CAMBODIA
LOCATION
MUST DO
- Angkor Wat ancient temple site
- Ride an elephant
- Watch the sunrise or sunset from The Hill of Phnom Bakheng
- Weave through the crazy traffic in a Tuk-Tuk in downtown Phnom Penh
- Visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum to learn about the Khomer Rouge Regime
- The Silver Pagoda within the Royal Palace compound
Trip Details
When: June 2005
Where: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap
How: Humanitarian Trip
TRAVEL TIPS
- Beware the crazy traffic in Phnom Penh! Bikes, Motorcycles, cars, trucks, elephants, rickshaws, oh my!
- Buy a Cambodian scarf in the market to keep your head cool in the heat.
- Everything is pretty cheap in Cambodia. They accept dollars, so if you don’t want to end up with tens of thousands of Cambodian KHR left over, take small US dollar bills.
- You may want to negotiate to hire one Tuk-Tuk driver to be your designated guide for your stay. They will appreciate the business and you will be grateful to not have to worry about the hassle of flagging one down or getting cheated. Bonus- they know their city well and can show you around places you otherwise may not have known about.
- If you’ll be visiting any of the Buddhist temples or religious sites, shorts for men and women are usually frowned upon. Women may want to wear a scarf around bare shoulders went entering the temples.
NOTES
I traveled to Cambodia during the summer before my senior year of college. I went out with a couple friends to join a group to do humanitarian work in and around Phnom Penh. We teamed up with the Tabitha Foundation to help build houses on stilts for families who were so poor that they lived in shacks, many without roofs or that were easily flooded from the rains. We also met with the women who are employed by the foundation to design, make, and sell beautiful Cambodian silk handicrafts. On another portion of the trip, we delivered goods and toys that we collected to give to a local orphanage. We also met with a team that led an organization to rescue girls who had been sold into sex slavery. This trip was definitely eye-opening for me to a third-world country and the issues many people faced outside of my bubble back in the States. It was also on this trip that I first heard of Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge regime, and the genocide that took place in the country not long before. I met people there that told me stories of their suffering, the lives lost, and the fear of living in such a place. A visit to the Killing Fields and concentration camps shocked my young heart and left a huge impression on me.
Cambodia, like many countries, has had a dark past. It may still be poor and corrupt, but it is filled with some of the strongest, most loving and generous people I’ve ever encountered. They have beautiful architecture, delicious food, and unique traditions. I loved my trip there, the people I met, the children I played with, the service we provided, and my senses were overwhelmed in a way I’ll never forget.