A month in Cambodia in November 2024 (page 2 of 5)

Tuesday, Nov 12 This morning, Thomas called Sophal, a tuk-tuk driver, who’ll take me to explore the area around KC. Joelle, the French woman I met last night, is joining me. While waiting for him to arrive, I’ll visit the house under construction.

We leave around 09:30, pass by the lighthouse, and he takes us to a village called Cheung Kok to visit an NGO. A volunteer shows us around—the traditional bamboo houses and the school. The kids aren’t there today.



We follow the Mekong. During the monsoon, floods cover all the land, and as soon as it dries up, they grow corn, rice, vegetables (cucumbers, zucchinis... Chinese grapefruits, jackfruit, and sorghum also grow in this area). We cross cashew and rubber plantations.



The latex is harvested by tapping, the same way pine trees are tapped for resin in the Landes region of France.



As we pass through the villages, we see many young Muslim children. The girls are already veiled, and by puberty, they wear the abaya—it’s striking. He tells us that the Khmer Rouge still govern the country. People always have to be very careful when they speak, even to their neighbors, because the Khmer Rouge are still present. There are still disappearances when someone verbally opposes the regime. He also told us that Cambodia is under Vietnam’s influence. They produce a lot of crops, which they sell raw and cheap to Vietnam. Vietnam then processes them and sells them back at a much higher price. Life is very expensive for them—an average of 500 dollars per month. At the same time, Cambodians drive big 4x4s, so many are doing well, but I don’t know what sector they work in. We head to Wat Hanchey, a hilltop complex of Hindu and Buddhist temples 20 km from KC.



Outside one of the pagodas, I recognize scenes from the Ramayana on the frescoes.



The complex is quite large, with beautiful colored or sculpted temples.







The views of the Mekong and the countryside are stunning.



The day was really enjoyable, and we return to the guesthouse, where Joelle’s French friends are waiting for us. We have drinks followed by a barbecue dinner at a restaurant near the market with Thomas and his family.

Wednesday, November 13th. I’m heading out again today with Sophal, the tuk-tuk driver. We cross the bamboo bridge connecting K.C. to Koh Paen Island. It hasn’t been rebuilt yet, so we have to take a ferry to reach the island.

The driver tells me the island is inhabited by Vietnamese people. It’s cultivated with rice paddies, vegetables, sorghum, banana trees, and jackfruit trees. Betel nuts are drying on tables.

The fruit on the tree.



On the way back, we visit Vat Nokor Bachey, a 12th-century Hindu temple.



Several young married couples are getting their photos taken. The brides aren’t comfortable in their shoes.



A group of French travelers arrives at the same time as me, accompanied by a guide. I follow them and take advantage of the explanations. This Buddhist temple is really beautiful and interesting, with stunning statues of guardians, nagas, and lions.





The ancient sanctuaries feature Buddhist scenes and floral motifs.



The more recent pagoda, brightly colored with vivid frescoes at the center of the complex.



Originally, this temple was Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu. A statue represents him with four arms, four hands, a conch shell, a sphere above his head symbolizing the earth.



This visit was really interesting. We continue our journey to Phnom Srei, the Women’s Hill. To get there, I have to climb over 200 steps in the heat. At the top, the view is blocked by vegetation. I won’t be going to the Men’s Hill. We return to K.C., and I get dropped off at the market before walking back to the guesthouse.

I just had an explanation on another forum about the KR (Khmer Rouge) in relation to the government. The explanation is important. I’m a bit surprised by what your guide told you about the Khmer Rouge still governing the country and making opponents disappear. He’s surely referring to the Hun family, whose son, Manet, is currently prime minister, and the father, Sen, was prime minister from 1985 to 2023 and is now president of the Senate. The latter did indeed join the Khmer Rouge in 1970 at the call of Prince Sihanouk, like thousands of peasants at the time, to fight the Lon Nol regime and the Americans who were bombing this part of Cambodia (particularly the eastern half of Kampong Cham province, now Tbong Khmum). But Hun Sen later deserted the KR forces, joined the Vietnamese to prepare for the invasion of Cambodia and the overthrow of the KR in December 1978, and then fought the KR until 1998 when the last KR rebels surrendered. It’s worth noting that in the 1980s, the West and China supported the KR internationally (the KR, based on the Thai border, officially held Cambodia’s UN seat), trained and armed them to fight the communist Vietnamese occupiers (who, for their part, exploited their control over Cambodia to systematically plunder the country’s resources). Sihanouk was also on the KR’s side at the time. You can criticize the ruling family and all the allied families who surround them and share the strategic government positions, but it’s undeniable that the country has been at peace since 1997. Unfortunately, there are still Cambodians who listen to the rants of the opposition figure Sam Rainsy, exiled in France, and claim that the Khmer Rouge are still in power, or that it’s actually the Vietnamese, or even that the massacres carried out from 1975 to 1979 were simply the work of the Vietnamese (when they don’t say that the KR and the Vietnamese are one and the same!). Some even claim that Hun Sen is Vietnamese, despite the fact that he was born near Wat Hanchey, which you visited. Vietnam does have economic influence over Cambodia, of course—I live near the border in the area mentioned, and I see a lot of raw products going to our neighbor (cashews, rubber wood, cassava). However, the Cambodian government has laid the first stone for a canal linking the Mekong, via the Bassac, to the Gulf of Thailand near Kampot, an economic move that doesn’t please Vietnam at all! We can also say that if the KR were still in power, all the Muslim Chams and the “Khmer Islam” you saw around Krouyt Chhmar along the Mekong, where there are as many mosques as pagodas, would have been massacred or deported long ago, as they were under the KR regime from 1975 (for Phnom Penh, earlier for this region) to 1979.

There you go, sorry for the long post, but I wanted to clarify things since I hear so much nonsense from some Cambodians—and unfortunately, even from guides.

Thursday, Nov 14. Departure at 8 AM for Kratie. There are two of us in the van, which is loaded with bags. I booked at Tonle GH, which is facing the Mekong and run by an NGO. The staff is really friendly, the room is large and clean, the terrace overlooks the promenade along the Mekong, and the stay looks promising.



Kratie is a good choice—I feel comfortable here. I have lunch by the Mekong at Jasmine restaurant. I stroll through the market and stop by the pagoda.

I head to the Koh Trong island pier. A tuk-tuk stops and offers its services to take me to see the dolphins. Before leaving France, I didn’t want to go, but since I’ve been in Cambodia, several French travelers have told me the trip was nice, so I’ll check it out without much conviction. I schedule a meet-up for the next day at 3:30 PM. Tonight, I dine at Tonle—the food is delicious and well-presented.

Friday, Nov 15. After breakfast, I ask the receptionist to book a bus to BanLung for tomorrow at 8 AM ($10). This morning, I visit Koh Trong island. At the pier, quite a few of us are waiting for the ferry, which makes regular trips. There are no cars on this island, and you can rent bikes to explore it.

This island could be called the "pomelo island" because there are pomelos everywhere.



The island is cultivated—rice fields, pomelo trees, banana trees, vegetables, cows, chickens, roosters. It’s the heart of the countryside.

Stop at the pagoda.

On the way back, I have lunch again at Tonle—I really like this place. At 3:30 PM, the tuk-tuk arrives, and we head off to see the Irrawaddy dolphins. They’re individual boats ($10). We don’t go very far; the boatman doesn’t even need to start the engine. About ten boats are stopped. The dolphins pop their heads up—once on the right, once on the left. I get the feeling the show is well-rehearsed. We stay a long time just floating in place, then we all leave at the same time for a short ride before heading back. I found the outing a bit of a tourist trap—I wonder if the dolphins are fed to stay so close to the pier and all grouped together.

The sunset is pretty—that’s something, at least.



He wants to take me to the Phnom Sambok temple, which is on a hill with 300 steps. At nightfall, I don’t feel up to climbing it. Back to the GH.

We stayed a long time just hanging around, then we all left at the same time to take a little walk before heading back. I found the exit slightly misleading—I wonder if the dolphins are fed to stay so close to the boarding area and all grouped together..

That’s exactly how we felt too We’d just come from Laos and the 4,000 Islands, which we’d loved, so we were less enthusiastic about this region.

Ohh, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who felt this way! In India, in the Andaman Islands, my friend Raja told me several times that he’d seen people feeding fish by the shore to make tourists think there were loads of them. I think it’s the same thing here😕

Did you prefer Laos over Cambodia? I’m hoping to go this autumn, and I decided to start with Cambodia because I think it’s less spectacular—at least in terms of landscapes—but that’s just my impression.

I’d say I preferred Laos, but this trip was a bit special. My husband was born in Laos, and it was his first time going back, so there were a lot of emotions involved. Laos is still very undeveloped except in Vientiane or Luang Prabang, which is very touristy. The Lao people are really endearing—they don’t have much, but they’re so generous. Bruno (Montagnard73) went there recently; he’ll probably have a more objective take than me.

So Miss Rouquine39 (from Lons-le-Saunier or Pontarlier?), I’m Montagnard74, and as a good neighbor, you must know we’re very sensitive about this topic 😛 😉 .

That said, can you really have an opinion between two countries? Did I prefer France or Italy? Even more so, can you be objective after spending only one month in these countries? Certainly not...

So, my take: Cambodia is much better "structured" in terms of tourism. In Laos, it’s still sometimes artisanal (and I love that). I deliberately chose Northern Laos for its mountains and villages lost in the middle of nowhere. I think you can find that in Cambodia too, but I prioritized the big sites (Siem Reap, PP...). What you show in your travel journal is a more rural Cambodia than I had time to see. So, in terms of landscapes, I won’t weigh in.

The interactions with people seemed maybe more "genuine" in Laos—it’s a comparison I could also make between Burmese and Vietnamese people. But it’s also the number of visitors that makes this difference.

So, yes, I had a feeling of "too little" during my trip to Laos—I’d go back more easily than to Cambodia. On the other hand, don’t wait too long—the Laotians are being overtaken by the Chinese, and that could quickly change the situation....

So Miss Rouquine39 (from Lons-le-Saunier or Pontarlier?), I’m Montagnard74, and as a good neighbor, you should know we’re very sensitive about this topic 😛 😉 .

Oh, sorry for the mistake, but now you’re really testing me because Pontarlier isn’t in the Jura—it’s in the Doubs... and it’s a Doubs native from the Upper Doubs telling you that 😛

So Miss Rouquine39 (from Lons-le-Saunier or Pontarlier?), I'm Montagnard74, and as a good neighbor, you should know we're very sensitive about this topic 😛 😉 .

Oh, sorry for the mistake, but now you're really pushing it because Pontarlier isn't in the Jura but in the Doubs... and it's a Doubs local from the Upper Doubs telling you that 😛

My bad. I'm not a fan of that area, that must be why …

Saturday, November 16th. A private car picks me up at 8 AM. It’s loaded with boxes and food that the driver delivers along the way. We arrive at 1 PM. I quickly find a tuk-tuk to take me to BeeBee’s GH, which I booked on Booking.com. I don’t know what to expect—it’s ridiculously cheap, but the reviews are outstanding. The guesthouse is way out of town, and I can’t believe my eyes when I arrive. The buildings look like barns with corrugated metal roofs. I’m really skeptical. The driver drops me off and leaves. A kid welcomes me and gives me the room at the entrance of the place. It’s unbearably hot inside, with no comfort at all and spiderwebs everywhere. There’s no way I can stay here. I wait a little while, but the owners are still nowhere to be found. I decide to head back into town to find a hotel—simple, but clean and comfortable. I don’t know if I’m getting old, but I can’t stay in a place like this anymore.

The first hotel is way too expensive, and the second one is too pricey as well, but the staff points me to another one 100 meters further—the Rattanak City Hotel for $15 a night. The room is spotless; it’s perfect. I head back to find a tuk-tuk to return to the guesthouse and pick up my luggage. I cancel my Booking.com reservation, which would’ve charged me for one night.

On the way, I passed by a restaurant called Green Carrot that looks nice and offers trips to local tribes. That’s exactly why I came here, so I stop by to ask for info while grabbing a snack. The guide is busy with a chatty Spanish guy. He runs Parrot Tours and is really friendly.

He suggests a few different trips, and I pick two. They’re day trips to different villages by motorbike. The guide will pick me up at the restaurant between 8:30 and 9 AM after breakfast. My spirits are back up—I’m thrilled! This is exactly what I wanted to see: tribal villages, animist cemeteries, semi-precious stone mines...

That evening, I come back for dinner. The food is great, and the staff is super friendly.

Sunday, November 17th Today, it’s the owner’s brother who guides me. He speaks a little French—his father taught him, and he’s improving by talking to tourists. We leave the city and quickly hit a red dirt road. He drives fast, dodging potholes. I’m not always at ease, but he handles the bike well. We ride for 45 km.

We arrive at a small village by a river. A boat is waiting, and we set off for a 45-minute ride. It’s lovely—fishermen are everywhere: some on the banks, others wading waist-deep to set nets, and some in boats.



In the village, the houses are made of wood and built on stilts. In the middle of the rice fields, small huts are set up where men take turns keeping watch over animals that might eat the crops. Mango trees grow among the rice fields.



The women are weaving baskets and mats for drying grains.



They also make beautiful baskets, but they’re hard to transport. Too bad—I would’ve loved to bring one back.



On the way out of the village, we take a jungle path that leads to an animist cemetery. The jungle has overtaken the old, unmaintained graves.



Wooden totems stand at the entrance of each grave, with human sculptures topped with animal horns.



Others have two logs stacked with two vertical planks, representing an elephant.



The roofs of the graves always depict a boat with an animal head at each end.



One grave isn’t built yet. The deceased won’t have a tomb until a year after death, giving the spirits time to leave the body. A big ceremony will be held—family members bring live animals for sacrifices, along with drinks... Neighbors and friends who attend will eat and celebrate, but the family can’t eat or drink so the deceased can rest in peace.



On some graves, an object that belonged to the deceased is left behind—here, it’s a motorcycle.



The graves are eventually abandoned, and nature takes over.

We head back to the dock. A woman is digging for water. She fills her jars and bottles slowly—what patience, especially in this heat.

We take the boat back and have lunch in the village before visiting other villages. We pass by cashew and rubber plantations. Cashews are harvested from January to April. Rubber trees start producing after 7 years and keep going for 40 years. Cassava is also grown here.

On the way back to BanLung, we stop for the guide to fill up his motorbike. The gas pump is pretty surprising. (I’ve hit the photo limit—too bad!)

I’m thrilled with today. For dinner, I go back to the same restaurant, where the guide is with a group of French travelers. It’s packed, and the service is a little slow, but the food is good. On my way back to the hotel, I pass by a laundry that’s still open. I grab my clothes—they’ve turned red from the dirt road!

Thanks Isabelle and Bruno—I think Laos will be more magical for me. I really regret not going to Myanmar; I was saving that country for retirement, and now that I’m retired, it’s no longer possible to visit. From Banlung onward, the trip became much more exciting for me. I love life in the tribal villages.

Monday, November 18 I switch guides, and this one also speaks a little French. We drive for 60 km; his driving is calmer, and he goes much slower. We stop in a village where the women are weaving when we arrive. The houses are nicely decorated, and there’s even a house for unmarried girls. At 15, girls sleep in this kind of hut near the family home until they meet a man. If the parents discover in the morning that their daughter has slept with a man, marriage is considered.

I find similarities with Chhattisgarh in India, both in the animist cemeteries and the houses for unmarried girls. The meeting house has a beautiful facade. This easily accessible village is touristy. Soybeans are drying near a house. We take a jungle track that leads us to gemstone mines. These mines are located in a rubber tree forest. Women with their children fill in the abandoned mine holes. The men dig holes over 25 meters deep, creating tunnels with closely spaced shafts to give them some air to breathe. A team goes down at 6 AM until 11 AM. They have a one-hour break, and another team takes over in the afternoon from 1 PM to 4 PM. We see them come back exhausted and take a while in the shade to recover. I don’t know if they find many stones, but I didn’t see any during the visit. It’s really impressive.





We go to another village and stop at a house the guide knows. The woman guides us to an abandoned cemetery where the jungle is taking over the graves.



Other graves have mosquito nets to protect the deceased from evil spirits.

In another village, I visit a traditional house.



They’re drying tobacco, and a woman is smoking a pipe. In another house, crossbows and poisoned arrows for hunting hang on the entrance wall. We pass by a school where the kids are well-behaved and disciplined.



On the way back, he stops and shows me a sesame plantation, then peanuts. We arrive at a large pepper plantation. The view is stunning.

At the entrance, a family sorts plastic bottles, removes the labels, and they’ll be recycled in machines under the shed. The amount of bottles is impressive.

Back in BanLung, I get dropped off at the market, and he takes me to buy some pepper. It’s much cheaper than in Kampot—I’ll see if there’s a big difference in taste. As I write this, I haven’t tasted it yet.

a few more photos. the gas pump



crossbow and arrows





traditional house



sesame



peanuts



another beautiful landscape in the Ban Lung region

Tuesday, November 19 This morning I leave for Stung Treng. I settle in at Savet GH, which is well-located, clean, and comfortable. I stroll along the Mekong, then visit the market and the pagoda. There’s not much to do here. In the evening, a heavy downpour hits just as I’m about to leave for dinner, and the restaurant I’d stopped by earlier is closed. It’s a ghost town—everything shuts by 9 PM. I have to make do with a bag of chips.

Wednesday, November 20. Breakfast is a welcome sight this morning. I take the bus at 9 AM for Siem Reap, where I’ll be staying for a week. I’ve booked a room at Okay GH. It’s tucked away in a quiet alley, the staff is super friendly, and the room is comfortable. I’m going to have a great week here. I head out to explore the city and end up on the super touristy street I’ve nicknamed "Thirsty Street"—wow, I’m not used to this scene, it’s wild.



I have dinner at Khmer Taste, a restaurant in a quieter side street. It’s a hotspot for tourists, but the food is delicious and the prices are super reasonable.

I walk back to the GH—1.5 km—hoping I don’t get lost in all these streets.

I’m heading out to explore the city and end up on this super touristy street I’m calling “Thirst Street”—wow, I’m not used to this scene, it’s wild!



Okay, now we’re getting into territory I’m more familiar with 😉 And just so you know, everyone calls this street “Thirst Street.”

Thursday, November 21st. I rented a bike at the GH and set off at 08:00 to buy the weekly pass ($72). It’s pretty easy to get there. At first, I take a big avenue toward the museum, then turn left—it’s straight ahead from there. I can even take a bike path. The road goes through the forest with lots of shade, which is really nice despite the humid heat. I start the visits with the small circuit while the groups are at Angkor Wat. First stop: Prasat Kravan. It’s a temple with five towers on a common red-brick platform, dedicated to Vishnu.

Some beautiful bas-reliefs are carved into the brick inside two of the towers. Vishnu with eight arms, Vishnu riding Garuda, Vishnu holding a lotus, a conch, a sword, and a discus.

Lakshmi stands surrounded by worshippers (figures in prayer).

Second stop: Banteay Kdei. A Buddhist temple. The entrance is topped with four faces of Buddha.

Many bas-reliefs featuring numerous apsaras (sacred dancers).

Across from it is Sra Srang, the sacred basin.

Third stop: Prasat Ta Prohm. A stunning temple with many silk-cotton trees—really beautiful, but their enormous roots entwine the ruins. Impressive.



Fourth stop: Ta Keo, the mountain temple.

Back toward Angkor Thom. I pass by Prasat Suor Prat, across from the Terrace of the Leper King and the Terrace of the Elephants. Stop at the Victory Gate or south gate (sunset). It’s decorated with sculptures of Hindu deities on the left and demons on the right, plus four giant statues—two on each side—representing the mythical guardians of the empire.

I really love Banteay Kdei, a long, sprawling temple that reminds me a bit of Preah Khan. You’re almost always alone there—I’ve never seen more than a dozen tourists at once across 5-6 visits. It’s not very well-known among tourists, even though its location means it could easily be included in either the small circuit or the grand tour. All the better in the end! 🙂

"And just so you know, everyone calls this street 'la rue de la soif'"

and there I was hoping I had an original quote 🙂 you totally ruined it for me 😕

True, there weren’t many people at Banteay Kdei, and I really liked this temple. It’s also super easy to get there by bike.