walking through the resort with his one shoe clipped to his bag, when a worker ran up to him pointing to his lone shoe and gesturing for him to follow. He lead Pat to a spot off the path where he had spotted the stolen shoe! The dog must have dropped it while chasing the cyclists. The spot was far from where he first stole the shoe and we probably would not have found it. Whew!

The build up of stress from the hike, stolen shoe, heat, poor sleep, constant thump-thump of bar music, and trying to make due at this poorly run resort caused Pat to come down with a cold, which of course, just added to the stress. On New Years Eve, we finally broke down into a blubbering pile of tears. We fled to a beach just a short walk away at the end of the resort. Although it was missing the comfy lounge chairs, it was also missing the constant thump-thump-thump. We spent the entire evening there, all the way to the New Year. In the distance, we could see an impressive fireworks display on the mainland. It was the best three hours on Koh Rong and a perfect way to finish 2015.

1. Go

Minibus – 220 km. A white knuckle, rambling ride from Sihanoukville to Phnom Pehn.
Boat – 40 km. We returned the same way we came via ferry from Koh Rong to Sihanoukville. In the morning, we noticed that the seas seemed rougher than usual. Sure enough, upon boarding the ferry staff handed out barf bags and said it would be a rough ride. After running over our own line and having to get a diver to free the motor, we were off for a bouncy 1.5 hour ride. Within minutes, people were throwing up. Luckily, we both do pretty well on boats and did not get sick. Unfortunately, about half the passengers were not so lucky. It was almost comical how many people got sick, sad because these people were very uncomfortable, but still comical. It was reminiscent of a Monty Python sketch or that scene from Stand By Me. We started referring to it as the “Barf Boat.”

Cambodia – Koh Rong – boat transfer in rough seas (not the “Barf Boat”)

Foot – 72,000 steps in 7 days (approx. 36 miles)

2. See

We did not see much this week. At the resort we each read several books and cooled off by swimming every few hours. There were some really beautiful parts of the resort and we’d be lying if we said we didn’t enjoy ourselves at least some of the time. The best time of day was the morning, 7am to 11am, before the music got going. We also appreciated the inconsistent power supply since it gave us multiple hour long breaks from the thump-thump-thump while the power was out.

Cambodia – Koh Rong – Our usual spot

Cambodia – Koh Rong – Pat relaxing

Cambodia – Koh Rong

Cambodia – Koh Rong – so many choices on where to spend the day

We spent the end of the week back in Phnom Penh hunkered in our hotel room soaking in the A/C, cable, and speedy wifi. Since we had already seen the sights, we did not feel guilty staying in our room planning all day. We booked transportation and lodging for our first week in Vietnam and worked on planning our route for the next few months.

3. Eat

Our cuisine wasn’t all that impressive or varied this week. At the resort, we only had two options – the bar and the Chinese restaurant. Since both had higher prices than the mainland, we tried to limit our food budget by ordering large dishes we could easily share.

Back in Phnom Penh, we enjoyed huge, tasty breakfasts included at our hotel. We also treated ourselves to dinner at the hotel restaurant twice. The food was fresh and delicious especially compared to what we ate at the resort. For our other meals, we mainly ate food from the grocery store to keep our budget down.

4. Drink

When Pat started getting a cold after some stressful days, all he wanted was a hot toddy. Before the bar got busy, we asked the bar tender to make one. He had no idea what it was, but seemed really excited to learn. He did a great job and Pat was much more comfortable.

5. Sleep

In an effort to increase our comfort, we tried to upgrade to a raised platform tent complete with a mattress and pillows instead of an air mattress. They only had one available for three nights smack in the middle of our stay, but we decided to take it anyway. It was a great decision. It was more spacious, cooler, and softer, not to mention it was cleaner since it was up a ladder and not in a sandbox. For our last two nights, we assumed we would return to the same ground tent, but they moved us to one further from the action and in better shape than the first. It was a little less comfortable than the platform tent, but much better than the first ground tent.

For the remainder of the week in Phnom Penh, we chose to stay at a nicer boutique hotel at the edge of our budget. The room was huge and mostly quiet, although we can hear the karaoke bar out our window between 9pm and midnight. But we relished in the A/C and used our time to plan our future travels.

6. Move

We had grand plans to rent kayaks and snorkel gear while at the resort, but never really got around to it. Regardless, Monday and Tuesday were probably our best days at the resort. We spent the days body surfing, reading in the shade, and eating.

Wednesday we attempted to walk to town. It sounded easy enough – “follow the trail for 15 minutes, then turn left at the road and you will reach town in less than two hours.” In reality, it was much more complicated. We took two wrong turns, had to double back, eventually coming out on a beach and waded through a waist deep delta, arriving in about two hours. About half the walk was completely exposed which resulted in an unpleasantly hot hour-long stretch.

Check out Pat’s CADENCE Week 31 post (coming soon) for details about this week.

7. Etcetera

2015 has been quite a year. We took a huge risk by quitting our jobs, selling most of our worldly possessions, and setting off on our round the world adventure. We would be lying if we said our seven months of adventure has been easy. On the contrary, it’s been difficult and a bit scary at times. But more than anything, it’s been rewarding and educational. We have not only learned more about the world we live in, but also about ourselves – what we enjoy, what we can live without, what we miss from home. We’ve had some extreme highs – Machu Picchu, Easter Island, Angkor Wat, all of Taiwan. And some extreme lows -Peru-Bolivia boarder crossing fiasco, getting sick in Peru/Bolivia/Chile/Tahiti/Taiwan/Cambodia, transportation woes in Bolivia, shoe-stealing dog in Cambodia. Although after enough time and enough beers, those lows have turned into “good travel stories.” We are learning how to get through the tough times with more grace and patience. We hope 2016 will bring more adventure around the world. We realize that sometimes the good comes hand in hand with the bad – in an attempt to “eat like a local” we may get food poisoning or we may discover the best food of our lives – but sometimes it’s worth it! So, our New Years resolutions are to be brave, have patience, be kind, and PMA (phrase from our Machu Picchu guide meaning “positive mental attitude” but usually used as a verb).

Peru – Machu Picchu

Bolivia – Chacaltaya – Illimani Peak in the background and the highest we have ever been! 17,785 feet

Bolivia – Salar de Uyuni – Perspective shot

Argentina – Buenos Aires – The Boca

Chile – Valparaiso – Fine Arts Museum

Chile – Rapa Nui (Easter Island) – Rano Raraku

French Polynesia – Mo’orea – Lindsey with Poisson Cru

New Zealand – Waitomo Caves – Hole for two

New Zealand – Franz Josef Glacier

Taiwan – Sun Moon Lake – 5 months and still alive!

Thailand – Ko Lanta – Traditional Thanksgiving drinks?

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Preah Ko

Check out our Flickr album to see all our photos from this week.

Week 30 – Phnom Penh and Koh Rong, Cambodia

Cambodia’s Dark Past and Beautiful Beaches

Cambodia – Phnom Penh – Killing Field

We began this week in Phnom Penh exploring the painful history of the Khmer Rouge regime. We visited the Killing Fields and the S-21 Museum, which is similar to visiting Auschwitz and the Holocaust Museum. They both document the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge during the late 1970’s. They came into power through opportunities partially created by the neighboring war in Vietnam. The Khmer Rouge marched into Phnom Penh to cheers from the Cambodian people, desperate for the fighting to stop. Within hours of occupying Phnom Penh, they began to evacuate the city and force everyone to the countryside to begin their communist utopia. The regime was paranoid that they would lose power and began to torture and kill anyone who they thought may be a threat. This included teachers, doctors, lawyers, artists, and anyone with higher education. Even wearing glasses could be a death sentence. During the Khmer Rouge regime, 3 million people were killed. Cambodia only had a population of 8 million, so nearly 40% of the population was exterminated.

We ended the week celebrating Christmas on an island off the coast called Koh Rong. It took a little longer to get there than we thought. But it’s quiet and away from the crowds. The “resort” isn’t run very well – they opened in October and clearly weren’t ready. They are still working out a lot of the kinks. We are having a nice time despite the problems with the resorts poor management. This was the least Christmasy-Christmas we have ever had. It’s not just that we are on the beach, it’s that none of the locals celebrate. There are some decorations at tourist spots, but it’s not the “Holiday Season” here. We had a lovely day, but we miss the celebration and lead up.

1. Go

Minibus – 220 km. Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville.
Boat – 40 km. The longer than planned trip to Koh Rong.
Tuk Tuk – 12 km. To and from our hostel in Sihanoukville
Foot – 54,000 steps in 7 days (approx. 27 miles)

2. See

The S-21 Museum was a school before the Khmer Rouge turned it into a prison and torture center. No one who entered the prison escaped alive until the Khmer Rouge lost power. The Killing Field we visited is just one of hundreds of mass graves scattered throughout Cambodia. The stories of how they killed people was gruesome. Suffice it to say that they wanted to conserve bullets, since they were expensive, and used any tools or weapons available to kill millions of men, women, children, and babies. Both locations had excellent audio tours that guided us through personal stories and the brutal history.

Cambodia – Phnom Penh – Killing Fields

Cambodia – Phnom Penh – S21

Cambodia – Phnom Penh – Killing Field

We watched The Killing Fields the day after visiting the museum and genocide monument. It was made in the 1980’s only a few years after the Khmer Rouge lost their grip on Cambodia. It held up pretty well and told a painful true story of an American journalist and his Cambodian counterpart. We are glad that we visited the museums first, because the movie did not really explain what was going on at the beginning or the motivations. We watched the movie at a theater above a bar/restaurant. It was $3.50 for a day pass, so we just stayed the rest of the day to watch Anchorman and The Wolf of Wall Street.

3. Eat

While on a tuk tuk ride another driver was munching on a bag of fried grasshoppers. He saw us looking and offered some. We both tried some. They were seasoned with salt and spice, so they just tasted crunchy and salty. Not bad!

At our resort in Koh Rong, we are completely dependent on the restaurant and bar for food because we are a few kilometers from anything else. The hours are a bit unpredictable and we have been told twice that they are not serving food yet – once at 4pm which is understandable, but the other time was at noon. When we are able to order food it’s a bit slow to arrive, but tastes good and the portions are large.

4. Drink

We’ve been taking advantage of cheap beers a little too much and decided to hold back upon our arrival at Koh Rong. The beers at our resort are $1 instead of $0.50 or $0.75, so it’s also worth it to save a few bucks. The coffee is also pricey here and not included in the price of breakfast, so we have decided to dip into our supply of instant coffee. It saves us $4 a day, which by Cambodian standards is huge.

5. Sleep

In Phnom Penh, we continued staying in the strange hotel with no windows. But the price made it totally worth it, especially since breakfast was included. Oh, and the view from breakfast was spectacular!

Cambodia – Phnom Penh – View from breakfast

On our way to Koh Rong, we stayed for one night in a dorm in the town of Sihanoukville. The beds were surprisingly comfortable and the room was surprisingly quiet. We were a little disappointed by the location, but for one night we could handle it.

Our place in Koh Rong is interesting… it’s a new resort with cabins and tents (opened in October). We went for a ground tent for $5 a night. The location is perfect. It’s right on the beach with lots of lounge chairs under huge umbrellas, but the resort is a bit of a mess. They are very disorganized and haven’t quite got a system figured out yet. We wanted to upgrade to a raised platform tent and it just took forever to make it happen. Then on the day of the switch, there was still someone in the tent. We didn’t mind waiting, but we wish they would tell us what was going on.

Cambodia – Koh Rong – so many choices on where to spend the day

Cambodia – Koh Rong – Pat going for a swim

Cambodia – Koh Rong – Pat relaxing

6. Move

Pat was able to get in a few runs along the riverfront in Phnom Penh. Our time on Koh Rong has been mostly laying on the beach and body surfing a few times a day. We did fit in a legs circuit on the beach after the sunset. We wanted to include short sprints into the circuit, but there was a dog living at the resort that got way too excited and started chasing us. He’s just having fun, but we don’t know him and don’t want to get bit.

Check out Pat’s CADENCE Week 30 post (coming soon) for details about this week.

7. Etcetera

We love dogs. That being said, while traveling we have avoided interacting with dogs and other animals. Rabies is a major concern in many countries we have visited and Cambodia has the highest rate of human rabies death in the world. Good thing we got our rabies shots before we left! We haven’t seen many stray dogs in Cambodian cities, but on Koh Rong it’s apparently a big problem. They are trying to spay and neuter all the dogs they can get their hands on.

Check out our Flickr album to see all our photos from this week.

Week 29 – Siem Reap, Battambang, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Slow Boats, Tuk Tuks, and Kids

Cambodia – Tonle Sap Lake

This week our most memorable experiences revolved around transportation and children. We finished our long stay in Siem Reap by visiting the museum. Then we made our way to Battambang via a surprisingly long boat trip. We spent a few days exploring this sleepy second city, including a full day tour by tuk tuk, before making our way to the capitol, Phnom Penh. Everywhere we go kids jump and wave and yell “hello” as loud as they can. Parents laugh and encourage their little ones to wave. It seems that we are just as interesting to them as they are to us.

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is next week. Cambodia is 95% Theravada Buddhist, so Christmas is not a common celebration. There is a little bit of season envy and most hotels that cater to western tourists have a tree in the lobby. But if your not looking for it, you will completly miss it. We’ve traveled for Christmas before, but we’ve never missed all the preparations too. To get in the holiday spirit, we went to a screening of Love Actually at a restaurant/bar/theater. At $3.50 per ticket and $0.75 beers, it was money well spent.

1. Go

Minibus – 300 km. We took a short minibus ride to the pier that was beyond crowded. They crammed five people per row and stacked bags to the ceiling. It was like a clown car. Our six hour trip from Battambang to Phnom Penh was much more enjoyable.
Boat – 80 km. The boat from Siem Reap to Battambang was an adventure. In the wet season, it can be as short as four hours, but in the dry season, it can be eight hours. Yep, it’s the dry season! We spent all day on the crowded boat, sitting at the back breathing exhaust fumes, avoiding the heat of the engine, and using ear plugs to dull the constant drone of the engine. The upside was seeing the floating villages and the kids waving.
Tuk tuk – 62 km. We enjoyed a full day tour of the Battambang area with our entrepreneurial driver. Like our driver in Siem Reap, we were moved by his motivation to better his life and his family’s life. He told us his story of learning English at night by the light of the fire, buying his first used tuk tuk, and saving to by building materials for his home. He even had a guestbook signed by all his patrons.

Cambodia – Battambang – View from the tuk tuk

Foot – 78,000 steps in 7 days (approx. 39 miles)

2. See

We finished our time in Siem Reap by visiting the Angkor National Museum. It was definitely worth a visit for the wealth of historical information about the temples. However, we felt like it was missing something. We have visited a lot of museums this year and found that our favorites not only impart information but tell a compelling story. The story was missing from the displays here. Despite that, it was still a nice conclusion to our Angkor experience.

We saw a completely different side of life on our boat trip from Siem Reap to Battambang. There are numerous floating villages on Tonle Sap lake and even more homesteads along the Sangker river. Some of these villages are Vietnamese immigrants. Our boatful of western tourists was as much of a sight to the locals as the villages were to us. Everyone stopped to watch us motor by and all the kids waved with enthusiasm normally reserved for celebrities. We stopped only once, at a floating store for lunch. Unfortunately, they ran out of hot food so we bought some packaged pastries for lunch.

Cambodia – Tonle Sap Lake

Cambodia – Battambang – Our driver/guide with his six month old son

Battambang is the second largest city in Cambodia, but it still feels small. It’s far less touristy than Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, but there is still an established tourist trail. We took a full day tuk tuk tour to see the sights in the area. As mentioned in the GO section, our driver was delightful. On the way to the first tourist attraction we briefly visited his family. He’s currently renting, but wants to build a house. He showed us the stilts he has purchased. He told us they were $25 a piece. He had about five but needs about twelve to begin building. He introduced us to his young daughter and his six month old son. He spoke a lot about how being a tour guide has helped him earn enough money to buy rice to feed his family.

Our first stop of the day was the Bamboo train. It’s an odd attraction, but kinda fun. It’s a bamboo platform on wheels powered by a motor. It’s only one way, so any time we encountered travelers heading the opposite direction, they would just pick up the platform and wheels and set them aside while they passed. At the end of the ride, we stopped for ten minutes where we were relentlessly hounded by little girls selling bracelets. From there we traveled through rice patties to visit a decaying temple behind a modern, well used temple with impressive paintings. It was much less impressive than those around Siem Reap.

Cambodia – Battambang – The Bamboo Train

Cambodia – Battambang

Cambodia – Battambang – View from the tuk tuk

Cambodia – Battambang – Gas for motorcycles in sode bottles

After a mid day break for lunch and a fuel stop we visited some rice patties and watched some kids fishing in the irrigation creek. Our final stop was to the hill top temple at Phnom Sampeu. The temple and the view are impressive, but just next to these is a large cave with a dark history. The Khmer Rouge used this hill top as a prison and threw thousands of people to their death into the caves. There is now a shrine in the bottom of one cave with a pile of broken skulls. Our driver grew up in this area and said that when he was six years old he remembered his friends coming to school and saying their parents had been killed. He remembers living in fear that his parents would be killed. He was very angry about the damage the Khmer Rouge did to his country and told us that we would have been targets because we are educators. After a somber tour we returned to the bottom of the hill to watch as six million bats streamed out of the cave for the night.

Cambodia – Battambang

Cambodia – Battambang – Phnom Samplou

Cambodia – Battambang – Phnom Samplou sunset

Cambodia – Battambang – Phnom Samplou bat cave exodus

For our first touring day in Phnom Penh, we chose to explore town. We visited the waterfront and the Royal Palace. It was similar to the Grand Palace in Bangkok, but smaller. There is a lot of potential for restoration and organization, but currently it’s a bit of a mess. The Silver Pagoda, inside the Palace compound, is listed by all the guidebooks as one of the top sights. It’s named for the silver tiles that cover the inside of the Pagoda. Unfortunately, the floor was covered in rugs and the only tiles showing were badly damaged.

Cambodia – Phnom Penh – The Royal Palace

3. Eat

Khmer food continues to be delicious if a little bit boring – maybe predictable is more accurate. Finding food in Thailand and Cambodia has been incredibly easy. There are tons of restaurants catering to tourists with English menus and photos of their dishes. It’s actually hard to find a place that doesn’t cater to tourists. The only downside is that nearly every place serves the same stuff. Amok, the traditional Khmer curry, can be found at every restaurant along with hamburgers and pizza.

4. Drink

The coffee continues to have a unique taste everywhere we go. On the plus side, it’s always fresh from the espresso machine. We’re also enjoying cheap beers. A glass of beer at a restaurant is usually $0.50 to $1. Since it’s often cheaper than bottled water, we have been imbibing a little more than we probably should. On a slightly more exciting note, we visited a brew pub in Siem Reap for an early dinner. The beers were pretty good, but nothing too exciting. We were really impressed by the quality of the food. We had western food for the first time in a long time.

Cambodia – Siem Reap – Brew Pub

5. Sleep

We left our beautiful boutique hotel in Siem Reap and stayed in a business hotel in Battambang. Our room was huge and nearly empty except for large carved wood furniture. Luckily, it was quiet and cheap (only $20 a night). Our place in Phnom Penh is a bit strange. The room is pretty bare without a window, but with A/C, a bathroom, and cable TV. We are right on the waterfront, so it’s a bit noisier than we would like, but it works.

6. Move

We are trying to be a more active lately, but it’s a bit difficult. Pat has fit in a few runs, but the roads are not very conducive to pedestrians. We are getting a little frustrated with our inactivity. It may be for the best since Lindsey still isn’t feeling 100%.

Check out Pat’s CADENCE Week 29 post (coming soon) for details about this week.

7. Etcetera

We continue to be impressed by Cambodia. The people we have met are some of the friendliest, most generous, and hard working folk we have encountered. On our last morning in Siem Reap, while waiting for our bus, our Angkor tuk tuk driver drove by with new patrons. He stopped and ran across the road to ask if we were well and to say goodbye. In Battambang, our tuk tuk driver introduced us to his family and hiked with us up to the temples.

On a more somber note: although we are really loving our time in Cambodia, it has been tainted by the prevalence of sex tourism. In Siem Reap and Battambang, nearly all the tourist seemed to be actual tourists interested in seeing the sights and experiencing the culture. However, upon our arrival in Phnom Penh, it became clear that some of the tourists are not here for the right reasons. Sex tourism is deplorable and degrading. With all the atrocities that Cambodia has gone through in the recent past, it’s hard to believe that people would want to take advantage of Cambodians even further.

Check out our Flickr album to see all our photos from this week.