Visiting the Kingdom of Wonder

Cambodia, the Kingdom of Wonder, is probably on the bucket lists of most travelers, and that’s probably either because of Angkor Wat Temples or simply because of the richness of its history and culture. But if you’re just going to focus on these things, you’re going to be missing out on a lot. There are many other interesting places to explore and experience. With a history that is both horrifying and glorious in equal measure, Cambodia is a country that will live long in the memory of anyone that visits this Southeast Asian gem. Thanks mainly to its friendly, generous and genuine people, you’ll find a country that is accepting the decades of brutality, bloodshed and poverty whilst beginning to finally focus on a bright future.

The summer starts from November and that's when millions travel. The rainy season is equally good to see the lush greenery and beat the scorching sun during summer. The cool off period is October. They say, October month is photographer's paradise and it didn prove wrong. Its not advisable to combine with Vietnam or Thailand or any other country if visiting for less than 10 days.

The high level itinerary was as below:

Day 0: Overnight flight to Phnom Penh via Bangkok [AirAsia | 10k INR Per Person]

Day 1: Reach Phnom Penh. Explore and Stay in Phnom Penh

Day 2: Bus from Phnom Penh to Kampot. Explore and Stay in Kampot [9$ for the Bus, 6$ /24 hrs for Scooter Rent]

Day 3: Kampot Sightseeing. Stay in Kampot

Day 4: Kep Sightseeing. Stay in Kampot [ 25$ for Tuk Tuk and Boat Transfer]

Day 5: Kampot to Sihanoukville Airport by Bus. Flight from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap. Explore Ankor Wat. Stay in Siem Reap

[5$ for the bus , Cambodia Angkor Air | 2.5k INR per person]

Day 6: Explore Ankor Wat. Stay in Siem Reap

Day 7: Visit Floating Village. Siem Reap to Bangalore via Bangkok [AirAsia | 13k INR Per Person]

Hotels Stayed:

Phnom Penh - Mad Monkey Hostel

Kampot - Mad Monkey Hostel

Siem Reap - Mad Monkey Hostel

Food :

Vegetarian Guide and Restaurant List

Day 1 : Phnom Penh

I reached the capital city, Phnom Penh in the morning and proceeded to e-visa counter. It took less than 5 min to exit. There was no check in baggage and soon was outside. There are mainly 4 sim card companies , ‘Bealine’, ‘Smart’, ‘Metfone’ and ‘CellCard’. I chose ‘Smart’ which had better network coverage. Most companies have similar plans and it costed 10$ for unlimited Data and 90 min. talktime to India.

The tuk tuk is the most common local transport here and the rates can be negotiated. At the terminal exit, for Killing field and 2 other sightseeing spot visit, 20$ for negotiated and first headed to Hostel to dump the luggage.

Cambodia has a tragic past. In 1975 to 1979 about two-fifths of the country was brutally slaughtered by an organization that overthrew the government called the Khmer Rouge.There are killing fields all throughout Cambodia, but the one near Phnom Penh is the most well-known and is easily accessible. Its about 12 kms from the city and the entrance with audio tour is 6$. They run short movies about the horrific and horrendous experiences people encountered then.

This city is, of course, home to the Royal Palace in its full golden glory. When you’re here, make sure not to give the Silver Pagoda a miss, which can be found in the complex of the Royal Palace itself. Other interesting places in the vicinity are Wat Ounalam,Wat langha,National Museum and Independent Monument. We can walk across the Mekong River and there are some cruises. Another interesting visit is the Genocide Museum. There are some Indian restaurants in the city and headed to Dosa corner for lunch. It was super hot, so rested for a while in the hotel and then in the evening went for a stroll. Had dinner in the onsite restaurant.

Day 2 - 4 : Kampot

There are many ways to reach Kampot from Phnom Penh. Private/Shared Taxi, Bus or self drive. I booked bus a day before at the hostel . Its actually a 14 seater mini bus much like Hiace. Usually, they ply at three different times in a day. 8 AM , 1 PM and 4.30 PM. I took 8 AM and pick up was 15 min. before. The drive is close to 3 hours and reached Kampot at 11 AM. En route there was pit stops for breakfast. The roads are in the good condition at most places. Private Taxi costs approx 40 - 50$.

As usual, the check in time was 2 PM. So, dropped baggage and I rented a two wheeler here. Its easy to roam around the town. Kampot is known for high quality pepper and all three types , Red, Black and White are grown here. I headed to La Plantation first and its famous there. They explain how peppers are grown and took us to the plantation. The quality is top notch and so is the price. I bought Black Pepper and Salted pepper. Next was Secret Lake which was pristine and crystal clear. There is one place where you could drive over the lake. Bliss it was. I had to go to caves next, but there was overcast and I had to rush back to the room. But was caught mid way. It battered crazily and I could not drive with my eyes open. It was a crazy experience to drive in the rain amidst paddy and sugarcane fields.

Most of the nightlife is focused around the river promenade. There are river cruises on offer like Sunset Cruise and Firefly cruise for around 5 - 10$ per person. Getting vegetarian food is not an issue as you will find lots of pizza places. There was an Indian restaurant here too, but didn bother to go. Shopping is expensive compared to Siem Reap and there is nothing specific to buy from Kampot except Pepper.

As the weather forecast indicated, it would rain post noon , I left early to Bokor National Park next day. Its around 40 Kms from the city . The roads are in excellent condition and the climb up the hill is pretty good. Bokor is an abandoned french town on top of the mountain. I visited the abandoned casino, a monastery and Popokvil waterfall. There is also a Casino there and preparations were going on for gala event. I was back to city by 11 and went to the town to check ferry timings to Koh Rong Island.

Initially, my plan was to visit Koh Rong Island near Sihanoukville and stay there for a night. When I enquired the ferry timings, none assured me the correct schedule and I was hesitant to take risk as I had a flight to Siem Reap. I decided going against and instead extended my stay in Kampot and decided to go for a day trip to Kep and Rabbit Island. I booked a Tuk Tuk for a whole day including boat transfer to Rabbit Island. Rest of the day I strolled the town and walked along River Promenade in the evening.

Next day, I left in Tuk Tuk and first visited caves which I missed on Day 1 while here. It was deserted and but for me, none were there. Absolute silence and peace. Next was Salt fields and finally left to Kep city. Its around 30 kms from the Kampot. The city is known for Crabs and there was Crab market where they catch live crabs and cook. Strolled the crab market and went to the beach. Spent some quality time in the beach, relishing the guava there. The boat to Rabbit Island was at 1 PM. Its about 20 min from the mainland and spent the time doing beach hopping and it involved short treks through the internal routes and finally relaxed in shacks. The waves were rough on one part of the island and was gentle on the other part. I returned to mainland by 5 PM and headed back to Kampot. I booked 8 AM bus to Sihanoukville for the next day.

Day 5 - 7 : Siem Reap

I left to Sihanoukville and its the gateway to Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samolem Islands which is often compared with Maldives type. The sand here is white and its gentle. Good for snorkeling and diving. The flight to Siem Reap was at 1.30 PM and the airport here is small with minimal facilities. I reached Siem Reap at 3.30 PM and looked for Tuk Tuk for the next 2 and half days. I negotiated 60$ for the same inlcuding unlimited packed water bottle.

I had plans to visit one the temples for Sunset. The Ankor wat temples have 3 types of passes. Day 1, Day 3 and Day 7 costing 37$, 62$ and 72$ respectively. If you buy ticket after 4.45 PM, the Day 1 pass can be used same day and next day complete. So, I bought the Day 1 Pass and headed to Pre-Rup temple for the sunset. The sunset was over by 5.45 PM and then I left to hostel. Checked-in and left to the famous PUB STREET which was walkable from the hostel. Its the most happening street filled with Neon lights, live band , crazy street food , live performance and ends to Old and Night market. Hard haggling is needed in Old and Night markets. There are many Indian restaurants in the vicinity.

Next day, I was picked from the hostel at 4.30 AM and went to Ankor Wat complex for the Sunrise. They allow inside at 5 AM and people jostle to get to the right spot. The Sun rose at around 5:30 AM and lasts for about 30 mins. Angkor Wat complex has a big pond inside surrounded by towering walls on all sides cutting out the wind and that provides an excellent photo opportunity to capture the temple in the reflecting pond. I manged to get some good shots. Then I started exploring Ankor wat and explored it for close to 1 and half hour. It didn do justice, but I had to visit the other temples.

The Tuk Tuks usually follow the predesignated routes called as “Small Circuit” and “Grand Circuit“. The Small Circuit takes in several of the major and minor temples in the area. Beginning at Angkor Wat and running for seventeen kilometers the circuit takes in the major elements of Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, and Banteay Kdei, and some of the minor but interesting temples such as the Baphoun, The Terrace of the Leper King, The Terrace of the Elephants, before returning to Angkor Wat. The twenty-six kilometer Grand Circuit is an extension on the little circuit but taking in Preah Khan, Preah Neak Pean and the various monuments like Ta Som, Preah Rup, before returning to Angkor Wat. I combined Small Circuit with important temples of the Grand Circuit.

Same day, evening, I went to Pub Street again and had foot massage which is common here and is less expensive. For 3$, I had an hour foot massage. Then strolled the night market again and called the day with dinner at Indian Restaurant.

Next day, I visited floating village which is around 20 kms from the Siem Reap city. The entrance fee for floating village was 25$ for 3 person and if single, 35$. Most of the people living there are ethnic Vietnamese who arrived in Cambodia during the French Protectorate to work in administration positions and in the countryside. The Khmer Rouge took power and the Vietnamese were forcibly deported to Vietnam or killed. During the exile, most of them lost the papers that proved their Cambodian origin. On their return , they were considered migrants and became stateless. Without papers, ethnic Vietnamese cannot buy land and most of them live in floating villages in Tonle Sap. It was a half day excursion and there are schools, churches built on lake.

A week in Cambodia flew and I managed to cover the important places whilst there. The weather was pleasant and so were the people. Though communication was the issue, they managed their best to get what I wanted and Tuk Tuk driver were guides most of the times. Cambodia is a small country, but it’s full of amazing destinations to explore, so if you’ve got more than one week in Cambodia, by all means stay longer. If you find Angkor Wat to be too touristy, for example, you could explore the more Preah Vihear temple, on the border with Thailand. Battambang, on the other hand, is one of Cambodia’s principal cities, which you might find more interesting than Siem Reap or Phnom Penh due to the comparatively small number of tourists and is known for Bamboo Train too.

Epilogue:

1)Local Currency is Riel. But all transact using USD. As of today, 4000 Riel = 1 USD.

2)Visa on Arrival is present for Indians. There is e-visa facility too which is 36 $. Details here

3)Mosquito Repellent, Sun Screen , Cap and Raincoats/Umbrella are a must.

4)Prior Bus booking may not be needed. Hotels you stay, will help you book. If interested to do advance booking, then can book here

5)There are less pure vegan/vegetarian restaurants. Atleast I didn see any. But vegetarian food options are available in most of the restaurants. There were Indian restaurants in all places I visited.

6)There is dress code while visiting Ankor Wat temples.Women should cover their shoulders and dress till the knee. Men can wear knee length shorts and sleeved t-shirt.

7)Language may be a problem. Not everyone will speak English and sign language/Google translate would be needed.

Some Photos below,