The Idea I do a lot of trip planning, so I don’t remember what I looked up in late December to get to this blog post, about a yoga and meditation retreat. Reading about it, I thought the place sounded unusual: I found the authors’ recollections amusing and the whole idea hokey – so I mentioned it to B, hoping for…
We spent almost a week in Siem Reap, five days of it at the retreat. Angkor Wat: This is the famous temple of this city and this country: it’s even the central image on the Cambodian flag! They say it’s the largest religious complex in the world, actually. We didn’t go at sunrise, like many recommend, because we’re…
While we were visiting my parents before starting this trip, I picked up a new habit. I would eat fruit and vegetables without washing them first, claiming that the gunk on the outside would help prepare my immune system for foreign lands. I knew this was laughable, since US pesticides are much scarier than the rest of…
We’ve spent a month total in this small-ish Cambodian town, staying in four different places along the way. Here’s how they compared: Mea Culpa We stayed at this hotel when we first arrived, based on a recommendation I read on a blog. It turned out to be a good one: we returned here for another…
Topsky Hostel: We didn’t stay here, but we did eat breakfast here, in the partially-open air restaurant. B had yogurt with muesli and fruit, as well as two eggs – gearing up for a long day of sightseeing. I had the Khmer fried noodles with beef, though I gave much of the beef and the egg on top…
We spent Christmas Eve with a big group of expats and some fried chicken, on a patio overlooking the capital city of Cambodia. We played Christmas music off YouTube, and we drank mulled wine. The others hailed from France, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Latvia, Cambodia, England, Canada, and Australia. At one point after most everyone was gone, the…
Epic Arts Cafe: This place came highly recommended because it’s not just a cafe, but also an NGO. They focus on hiring locals with disabilities, from those who are deaf to those who have limps – and more. So, supporting the cafe helps those with limited career prospects get money and dignity. On the food front, our…
We were in Phnom Penh for six days. Central Market: This is the most touristy of the markets, and the largest. The building is interesting from the perspective of modern Cambodian architecture, but mostly, the market is a mob scene. The jewelry area was the calmest and the most spacious, but the market also has electronics, clothing/shoes,…
Motorcycle and tuk tuk (motorcycle towing a wooden carriage that acts as a taxi) traffic is busier than in other countries we have visited. This is partially because they use these vehicles to move everything! You would be shocked by what they can haul on a small motorbike: we saw one guy with five family members behind him…
Here are our tips for having a good first trip to Cambodia: DO: Walk slowly when crossing the road! It seems counter-intuitive, given how absolutely crazy traffic is: you’ll likely want to sprint across to avoid being hit. However, it turns out to be a very useful approach. Your slower speed allows motorbikes to predict your location – and…