Cambodia

Riding through the Mekong was great, but rather than turn our bikes around and head back to Saigon, Che and I decided to do the sensible thing, and ride them into Cambodia instead. Although this didn’t turn out to be my favourite country, there were some important parts which everyone needs to see.

The Currency

US Dollars and Riel (KHR) You can pay in either, but anything under $1 must be Riel and they use no coins.

1000KHR = 25 cents

£1 = $1.25

The Language

Sous Dey – Hello

Soum – Please

Orkan – Thank you

Chah – Yes

Orteh - No

The Food

Cambodia has many national dishes, but as I was sick for a lot of my time in this country, I didn’t eat a lot, and when I did, it was plain food, that my stomach knew! It also has great western food all over the country, some with their own spin.

Don’t Miss: Cam’s Burritos in Phnom Penh for the biggest, and best Burritos and loaded nachos in (dare I say it) the whole of Asia. Not bad for $4!

The Route

The Border

Entering with our motorbikes was always going to be a risk, and we had been old that some people struggle to do it. However, we crossed with no issues as no-one queried our mode of transport into the country. For those of you wanting to cross the border on your bikes, ride through Prek Chak into Cambodia and deal with the most chilled out border officials ever.

We made it to Cambodia!

Kampot

A two hour ride from the border, the road to Kampot was amazing. If anybody tells you that the roads in Cambodia are bad, don’t take any notice until you have left the city behind and taken this road. It must have been freshly tarmacked, and my bike thanked me for it after suffering the potholes in the Mekong Delta. Almost completely flat, you could see for miles and there was almost nobody around. We arrived into Kampot at sunset and had amazing views on the way in.

There is not a lot to do in Kampot but you absolutely must hire a bike and see Bokor National Park. Winding mountain roads, lead you to the ghost town that has been left there – make sure you get off your bike to take a stroll through the abandoned buildings.

Top Tip: Take a jacket with you to Bokor and go on a questionable day – when the mist sets in it makes for a creepy atmosphere.

Abandoned Building in the mist at Bokor National Park

Sihanoukville

I visited here to catch up with Lucy who had been living and working here for the last two months, although I don’t know how she did it! Sihanoukville, particularly Serendipity, is Magaluf on crack! Everything is expensive and people just come here to get trashed! Worth a day or two but don’t get sucked into working at the bars; somehow these people always stay for ever.

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh, as a city, is okay. Somehow it reminds me of India – it is dirty and smelly and some parts are simply unsafe. That said, there are two extremely important things to do when you visit here. For those of you who are unaware, in the 70’s, Cambodia experienced a genocide at the hands of the Khmer Rouge which has been mostly forgotten about by the Western World. This is why everyone should visit the S-21 Museum and the Killing Fields whilst in Cambodia. They both offer audio tours which you should definitely take, and listen to the stories of the people who experienced it. A man named Chum Mey is one of the only living survivors of S-21, a school turned detention centre where prisoners where chained together and tortured. He frequents the museum to talk to visitors about his experience, he said it is a way for him to help educate people on what happened, to stop it happening again.

Before you go: Read First they killed my father, a memoire of the Khmer Rouge takeover and genocide, written by Loung Ung as she grew up. She was 5 years old when she was first forced out of her home in Phnom Penh in April 1975.

Stacked Skulls from the mass graves at the Killing Fields. 

Siem Reap

After selling my bike in Phnom Penh, I was back to the bus life, which was very strange after 3 months. Very much a tourist city, or at least the part of it I saw, Siem Reap wasn’t my favourite place in Cambodia, but it is the closest place to the famous Angkor Wat. I made some friends and hijacked their tour (thanks again Brittany and Andrew!!) and headed out at 5 the next morning to catch the sunrise over the temples. It wasn’t the most spectacular sunrise in the world, but then again neither was the sunset, but it’s worth seeing one or the other. Prepare for crowds though, people flock to see these sights.

Don’t miss: The coolest temples which are where Tomb Raider was filmed, they’re in ruin with trees growing through them and generally look amazing.

Temples at Angkor Wat

From Siem Reap, off I hopped onto a bus to Bangkok! I’m looking forward to green curry and actually decent fried rice!!