My Travel Pursuits: Pictorial Glimpses of My Solo Travel to Cambodia

Namaste Cambodia,

I bid goodbye to Thailand ( https://thehaflonggirl.blogspot.com/2021/08/pictorial-glimpses-of-my-solo-trip-to.html?m=1). I easily got VoA (Visa on Arrival) at the small immigration office at Poipet (border town in Cambodia) without facing any hurdle. A journey of 2 hours on a bus brought me to Siem Reap from the border town.

hello Cambodia

directions in Poipet

bus ticket from Poipet to Siem Reap

The pub street of Siem Reap comes alive from early evening. The buzz around the street continues till late night. There are pubs, cafes, restaurants, food stalls to suit every budget. Loud music coming from the pubs fill the night air. Colourful light decor adds to the beauty of the street. A perfect place to hangout and people watch after whole day of exploring in Siem Reap.

the happening Pub Street in Siem Reap

the colourful decor of Pub Street

an artist at work

creating work of art

an artist at his work

products of Cambodia

the lady is preparing ice cream for me 😊

yummy ice-cream

Cambodian ice tea

local transportation

a street in Siem Reap

a decorated bridge in Siem Reap

a good place to buy souvenirs

Buddhist temple

Buddhist temple

Buddhist temple

How do you feel when you lay your happy eyes on Angkor Wat for the first time? I don't know which adjectives to use to describe this UNESCO World Heritage Site. I explored the morning session from sunrise to lunch time with a travel group. But explored it on my own post afternoon till sunset. There are 3 types of passes to visit Angkor Wat. One needs to buy the passes from the ticket counter. I took the 1 day pass which is pretty expensive.☹️

one day ticket is too pricey

ticket counter for Angkor Wat

sunrise at Angkor Wat

people watching sunrise at Angkor Wat

the group for Angkor Wat visit

Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site

one for the memories at Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site

a waterbody in Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site

a well-maintained road in Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site

an artist selling his art at Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site

sunset at Angkor Wat

The hostel where I was staying in Siem Reap had a variety of outdoor outings, for a price of course. I joined a group to visit Kampong Phluk, one of the floating villages on the floodplains of Tonle Sap Lake situated on the outskirts of Siem Reap.

A short van ride from Siem Reap brought the group to the ticket counter of Kampong Phluk. A guide gave a brief summary of the area. A short van ride from the ticket counter brought us to the edge of the lake where we boarded a large boat. The boat sped through the brown coloured water of Tonle Sap and brought us to the floating village. Since it was dry season and so we could walk on the ground of the floating village. It is only during the rainy season the true essence of the floating village can be felt when water floods the village. No wonder all the wooden houses of the floating village are built on stilts. The guide took us around the village explaining all about it.

After the tour around the village, we again boarded the same boat and the boat was stopped somewhere near a floating restaurant. Here, we got on small country boats to go boating in the flooded mangrove forest. The mangrove was beautiful and pristine. At some places we had to lower our heads to avoid the low branches of the trees. The late afternoon Sun filtered through the canopy of the mangrove forest. The quietness of the mangrove was broken by the sound of the paddle on water, the twittering of birds, and the occasional chit chat of tourists on other country boats. As the small country boat emerged from the mangrove forest into the big expanse of Tonle Sap, I freaked out a bit as the small country boat tossed playfully on the lake. It gave the impression that the small boat is gonna topple over anytime soon and then get swallowed up by the huge lake.😁😂

Kampong Phluk floating village

smoked fish in Kampong Phluk

boating in the mangrove forest

sunset from a boat in Tonle Sap

An overnight bus from Siem Reap brought me safely to Phnom Penh, the bustling capital city of Cambodia. I had an uneasy feeling specially with respect to the vibe of the place while exploring during the first half on the arrival day.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

entry ticket

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

one of the genocide survivors

Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre

a tuktuk

a local delicacy in Phnom Penh

a local dish in Phnom Penh

Royal Palace at night

a fruit stall in Phnom Penh

river cruise in Mekong river

night market in Phnom Penh

a local dish at the night market

people relaxing and eating at the night market

a flower shop in Phnom Penh

a street sign in Phnom Penh

local newspapers in Phnom Penh

Wat Phnom

local tuktuk in Phnom Penh

boat cruise in Mekong river

boat cruises in Mekong river

the promenade along Mekong River

a school of pigeons at the promenade

pool of Billabong Hostel

It was a four hours afternoon bus ride from Phnom Penh to Kampot, a riverside town known primarily for its pepper and salt production.

bus from Phnom Penh to Kampot

French colonial building in Kampot

a French style café

a bookshop in Kampot

a small café in Kampot

withered water lilies

riverside promenade in Kampot

boats in the river

scenic views near Kampot

Wat Traeuy Koah

a clean village road in Kampot

Salt Fields in Kampot

a decorated cruise river boat

sunset from the riverside promenade

a boat plying during sunset

river cruises

the bridge lits up at night

I joined a travel group for a day trip to Bokor Mountain. One can even hire a bike to go and explore the massive place on one's own. My tragedy of not knowing how to ride a bike😒, and that's why it made better sense to join a travel group. It is 42 kms drive away from Kampot to the mountain top. There are interesting stops on the way from where you can get sweeping views of the surrounding places and the blue waters of Gulf of Thailand. The dilapidated buildings of the Bokor Hill Station in Bokor Mountain that was once upon a time a French resort is a picture of eeriness, neglect, and lost glory. The place was abandoned by the French colonialists when Cambodia gained independence. Later on it became a stronghold for the Khmer Rouge.

Sampov Pram Pagoda
Sampov Pram Pagoda

young monks at Sampov Pram Pagoda

one for the memories

sweeping views from the mountain top

the abandoned church

the female statue of Buddha

graffiti on the walls of an abandoned building

Popokvil Waterfall

sunset during river cruise

A quick day visit to Kep, a seaside coastal town from Kampot. It was easy getting a vehicle early in the morning for the 30-40 min ride from Kampot to Kep, but I had a hard time getting a vehicle for the return journey in the evening. I had to take rides twice from the locals. The seaside town of Kep is famous for its crabs.

trail in Kep National Park

golden sand of Kep beach

Kep Beach

one for the memories in Kep beach

statue of a lady in Kep

a scenic route in Kep

crab statue in Kep

statue of a lady with dolphins in Kep

ducks crossing a street in Kep

lunch at Kep

scallops on sale in Kep

crabs that were cooked for me in Kep

local fish market in Kep

durian fruit on sale

Truth be told, I wanted to extend my stay by a couple more days. I was in love with the relax vibe of the coastal town of Kampot. My stay was pleasant. The hot temperature (weather) was another story. It was December, but the weather felt like a fiery Summer. With a sad heart, I bid adieu to Kampot. The mini van brought me back again to Phnom Penh late in the evening. I boarded the early morning bus for Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam).

bus ticket for Ho Chi Minh City

the bus that travelled from Phnom Penh to HCMH

Bavet (Cambodia) border crossing post

It was my 4th land border crossing during this solo trip. I got stamped out at Bavet immigration centre (Cambodia) without any hiccup and the immigration process was equally smooth at Mac Boi immigration centre (Vietnam). It was evening by the time I arrived at Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon. So, it was a whole day journey from Phnom Penh (Cambodia) to Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) by bus via border crossing.

My next photo blog will be about Vietnam. Stay tuned!

Thank you for stopping by!

Travelled on: 3 December 2019 - 15 December 2019

My Travel Pursuits

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Friday 24 September 2021

Pictorial Glimpses of My Solo Travel to Cambodia

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