Backpacking in Cambodia

The Angkor Complex

The circumstances were just right for this one: I knew, a few weeks later to this trip I will be helming fatherhood for the first time! And I knew if I had to travel, it had to be to a place with a historic, cultural, and photographical aura! Hence, Cambodia: the yin yang of urban landscapes, timeless temples and culinary extravagance.

Day 1: Of travels for the body, mind, and the stomach!

Mumbai – Bangkok – Siem Reap

Part 1: Bangkok

I chose to fly to Bangkok, Thailand, solely because of the territorial itch that runs in my very Indian blue blood. I wanted to walk from one country to the other, cross the border on foot, and experience one of the warmest welcomes.

There are plenty Mumbai–Bangkok flights and because of visa on arrival in Thailand, this leg of the journey was a cakewalk!

Reaching Bangkok, I took a metro ride to Silom, and then to Mo Chit station for $1.5 only.

A 4-hour Mo Chit– Poipet (Cambodia border) ride followed by a breezy visa on arrival made the travel fascinating, may be not a big deal for Europeans, but stepping into another country on foot was the point of flying into Bangkok and not Siem Reap. After entry stamp, I hopped into a bus for another 3-hour drive to Siem Reap. The journey is picturesque with roads cutting through lush paddy fields and busy Cambodian country life. Bus Ride $30.

Border Crossing - Thailand Cambodia Border

Once at the Siem Reap bus station (that’s what it’s called), I tutuk-ed my way to The Angkor hotel at Krong Siem Reap, which was close to Pub Street. $10 per night.

Suggestions:

- On arriving at Bangkok, you can visit Khaosan Road for some delicious Thai food and head to a midnight cross-over to reach Cambodia early morning. Get ready to get exhausted though!

- If you have booked a bus online (advisable), remember to reach Mo Chit bus station 30 mins before departure.

- You can very well plan your travel by the metro system in Bangkok because it is traveller-friendly (read: cheap and reliable).

- Beware of visa scams on the Thailand–Cambodia border (by road) where you may be asked to pay extra visa fees. Do not pay.

- Poipet has an insane number of casinos, you could stay there a night and indulge in the sin of greed.

A 6 pm check-in followed by a quick power nap, I was ready to go on a gastric adventure for the night.

Part 2: Pub-streeting!

Pub Street is a shiny, neon-laced, short alley flanked by clubs, bars and restaurants. What makes it fascinating are the alcohol carts serving a variety of alcohol and cocktails (yes: alcohol available like peanuts on a cart: collective hail to alcohol sale policies of Cambodia).

Pub Street Enterance

From good ol’ Jack and Coke & cuba libre (rum and coke with lime) to a solid Jager Bomb, nothing costs more than $3 and during happy hours, its half the price!

Alcohol Cart at Pub Street

I scoured Pub Street for a visual appetite stimulus along with the lavish glasses of good roadside alcohol. I indulged in spicy barbeques, delectable pancakes, the best-ever Khmer fried rice (way better than Chinese fried rice) and the unforgettable tarantula, both deep fried and barbequed! The barbequed tarantula, culinarily speaking, was done to perfection: crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and had some great texture to it, the kind gourmet chefs vouch for and the deep-fried tarantula was almost similar. That being said, the crispy exterior got me hooked, but the gooey inside was slightly repulsive (I had not tasted baby food yet). Some more Jack and coke and the spider was gastric memory!

The Tarantula I Ate

Pub Street sparks your inner backpacker: interacting with people of different ethnicities and countries! My Pub Street encounter was memorable; from an awkward me accidentally entering a gay bar (Linga Bar) and having a drink to fun conversations with a Belgian baguette cart-owner: everything was just the way I had imagined (could just be the alcohol though!)

Pub Street: Highlights

- Great for backpackers

- Cheap ambrosia: Food varies from Khmer specialties like Fish Amok, Lap Khmer, Khmer Red Curry et al to continental and world cuisine.

- I recommend The Angkor What? Bar and Temple Club.

Khmer Fried Rice

Suggestions:

- Backpackers can opt for a hostel stay at Siem Reap. I gladly recommend Mad Monkey.

- Go easy on the cheap alcohol at Pub Street; you will end up getting tanked.

Day 2: Mindless curiosity

Pub-streeting the night earlier, my sun rose after 9 am. To cater to aimless meandering of my travel plan for this day, I hired a moped at $10 for 8 hours. As the famous backpacker theory says, if you want to truly see a place, visit places where tourists don’t go! I rode my way through small gullies, open fields, buzzing supermarkets, quaint village roads to really see the soul of Cambodia.

Open Fields, Siem Reap

Aimless Riding

I tried a typical Cambodian eatery that served staple barbequed beef and beer; beef to Cambodians is what dal is to Indians. Post beefing up, I was browsing this huge Cambodian version of Walmart called the New market. Later that evening, I explored another side of the Pub Street: the quiet dining (I didn’t disappoint good ol’ Jack though), because tomorrow spelled adventure!

Tuktuk Diver/Friendly Guide

Suggestions:

- Opt for tuktuks where the driver doubles as a guide rather than travelling alone and constantly googling things.

- US dollars are accepted everywhere and ATMs are aplenty at tourist destinations

- Here’s what else you can do if you don’t want to mindlessly wander like I did: Angkor National Museum, Banteay Srei, Beng Mealea, Quad bike in the country.

Day 3: The eventful turn of events

Krong Siem Reap – Angkor Wat – Tonlé Sap – Krong Siem Reap – Phnom Penh

Part 1: Chasing the Sun

At the stroke of 5 am, me, my iPhone, Go Pro, DSLR, and my tutuk driver/guide were ready at the Angkor complex to witness & capture something beautiful. But what are plans if they aren’t faced with calamities! The smile on my morning face faded after realizing that the ticket counter was 8 km behind me. Buzzing between this-can’t-be-happening-to-me and what-can-I-do, my tuktuk driver took the reins, literally! In true James Bond style from Pierce Brosnan in the Visa Tuktuk Commercial, that dude accelerated his tuktuk like no Bond’s business! Zigzagging his way through, guilt on his mind (for not telling about the ticket) and my heart in my mouth, we sped to the ticket counter, bought the tickets, zoomed back to the complex entrance in matter of 20 effing minutes—an unbelievable16 kms in 20 effing minutes! Of course, the travel gods had to test my intentions! Recovering from this speeding action, I realized I was about 1 km away from the sunrise spot. A few minutes late, and I would miss the purpose of this trip! So momentarily trading my legs with Bolt, I ran with my 2 cameras and a tripod stand like there was no tomorrow, well literally! Clearly the consumed beef was working, I was an enraged bull on a mission: capture that beautiful sunrise and keep with me forever. And as a reward to my out-of-body feat, I reached the Sunrise spot in the nick of time and the Angkor Wat Sunrise was off my bucketlist, almost! It was mid-July when Asia faces rains. But as fate would have it, it wasn’t severely overcast and out it came to show the world what beauty truly means! Angkor Wat lit up as reverence to the sun’s arrival! Indescribable shades of yellow lit up the skies as the backdrop of the beautiful Angkor Wat: new against old; power against time; nature against human faith as if luring the photographer inside me to decide which one is beautiful! I had to do justice to this gorgeous array, and off I went into beast mode with my camera inside and outside the Angkor Wat temple: frame after frame, with every click just trying to capture the true essence. After quenching my photographical thirst, it was time to indulge in some breakfast of coconut waters and cheese sandwich to fuel the rest of an interesting day!

Hues of The Angkor Wat

Part 2: Tonlé Sap

You might have heard of floating markets in Vietnam and Bangkok and other Asian countries. Tonlé Sap however is a floating village! Literally translated as large river–not salty, this beautiful lake connects to the Mekong River. It is a floating village bustling with rural life: stilted houses, floating schools, church, grocery stores even a crocodile farm. A must visit if you want to witness the real Cambodia.

Tonlé Sap Skyline

Floating Family at Tonlé Sap

What You Looking At?

Navigating Through the Mekong Delta

Part 3: The tragic night

If only I had known that booking a night bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh would be a stupid idea! Because when I reached Phnom Penh at 5:30 am the next day, my iPhone 6S had been robbed and there was no way I could get it back. I regret travelling that night not because I lost my phone, but because I was warned against taking the night bus. Yes, our travels teach us to un-cock our heads too sometimes!

Suggestions:

- Take a 3-day pass for the Angkor Complex, it’s huge.

- Do not take the night bus; tourist thefts are quite rampant.

- Do not let the hygiene levels (or the lack of them) stop you from exploring the local culture.

Day 4: Police intervention and back home

Phnom Penh – Bangkok – Mumbai

Post the phone tragedy, I reached Mad Monkey hostel at Phnom Penh, and instantly my eyes lit up. The place was buzzing with vibes even at crisp 6:30am.

Happy Hostelling at The Mad Monkey

Although the check-in time was 12 pm, I had the bar and the pool at my disposal, which is exactly what would help me get over my phone loss: a recuperative pool dive!

The Mad Monkey Pool Side

Since this was my last day in Cambodia, I decided to discover the capital city. My first stop was the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. One of the execution centers established by the Khmer Rouge, this site was a former high school that was used as Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer regime. Tuol Sleng means “Hill of the Poisonous Trees.”

S21 Prison, Once a School Corridor

It is heartbreaking what Cambodians have suffered in the 70’s under the reign of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot.

Torture Cell at S21 Prison

After a 2-hr voice-guided tour, I took a tuktuk to the Kandal Market, locally known as Phsar Kandal. Although a chaotic mess, this market deals with fresh meats, produce and fruits, and local commodities. Must try here is the Lort Cha, which is Stir fried noodles with chives, sprouts, Chinese broccoli, and beef and egg.

Kandal Market, Phnom Penh

From genocide museum to crazy markets, my travel for the day had to end with the in-house Mad Monkey party. From chatting and dancing with strangers to beer pong that somehow turned into Vodka Redbull pong and shots after shots, Mad Monkey knows how to entertain their backpacker hostelites. Since I had an early morning Phnom Penh–Bangkok–India flight to catch, I reluctantly excused myself in the last wee hours of my Cambodia trip!

But the travel gods still had their show time saved for me: my last adventure was yet to unravel. Hung-over I landed in Bangkok, and carried out the general airport formalities till I was refused entry. Shocked and had very little idea what is going to happen now! I feared the worst & had my mental checklist ticked right: visa: yes, drugs: no, drunk: not really crime: no. Hell, I was just a backpacker, one among the hoards that stream in and out everyday! I was freaking out: I had one month’s visa and yet was refused entry. All the officer rattled was Thai, and all I knew was English! I felt like the hippie-version of Tom Hanks from The Terminal. After a few minutes of arguing, the pissed officer called another one who tried to handcuff me. I had a mini panic attack thinking about jails and the treatment, but all my gathered knowledge of Banged up Abroad kicked in to realize I couldn’t be arrested unless I talk to someone who understands the language I understand. Till what seemed to be an eternity, they finally got an English-speaking officer who checked my visa and found it to be single-entry visa and I needed another one. It was their documentation glitch and I was innocent! Phew! After all that drama, all I had to do was catch a flight back home. Bangkok to Mumbai is a 4.5 hrs flight and in those 4 and a half hours I’ve slept like my yet to be born baby!

From crossing borders to a lost phone, from a tuktuk-driver-turned-James-Bond to getting arrested, this solo backpacking adventure is one story that I would love to tell my grandchildren about! But before that I’ll be back in Cambodia to create some newer stories

If Cambodia has been on your minds, now is the time to go!

Travelbandar away!