Fast Forward: Cambodia, Round Two

We landed in Siem Reap, Cambodia, passed through immigrations, purchased SIM cards, met our hostel-provided tuk tuk and arrived at The Siem Reap Hostel all in a blur. 

With heads still spinning from the Full Moon Party, we barely made it to our beds before we were all in a deep sleep.  

One of our multiple napping locations that day...

I spent this past March in Cambodia, and although during this portion of our travels I would be playing tour guide I felt that it would be a shame for Caroline, Brad and Jennifer to visit the region and miss the breathtaking Temples of Angkor Wat or the emotional Killing Fields of Phnom Penh.  

Shirt in the Old City market

This trip, I spent less than a week in the country, but was very glad that our movement from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh and then onto Saigon, Vietnam was without major interruptions or delays, though we did have some interesting modes of transportation.  

I was lucky enough to use the time during their touring to catch up with my dear friends Caitlin and Laura, and spend the downtime updating my blog and journal.  

Paintings in the Old Market

On our first day in Siem Reap we slept until late morning, walked around the city in the blistering heat, visited the local market in the Old City, and decided around happy hour that it was time to get happy.  Our adventure lead us to Happy Special Pizza and after a few beers and two very happy pizzas, we were on the express route to extreme happiness.  The night ended in an attempt to be social at the hostel's infamous Happy Hour, but after realizing we were contented with one another as company we headed upstairs to our dorm style accommodations, laughed about life, and headed to sleep.  

The next morning our little group was off to watch the sunrise at the Angkor Wat Temple compound, which left me with the arduous task of sleeping in and finding coffee on my own.  

Hostel Wall Art

That night we took the night bus to Phnom Penh and arrived at The Mad Monkey Hostel around 8 AM. Our tuk tuk driver from the bus stop waited for us to eat breakfast at Brown Cafe and get some morning caffeine before he swept my travel companions away to visit the infamous and heartbreaking Killing Fields.  

As previously stated, this left me with time to myself which I initially thought would be spent at the Vietnamese embassy applying for our visas, but The Mad Monkey staff handled all of our visas for us for the price of $2 each, a fee we were grateful to pay to avoid any communication issues.  

The rest of the day was spent, as was the following one, exploring Phnom Penh and tasting as many Cambodian dishes as we could.  It was fun to re-visit the city and be able to share some information and insight with my friends, while also exploring new areas of town and learning from their observations and findings.  

Playing dress up in Phnom Penh

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You're Never Alone When Traveling Solo

I have backpacked alone before.  My first experience was a few days in Prague, Czech Republic and then in Kiev, Ukraine back in 2011, but I was only "on my own" for a few days before meeting up with friends.   I also studied in Buenos Aires, Argentina "alone", but with university classes and a host family I do not consider that leap of faith very extreme.

This March was my first "solo" trip that I had planned, or at least roughly sketched out during a break between classes one balmy afternoon in Chiang Mai last February.  Armed with the knowledge from an amazing new friend in Chiang Mai who had spent time in Cambodia, as well as the quick tips offered by a professor who had visited previously, I decided the month of my 26th birthday would be spent in Cambodia.  This would be my first trip "alone".

My Cambodian Map for the Journey

As I stared at my black and white print out of the country from the university library, I grabbed a pen and started writing Temple names, useful phrases, currency exchange rates and circling the major cities that I hoped to visit.

Ta Phrom Temple in Siem Reap

Although that one sheet of paper gave me the confidence necessary to leave my new Chiang Mai University family at the end of the month, I found that I didn't rely on it while traveling.  I again relied on the suggestions from new friends, bunk mates, and locals to make my itineraries, which usually changed as the day went on - always for the best.

Night Out at Angkor What? in Siem Reap

Whether it be on the side of the road while our bus driver decided to stop for a smoke break, or at a new hostel Happy Hour, I have met so many travelers that I cant say that I've been alone at any point yet.  

Fresh Crocodile at our First Cambodian BBQ

Traveling with little more than my backpack and open mind has allowed me to visit places that are definitely off the beaten track.

By taking small leaps of faith and being comfortable to explore new cities "alone" I have bumped into more like-minded travelers than I had ever expected.

Now - about 21 days, 8 boat rides, one attempted half marathon, 7 bus rides, one fake border, 3 islands, one Full Moon Party, at least 10 tuk tuks, a crocodile BBQ, 5 motorbike rides, 4 hostels, one treehouse, many new friends, and countless amazing memories later I can confidently say that those recommendations and tips, along with the advice and tidbits from fellow travelers has been spot on - Cambodia has been great!

Sunset in Paradise in Koh Ta Kiev

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