Cambodia: The Trip That Changed Me

Cambodia. A country, that while living in the States, I never dreamed of going to. A country that just seemed out of reach, or a bit too “too far”. I always thought, “If we make it over to Asia; Thailand, Singapore and Japan would top our list.” A place like Cambodia never even crossed my mind. Since living in Malaysia, we have heard incredible things about Cambodia, and it instantly became high up on our Bucket List. All I can say is GO. Go experience this wonderful place for yourself. Don’t overthink it, don’t grasp at all the negatives about getting there, just go. You will be so happy that you gave this country a chance. I know that I am forever grateful for my first trip to Cambodia, and I hope with all my heart it is not my last. This has been the most meaningful trip so far on our ex-pat journey. This trip changed me.

Now, before I get into everything we did on our three days in Siem Reap, Cambodia, I want to explain a bit about the country’s tumultuous past. You see, to truly understand what makes the Cambodian spirit so beautiful, you have to know what they have been through and what they are still going through. Cambodia has been a country under invasion since ancient times. Back then, they were under constant attacks from Muslim cultures, Vietnam, Thailand and even the Chinese. In more recent years, it has been under attack by a communist regime called the Khmer Rouge, severe government corruption, and civil war. In the late 1970s, the Khmer Rouge carried out a mass genocide that killed over 25% of their population, and targeted the educated people. Lawyers, journalists, educators, police- anyone that might question their authority. They created such fear among the people that families began turning on one another, starvation and disease ran rampant, and executions were held daily. Millions of people were killed, and millions of families were broken. Most recently, government corruption has taken over. Elections have been rigged and tons of money has been stolen. We visited (not knowingly) during an interesting time: election week.

During the few days we were in Siem Reap we were able to see some demonstrations going on, and everyone we talked to mentioned the election. On Sunday, they would get to vote in a local election for a local representative. With all that has happened to them, Cambodians have every reason to be bitter, angry and hateful, especially towards their government, but what is amazing is how hopeful they are. Most of them want change badly, and they were so excited to go out to vote. Our tuk-tuk driver, Saray, lost both of his parents and his brother in the civil war and had many reasons to be upset with his government and his country, but I have never seen a bigger smile than his when he told us that he was getting to vote. Who knows if and when change will ever come, but the hope is alive in the Cambodian people, and I couldn’t help but feel it too.

Like I mentioned before, we stayed in a town called Siem Reap, known for the ancient temple ruins of Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is Cambodia’s top tourist attraction, and the pride of the country. Since it’s “discovery” in the 1800’s, the ruins have appeared on the currency, stamps, flag and so much more. Siem Reap is not a “paradise” type of place. It’s not glamorous, over-the-top hotels, shopping malls, pristine beaches. It is murky rivers, dirt roads, small villages, countryside fields and HOT. Very, very hot! But, for what it lacks in “paradise”, it makes up for in culture and it’s people.

I cannot say enough about the Cambodian people. They are what makes the country truly beautiful. The positivity, gratitude, smiles, and joy radiated out of the people. Many would thank us for visiting their country when we walked by. It was such a meaningful gesture, and I was moved when I experienced multiple people saying it to us throughout our trip. To be on the other side of the world, so far from the home you know, and to have people thanking you for being there. That was just amazing to me.

We felt the kindness as soon as we arrived, as we were welcomed into our hotel with a gift, a cold drink and smiles. We stayed at a hotel called the Angkor Miracle Resort, and it was an amazing deal for the price. The accommodations were very nice, we had roundtrip hotel transfer, breakfast buffet included and a great pool to swim in after a day in the heat. All for around $40 USD per night!

We jumped right in to our adventure on the first day. We found our tuk-tuk driver right away, and he was amazing! His name was Saray, and in Cambodia, the tuk-tuk drivers stay with you the whole time you are there, so you really get to know these drivers well. We made a plan with Saray so he knew exactly what we wanted to do and see all weekend. First on the agenda was seeing the incredible temple complex of Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat describes the most famous temple, while the entire temple complex is referred to as Angkor, the largest religious monument in the world. The complex is comprised of over 200 temple ruins, all with their own unique names.

To see these temples was breath taking. It is unbelievable to see such amazing architecture and the sheer size of these buildings. We learned that elephants did most of the heavy lifting of the stones, which came from over 70 km away, and the bigger temples took up to 35 years to build, the oldest dating back to around the 12th century.

We did a quick tour of the main Angkor Wat temple, snapped some photos and jumped back in our tuk-tuk. I loved riding around, being able to see and hear everything so vividly. We had to get back to the hotel because I had booked us a private e-bike photography tour of some hidden, lesser known temples.

When we got back, it was time for us to do our tour with Angkor Photography Tours. I had actually found out about Laurent and his tours on social media, then looked up his reviews on TripAdvisor. He had wonderful reviews so I was super excited! He was going to take us around on e-bikes (basically an electric scooter), give me some photography tips and show us some of the “off-the-beaten-path” places, which we LOVE. The tour definitely lived up to all the reviews. I cannot rave enough about this tour. We had the best time, and I learned so much about my camera and photography. The e-bikes could get us places that the big tour buses could not, and we were the only people at a majority of the temples he took us to. It was amazing! We spent about four hours temple hopping, then he took us through the countryside for about an hour.

In the countryside we saw some real, natural beauty. There are lotus flower fields, wooden houses on stilts, children playing and we even saw a man plowing with water buffalo the way it has been done for hundreds of years. It was beautiful. We got to see the real side of Cambodia, away from “temple land”, and that was really special.

We watched the sunset on a small lake, where a little girl offered us 50 cent beers, and took in all of the beauty. After that, it was time to make our way back to the hotel…on our e-bikes, at night! Driving here in SE Asia is crazy, and Cambodia was no different. At least they drive on the RIGHT side of the road. We maneuvered our way in and out of motorbikes, cars, carts full of food, animals, etc. I felt like I was going to crash probably 20 times, but it was so much fun. It was definitely an experience I will never forget.

It was going to be hard to top our first day in Cambodia, but Saturday was just as much fun! We met Saray after breakfast, and had him take us to two of the other famous temples we just had to see: Ta Prohm and Bayon. Ta Prohm was made famous from the movie “Tomb Raider”, and it is unbelievable. There are trees literally growing on top of the temple ruins, a true example of nature taking back it’s home. The size of the trees and the roots themselves were mind-blowing! We really enjoyed walking through this temple, and consider it a must-see. We went in the low-season, so it was not as crowded as it normally is, but it was still the most crowded temple we saw.

The final temple we saw was in the ancient city of Angor Thom, and it was called Bayon. Known for the many faces that are carved (over 200!) into the stone, and many are still in good condition. What impressed us most about this temple was the amount of detail that went in to constructing it. There was a “gallery hall” that wrapped around the entire temple with carvings that told the stories of battles, building cities and everyday village life.

After spending our morning exploring more temples, we decided to have Saray drive us out of town and catch a glimpse of the floating village. He took us about 15 km out of town, and showed us more of the real Cambodia. We stopped along the way to buy some beers, and sat by the edge of the water to drink them. Over beers, Saray explained to us about Cambodia’s past and opened up about his family. It was a touching moment. If you ever get the chance to go to Siem Reap, make sure you have your tuk-tuk driver take you out of town and see places few tourists do.

Saturday night we decided to check out the town and go to the famous “Pub Street”, where most of the bars and nightlife in Siem Reap is…Oh, and they have 50 cent beers! Well, travel rarely goes as planned, and just as we sat down to enjoy a 50 cent beer we were told that no alcohol was being served because of the election the next day. Wait, what? No alcohol at all?!? I’m a tourist, I don’t have to be responsible and vote the next day. LOL! As we looked extremely dumbfounded, I think the waitress felt bad for us so she snuck us one beer each. After that we walked along looking at all the street food vendors selling crazy things like snake on a stick, crickets, grasshoppers, scorpions, you name it. We walked past thinking no way would we ever eat them. All of a sudden, there was a glorious cart on the corner. A literal bar cart, with a full bar, stools around the outside, music blaring, crazy lights and a bartender. Apparently there is some loophole where a bar cart can still serve alcohol…we didn’t ask questions. We just ordered three more drinks each, then found ourselves eating those crickets and scorpions we saw earlier. Oh, does alcohol make me brave! We proceeded to then get a pizza (so Western of us) and $3 hour long foot massages. Gotta LOVE Southeast Asia!

On our last morning in Cambodia, we knew we wanted to see the sunrise above the temple at Angkor Wat. Saray was there at 5am to pick us up, and even though we could barely open our eyes, he was smiling and telling us how he couldn’t wait for us to see how magical the sunrise is. And boy, was it! Catching the first glimpse of the sun rising over one of the most incredible ancient structures truly was magical. Add it to your bucket list immediately! It was an amazing ending to an amazing trip.

No country can ever truly forget it’s past, especially one as painful as Cambodia’s. Signs of the past are all around them: people missing limbs from landmines, many middle-aged people lost their parents and loved ones, a very young population is missing out on education, poverty and starvation affect a majority of families, and landmines are still being found out in the countryside. However, for the people of Cambodia, their past does not define them. They remain remarkably hopeful, positive and optimistic of their future. I say this trip changed me because I saw and experienced many things I never have before. I saw extreme poverty, affects of war on a population, and the pure, genuine joy of people. Their spirit and attitudes humbled me, and I am forever grateful. I also learned to be hopeful. Hopeful in the fact that even though horrible things happen, life goes on, and people come back more resilient and even more hopeful for their future. After all, what is the world without hope?

Happy Travels,

Courtney