Blogs we like

During our time in Vietnam we heard a lot about what it was like to travel around Cambodia – most of it negative. Undeterred by these reports we decided to go and see for ourselves and arrived in Phnom Pehn after one of the more sedate coach journeys of our trip to date. So far, so good.

Phnom Pehn seemed pretty lifeless after the hustle and bustle of Saigon and Hanoi. Another difference we’d noticed on arrival in the Cambodian capital was how visible the country’s poverty was. Around one of the city’s many temples, amputees would sit on the steps begging, while young children would approach you asking for dollars.

Unfortunately state support for the most disadvantaged people, such as amputees, is minimal. Things look more positive for the children of Phnom Phen with a number of NGOs working on their behalf. We supported one of these organisations by eating in their restaurant, which is managed by former street kids, and buying souvenirs from their gift shop.

There was plenty to see during our two days in Phnom Phen, including the spectacular Royal Palace. But our main reason for coming to Cambodia was to explore the Angkor temples in the north of the country near Siem Reap. A bus journey later and we were in the thick of Cambodia’s most bustling tourist centre.

The most common way of seeing the temples is to hire one of the local tuk-tuk drivers for a few hours. However, we decided to take advantage of the free cycle hire that our guesthouse offered. We were rewarded for our efforts to get up at 5.30am with an almost empty Angkor Wat. By the time we’d spent two hours exploring the temple the crowds were starting to build up and it was time to move on to the even more impressive Angkor Thom.

A citadel rather than a temple, Angkor Thom covers a lot more ground than area’s other historic sites. We cycled between its north and south gates, stopping occasionally to check out the ruins along the way. Our two-wheeled mode of transport offered us the freedom to stop whenever we felt like it, unlike tuk-tuks or taxis.

After a long morning of sightseeing we noticed a dark cloud drifting overhead. But our attempts to get back before the afternoon deluge began failed miserably and we arrived back soaked to the skin.

Our second day of exploration took in the overgrown ruin of Ta Prohm, which was used as a backdrop to the film Tomb Raider. Abandoned for centuries, nature had taken over the temple, with the roots of trees wrapped round the temple’s stone structures. The temple is far from neglected now. By the time we arrived, it was already overrun with tour groups both large and small.

Before we headed to the Thai border, we took a detour to the nearby city of Battambang. After an eight hour boat trip, we arrived in a place that couldn’t be more different to Siem Reap. Once we’d shaken off the tuk-tuk and moto drivers at the boat launch, our stay in Battambang was remarkably hassle free. – A nice change from the touts and the hawkers who make their living around the Angkor temples.

When we arrived at our guesthouse, the Australian owner told us that Battambang is “the real Cambodia”. Indeed, it is a place devoid of the commercial gloss of Siem Reap and other places we’d visited on our journey. One of my favourite memories of my time in Cambodia is watching hundreds of women taking part in a public workout in one of Battambang’s parks. It’s quite a sight and as I returned to our tuk-tuk I thought how nice it was to have finally found “the real Cambodia”.