Cambodia- Land of Smiles (Part 1)

Sometimes you enjoy holidays that feel like they last forever and other times, the trip is over before you know it! For me, Cambodia was a combination of both and therefore I am going to dedicate 2 blogs to ensure I do not miss sharing a single moment with you!

The Kingdom of Cambodia is unique; a contrast of beauty, tragedy, warmth and fascination.

Being the intrepid adventurers that we are, Mum and I opted not to fly in comfort from Bangkok to Siem Reap, choosing instead to suffer through a 12 hour marathon ride over some of the worst roads in existence! Add to that our wise decision not to opt for the comfort of the jeep cabin, preferring instead to perch ourselves precariously on tyres in the back (you can't really experience a country from inside the car Mum!), throw in a Monsoon storm of torrential proportions and you can imagine the result! We arrived at the guesthouse, met up with the remainder of the group who were dry, relaxed and well into their afternoon drinks, the decision was made then and there always to choose comfort over adventure!!

How to travel in style....

A pre dawn wake up call the following morning dragged us out of bed and had us wondering what could possibly be worth the sacrifice of many more hours of slumber! Bleary eyed, we boarded our mini bus and made our way to Angkor Wat. The pre dawn darkness was so complete that our little torch beam did little to guide the way, but huddled together in a little group, we stumbled along until we found our viewing spot. Some entrepreneurial Cambodian teenagers were waiting with the offer of a plastic chair to anyone who bought coffee, needless to say, they did very well that morning!

As the sky began to get light and the sun eventually rose, I realised it was well worth the sacrifice of sleep and is something that everyone visiting this beautiful country should do- absolutely magic!

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

The ruins of Angkor are located amid forests and farmland near Siem Reap and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are over 1000 temples, ranging in scale from rubble to the incredible Angkor Wat, which is widely renowned as the world's largest single religious monument.  We spent the entire day exploring and barely scratched the surface.

The incredible ruins at Angkor

Not a climb for the faint hearted!

When visiting countries like Cambodia, I think it is so important to give back as much as you can. Whether it is buying locally made products, eating at local restaurants or visiting children in orphanages, the choice is yours. For us, we decided to donate blood to the children's hospital in Siem Reap.
This may sound like a good option for most people, but for me, it was a terrifying prospect, giving blood is something I had never been able to do, partly because of my fear of needles and partly because the sight of blood tends to make me faint!
I regretted my decision for the entire Tuk Tuk ride over, but I tell you, the minute we pulled up outside the hospital and saw the queue of families with sad, sick little children, I realised I had made the right choice. Such a small thing on our part can make such a huge difference to so many people!

The pin prick was bad enough!

Mum and I being brave and donating blood at the Children's Hospital

After recovering from my act of bravery, we took a day trip to Tonle Sap Lake. This lake is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and provides half of the fish that Cambodia consumes annually. We took a boat ride through the Chong Kneas floating village and got a taste of how the villagers live- it is quite incredible, floating schools, hospitals etc.. unfortunately it is a bit of a tourist trap, we stopped for a drink at a floating restaurant and we bought bananas off children who appeared in droves out of nowhere!! Very cute, but very smooth talkers. If you get a chance to visit the Lake, make sure you allocate some additional time so you can visit some of the villages that are a bit further away and a bit less crowded. Either way though, it is well worth a visit!

Mum and I enjoying the boat ride through the Chong Kneas Floating Village

A different take on a day at school!

Making friends with the local children

The children are water babies

Bananas anyone?

After leaving Siem Reap, we began our journey south to Phnom Penh, stopping on the way for treats of a different kind. Where else in the world can you pull up at a rest stop and buy live spiders or fried crickets for an afternoon snack? Amazing and disturbing in equal quantities for me!

Hungry anyone?

Some cooked snacks...

I will end part 1 here, stay tuned for part 2 in a couple of weeks!!!