Tales of a Professional Nomad: Cambodian Beaches and Vietnamese Pancakes- Part III Asia

The drive from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville was probably the roughest of them all. We were exhausted and hot and driving across nonexistent roads. I can still feel bumps as we bounced up and down the muddy roads, practically falling out of our seats at each turn. We finally arrived Sihanoukville in time to relax and head to dinner on the beach. Sihanoukville is known as the beach vacation destination for Cambodians so the beaches are lined with restaurants and bars packed with locals and tourists alike. They are also known for the BBQ so of course we had to get the BBQ fish platter.

BBQ Fish Dinner

The next day we were off on a tour of the islands. Thankfully, the weather was perfect and we spent the day boating from beach to beach while making casual stops for snorkeling and back flips off the boat (don't worry mom, I didn't try that).

Beaches of Cambodia

Our boat that took us to the islands

Stop for some snorkelling

Matt's in action back flip shot

Annabel and I on the boat

Annabel and I finally getting our tan

Honestly, our time in Sihanoukville was simply relaxing. It was so nice to finally slow down and have two days to relax on the beach and get some sun. Before we knew it was were back on the road and prepared for the homestay experience that everyone had been questioning since day one. None of us knew what to expect, but by this point we were prepared for anything that would come our way.
We were sunburnt and low on energy as trekked across the Vietnam border- yes, trekked, as in walked with all our luggage. HELLO VIETNAM! From the minute I left Cambodia and entered Vietnam I could recognize the vast change in landscape.

Trekking across the border

After a few hours of driving we arrived in a village near the town of Can Tho, which lies right on the Mekong River Delta. We met the family we would be staying with and some of the locals as we wandered through the village. I remember seeing the hut we would be staying in and thinking oh- this isn't so bad. I was slightly weary of the fact that we had to sleep in a mosquito net- but that was really only because on day two Josh and I realized we were the only ones not taking malaria tablets. Note to travel agent self and future travelers....you must take malaria tablets when visiting Vietnam and Cambodia. Anyways, we made ourselves comfortable and joined the family for dinner where they taught us how to cook a traditional Vietnamese dish called Banh Xeo. I have to say this was probably one of the best meals of my entire trip! It is basically an egg like pancake filled with veggies, pork and prawns....similar to a crepe but much thinner and filled with much more flavor. It was quite the feast, and such an awesome experience to learn how cook a traditional Vietnamese dish with a local family. Dinner was followed by some bonding moments and early night to sleep... although falling asleep wasn't so easy as we heard all kinds of creatures crawling around the hut and thunderous downfalls of rain hitting the tin roof. All I can say is it truly was a unique experience.