Adventures with Matt and Kristi: Cambodia

For our Winter Break this year, we decided to take the plunge and plan a more adventurous trip with just the 3 of us. We spent 3 weeks in Cambodia, where we traveled from Siem Reap to Battambang, spent 4 nights on the Tatai River, then a glorious week on beautiful Koh Rong Samloem, before ending in Phnom Penh for 2 days.

We took it slow, aiming to do one big thing each day and build in time for rest from the heat. Overall, it was great trip and Cata did really well on some of the more adventurous activities. Cambodians also seem to love children and Cata made friends wherever we went. People here were welcoming, generous and incredibly warm.

We really enjoyed Siem Reap, where there are actually quite a bit of things to do beyond temples. We visited a museum and demonstration center dedicated to training rats to detect land mines and learned a lot about the efforts to clear mines.

Artisans Angkor was a treat as well, where we got to witness some handicrafts being made. The decades of war decimated much of the handicraft trade and knowledge so this workshop is an attempt to revive it. We of course did the temple tour and hired a local guide to drive us around and help us learn about the Khmer, Buddhist, and Hindu history in the area.

The Botanical Garden in Siem Riep was also a great place to visit for few hours.

We also visited the famous Pub street so that Cata could fall asleep in the stroller. She did love the fish spa.

We also did a market tour and cooking class outside of Siem Reap. We were a bit worried about how Cata might handle the class, but she found some kittens to play with and was quite preoccupied while we learned a couple new dishes. Our favorite was Amok, a thick coconut fish curry which gets steamed in a banana leaf.

We also had a few chances to explore Tonle Sap Lake as a day trip frow Siem Reap. Tonle Sap is part of the Mekong River system and the largest lake in Southeast Asia.

It is an important hotspot for biodiversity in the region and also home to over a million people who live on the water and utilize the lake for fishing and other purposes.

Tonle Sap Terns and a Bee-eater (below)

Scene from one of many Tonle Sap communities. Below is their floating church and crocodile farm (farm is separate from the church).

Amazing sunsets are one thing Cambodia has in abundance. We saw quite a few epic ones, including this one over the lake.

Battambang, two hours from Siem Reap, was our second stop. We spent one morning on a bike tour with

Soksabike that took us through the outskirts of town to visit some family run industries.

The list of places included a place that processes fermented fish paste (a staple of Cambodian cuisine that tastes way better than it sounds), a home producing rice paper wrappers for spring rolls (also a common and delicious Cambodian food), and rice wine production facility and a family who processed bananas to make delicious dried snacks.

Soksabike is a social enterprise, aimed at helping local folks train in the tourism industry. The last stop on the tour was a more somber visit to a former Khmer Rouge work camp.

Our field studies program at school works with Soksabike for the high school trip to Cambodia as well. Our field studies program is also how we heard about the phenomenal acrobatic circus performance, Phare. We went on Christmas day and Cata was captivated by the tumbling and juggling. Phare is also a vocational center aimed at giving local youth an opportunity for theater, art, dance, and circus.

We also took a paddling day, getting dropped off outside of town. Cata was all smiles for the first couple hours, but quite over it by the end of the paddle.

After Battambang, we hired a private driver to take us to our next stop, Canvas and Orchids glamping on the Tatai River.

This trip is only possible in the dry season, as it takes you through the Cardamom Mountains and lots of dirt roads. This was our first time glamping. Although we were staying in a "tent," this is probably the nicest place we stayed in Cambodia!

It was a beautiful location and we explored the area by motor boat and kayak for several days.

Ocean beaches are probably not what come to mind when you think of Cambodia, but there are some islands that are very much worth visiting.

We choose to spend a few night on Koh Rong Samloem. It had some nice amenities for travelers, but still had a relaxed undeveloped vibe.

We had a fantastic few days snorkeling, exploring beaches and watching more amazing sunsets.

Our last few days were spent in Phnom Penh. We had some great food, watched the sun set over the Mekong River, watched and Cata fall into a koi pond.

Market food in Phnom Penh

We were not exactly sure what to expect from Cambodia. It turned out to be a friendly, delicious, and affordable travel experience.

Small town market

Chopping block at the fish market. Snakehead fish are a a main protein source in rural parts of the Cambodia. You can get them butchered at the market, but also buy them live. Snakehead can live in warm oxygen poor water for long periods of time, which is great for families without refrigeration who keep the fish in water for a few days and harvest them fresh as needed. The flesh is a delicious white meat which we had in a variety of tasty preparations.