Leaving Vietnam and heading to Cambodia

First stop, Phnom Penh 

Our time in Vietnam came to an end. A time that we thoroughly enjoyed. Had we, meaning me, been more on the ball when it came to visa requirements we may have stayed even longer. Whilst back in Tokyo we had our flights booked, and only then did I do a Google search to determine whether we needed a visa to travel to Vietnam.

We did. And they took up to eight days to process. We were flying in two days. Can you see our problem? Thankfully, we are travelling with both our passports and I frantically searched again, but this time for the entry requirements for those with a British passport. And breathed a huge sigh of relief. We could enter visa free, with the caveat that we could only stay in the country for 15 days.

Crossing the border at Moc Bai

Our 15 days at an end it was time to move on to Cambodia. And yes, I had planned early and we had the right visa, allowing us to cross the Vietnam Cambodia border at the Moc Bai international checkpoint. The bus was scheduled to take seven hours, and nine hours later we rolled into Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. We were very hungry, travelling across the border with no local currency. That said, the food looked anything but appealing. On close inspection I could not even work out what it was. Not that Vik was hungry after her first real “asian” toilet experience. Her face was a picture.

Killing Fields

Cambodia has a lot of history. Over thousands of years. But our focus in Phnom Penh was on tragic events that happened a lot more recently. In the 1970s in fact. Knowing that atrocities against the Cambodian people were happening as I was enjoying my childhood sends shivers down my spine. Between 1976 and 1979 the Cambodian dictator, Pol Pot, oversaw the killing of up to 2 million of his own people. His Khmer Rouge government targeted anyone that they felt did not fit into the classless society they wanted. And many were driven to the “Killing Fields”, south of the capital to be executed.

Now known of the Choeung Ek Genocide Centre, the Killing Fields is a peaceful memorial to those that lost their lives. I feel that these monuments are essential to educate people, including the Cambodians, of what can happen in a society, and how we can try and avoid it repeating. A stupa has been built that now houses the skulls and bones that were taken out of the mass graves they had perished in, An excellent audio guide is included in your admission fee and I couldn’t help but feel emotionally drained listening to reports of what happened in those terrible years.

Tuol Sleng prison genocide centre 

Back in the capital, we next visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.A former school, the Khmer Rouge turned this into a prison where people were indiscriminately tortured and murdered. Of the estimated 20,000 people imprisoned here, only seven escaped death. Of those murdered, there were two Australians, two Americans and a Briton. Walking the corridors of this former school, and seeing the photographs on the walls, it was hard to reconcile the two.

Riverside in Phnom Penh

After the history lesson, we needed some fresh air and so we headed to the boardwalk that runs alongside the Sisowath river. Fresh air is never really a thing in SouthEast Asia, and it wasn’t here. It was worth braving the fumes of all the traffic to be outside, processing what we had seen and learned about that morning. We strolled along, past all the street food vendors, and sat on the wall with a $1AUD beer.

Drinking in Cambodia

Most of the beers we had were a dollar. Beer had become our new cost of living indicator and in SouthEast Asia you can drink on the cheap. In fact, you find yourself becoming ruthless. Somebody asks for $1.50AUD for a beer? You walk away, shocked at “how expensive” it is. Yes, I know, my privilege kicking in. You need to take a moment to put everything into perspective. You are getting a good deal, even at $1.50 a beer. Take a breath, pay the money, and everybody smiles.

The confusing thing about money in Cambodia

The money still takes some getting used to. In Vietnam we had the Dong. And now, the Riel. And whilst the beer may have only cost $1.00, in Cambodian Riel this is 3,000R. When someone quotes you 6,000R for two beers it takes some working out as to how much these cost in your “home” currency. 

Just to make matters slightly more confusing, Cambodian ATMs dispense US dollars. Which you can use in most places. In fact, most menus display the US dollar price only. But when you pay, you get your change in Riel. Your wallet will bulge with both US dollars and Cambodian Riel. Are you keeping up? I was confused for most of our stay, trying to convert from US dollars, to local currency, then back to Aussie dollars to see what we were “really” paying.

Street vendors in Cambodia sizing me up

One thing is certain, what you are “really paying” is not a lot, relative to home. And wandering around the many markets in Cambodia there are some real bargains to be had. If shopping is your thing. Always remembering that the first price quoted in the market is double what your counter haggle should be. A t shirt is quoted as 12,000 riel, then go in with an offer of 6,000, still only a couple of dollars. I wasn;t looking for anything but if I had I could be comforted(?) that they had my size. Walking through the narrow market stalls one lady trader stroked my stomach and said “don’t worry, we have your size. We have King Kong size.” I kid you not.

Kampot

Leaving Phnom Penh, still ruminating on the “King Kong” comment, we headed south, to the little town of Kampot. I was last in Kampot 13 years ago so I was looking forward to seeing how it had changed. My memories were of a small, sleepy town that was perfect for kicking back with a good book for a few days. On the minibus down there we were sat next to a couple of missionaries from the US who had lived in Cambodia for the last 30 years. When they got off in Kampot, they told us, “Welcome to the most beautiful place in Cambodia.”

Our impressions after spending three days in Kampot were that it needs a lot of loving and a lick of paint. The old French shop buildings could look so beautiful, as evidenced by the town of Hoi An, in Vietnam. Instead, there were piles of trash, horrible tall concrete hotels, and a river pathway that had been ripped up. Granted, work was ongoing to improve the path and this will look better once complete. Right now, the town is a bit of a mess, and seems to be sliding down the path taken by Sihanoukville, a town by the coast. Lots of older, white males, sat in bars with very young looking Cambodian women. In a country known for sex tourism it is not too much of a stretch to work out what the men were in Cambodia for. It gets a little depressing.

The delicious dishes of Southeast Asia

Putting the depressing thoughts behind us it was time for dinner. Eating in Southeast Asia is a real highlight. The aromas, the flavours, and the spices really do capture the attention and tickle the taste buds. Each country has its own speciality and in Cambodia this is fish amok. A dish I had at the excellent Epic Arts Cafe, a place that runs to support disadvantaged locals. Some of the staff are deaf and they bring you a menu and a pen so you can select your choices.

The fish amok I chose was delicious. Lemongrass notes wafting over the fish. A subtle curry sauce brings the whole dish together. We love to sample new dishes from the different countries and it is also good when you just feel like a change, as there is good western food to be had in each town and city. I have a soft spot for pizza and had a great wood fired one in Kampot, cooked up by an Italian chef.

Pepper and the Plantation

Talking of food, let’s turn to pepper. Kampot is famous for its black pepper, and back in the day, it is said that no self respecting Parisian restaurant would be seen without some Kampot pepper on the table. Whilst we were there we jumped in a tuk tuk for a full day of the countryside. Maybe the oddest tour we have been on, but that is another story.

Bouncing along the unsealed roads outside of Kampot, our tuk tuk drove us to La Plantation. A fabulous pepper plantation that is doing a lot of social good in Cambodia. Not only did we get a free, and very informative tour of the pepper plantation, learning how pepper is grown (who knew?), we also had a full pepper tasting. Set up in 2013 by a French-Belgian couple, La Plantation is now recognised globally and is certified organic. They also support the education of young children, recognising that education is the only route out of poverty for many of these kids. A wonderful place that I would highly recommend that you visit if you are in the area.

A new drinking game

Back in Kampot it was time for a beer. And we found some cans of Cambodia beer for 80 cents, which for those of you in the UK is about 45p. And the best bit was that a traveller at the next table asked us if we “knew about the ring pulls”. Our blank faces told her we didn’t and she went on to explain that under each ring pull, these were the old fashioned type that come away from the can, there is something printed, that means either nothing, or another cheap beer, when redeemed at a local shop.

This became our new favourite game. Ripping off the tops of Cambodia beer cans and seeing if we had “won”. And win we did, a lot. In fact, more than we ever redeemed. When we did redeem them we found out that our new beers were costing 18 cents, which is about 10p.

Making plans to slow down in Cambodia

Happy days indeed. It was over one of these beers that we made our onward plan. Deciding to slow down a little we booked four (which turned into 5) nights at a beach resort on the island of Koh Rong Sanloem. I am really hoping we can redeem a few more of those ring pulls!