Just go, C!
I'm Charity, a proud auntie, wine lover, semi-nerd, and dreamer who can't stay in one place for too long.
Tell me about your version of paradise. Does your paradise include limestone mountains covered in a thick blanket of vibrant green jungle? Perhaps it includes a lazy river that you hear gently swirling past as you drift off into slumber at night? How about a rustic and breezy bungalow that faces the aforementioned river, where you can sit back with a cold beer in your hand and time seems to slow waaaaayyyy down? Maybe that's not your version of paradise, but it's gotta be pretty damn close. As I was making my way into Laos, I told myself that for a few days, I was going to do NOTHING. Absolutely nothing - no sight-seeing, no planning, no stressing. I needed to decompress, and when I read about Nong Khiaw on other people's blogs and reviews, I figured this would be just the place to do absolutely nothing. And, as it turns out, I was absolutely right. Nong Khiaw is definitely more popular with backpackers now than it was maybe 5-6 years ago, as is evident in the number of guesthouses, tour vendors, and restaurants with English signage. However, since I paid a visit during rainy season, which is the 'off' season for tourism, I had the luxury of having relatively few other tourists to share the village with. To get to Nong Khiaw from Luang Prabang, you have a couple of options - by road or by boat & road. The boat option that gets advertised by local tour companies is a bit misleading because there have been dams built along the river within the past few years. I believe they take you up to the dam and then you have to ride by van the rest of the way. I opted for the easier and quicker method of going by minivan which costs 60-70,000 kip each way (about $7-8). You'll need to arrange a ride to the Northern bus station in Luang Prabang (yes, there is more than one bus station) and get your ticket. Even though there is a "scheduled" bus departure time, be aware that they often won't leave until the van is full. And, even though they might advertise it as a 3.5 hour ride, you can be almost certainly guaranteed that it will take at least 4-4.5 hours. For my accommodations, I opted to stay at Nong Kiau Riverside. Compared to the other options in the area, it's in a higher budget range, but still quite inexpensive by U.S. standards. For my do-nothing days, I wanted to treat myself to something a little more enjoyable and memorable. Looking back, I wouldn't have chosen to stay anywhere else. It was perfect. The bungalows themselves are surprisingly spacious and have air-conditioning and fans. Honestly, I really only had the A/C on during the warm parts of the afternoon. The remainder of the time, I either had the doors leading out to the balcony open or just used the fans and it was just fine. Speaking of the balcony, this was easily the best part of the bungalow. You're just far enough away from the other bungalows to have some privacy (you know, just in case you prefer to drink beer in your undies, and who doesn't) and an unobstructed view of the Nam Ou River. Opposite the river looms a large limestone mountain that helps block what would have otherwise been a hefty amount of sun. NK Riverside also has an on-site restaurant which is convenient and offers pretty decent Lao food for dinner and a nice breakfast buffet. All-in-all, a really lovely accommodation that I would be more than happy to re-book if I'm ever blessed with an opportunity to return. There isn't a whole lot to do in Nong Khiaw (which was the whole point, for me), but for those who have itchy butts, there are options to do hiking or trekking. There is a viewpoint that takes about 1.5-2 hours to hike to that is supposed to have some awesome views of the village and surrounding landscape. Tiger Trails seems to be a reputable tour company if you want to book a boat ride and then a hike to a couple of nearby waterfalls. What I opted to do, instead, was to take a boat ride up to Muang Ngoi and then kayak back to Nong Khiaw. I booked that through Nong Khiaw Adventure Tours. I felt the price was a bit high at 350,000 kip for the day, but it was still lower than two other places I'd checked first. I'd initially planned on doing two nights in Nong Khiaw and then two nights in Muang Ngoi, but once I got to my bungalow in NK, I scrapped that idea and just decided to do the day trip instead. Muang Ngoi takes about 1-1.5 hours to reach by boat, and by boat is the only way to get there, though I've read somewhere that there is also a very rough dirt road that also gets you to Muang Ngoi from Nong Khiaw if you wanted to chance it with a motorbike. The incredible views along the river are definitely worth the rather cramped seating arrangements on the boat. Muang Ngoi is even smaller than Nong Khiaw, if you can imagine that, but has also begun to see a steady increase of backpackers in recent years that Nong Khiaw is no doubt at least partly responsible for. That being said, you definitely still feel like you are in rural Laos, despite the English signage everywhere. The backpackers who rode on the boat with me on the way up the river dispersed elsewhere, leaving me with pretty much the entire village to myself. I saw only a few other tourists lounging at their guesthouses. I was charmed by all the roosters meandering through the streets, the cackling of a few local women chatting and laughing amongst themselves as they prepared meals, and the joyful squealing of a few children chasing after each other. After roaming the unpaved streets for a bit, I made my way to the other end of the 'main' street to the village's only temple. I had intended to take a few photos and sit in the shade for a little while to cool off and enjoy the surrounding views. As I was getting up to leave, one of the monks came out of a small building and motioned me to come in with him. As I walked in, he motioned me to sit down next to him, in front of a little shrine that had been set up. He had a plastic grocery bag filled with friendship bracelets. He took out a few and tied them around my wrist while saying a blessing. I learned later that this was a wish for good luck and prosperity. I gave him a donation and had a 'conversation' with him and a novice monk who was sitting there, watching all of this. Another monk, probably in his late teens, joined us after a bit, as well. I say 'conversation' because they don't speak much English and I don't speak Lao, but Thai and Lao are very similar languages, and I know a tiny bit of Thai, so we were able to get by on that. It was definitely one of those experiences that keeps me motivated to travel. I'm sure I'm not the first or only person who has had that experience, but it means something different for everyone, and it was special to me. Those monks and I are from very different backgrounds, but we were 'tied' together for a brief moment in time - a connection between different worlds was made. And that is the kind of thing I live (and travel) for. After having some lunch, I decided it was time to hop in the kayak and make my way downriver back to Nong Khiaw. When I am on a kayak, no matter where I am and what river I'm on, I always feel a sense of peace and wonder. I am in my happy place, for sure. I've likened it to "going to church" because to me, being in and amidst nature is a spiritual experience. And really, what better way to get to know the magnificent beauty that northern Laos has to offer than by floating along on one of its vital rivers? The trip back took about 4 hours, including a couple of quick "rest" stops. Along the way, I was treated to scenes of water buffalo lounging in the cool brown water, naked Lao babies having a blast swimming and playing without a care in the world, and stunning views of jagged limestone mountains, adorning misty halos. Without a doubt, I was in heaven. I (reluctantly) left Nong Khiaw feeling refreshed and revived, and with a renewed sense of gratitude for all the glorious gifts the Earth has to offer. Things are a bit difficult and complicated back home right now, and I've found myself succumbing to feelings of frustration, guilt, and despair. Here, I was reminded that there is always balance in the universe, and it's there whether or not I, or we, choose to see it.
I am so thankful that I chose to spend a few days in this part of Laos, and if you find yourself also needing a few do-nothing days, then please consider this my formal recommendation to put Nong Khiaw on your radar.
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Tourists generally come to Cambodia and spend most or all of their time in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (for Angkor Wat). While these places do have plenty to offer, I was fortunate to have enough time to explore a few other lesser-known parts of Cambodia, including Battambang. It was a bit of an undertaking getting to Battambang from Kampot. There isn't a direct route; I would have to either take a boat to Sihanoukville and then a bus to Battambang which would have been a very long journey, or go back to Phnom Penh and then out to Battambang. I chose the latter option, thinking it would save me some time and trouble. Welp, turns out the first van I was supposed to board had a breakdown and wasn't able to pick me up. So, I had to take a later van which forced me to cancel my 2nd van from Phnom Penh to Battambang and rebook a new one (no refunds for any of this, by the way). When you travel to SE Asia and need to use the local transportation to get around, you have to add at least an hour to the travel time they advertise online, and expect plenty of stops, and sometimes loud local music along the way. This trip was an example of such things. Grumbling aside, I got to my destination safely which is all that matters. I then got a bit lost trying to find my accommodation, but in the spirit of true Southeast-Asian hospitality, I was assisted by a few guys who were closing up a restaurant. They rode around trying to find the place, called the owner, got directions, and gave me a ride on the back of the motorbike to the hotel, which turns out was literally on the other side of the block. HA! Listen, Google maps was wrong, ok? In any case, I was reminded yet again about the kindness and generosity of the people in this corner of the world. After breakfast the next morning, I saddled up another motorbike rental and headed out to the country to experience my first Battambang tourist attraction: the bamboo train. If tourists make their way to Battambang, it's usually for this reason. Is it the most exciting, thrilling thing to do in Cambodia? Absolutely not. But is it fun? Hell yeah. It is a single train track that is used exclusively by locals for transporting produce, building materials, and of course, tourists. The bottom of the flat is made of bamboo (hence the name), which despite its appearance is very strong and sturdy. The rest of the "train", however, would probably not pass most safety standards. But hey, that's part of the excitement. You get to enjoy a very rickety ride through the countryside, where you'll see plenty of buffalo, rice paddies, farmers out in the fields, and kids riding bikes. If you encounter another "train", then one of you will have to dismantle the train, get it off the track, and let the other one pass before you can keep going. The train operators have to figure out who is going to be the one to dismantle. You will go for maybe 1-2 km then stop to have a "rest" which really means you'll buy some snacks and possibly some souvenirs from some pushy kids in a little shop. I was able to hold my ground and only purchased 4 friendship bracelets and a bottle of green tea. Haha! But, I was able to have a chat with them and let a baby play with my phone that she absolutely didn't want to give back. One of the little girls gave me two parting gifts on the way out (below). So sweet. Again, it's probably not an experience you'd write home about but it was fun and made me feel like a kid again, so what's the harm in that? Afterwards, I headed to the other side of Battambang to visit Wat Ek Phnom. Ek Phnom was built in the 11th century around the same time as Angkor Wat. I'd read other travelers' accounts stating that the Khmer temples around Battambang were a great introduction to Angkor Wat, and now that I've seen both, I'd have to agree, if you don't visit Angkor Wat first. Ek Phnom is in pretty bad shape, but there are still several beautiful stone carvings (called bas-reliefs) found around the premises. A young boy was hanging around walking on top of the stone wall surrounding the temples; he hopped off and offered to give me a tour by saying, "Look! This way!" I figured out not long after that he was going to expect some kind of tip for the "service" he was providing, but I didn't mind since he actually showed me some really neat carvings that I'd missed the first time around. After lunch, I headed southwest of Battambang to Wat Phnom Banan. Banan is another Angkorian ruin that is meant to resemble the Big Daddy itself (Angkor Wat). For a long time, many thought Angkor Wat was built after Banan, but archeological finds indicated the opposite was true, and that Banan was built as a smaller replica. Banan is in much better shape than Ek Phnom, but great care must still be taken in and around the temples. In true form, you must climb over 350 steps to get to the top of the hill where the temples are located. I think I've done enough cardio to justify drinking a few more beers, right? After the first set of steps, I was taking a little break, trying to breathe less-heavily so that people wouldn't think I was going into cardiac arrest, when a couple of girls on a school field trip asked me to pose for a picture. I don't care how drenched in sweat you are, and on the brink of death by cardio, you always say yes to cute kids who want a picture with you! By the time I was finished checking out Wat Banan, it started raining pretty heavily. I took shelter in one of the temples for a while until I got impatient and decided to get going. My next stop was Phnom Sampov, about 12 km from Wat Banan. It was a very muddy, pothole-filled ride in the countryside to get there. Sampov is a rather large limestone hill in the middle of the countryside that houses a killing cave used by the Khmer Rouge, a Buddhist temple, and another cave that is home to thousands of bats that make an appearance each evening around 5:30-6pm. The killing cave was yet another reminder of the horrors inflicted by the Khmer Rouge. At the bottom of the cave stands a shrine and a reclining Buddha in memory of those who were slain here. A large class case encloses hundreds of human skulls and bones. It's difficult to imagine what went on here, and even more difficult to try to understand the reasons why which had absolutely no merit. The temple near the cave is ok to look at, but nothing striking compared to other temples in the area. It does, however, boast some nice views of the surrounding rice paddies and villages. Getting up to the top of the hill was a bit of fun - I was advised by the guy who rented me the motorbike that I shouldn't attempt to ride it up the hill. I think he was probably more concerned for the welfare of the bike, but I didn't take my chances and decided instead to hire a local to drive me up in an open-top jeep. It was a unique experience, enhanced by the speed with which he drove over the potholes on the road leading up the hill! He made up for any discomfort by offering me a free can of beer, though, which was later stolen by macaques. I had a fantastic and memorable time in Battambang, and would certainly recommend it to anyone who is looking to experience something beyond the usual Angkor Wat/Phnom Penh route. The countryside is beautiful; the temples are intriguing; the people are warm and laid-back.
Thank you for taking time to read about my experience in Battambang! I'm not exaggerating when I say that I fell in love with Kampot as soon as I arrived. Okay, yes, I may have said that about other places I've visited, too; fair enough. But there was something about Kampot that just gave me a giddy-schoolgirl-with-a-crush feeling, and I enjoyed every bit of it. Kampot is roughly 3 hours by bus southwest of Phnom Penh. It is situated along the Preaek Tuek Chhu River (How do you pronounce that? Great question. No idea.) which flows into the Gulf of Thailand just a bit further south. The area is well-known for its salt fields, its world-famous Kampot pepper, and it is apparently the durian capital of Cambodia. Durian, for those who may be unaware, is an extremely popular fruit in Southeast Asia. It is dubbed "The King of Fruits" likely due to its enormous size and freakishly spiky exterior. The Chinese especially love it and have been importing it as if it were going extinct. Or, perhaps I should say "ex-stinkt" because it is also, after all, the world's smelliest fruit. If you've ever been stuck behind a garbage truck on a hot, humid day for any length of time, then you know what durian smells like. It was a bit rainy when I arrived in the afternoon, so I decided to take it easy and have some coffee at Epic Arts Café - highly recommend this place, by the way - and I'd read about a little cinema that showed Cambodia-related movies nearly every day of the week at 4pm, so I thought I would check it out. I was pleased to find out that they were showing The Killing Fields that day, so I bought a ticket and made myself comfortable in the living room-like set-up. I had wanted to see this movie after visiting the related monuments in Phnom Penh, but it's an older flick that's not as easy to find on Netflix, etc. Despite it being cringingly-dated in some parts, the movie was great and nicely encapsulated my Khmer Rouge learning experience. If you ever find yourself in Kampot on a rainy day, check out Ecran Theater. The next day, I rented a motorbike through my guesthouse and headed out to Bokor National Park which takes about an hour to go through. The ride up through the mountains was breathtaking, with occasional breaks in the trees and foliage to see beautiful views of Kampot, the mountains, and the Gulf of Thailand in some spots. Everything was going great until I got very nearly to the top of the mountain where one would ordinarily find the Bokor Hill Station, Bokor Church, and a Buddhist temple. These were my intended destinations. I noticed the skies were darker at the top and there was a sweeping cloud of mist which I found to be very intriguing. I wasn't quite putting it together that the sky was trying to warn me that it was about to attack in full force. And attack, it surely did. I am LOL'ing right now as I'm typing this, but let me assure you that I was not amused as I was trying to navigate my way back down the mountain with glass shards of rain attacking my face and body. Visibility was awful, even with my headlights on. There was no face guard on the cheap shitty helmet I got with the motorbike, so rain daggers were assaulting my eyeballs, making it even more difficult to see anything. The wind gusts nearly knocked me off the bike a couple of times. Anyone who was unlucky enough to be in the same vicinity as me in that period of time would have likely heard me yelling, "OWW! OWWWW!" as I was struggling to escape. And it did NOT stop for what felt like hours (probably about 20 minutes in reality), so it went on like this for nearly the entire descent back down the mountain. Needless to say, I was soaked, and when it finally broke and I caught a glance of myself in a mirror, my eyes were bright bloody red as though I'd just come off a two-week bender. So, my advice to you is, if you decide you want to check out Bokor National Park, please only do so when there are virtually no clouds in the sky. Otherwise, you might die. The end. The next day, I took a day trip over to the Kep area (also spelled Kaeb) which is famous for the Kep Crab Market along the gulf shore. Back in its heyday, Kep was holiday resort central for the French and elite members of society until the Khmer Rouge regime of the 70s. Much of it was destroyed during this time, mostly from locals stripping away materials to sell in exchange for food or other supplies. Not much is left in Kep to give any indication of its former glory, but it is still a lovely, relaxed town with enough to keep you busy for a day trip, if you have a hard time relaxing like I do. Today, the areas surrounding Kep are filled with salt fields and rice paddies. You can find several places that rent out bungalows for the day, where you can bring a picnic and drinks or just choose to chill out in a hammock and enjoy the sight and smell of the sea. While I was in town, I checked out the local temple, Wat Samathi. The temple is located right on the outskirts of town and along the border of Kep National Park. As with many Buddhist temples in this part of the world, you have to earn your merit by climbing up a long series of steps to reach the temple. But, the views are really nice, so once again it's worth the extra cardio! And, you really aren't allowed to leave Kep until you've at least stopped by the Crab Market. If you're expecting to find anything clean, organized, and slightly pretentious like the Pike Place Market in Seattle, for example, you will be disappointed. It's typical of any other seafood or meat market in SE Asia, except the focus is on the crab. If you're a big seafood lover (I'm not), you can treat yourself by buying crabs on the spot after they've just been scooped out of the sea and have them cooked right then and there for you. You'll likely be eating them prepared with the famous and delicious Kampot green pepper, a true local signature dish. If you're not a seafood lover, but have an appetite, you'll be pleased to find other munchable items like fresh fruit, various kinds of barbecued meat on sticks, dried fruit and nuts, etc. Or, you can buy some t-shirts, jewelry, or other souvenirs. Just remember that you're in SE Asia and you need to haggle the price. I was happy to just walk around and people watch, and enjoy some freshly...um...squeezed? sugarcane juice. Back in Kampot, I paid a visit to a place called Farmlink, which I had read about in another traveler's blog. Farmlink is a Fair Trade partnership of sorts that focuses on sustainable farming practices and protection of local farmers. Here, they also help process Kampot pepper by drying it and separating out the high-quality peppercorns for export and local trade. They use the less-quality peppercorns in local restaurants, but the less-quality has more to do with appearance than flavor. I was given a mini-tour of the facility and was allowed to sample the red, white, and green peppercorns. They also sell Fleur de sel and palm sugar, all produced locally. I bought some peppercorns and salt for a couple of my foodie friends back home. I certainly don't claim to have a developed-enough palate to taste much difference in the peppercorns, but they all had good flavor as far as I could tell! I capped off my stay in Kampot by taking a $3 evening cruise of the river, price including a free beer. They could have just said, "Hey, follow me! Free beer!" and I would have happily gone along, but the cruise was a nice extra perk. They advertise it as a "Firefly Cruise" because there are a couple spots along the river where you can see some "lightning bugs", as we call them back home. Seeing a few fireflies didn't really impress me since I have seen much more impressive displays growing up in the Midwest, but I will admit that seeing them did make me miss summer nights back home. Awww.
I had a wonderful time exploring this part of Cambodia. It was a welcome change from the fast pace of the two cities I had visited prior. I could easily see myself going back to Kampot down the road, maybe setting myself up as a digital nomad for a month or two. We shall see what the future holds. Quick personal note from me: RIP to Anthony Bourdain, 61, who lived a life far richer than most of us could ever imagine. While I will admit that he rubbed me the wrong way sometimes, I looked at his life and work in total admiration. I still do. At my former job, we'd have an occasional meeting where questions like, "If you weren't doing what you're doing now, what would you be doing?" were brought up. And my answer was, "I'd be like Anthony Bourdain." Thanks, man, for inspiring me and countless others to get out into the world, get our hands and hearts dirty, eat some fucking amazing food, and be graced by the kindness of souls all over the planet. You won't be forgotten. ********************************* My time in Phnom Penh could be best described as a roller coaster. The highs were tasting delicious Cambodian food for the first time, getting some wonderful hospitality, and admiring beautiful Khmer-style temples and French colonial architecture. The lows were visiting monuments from the days of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot, which were emotionally draining, but in my opinion, a very necessary learning experience. Read on to find out more about what I was able to see and do in Phnom Penh, Cambodia! Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21 Prison) and Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields) Okay, let's get the dark and depressing stuff out of the way first. I had watched First, They Killed My Father on Netflix a couple months before I visited these places, which gave me a bit of background on what happened during the Khmer Rouge regime, but nothing can prepare you for what you see and hear when you visit. While I won't get into all of the historical and gory details, I'll summarize in my own words by saying that Pol Pot took advantage of a suffering country much like many of the deranged lunatic leaders who preceded him in history. In pursuit of Pol Pot's so-called "agrarian utopia" mission, nearly 3 million Cambodians were slaughtered at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Many died of starvation and extreme physical conditions. Thousands were beaten, hung, beheaded, you name it. Those most likely to die were the elderly, children, the disabled, religious folks (monks, etc.), the educated, and even those who wore glasses or had soft hands, which meant that they had "white collar" type jobs and were likely to be educated. All of these people were a "threat" to the Khmer Rouge. Ironically, even the Khmer Rouge was a threat to the Khmer Rouge, as many of its own members were executed on grounds of suspicious behaviors or whispers of their disloyalties to the regime. If and when you ever visit Phnom Penh, I would strongly suggest that you visit both of these monuments. I promise you, that if you have even a sliver of a conscience, it will not be easy for you. You will need to make sure to get the audio guide when you go, so you can hear the details of each place and hear personal accounts from those who lived to tell the gruesome tales. It is absolutely heart-wrenching, but it's essential to understand what happened here. It's not just about Cambodia. This sort of thing has happened, and CONTINUES TO HAPPEN, all over the world. I'm sure Cambodians prior to the 1970s thought, oh this sort of thing could never happen to us. Don't most of us think the same thing? We need to wake up before it's too late. I remember leaving and having SO many questions, all of them starting with the word, "why." I'll never get most of those answers, unfortunately. The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda The residence of Cambodia's king is certainly eye-catching and is often compared to the Grand Palace in Bangkok (though, in my modest opinion, Bangkok takes home the winning prize). Khmer-style, compared to temples in, say, Thailand or Laos, tends to be a bit more ornate. The temples themselves tend to have greater height and less width. The pagodas are also distinctly different, with Khmer-style often having more details and a squared-off base versus a rounded one common in other Buddhist countries. The palace grounds aren't nearly as expansive as the ones in Bangkok, so I was able to navigate and cover all of it within about 1.5 hours. You can hire a tour guide when you enter if you wish to have more background and details, but I opted to just walk around and take some photos. The entrance fee is $10 USD. After you leave, I'd recommend walking around the Royal Palace Park which is just opposite the palace grounds. It's a really nice setting with a view of the river. You can watch locals relaxing and having fun, little kids playing and running around, pigeons pooping on everything; it's awesome. (Joking aside though, check it out!) Where I stayed I had the best experience staying at La Lune Hotel in Phnom Penh. The owner is a native Cambodian who spent a good deal of time in France, so she speaks French fluently as well as Khmer and English. I arrived later in the evening and hadn't eaten dinner, so she insisted on whipping up a delicious dish for me. She always checked on me to make sure everything was going well with my stay and we would always greet each other and make a funny comment or something. She is just one of those good energy type people. I would definitely recommend staying here to anyone visiting. Other places and things worth noting
Daughters of Cambodia Visitor Center: Daughters is a faith-based organization that exists to empower young women who are caught in the cycle of poverty and human trafficking. They offer classes to teach real-life skills and also offer employment opportunities to keep them out of the sex tourism business. The Visitor Center has a café with delicious food and drinks/coffee, a nail spa (I treated myself to a nice pedicure), and a shop that sells clothing, jewelry, scarves, etc. made by their clients. Everything is very reasonably-priced and of course, it's a great cause. They have a convenient location along the river promenade, close to many of the attractions in Phnom Penh. Wat Phnom: Phnom Penh translates to "Hill of Penh" and this temple area is a tribute to the history of the city. Lady Penh discovered some Buddha statues in some trees or logs that were floating down the river one day and she encouraged some folks in her village to build a hill and temple to house the statues and provide a place for respect and worship. Hence, Phnom Penh. I will say that the story is pretty cool, and it's a nice shady place to hang out when you have been subjected to the typical weather conditions of the area, but unless you're really interested in seeing another temple, you could probably skip this place and not miss out on too much. Markets: There are at least three or four large markets in Phnom Penh, the Russian Market and Central Market being the more popular ones. I did not visit the Russian Market at all, but did briefly visit the Central Market, really just to walk around the outskirts and admire the Art Deco architecture. Other than that, it's very typical of all other SE Asian markets. So unless you've never really experienced a market in this part of the country, it's also probably ok to pass on. If you do visit, just remember that you need to bargain, bargain, bargain! Wat Ounalom: I did very briefly visit this temple because it looked really interesting and beautiful, but didn't stay long because there were a few guys chatting and looking at me and chuckling amongst themselves, which needless to say didn't exactly give me the warm fuzzies, so I quickly skedaddled. But, I would still suggest that people go and visit and hopefully get a little more time (and privacy) to enjoy it! Other than that, as I almost always recommend, just walk around and admire the French colonial architecture and soak up the locals doing what the locals do. For transportation, I would suggest using Grab, or there's another app called PassApp that seems to be popular with the locals. I downloaded it but saw that the prices were about the same as with Grab, so I stuck with my tried and true. Phnom Penh is a hustle-and-bustle city, but I didn't find it to be as overwhelming as, say, Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City. It's a great place to start your adventure in Cambodia, or in SE Asia. It's big enough to have a lot of cool cafés and shops, and small enough that you get a nice dose of Khmer culture. Thanks for reading and let me know if you go! |
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AuthorHi! I'm Charity. I'm from Omaha, Nebraska, USA. I quit my job in October 2016 to travel the world. Archives
June 2022
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