CAMBODIA CHRONICLES

We began our two week vacation after a rather eventful month to say the least, WE GOT MARRIED!!

To give you a little context, Pranav and I had been dating for almost a decade. We grew up from being that cheesy cliche couple to mature individuals who now enjoy anything but the ordinary. So, when we started our planning, most of the suggestions that we got were Maldives, Andaman, Mauritius, etc. These locations are a classic favourite for honeymooners. Don’t get me wrong, we totally intend on going there soon but since it was our first overseas trip together , we wanted to do more than just lie on the beach and relax. We chose Cambodia as our first stop since it was December most of the European destinations were ruled out due to the weather and the countries in the southern hemisphere didn’t fit our budget. 

Siem Reap

Other than being home to one of the wonders of the world, Siem Reap is also the party capital of Cambodia.

What we did :

Temple Tour ($37 for five temple sites without a guide)

We booked the tour with the villa we were staying at who charged us $20 for a tuk tuk for the entire day. This tour consisted started off with a site with three temples, The Bayon, Elephant Terraces and followed by Ta Phrom, where the famous Angelina Jolie movie, Tomb Raider was shot. Since we had a ride and driver at our disposal we could decide the course of the tour so we wanted to see the piece de resistance, Angkor Wat at sunset. Pranav is an avid photographer and had been waiting to capture the reflection of the entire structure. We hired a guide at Angkor Wat because it was rather vast and had a lot of history and more importantly we needed someone to click our photographs at this picturesque location. You’ll be surprised to know that Cambodia has a lot of Hindu influence and it was evident at Angkor Wat which had the stories of Ramayan engraved all over the structure.

Pub Street

This street which is about a kilometre or two long. As the name suggests, the street has pubs and clubs lined on both sides of the road. We visited Pub Street two nights in a row because we enjoyed it so much!

Our post hangover visit to Pub was a little different, at the start of Pub Street, there is a lane of massage stalls/parlours and after a tiring day on the Temple Tour all we needed was a massage. On the opposite side, there is Angkor Night Market which is popular for souvenirs and street food like sticky rice and mango, local meat grills and coconut pudding.

Koh Rong

A 30-minute ferry ride from Sihanoukville leads to an island of white deserted beaches, turquoise waters and swaying palm trees, Koh Rong. 

What we did :

To be honest, we had absolutely no agenda in Koh Rong. While Koh Rong is famous for its pub crawls and hikes, we decided to skip that and head straight to our resort to. Two days of amazing food, beautiful sunrises and clear waters was just what we needed!

Phnom Penh

Our last stop in Cambodia was capital of the country. Surprisingly this was one of the dirtiest cities that I have been to and from the locals we also learnt that due to the high corruption rate the city has been deemed unsafe. 

What we did :

Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda     

National Museum of Cambodia

Killing fields of Choeung Ek

A devastating insight into the history of the country that had been torn apart by war, political instability and mass genocide. During the Khmer Rouge rule, this former orchard was used as a mass genocide site. We were provided with an audio guide that helped us as we traversed this eerie site.  This place was the highlight of Cambodia for me!

CAMBODIAN TIPS:

1. Tuk tuk is the easiest and cheapest mode of transport.
2. Most transactions are done in USD.