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Holiday in Cambodia: Days 8&9, Phnom Penh
Day 8/9: Phnom Penh I didn’t sleep well that night. (Writing this from over a week away, in the comfort of home, the other side of a head cold, so these ramblings may not have the same immediacy as previous entries.) I didn’t sleep well that night. I probably slept better for the late night drag show and $4 mojitos, but I know that what I saw and felt at S21 and the killing fields will stay with me for a very long time. My time in Cambodia was drawing to an end, only just over one more day in Phnom Penh before I’d be homeward bound. I still felt…
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Holiday in Cambodia: Day 7, Phnom Penh
Day 7: Phnom Penh I cried today. I get that there are those tourists that can go to a country that has previously borne witness to grand atrocity or extreme human obscenity, who then choose not to go to the worst sites because they can be hard going. I also kind of get those who go to these countries in a sense of mindless oblivion of history and then do their thing (which probably involves only eating at places that advertise a western menu or feature a king, clown, or colonel). I’m not one of these travellers. I feel that I have an obligation to go to these places, to…
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Holiday in Cambodia: Day 6, Battambang to Phnom Penh
For those following at home, this one should be a short entry. I’m now back in Noongar Boodjar, eating overpriced avocado on toast and sipping on an iced coffee with dairy products that have known actual refrigeration, and am playing catch-up. Went for Khmer noodle soup breakfast this morning, lots of noodles, some greens in a soup of turmeric, galangal, and other yummy flavours. At a couple of dollars, a good way to start the day. Battambang to Phnom Penh can be done in a number of ways, well, by road, but the vehicle choices are plenty. Cheapest are the big comfort coaches, these are also the slowest taking around…
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Holiday in Cambodia: Day 5, Battambang
So I have a list, which would come as no surprise to anyone, as every traveller has at least one list: things to always pack, things to avoid packing, 15 ways to be a tight-arse in an impoverished country, and so on. Mine is in response to the frequent question: where would you love to go to or go back to? Being honest, almost everywhere I’ve been to has left me feeling either that I had a really great time, or that I barely scratched the surface of somewhere unique and want to explore more, so I’d go back to almost everywhere I’ve been, if the opportunity arose. Almost. My…
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Holiday in Cambodia: Day 4, Siem Reap to Battambang
Today, for better and worse, was what travelling is all about. Real travel, the stuff the stories get told about, where not everything goes as expected but everything turns out okay in the end. The boat. There are two ways to get to Battambang from Siem Reap, either by road or by water. Most people travel by road: bus, taxi, scooter, whatever. It takes a few hours and if you pick right you get airconditioned comfort. By road is fast, and cheap. Otherwise there’s the boat. When you google boat Siem Reap Battambang you’re soon waist deep in travel blogs talking about how “interesting” the boat ride is, and how…
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Holiday in Cambodia Day 3: Siem Reap
I should have wrapped up my previous post with the affirmation that I am still a fortunate traveller. That I am one of a minority in the world who can earn both enough money and enough time to hop on a plane or two in order to be a Goldilocks. So there, me, take that. Today was aiming for a take it easy day, as the previous day I clocked over 35,000 steps. How hard would it be to just have a quiet meander around the museum, grab some food, and maybe a good foot massage? 23,000 steps later, I think I missed the point. The museum at Siem Reap…
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Holiday in Cambodia Day 2: Siem Reap, Angkor Wat
I am a fortunate traveller. In the past 3 months I have both watched the sun set over Manhattan, and the sun rise over Angkor Wat. I know that I’ve also worked hard to be able to afford both the time and money to travel, so some of my fortune is of my own doing, but I’m in a count my blessings kind of mood. (Not that I’m going to literally count all of my blessings, but we can just say that I’ve probably got more than most but less than some.) Angkor Wat, a huge, impressive temple structure, symbol of Cambodia, world heritage listed, and a monument to Vishnu.…
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Holiday in Cambodia Day 1: Siem Reap
If I only make about as many typos this time as I’ve had hours sleep today then I think I’m doing pretty good. Today has been a series of fitful, uncomfortable naps, followed by food, and repeat. I got about 2 hours on the flight PER > SIN, followed by not the best airline breakfast. The staff were looking after me, though, as the inflight entertainment wasn’t working for my seat, so they kept checking to see if they could do anything else for me. It meant I got breakfast along with the dietary groups that normally get fed first, so I probably missed an extra 30 minutes sleep there.…
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Holiday in Cambodia: Day 0
It’s that time again, for the second year in a row I find myself with some accrued work time I have to take and I’ve managed to scrape together the bucks for a cheap jaunt in South East Asia. Last year was Kuala Lumpur: cooking classes, rollercoasters, rooftop helipad bars. This time it’s the Heart of Darkness, the place where, as Jello Biafra noted in the late 1970s, “they get things done”. It’s a holiday in Cambodia. I don’t know much about Cambodia. I’ve read the news, followed the history, read the wikipedias. So all I know is that, when it comes to Cambodia, is that I know fuck all.…
