One woman's journey through the world
The following post was written by a former contributor to Chasing the Unknown. The views expressed are not those of the site’s owner. Before arriving in Cambodia, like any savvy traveler, I did my research and tried to learn about all of the possible scams we could potentially face as well as what it would be like to travel within the country. I read horror story after horror story
When we arrived in Siem Reap, I couldn’t decide whether to love it or hate it. The gateway to Cambodia’s famous Angkor Wat area, Siem Reap is bursting with restaurants, bars, hotels, and countless other businesses thriving solely because of tourist dollars. Visitors roam the streets at all hours, all year long, always accompanied by the cries of tuk-tuk drivers and shopkeepers trying to earn their money. For some tourists,
Kampot seems to be the darling of western travelers, loved by the couple behind Never Ending Voyage, the ladies of Globetrotter Girls, countless other bloggers, and travelers we’ve met in various places. We liked Kampot but neither of us counts it as our favorite spot in Cambodia. There’s a great deal to do in the area but it’s also an easy place to relax and do nothing for a few
Although the bamboo train is perhaps the best known tourist attraction in Battambang, there’s more to this area than a bumpy ride along a narrow track. Two days is all we spent there and that was the right amount of time for us. We packed in quite a bit so these are just the highlights. If you’re heading to Battambang and want to know more, drop us a comment or
When thinking of Cambodia, diving is not the first thing that comes to mind. But continuing our trend of diving wherever we can reasonably fit it into this trip, we blocked out two days to spend a few hours breathing canned air in the Gulf of Thailand. Dive shops are based in Sihanoukville and on the islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem. The islands are about 1.5-2
Jostling in the back of a tuk-tuk, dirt flying in our faces from the bumpy road, the pungent odor of decomposing rubbish permeates the air: the surrounds of Phnom Penh unfold as we bump along. A young boy in shorts spots us from his open-air home, “Hello!” he calls out with a heartwarming smile stretching from ear to ear, cheerfully waving as we go by. Such joy amid such squalor,
There are more temples in the 400+ square km Angkor Wat Archaeological Park near Siem Reap, Cambodia than I can count on our map. With a $40 three-day pass, we visited 15 of them. There are countless books, websites, documentaries, and films about this place and as we aren’t going to pretend any sort of expertise, I suggest you find one of those if you want history. We did a
Seeing an endangered animal in its natural habitat is not something I get to do very often. But late yesterday afternoon I stood for an hour on a boat in the middle of the Mekong River watching endangered Irrawaddy dolphins. I’ve had some wonderful experiences in Cambodia and this only lengthens my list. For a time, I was on the only boat in the area and heard nothing but wind,
“Where are you thinking of going next?” the woman next to me asked. “Sihanoukville, then probably Battambang.” I replied. “Battambang! Are you going to ride the Bamboo Train?” “Yes!” “Maybe we can ride it together!” So began a new friendship; and a ride on a small flatbed mounted on two axles, covered with bamboo mats, powered by a tiny motor – or by our driver’s running feet. Beginning in the