A quintessential tropical setting, richly endowed by nature, a country that is caught between its glorious past and the wretched memories of the not so distant past.
My search for a destination with blue waters, history, nature and visa-on-arrival (USD 30 per person to be paid in USD with 1 PP sized photo) culminated at Cambodia. There is so much to see in the country, I had to pick the places like stocks on a limited budget.
Sihanoukville (on the sea), Siem Reap (gateway to the ruins) and Phnom Penh (we didn't have an option with this, entered and exited Cambodia from here)
Sihanoukville (on the sea), Siem Reap (gateway to the ruins) and Phnom Penh (we didn't have an option with this, entered and exited Cambodia from here)
Sihanoukville - The Sea
Sihanoukville, though not the best 'beach' destination in South East Asia was definitely as beautiful as any white-sand, blue-water, touristy sea side place can get. A little bit too touristy for my taste. I spent many hours trying to book a hotel on the quieter Otres beach, but none of the hotels ticked all my boxes and I booked a hotel purely for its guest review - Sunset Lounge Guesthouse on the southern-quieter part of the overtly crowded Ochheuteal beach.
Located close to the mouth of the Chheuteal creek, the water tends to get a little murky but when the tide is in during the first half of the day, it's lovely enough and quiet enough for an extended session in the water. Breakfast on the beach, day spent away on islands, evenings on the beach watching sunset and dinner at Queen Hill Resort(on Otres beach-just across the bridge on Chheuteal creek) trying out wonderful vegetarian Amok, a Khmer coconut-based curry. It was perfect, except we missed our date with the undersea life.
There are many islands off the mainland, the much visited Koh Russei(Bamboo island) just 45 minutes from Serendipity beach jetty or the 2.5 hour distant Koh Rong. For USD 15 per person, a big boat will take about 30-40 people at 9AM to Bamboo island, stop at a couple of other islands for snorkeling, provide lunch and soft drinks and be back at the jetty by 3PM, just in time to shower and be back on the beach to catch the glorious sunset. The trip to Koh Rong is a little more expensive. There are many who operate these tours and most recommend the trip to be booked at least a day in advance. Go over the previous day to the jetty and check out all the options at the ticket counter, the ladies there are friendly and speak English. (We booked through Ravuth Travels -servicestravel.info via e-mail) There are many scuba diving companies as well, check them out too.
Once in the boat and off at the islands, you are pretty much at the mercy of your own swimming ability, unlike Malaysia and Thailand where I had ample help to enjoy the magic of the underwater world, the clientele in Sihanoukville is mostly capable of swimming and by the looks of it was more interested in jumping from the boat into water than in the underwater. And if you think, you can arrange for someone to come along with you or hire a boat just for you, well with the communication barrier, all the best. There was this hilarious episode where we were so desperate for a glimpse of the underwater, we hung onto the ladders and stuck our snorkel fitted faces under water. The water wasn't clear enough for us to see much. Sour grapes.
Missing the underwater magic notwithstanding, missing out on a sunset is the real crime. There is something magical about spending the evenings on a west facing beach, and if you reach the beach early enough, the challenge would be to not to doze off in the 'lullabeeish' comfort of the setting sun. I managed to stay awake on one of the days and chanced upon children building castles of wet sand in the low tide, a thousand tiny crabs sieving out food from sand and leaving behind neatly rolled sand 'laddoos' all around their hole and children 'fishing' with plastic cups. I was curious if the poor little fishes were dinner or snacks. Also saw a wonderful rising full moon in the east, like a compensation for the sun going down.
We wanted to go to the Ream National park, but apparently it was closed due to the rains of the last few days or so we were told, so instead that day we made our way through a wonderful journey to 2 disappointing destinations. Lessons learnt, never let yourselves be played into the hands of taxi drivers, they will do what's convenient for them.
The journey to Kampot, which before the Khmer Rouge had Cambodia in its iron grip and did away with about a quarter of the country's population from 1975 to 1979, used to be known for producing the best pepper in the world, it's now gradually trying to earn back that distinction.
The journey of 130 KM from Sihanoukville to Kampot is through lush paddy fields, villages and distant Elephant mountain in the horizon. The Kampot river is huge and having said that, there is nothing more to say about the town or the river. Planned well, Bokor mountain, limestone caves between Kampot and Kep, Rabbit island in Kep would have been on our itinerary but like I said, the driver 'took us for a ride'. Another bunch of sour grapes then.
We went to Kbal Chhay waterfalls, which I would have happily skipped. All along the path of the gently descending waters, are huts with hammocks, where the locals picnic and sorry to say, don't leave it as they find it.
The short flight from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap gives a good view of paddy and palm fields and the massive Tonle sap with tiny floating villages.
Siem Reap - Angkor Ruins
Siem Reap is where all the 'ruin-chasers' congregate. Its proximity to the temples of the Khmer empire has made it a bustling tourist place. Siem Reap river runs through the city and joins the massive (sorry, I can't help it, every time I say Tonle sap, the word 'massive' automatically prefixes itself, the lake is that huge) Tonle sap.
Siem Reap is a charming town and comes alive in the evening after the 'ruin-chasers' return, but first to take care of the business end of Siem Reap - the Ruins.
The Khmer kingdom was at its peak between 9th and 12th century AD, the kings predominantly followed Hinduism with the exception of Jayavarma VII who followed Buddhism and built numerous Buddhist temples in his time.
The temples as God's residence were created in symbolic likeness to the 5 towered Mount Meru, where Gods reside, and is considered the centre of the universe, floating in the sea of milk (A question though, if something is floating, how can it remain at the centre all the time?)Thus most of the temples have 5 towers representing Mount Meru and are surrounded by a moat symbolising the sea of milk. There are many temples where the towers are built at a height in the 'temple mountain' style of construction.
From the world famous Angkor wat to the lesser known temples; there are temples with intricate carvings indoor to lovely towers outdoor; temples built of stone and/or bricks to structures with a more utilitarian purpose than just housing Gods; there are structures of varied size, purpose and present state of ruin.
Of all the structures I saw in 3 days, I loved the carving in the gallery of Angkor wat, I didn't find the structure of Angkor wat as such very beautiful but the carvings on various themes on the wall is intricate and beautiful, you can spend 1 hour or quarter of a day just looking at them.
The most overrated thing about Angkor wat is the sun rise. I was there in December where the sun rose on the left flanks of the 5 towers, it probably would be beautiful if it raises from behind the centre tower and there are a splatter of clouds which would be lit up by the rays of the rising sun, this happens around the equinoxes. Even then, am not sure if it's going to be as exquisite as the photo-shopped photographs promise them to be, for the simple reason that the sun rises over the structure a good while after the actual sunrise. Not just that, to see that unappealing sunrise one needs to be there at the temple at 5AM and it also gets 'suffocatingly' crowded at sunrise.
The carving of Vishnu on brick structure in Prasat Kravan is lovely, the compact pink sandstone Banteay Srey is beautiful, the Boddhisatva stone faces on the towers of Bayon is unique and the carvings of the beings of the underworld on the terrace of the lepar king is just gorgeous. Of course, the nature having reclaimed the 'tomb raider' Ta Prohm temple is not to be missed. Neak Pean, a circular structure built in the middle of a pond, in the middle of a reservoir is a delightful.
Especially if you are from India, look for differences in the way the mythological characters are represented in the carvings there to that in India. For instance, Ravana, the 10 headed demon king of Lanka has his heads arranged horizontally in Indian carvings and paintings whereas in Angkor wat, Ravana's heads are arranged vertically. The guides there do a good job of explaining stories and characters, in fact, Cambodia seems to be taking the Indian mythology and belief to the world like not even India is able to do.
For a list of the structures, its history, purpose and my rating, please follow the link to Angkor Ruin Guide
In all the research I did prior to the holiday, tons and tons of data that I read through, not one gave the information in a spreadsheet. The 'Angkor Ruin Guide' is a spreadsheet and makes for easier reading.
A few other pointers to make your 'ruin run' enjoyable:
- The entrance to the ruins is via either a daily ticket costing USD 20 per person or or a 3 day pass with a validity of a week costing USD 40 per person. There is also a monthly pass available. People usually start their 'ruin-run' with the sun rise at Angkor wat and there is a huge queue for purchase of tickets in the wee hours of the morning, so instead buy it the previous day night or on the first day leave a little late and go to the distant Beng Melea. - Pace out your 'ruin-run', the tropical sun can be taxing even in winter months.
- Keep yourself hydrated. Drink tender coconut water - the biggest tender coconuts I have ever seen and they are served chilled!!!
- Relish the seasonal tropical fruits.
- Watch the making of palm sugar and enjoy fresh palm sugar on the way to Banteay Srey.
- Try 'kralan' - rice, coconut, sugar and red beans roasted in bamboo, on the way to Beng Melea.
- Shop in the road side village shops while visiting the distant ruins for cane / bamboo bags, bowls, baskets and a whole lot of other things.
- You need to convince yourself that you don't need to tick off every ruin on a list of Angkor temples. It is very easy to be hit by 'ruin-fatigue' where you either don't want to see another ruin or you don't care what you are seeing, it would defeat the whole purpose of a holiday in Siem Reap.
- Relax in the evenings in Siem Reap.
Siem Reap is a lovely place, there are lots of things to do after sun down. Go for the non-oily Khmer massage, not sure if the massage does any good, but for sure didn't do us any harm. Wander along the pub street, the by lanes and night market, soak in the vibrant ambiance. Enjoy the Khmer culture with Apsara dance, shadow dance and other performances. My suggestion is go to a performance which is not coupled with dinner. Eating while watching a performance is disrespectful to artists but it was disgusting to watch people at a performance who had enjoyed a sumptuous meal, leave when the performance began. If all you are interested in, is food, then go to a restaurant. If you want to enjoy the Khmer culture, go to a performance where you are not distracted by the need to eat.
To see the ruins, you can either take a private package tour (tuk-tuk / car plus guide)or take a group tour. I opted for a private package tuk-tuk tour for USD 170 which included Khmer massage, pickup from airport, an Apsara dance performance, booked via proangkortravel.com. There are lots of travel agencies, check out for the best packages and price before you book. Booking the tour through the hotel is generally expensive.
Tonle sap - 'The ocean sized lake'
This is a huge fresh water lake and is a biosphere reserve with 3 core reserves of Prek Toal, Boeng Chhmar, and Stung Sen. There are many resident and migrant birds in the reserve. There are floating villages on the river along the lake, complete with floating schools, church and of course shops on boats. I also saw a dog in one of the floating houses!
Take a birding tour to Prek Toal if you have a day to spare in Siem Reap(19 KMs away), but these tours are expensive, so instead you can opt for a group cruise or just make this your mode of travel between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. There is a train shaped air conditioned boat that leaves early in the morning from both cities. The journey costing about USD 35 takes about 6 hours(that's how big the 'lake' is).
Phnom Penh - The capital
Depending on what you want to see, Phnom Penh can come across either as a pleasant city by the confluence of the massive Tonle sap, Mekong and Bassac rivers with a lovely palace, a few visit worthy temples, beautiful markets and a museum which also doubles as a cultural centre in the evening or a place with a horrid past with horror stories.
The river front is the place to be at sunrise and sunset. In front of the palace complex on the road parallel to the river, lined by flags of different countries is where the locals gather-in the morning for aerobics while the fishermen sail by in their boats fishing and the pigeons cleanup the previous evening's left overs and in the evenings for a picnic. One can either enjoy the sun set from land as the locals do or can take a sunset cruise by boat. Boats can also be hired at Sisowath Quey, north of Phnom wat. A shared boat costs about USD 5 whereas a cruise with food can cost anywhere upto USD 30 per person.
The National Museum (8AM-5PM) and the Royal Palace (8AM-11AM and 2PM-5PM) are close to each other. I suggest you see the Palace first and then the museum. The Palace with its silver floored (5000 silver tiles weighing a KG each) Emerald Buddha temple, coronation hall, dancing hall, king's residence, stupas of past kings, mini-museums showcasing royal household items, numerous artifacts collected by royal family, palanquins etc is a lovely place. Arrive at the opening hours when it's still cool and less crowded and take a guided tour around for about an hour. The buildings are beautiful and make for very charming photos.
The National Museum has a huge collection of statues from places linked to its past especially that of the Angkor empire. The Museum probably has its fair share in rendering the Angkor temples to ruins having removed the 'star pieces' out of the structures to the museum. It is best to visit the museum after going around the ruins, then you would be able to picture the statues in their original structures. The 1920 built museum building is lovely. Don't miss the cultural show in the evenings (Except Sundays) by 'Cambodian Living Arts', a non-governmental organisation. Probably after the show, walk across to Friends restaurant at 215, Street 13, just north of National Museum for dinner. The restaurant trains street children and marginalised young people in its restaurant and helps them live a life of dignity and if that is not cause enough to dine at the restaurant, the food is delicious.
There is the Phnom wat, the temple on the hill, from which the city gets its name. There are numerous markets around, the central market, the night market and the Russian market. The rule of bargaining applies to shopping here at any of the markets.
You could also choose to visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (in what was a school before Khmer Rouge converted it to a detention and torture centre), Choeung Ek killing fields, 15 KMs from the capital or stop by at orphanages as most of the travel itineraries suggest. I chose to skip all these three. I got my fair understanding of the ghosts of the civil war by chatting up with our tuk-tuk driver and guide who were with us for the 3 day ruin tour.
To see the ruins, you can either take a private package tour (tuk-tuk / car plus guide)or take a group tour. I opted for a private package tuk-tuk tour for USD 170 which included Khmer massage, pickup from airport, an Apsara dance performance, booked via proangkortravel.com. There are lots of travel agencies, check out for the best packages and price before you book. Booking the tour through the hotel is generally expensive.
Tonle sap - 'The ocean sized lake'
This is a huge fresh water lake and is a biosphere reserve with 3 core reserves of Prek Toal, Boeng Chhmar, and Stung Sen. There are many resident and migrant birds in the reserve. There are floating villages on the river along the lake, complete with floating schools, church and of course shops on boats. I also saw a dog in one of the floating houses!
Take a birding tour to Prek Toal if you have a day to spare in Siem Reap(19 KMs away), but these tours are expensive, so instead you can opt for a group cruise or just make this your mode of travel between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. There is a train shaped air conditioned boat that leaves early in the morning from both cities. The journey costing about USD 35 takes about 6 hours(that's how big the 'lake' is).
Phnom Penh - The capital
Depending on what you want to see, Phnom Penh can come across either as a pleasant city by the confluence of the massive Tonle sap, Mekong and Bassac rivers with a lovely palace, a few visit worthy temples, beautiful markets and a museum which also doubles as a cultural centre in the evening or a place with a horrid past with horror stories.
The river front is the place to be at sunrise and sunset. In front of the palace complex on the road parallel to the river, lined by flags of different countries is where the locals gather-in the morning for aerobics while the fishermen sail by in their boats fishing and the pigeons cleanup the previous evening's left overs and in the evenings for a picnic. One can either enjoy the sun set from land as the locals do or can take a sunset cruise by boat. Boats can also be hired at Sisowath Quey, north of Phnom wat. A shared boat costs about USD 5 whereas a cruise with food can cost anywhere upto USD 30 per person.
The National Museum (8AM-5PM) and the Royal Palace (8AM-11AM and 2PM-5PM) are close to each other. I suggest you see the Palace first and then the museum. The Palace with its silver floored (5000 silver tiles weighing a KG each) Emerald Buddha temple, coronation hall, dancing hall, king's residence, stupas of past kings, mini-museums showcasing royal household items, numerous artifacts collected by royal family, palanquins etc is a lovely place. Arrive at the opening hours when it's still cool and less crowded and take a guided tour around for about an hour. The buildings are beautiful and make for very charming photos.
The National Museum has a huge collection of statues from places linked to its past especially that of the Angkor empire. The Museum probably has its fair share in rendering the Angkor temples to ruins having removed the 'star pieces' out of the structures to the museum. It is best to visit the museum after going around the ruins, then you would be able to picture the statues in their original structures. The 1920 built museum building is lovely. Don't miss the cultural show in the evenings (Except Sundays) by 'Cambodian Living Arts', a non-governmental organisation. Probably after the show, walk across to Friends restaurant at 215, Street 13, just north of National Museum for dinner. The restaurant trains street children and marginalised young people in its restaurant and helps them live a life of dignity and if that is not cause enough to dine at the restaurant, the food is delicious.
There is the Phnom wat, the temple on the hill, from which the city gets its name. There are numerous markets around, the central market, the night market and the Russian market. The rule of bargaining applies to shopping here at any of the markets.
You could also choose to visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (in what was a school before Khmer Rouge converted it to a detention and torture centre), Choeung Ek killing fields, 15 KMs from the capital or stop by at orphanages as most of the travel itineraries suggest. I chose to skip all these three. I got my fair understanding of the ghosts of the civil war by chatting up with our tuk-tuk driver and guide who were with us for the 3 day ruin tour.
Currency
Cambodian Riel is an extremely weak currency. An USD is a little over Riel 4,000. No surprises then, USD is almost the de facto currency of transacting in the country. But the spoiler is that all tourists are charged at a rate higher than the locals. These 2 factors put together make a holiday in Cambodia more expensive than neighbouring countries.
Some details of distances between cities and journey fare
PP to SV is 230 KMs and takes about 3-4 hours, depending on whether it's a private taxi (USD 60) or a private bus (USD 6). The road is in good condition but it's a road without a divider.
PP to SR is 315 KMs on a bad road which could take 6-7 hours to navigate(about USD15) There is an air conditioned speed boat(USD35) which plies everyday (because of lower water level might not operate in dry season) between PP and SR on Tonle sap lake, one each leaving each city around 6.30AM and reaching the destination a good 6 hours later.
The journey to and fro SV to SR is via PP by road, the other option is to take the 50 minute USD 115 per person Cambodia Angkor Air flight. You get to see the massive Tonle sap by air.
Travel within the cities by tuk-tuk, a 4 seater pulled by a motorbike, is completely safe. Of course being open, be cautious with your belongings. But it is nothing to be paranoid about as some of the write-ups suggest.
