Before we start, here is a brief intro you’ll find at the start of all of my blogs!
This is a story-style travel blog featuring my adventure through Southeast Asia in the fall of 2024. I spent 1 week on my own in Laos, then joined a 14-day tour called Ultimate Cambodian Adventure from the company G Adventures, and a final 3-day solo stop in Singapore. You can read the blog in order, or about whichever destination intrigues you! Within my stories, I’ll offer some recommendations and some tips and tricks for a smooth journey. When I travel, I mostly do group tours and the reasons are:
* As a solo woman traveler, it is much safer especially if traveling long distances or to countries that can be dangerous in some areas
*The itineraries are amazing and usually include all of the things you’d want to see and do…and if not, there is free time to do as you wish
*You don’t have to worry about booking transport, finding hotels, etc. Sometimes that can contribute to the adventure, but it’s also nice to sit back and relax and let your Tour CEO be in charge
* And finally…the new people you meet on your tour become your family, and I’ve made lifelong friends in these journeys. For myself, this has equal importance with exploring new countries.
Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia; it is a land of ancient wonders and vibrant traditions.
The history is rich, and the country is abundant with temples – the most famous being Angkor Wat which is the largest religious monument in the world. Here you’ll find lush jungles, stunning natural landscapes beautiful baches, and the most kind and welcoming people you will ever meet. The population id around 17 million, with the majority being ethnically Khmer. In the mid 1860’s, Cambodia became a French protectorate, and gained d independence after World War II. You’ll still find a lot of French influence in the country. The country became involved in the Vietnam war, which brought in a takeover by the communist Khmer Rouge in 1975. During this time, Cambodia experienced one of the world’s largest genocides, carried out by the Khmer Rouge. I spoke about this in my previous blog about Phnom Penh. Life isn’t easy for Cambodians today, as there are still much corrupt practices in their everyday lives; another problem has been the many unexploded landmines, but luckily the country is expected to be clean by the end of 2025.
This morning we have a buffet breakfast at the hotel in Phnom Penh and then hop into our spacious air conditioned van to begin our trip across Cambodia.
It is a 5 hour drive to our next destination, Battambang, but we make a lunch stop along the way in Krong Pursat. The place is called La Gosy, and it’s located around the halfway point to Battambang. The girls and boys sit at opposite tables, and we spend more time getting to know each other. I order the pad thai seafood, and it’s delicious.
This afternoon we arrive at Star Hotel, and the décor in here is just over the top. It looks like it hasn’t been updated since the 70’s.
Now while the hotel isn’t awful, it’s probably the least appealing one of the entire tour and it leaves me wondering…surely G Adventures could find a better option? But, it’s only for 1 night, so it will be fine.
As soon as we enter the room, the first task is to find the air con remote and figure out how the bloody thing works. It can be challenging. And then I have to hide the remote from Nancy, because she likes to have the air con on low or turned off, but we are in deathly hot Southeast Asia and that is NOT an option for me. Even my sweat itself is sweating here. Like we may as well be on the surface of the damn sun. Anyways, Nancy is a pretty chill lady so I’ve made it clear that I am absolutely not a chill lady when it comes to regulating my body temperature and the air that surrounds me. Haha. Here are some archaic additons to the room, from the 70’s….
And our bathroom…nicknamed Water Fun Park, because it’s just 1 open room for the toilet and shower and sink.
So when you have a shower, the entire bathroom is soaked. Which is a real bitch of a time for the person that is the second one to use it. And all towels and clothing must be strategically placed so they stay dry. But surprisingly, the water on the floor drains pretty fast.
Battambang is the third largest city in Cambodia, offering a more laid back option than the other larger cities. It was once a major trading hub during the French colonial era, and is a city rich in culture, arts and nature. There are lots of cool and unique things to see in Battambang, so I can’t wait to get going!
Our guide for Battambang is Sam, and he’s awesome. He shows up with his fleet of tuk tuk’s to take us on the ultimate Battambang experience for today and tomorrow. First stop is the former Provincial Hall, which is a pretty building that is now a museum.
Then over to this old metal bridge called Wat Kor. It was used for trains which would make it tricky and possibly dangerous to walk over. A couple of the guys try to walk out onto the railroad ties and I’m nervous for them. They survive.
The next stop is a cool suspension bridge that’s only big enough for pedestrians and bikes.
As we cross, we have to squish to the sides a couple of times to make way for the motorbikes. The bridge is definitely shaky, and I’m hoping it’s sturdy. We cross safely and out reward on the other side is we get to have fresh sugarcane juice. I’ve tried it before, so I know how amazing it is. Just can’t drink too much because that shit is strong! Now we must return across the suspension bridge to hop back into the tuk tuks for our next stop.
It’s a fun little roadside grill, and I wonder what they are cooking up for us. Well folks, today we’re having rat and snake! No joke.
Now I used to have pet rats, so this is a little weird for me, but I also travel to experience new things so I figure I’ll give it a taste. The lady chops up the sauced up rat meat into small pieces, so this makes it more bearable. It’s actually not too bad…tastes similar to chicken. I’m lucky that I get a nice piece, because Eline unknowingly chooses one that has guts in it. Next, we try the snake, and I have already tried snake in Vietnam many years ago. I eat a small piece, but I don’t really like it…too many little bones.
Our evening stop is a drive out to the famous bat caves, located in the area of the Killing Cave (but we’re not visiting that cave). We park the tuk tuks and walk past the grounds of the Phnom Sampow Pagoda, and it’s pretty gorgeous.
This brings us to the bat viewing area, and there are plastic chairs and tables set up so we can relax and have an ice-cold beverage.
While sitting here, a young girl approaches Vic to try to sell him something, and he starts speaking to her in their native language. There’s some back and forth and she seems annoyed and he’s laughing so I ask what’s going on. He tells me she’s making fun of the way he speaks Cambodian. Haha poor guy.
Carved into the walls of this cave are some Buddha figures, and it’s super cool.
We wait, eyes glued to the hole in the cave where these bats will fly out.
It’s usually around sunset, and tonight that’ll be shortly after 6pm. When they finally start to fly out to find their dinner for the evening, I can barely see them. I guess because it’s getting dark and they’re small? Haha, I just thought it was going to have a bit more of a wow factor.
Now it’s time for dinner, and we are brought to Sam’s house.
His wife and family have made the dinner, and we sit outside and enjoy some local home cooked Cambodian food.
The dinner table is full with fried eggplant, stir fried veggies and pork, spring rolls, and fish amok.
The first time I had amok I substituted with tofu, but this fish is melt in your mouth delicious. We sip on cold beers, and nibble on fresh fruit for dessert, outside under the beautiful night stars.
After, we say goodbye to Sam until tomorrow, when we’ll continue the Battambang adventure……
Everywhere On Earth With Erin 