Phnom Penh- Part II Cambodia

Our next stop was Phnom Penh, the capital and largest city in Cambodia. It was quite the journey on the public bus getting from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. Our wonderful G Adventures tour leader, Kinal, had told us on day one that we must learn to go with the flow while traveling in Asia and this was one of those days. About an hour into the 7 hour journey, the air conditioning had shut down on the bus. We had two options, wait on the side of the road in 100 degrees for two hours for a new bus, or keep on going and roll down the windows. We kept on going across the country over bumpy dirt roads known as "free massage roads." I stuck my head out the window to feel the breeze against my face, when I leaned back in, my face was completely covered in mud. It was unbearably hot, mud and rain were spraying in the windows, but we were going with the flow- that is what travel is all about. We finally arrived in Phnom Penh around 8pm, exhausted and hungry. We decided to have a mellow night and dine on the rooftop of our hotel. We sat staring out at the spectacular skyline of Phnom Penh, enjoyed our dinner and a late night swim in the rooftop pool, then called it a night.

Taking photos of the countryside out the window

We stopped for a snack....yes those are bugs.

Muddy roads of Cambodia

The following day was filled with emotions of sorrow as we visited Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, the site of the S-21 prison, and the Killing Fields  where thousands of innocent people were tortured and killed during the Khmer Regime. Before coming to Cambodia I had never heard about the devastating genocide that occurred there only 30 years ago. I stood there face to face with two of the survivors and could not help but cry. I cried because it is hard not to when you can still see the blood stains in the torture chambers. But I also cried because of how little I knew about this genocide. We are taught about the Holocaust and Darfur, but never has the Khmer Regime and Pol Pot ever been mentioned in a history class. I just wanted to know more, how did this happen? Why did Pol Pot target the educated? And how did the rest of the world not stop him?  I consider myself an educated, worldly person yet I stood there feeling so incredibly naive to the world. What else is going on in the world that I am unaware of?

Annabel and I with one of the survivors, Chum Mey

*It didn't feel right taking too many pictures at these sights 

After a day of sadness we all needed a drink. Kinal took us to a restaurant called Friends. The restaurant is not only well known in Cambodia, but famous around the world as an NGO working with young adults to train them for a better future. Let me just tell you....the food was amazing!!! I had been living off plain noodles and steamed veggies since we left The Banyan Tree in Bangkok, so to enjoy more modern food was unbelievable. We all indulged in dishes like steak quesadillas, sweet potato fries and pesto pasta. To top off the experience, a few of us finally tried the Cambodian delicacy- FRIED TARANTULA!!! Yes, I did it...I ate tarantula! I would include the videos but there is far too much profanity, lets just say trying tarantula was an experience, not necessarily one I would recommend.

Fried tarantula

Refreshing drinks with Josh and Shaun

Yummy!

Post tarantula lunch, a few of us decided to skip the nap and head to the Russian markets. What a chaotic scene! Stall after stall selling everything from t-shirts to cats to raw fish. I thought the San Lorenzo market in Florence was a bit much, but this was pure insanity. We all bargained for a few souvenirs and then hopped on a Tuk Tuk back to the city center where we met the rest of the group for our Cyclo tour!

Sabrina and I during our crazy Tuk Tuk ride

Fish stand at the Russian market

Meat stand at the Russian market

Before modern technology and motorized Tuk Tuk's, Cyclos were the primary method of transport in Phnom Penh. However, the Cyclo profession has now died out leaving the drivers with little to nothing- some of the poorest people in the country. The Cambodian tourism board began an NGO called the Cyclo Center which provides Cyclo drivers with the opportunity to earn money by taking tourists on Cyclo tours around the city. It was by far the best way I have ever gone about touring a city. Forget walking tours or bus tours....take a Cyclo tour and not only will you have the very best views of the city sites, but you will also be giving back to the community of Cyclo drivers, creating a better life them. 

First stop on the Cyclo tour- Wat Phnom

Infront of the Independence monument

Cyclo-ing around the city

The whole crew in front of the Royal Palace

Our Cyclo tour dropped us off in the central square of the city where locals gather for activities. We decided to join in the Zumba group. That evening was one of my favorite nights of the trip. We had dinner on a terrace overlooking the water, and spent the night laughing, singing and dancing as we hopped around to the local hangouts meeting fellow travelers from all over the world.

View from the dinner table

Casual Zumba with the locals

Cambodian bars love to give everyone their own pitcher haha!

It was the perfect end to our time in Phnom Penh. The next morning was a very rough 6am wakeup call, we were off to the beaches of Cambodia in Sianhoukville.

Welcome to Cambodia

I apologize for the brief hiatus of my tales from Asia. September has been an insane month and worst of all, my laptop got stolen :( .....no worries, the thief paid the price and I now have a brand new Macbook Air. So back to my Asia adventure....

After a two hour drive from Bangkok we reached the Cambodian border. This was the first sign of the poverty to come. I had never seen anything like it. We were really in a different world, existing so far beyond the civilization we were accustomed to.

Walking across the border

Not long after crossing the border we arrived in Siem Reap. We had a quick shower and were off to New Hope Cambodia, a Planeterra foundation that provides education, vocational training and medical assistance to local Cambodians in need. We were given a tour of the facilities and then visited a classroom where we helped teach an English class to Cambodian children. This experience truly touched my heart and I will never forget that day. These exact experiences are what G Adventures is all about. If you want to travel with a tour group and party until late into the night then I can recommend a handful of companies to you. BUT, if you want a life changing adventure where you spend your time giving back to the community and coming face to face with the local societal issues then travel with G Adventures. After teaching in the classroom we headed to the New Hope training restaurant where young adults are trained as servers, chefs and bartenders with the intention that these skills will allow them to find jobs. Dinner was delicious and I even tried my first cricket!

Music class at New Hope

After dinner we jumped in a few Tuk Tuks and headed out to the YOLO (you only live once) bar in town. Side note- Tuk Tuks are the mode of transportation in Cambodia and they are so much fun! The driver is on a motorcycle and in tow is carriage type vehicle with four seats. Picture one of those horse and carriages you see in Central Park but rather than being pulled by a poor horse, the driver is on a motorcycle! So it was my first night out with my new friends and me being me, did not want the night to end. We stayed out until 3am, exploring pub street, meeting new people, dancing to Avicii along the dirt roads, and riding around on Tuk Tuks. The evening was complete with masks, a cake fight, and lots of laughs. It was only night one and I had fallen in love with Siem Reap, Cambodia, and my new group fellow adventurers.

Josh, Annabel and I at YOLO 

The next morning- not so fun. We left the hotel at 4:30am to watch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Although we were overwhelmingly exhausted from the night before, we took in the sunrise-it was beautiful beyond words. There we sat, existing only in that moment. People gathered from all around the world to sit there in that very moment and watch the most incredible sunrise. To read about it in travel books is one thing, but to witness it is another….the pictures don’t even do it justice.

Side Note- This is my new friend Annabel. She is from England, and we met and instantly clicked. You don’t come along people you immediately bond with very often, so when you do it’s a truly amazing friendship that forms so quickly it feels like you’ve known that person your whole life. That is exactly what happened with Annabel and I, she inspired me in so many ways and our adventures and memories from Asia are priceless. This morning in particular was filled with Sara/Annabel moments. We were exhausted and it was over 100 degrees. We sat there laughing at the situation every time we had to climb more stairs. We were having an idiot abroad moments and all we could do was laugh hysterically at our lives. I guess that will teach you not to go out all night before going on a tour of the temples.

About to climb more stairs....our expressions are priceless

For the remainder of the day, and I mean the ENTIRE day, we were off to explore several of the ancient temples. Some of the photos below you might recognize from Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider film.

Classic Angkor Wat Picture

Angkor Wat from the back entrance

Angkor Thom

Quick pit stop for coconut water, fresh out of a coconut!

By the end of the temple and ruins tour we all needed a cold pool, so it was time for a quick swim then off to dinner. I had decided early in the trip that while in Asia I wanted to experience everything to its fullest, and I mean EVERYTHING. I had stuck to the basics in terms of food so it was time to move away from my usual vegetables and noodles and try a traditional Khmer meal. In my opinion, Khmer food is a mix between Thai and Vietnamese, and rice is literally eaten with everything. The sample tray came with specialty Khmer dishes including Fish Amok, Lok Lak, and a few traditional Khmer curry dishes.

My traditional Khmer meal

Our final night in Siem Reap concluded with some $1.00 beers on pub street and lots of dancing. The next morning we were up early and off to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia....stay tuned for the stories of cyclo tours, the Russian markets, and a very scary Tuk Tuk ride!