Cambodian food isn’t nearly as widely known as Thai food, but it is still one of the world’s most balanced cuisines. It’s simple but customizable. Rice is the staple — in fact, in Khmer there are over 100 words and phrases for rice.
For more information on Cambodian cooking, pickup this book: Cambodian Cooking: A humanitarian project in collaboration with Act for Cambodia.
We took the Chann Na speed boat from Battambang to Siem Reap. It is referred to by the Lonely Planet as “Cambodia’s most enchanting boat trip.” Unfortunately, I was battling food poisoning and seasickness. I don’t remember much of that boat trip. I do remember being conked out on Gravol perched on a hard-seated, straight-backed bench with nowhere to rest my head. Boats and Sara do not mix. Boats and food poisoning and Sara are even worse. According to Ryan, the scenery was wonderful and although it took 7 hours to get to Siem Reap the worst part was a numb bum.
We tried to avoid the regular backpacker (read: Lonely Planet) guesthouses and found ourselves at Senghout Hotel. It was great! $12 for an air-con room with cable TV. Seng Hout has a surprisingly nice rooftop garden with panoramic views of the city, and a great group of tuk-tuk drivers who charge less than the going rate for day trips. We rented a tuk-tuk for $15, heading out at about 11AM and returning to the guesthouse at 7PM. Our driver was a nice young man who was eager to make us comfortable.
We booked a bus from Phnom Penh to Kompong Chhnang with Phnom Penh Sorya (15,000r/US$3.75) whose buses leave from Psar Thmei. The bus was supposed to leave at 10:30am but didn’t end up leaving until 12:30pm. While we waited we tried to feel the benefit of the Phnom Penh Sorya bus terminal “cool down zone”.
Oh, Phnom Penh. Such a shithole. The butt crack of the world — where the scum settles in the tourist area. So many beggars and ruthless business people selling their everything (including their children). I felt generally unsafe in Phnom Penh. Maybe because of the horror stories I had read. Maybe because on the first night a child, who we wouldn’t buy a bracelet from, followed us through the streets and called us shitheads. I’m not sure. What I am sure of though, is that Phnom Penh is not the most accurate or pleasant introduction to Cambodia.
It was easy enough to get to Nang Rong, the jumping off point for Phanom Rung Historical Park, and luckily Mike from Bobby’s Apartment figured out that the direct buses there were all booked so we took a bus to Korat and transferred on to Nang Rong.
It was hard to find a place to stay here. We ended up staying at Honey Inn which was, to be polite, a shithole anthole. Ants, so many ants… and mosquitos. A never-ending supply.
Pak Chong is easily reached by bus (108B/$3.50) from Bangkok‘s Mo Chit Terminal (Northern & Northeastern Terminal).
Khao Yai is our first foray into Thai wildlife. We stayed at Bobby’s Apartment which was a great place to stay. We didn’t have a reservation, but when we got off the bus a local woman asked us where we were staying and called Bobby’s from a public phone. In 10 minutes Mike came and picked us up and made us feel at home. We had some of the best food we’d had in Thailand there. I highly recommend the red curry.
It cost us 70B/$2.30 by local bus to get from Mae Hong Son to Pai and the bus was pretty much empty.
Pai is a crazy little town in northern Thailand. It was once a haven for drug users (might still be). It’s proximity to hot springs, waterfalls, and other natural beauties, makes it a great place for a relaxing visit.
Arriving in Pai, it is clear to see that it is desperately hanging on to its old hippie vibe while also trying to appeal to the mass of western tourists that descend on it everyday. Travellers wander around embodying the “bird shit farang” nickname they deserve. Aside from the gross hippies though, Pai is a nice relaxing town to stay in.