Follow Me Through Cambodia
16 crazy, beautiful, ‘off the beaten path’ personal experiences I had in Cambodia
I travel extreme and on a budget; I endeavour to find the cheapest possible way to do anything. And travelling like this usually means I end up in sticky situations sometimes. This is a collection of all my memorable experiences in Cambodia: the good, the bad, and the stressful! Check out crazy Cambodia, my way!
1. Being scammed numerous times at the border cross from Thailand into Cambodia.
There are SO many scams going on at this border that I had to write an entire blog article about it.
2. Dressing up as Angelia Jolie and posing outside of the Ta Prohm temple in Siem Reap.
With huge tree roots weaving in and out of the ancient rock, this was easily my
3. Watching the sunrise over Angkor Wat temple as monks pass by in Siem Reap.
Although our sunrise was somewhat of a let down it was still beautiful and intimate, and a special way to experience these awe-inspiring wonders.
4. Spending a week rising at 6am everyday for meditation and yoga and eating delicious vegan food at Hariharalaya Mediation Retreat near Siem Reap.
I decided to come here to detox after Thailand and try to find ways to become a more calm and happy person. My week there was life changing and I left feeling totally on top of the world!
5. Being hired to make a promotional video for a magician in Siem Reap.
Probably one of the coolest videos I’ve ever made and it meant that I got to hang around Siem Reap for a month, getting to know the locals and making it my home.
6. Teaching myself how to ride a manual motorbike using a YouTube video.
The awesome house that I lived in came with a dirt bike. However, at that time I only knew how to drive an auto scooter. So I did what any kickass girl would do, and taught myself using the wonders of the Internet.
7. Being driven in a van going 200km/h down a dirt road, which had four lanes but should have only had one.
During this trip to Phnom Penh we saw an overturned truck in which had had about 30 passengers riding on it before plunging into a ditch. Read More.
8. Canoeing along the river at sunset in Kampot.
We hired a canoe from our hostel and wove through mangroves until we spilled out onto a wide river just in time to catch the sunset over the mountains. Bliss.
9. Eating Kampot Pepper Crab at an authentic crab shack built over the muddy waters of Kep.
Kampot is famous for it’s pepper and Kep is famous for it’s crab. The two together were a total mouth sensation!
10. Whizzing around Bokor National Park on a ramshackle motorbike.
We drank red wine on the edge of a cliff and explored eerie, abandoned hotels half-built by the Chinese. We hiked and chilled next to a waterfall and then made our way home in the dark.
11. Fitting eight people in a five-seater taxi for a two-hour drive to Sihanoukville.
The driver sat in the centre console with a man sitting between him and the door and talked on his phone the entire drive. We got him to pull over for beers to try and dull the thoughts of impending death and shared them with other passengers.
12. Spending Christmas with a bunch of adventurous travellers at an obscure hostel near Otres Beach, Sihanoukville.
We had a seafood BBQ and drinks on the beach in the sun, and then sang songs by a bomb fire at night. It was the perfect Christmas.
13. Swimming with phosphorescence in crystal clear water on Koh Rong Island.
Bars who openly sell ‘space cookies’ among other things are lined up along the beach. A favourite past time of ours was to munch a little cookie with the locals and then go swimming in the calm, phosphorescence-filled bay in the middle of the night.
14. Walking an hour through jungle on Koh Rong Island to a five kilometre long completely deserted, white-sand, aqua-water beach.
We lazed around on Koh Toch Beach, explored and acted silly all day then caught the boat back to camp at sunset.
15. Experiencing a crazy, intimate and wet New Years Eve on Koh Rong Island.
We drank too much, danced in the sea, let go firecrackers, talked to random people and made out with each other, and created a night full of memories I’ll embarrassingly cherish forever.
16. Seeing protests and riot police after the Killing Fields tour in Phnom Penh.
After a full day learning about the genocide and slaughter of the Khmer people it was a bit of a shock to see riot police closing off the main streets of Phnom Penh on our way back to the hostel. Afterwards, we researched it and found out that it had manifested when factory workers were protesting for a higher wage. Apparently, $3 a day wasn’t enough for them. Hah!
Cambodia was easily one of my favourite countries in South East Asia. The people are friendly, the scenery is amazing and it never ceases to drum up excitement! You can head to Cambodia in pretty much any season as it’s always hot, though quite rainy in the wet season.
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Info
Country: Cambodia
Language: Khmer
Currency: 2 Currencies – USD and Cambodian Riel (KHR, ៛)
$1 USD = ៛4, 000
I was here: September & December 2013
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Crystal Egan
Passionate baby goat cuddler and part-time adventurer, Crystal can often be found doing headstands on the edges of cliffs, taking photos of abandoned buildings or sleeping on deserted islands with dangerous criminals. She has too many awesome stories and helpful tips to keep them all to herself so follow along and in return she will bring you inspiring pictures, travel videos and a whole load of fun!
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