Our journey to Cambodia was an interesting one. The drive is only about 6/7 hours from Ho Chi Minh but with the stops at the boarder it took around 8 hours. It took us 3 hours to reach the Vietnam/Cambodian Boarder, once arrived we firstly had to cross the Vietnamese boarder. We gave our passports in and had absolutely no control over them nor did we know what was going on. We eventually crossed the boarder and then approached the Cambodian boarder. This was an even weirder experience as we were split up into different groups, our passports were taken off us and we eventually got called forward to cross the boarder. I felt a lot better once my passport was back in my hand and I had crossed both boarders with no issues. The rest of the journey took 4 hours, once arrived we literally got dropped off in the middle of an extremely busy road and then had to walk 30 minutes to get to our hostel. No ideal but that’s Cambodia!
We were staying in Mad Monkey Hostel in Phnom Penh. The hostel was buzzy with lots going on and it also had a pool making it even better! On our first night we met our friends, found a cheap (ish – we soon found Cambodia is SO expensive compared to Vietnam) restaurant and had some drinks to finish the evening off.
On our first day in Phnom Penh we explored the city. We started off the day by buying a SIM card. Now if you are ever in Phnom Penh and need to buy a SIM card make sure you go to the actual CellCard shop as it’s really cheap for a good sim!
We saw many of Phnom Penh’s sights that day like: the National Museum, the Royal Palace and lots of monuments. We also came across a Cambodian market which was really interesting (but a little gross as well – see the picture below!) I loved Phnom Penh as a city as it did not give off that touristy vibe and it was nice to venture out of the main touristy area to see some Cambodians in everyday life.
The following day we headed in a tuk tuk to the Killing Fields. The feelings I experienced on this trip are something that will stick with me for life: utter heartbreak. We approached the Killing Fields and you immediately could feel the sad vibes. We paid for an audio tour (definitely worth the money) and then begun the tour. The whole thing was set out really well for tourists and it explained the war in great detail, even giving accounts of true stories on the way. Their were extremely heartbreaking parts to the tour and the main thing that amazed me so much was how the Cambodian people have put this all behind them and moved on. They are honestly the kindest and most selfless people I have ever met, always going that extra mile. The Killing Fields and the S21 (prison) Museum were both great experiences but so extremely sad. I really would recommend them to anyone wanting more of an insight to the Cambodian War.
That evening we arrived back at the hostel (feeling like we needed a drink after the emotional day we had) and packed up our bags ready to leave the following day. We had a great time in Phnom Penh, even if it was emotionally draining it was so nice to listen and learn about the country we were in. Next stop … the Cambodian Islands!!!
Adventure Awaits... 