What a week in Cambodia!

As I wrote in my previous update, I noted that Siem Reap seems like an up-and-coming place, and doesn't feel super different from anywhere else. 

But nonetheless, let me clarify: Siem Reap, as well as the rest of Cambodia, is a special, unique place! I think Cambodia sometimes gets a bad rep because people view it as less or undeveloped. Comparatively, it is less developed than other Western places, but it is up and coming. And there is just so much uniqueness to this country, the culture feels very different from Thailand! 

I have had so much fun this week! In Siem Reap, I visited Angkor Wat. I had to wake up at 4 am for sunrise, but it was worth it because it was a good sunrise, and then immediately after we started exploring the temples! That was a really cool experience because it felt quite different from other temples I've visited in Thailand, and the temples here are so old! Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world. 

Also in Siem Reap, I visited a local village on a lake about 45 minutes south of town. It is currently the beginning of the rainy season, so at the peak of the season, in July, the villages become floating villages. Because they were not floating villages when I visited, we were able to walk around and talk with the locals and interact with the kids. It's truly a different way of living! 

After Siem Reap, my island adventures continued! I went South to Koh Rong- the best island I have ever been on. To get there I had to take an overnight sleeper bus and then a boat. In total, it was about an 11-hour journey. Getting there was worth it because the water was so blue and the beaches were so white. It was nice and quiet and very relaxing. I think Koh Rong is going to be developed a lot in the next few years because that place is a serious paradise. I will definitely make it back there at some point! 

I stayed on Koh Rong for two nights and then went east to Kampot. Kampot is in the South Central part of the country, very close to the ocean. Getting to Kampot was probably the worst travel day yet though- I was told to go to the ferry at 11:40 in the morning. I had to take two ferries, one to the main pier in Koh Rong, and then another back to the mainland. However, the first one, for whatever reason, did not leave until 12:30, and we arrived at the main pier at 12:50. My ferry to the mainland left at 12:30, so I missed it, and I had to wait more than 4 hours for the next ferry, and then even though I had a ticket, they still made me pay a couple of dollars! And then once I finally made it back to the mainland, I had no plans (just an idea- that's the spontaneity!), so I decided to go 2 hours to Kampot (that decision and figuring out the last part was the easiest part of the day). It was so great to finally arrive here (about 10 hours later)... gotta love Asia! 

I had an incredible time in Kampot. I formed a group with some Germans, someone from the Netherlands, an Australian, an American (from Chicago!), and a guy from the UK. Typical travelers. We rented some motorbikes and rode up Bokor mountain, it was great! The roads were a bit windy but well-paved and it was a nice ride. Once we got to the top, we had some really cool views. We were above the clouds at some points and the fog was rolling past us. There was even a waterfall, near the top of the mountain! It was something I was not expecting to see here. A lot of buildings on the mountain are abandoned, but of course, a lot of that land has recently been bought by the Chinese, and they have turned a lot of those buildings into hotels and casinos! Some of the hotels go for $400/night, extremely high by Cambodian standards! I went into the casino for fun... and lost $4. Not the best day for gambling. 

What an adventure Cambodia has been! Everyone should visit this place. 

New adventures starting tomorrow.