the kingdom of wonder (cambodia)

June 12, 2025

This is the first time I’ve arrived in a country by boat. We took the boat up the Mekong, going through immigration before docking in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A pretty easy boat ride, albeit a bit slow and uneventful. I don’t know why I expected more from the Mekong.

angkor beer — A cold Angkor beer to kick it off.

We spent a little while in Phnom Penh checking out a few touristy sights such as the Royal Palace, but it’s honestly not the greatest city to visit, and I don’t recommend staying for long.

siem reap #

I ended up driving with my friend V to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh (Jade stayed back in Phnom Penh for a few days due to having his bank card being eaten by an ATM), which was a pretty terrifying journey in itself. Whilst I did have an international drivers license, the roads in Cambodia leave much to be desired. Apart from keeping my speed reduced due to all the holes in the road, many of the roads have no lights so visibility is very low, and many drivers driving past you keep their high beams on.

We also got stopped at one point by the police and were forced to pay (bribe) them to continue on our journey. Cambodia is a pretty corrupt country, and most of the citizens don’t like the police for this reason.

Nonetheless, we survived and made it to Siem Reap. And what do people go to Siem Reap for? Angkor Wat.

angkor wat #

Angkor Wat was stunning. This was my second time here, and it was nice to be back. However, the first time I went during sunrise, and this time was during the middle of the day, and I can tell you it was hot.

angkor wat pathway — Pathway along the side of the complex.

angkor wat carvings — Detailed carvings in the walls.

angkor wat tourists — Visiting tourists.

apopo visitor center #

We also managed to visit APOPO, where we got to learn about the HeroRATS, which are African giant pouched rats that help sniff out and detect landmines. Turns out they’re the most effective and safe way to find unexploded ordinance.

glen the rat — Glen, one of the hero rats that detect unexploded landmines.

battambang #

After Siem Reap, we decided to take a journey to Battambang. I enjoyed the town, which was laid-back, relatively quiet and had an artistic flair. One of the days I took V and myself on a self-guided architectural tour of the town, checking out a lot of the buildings which are a mix of French colonial and Khmer design.

I liked the different coloured shopfronts.

orange arches — Orange window arches with venetian blinds.

old cinemas sign — Close up of the old cinema's sign.

battambang central market — Battambang Central Market.

wat piphetthearam — A gate at Wat Piphetthearam.

The famous bamboo train tourist attraction. Thought it was going to be tacky, ended up having a lot of fun.

mrs bun roeung’s ancient house #

I also enjoyed visiting Mrs Bun Roeung’s Ancient House, a traditional hardwood Khmer house that is built up on stilts.

house entrance — The entrance to the house.

The house features lots of antiques throughout.

A model recreation of the house and others in the village.

kampot & kep #

We visited Kampot, which was a cute little town by the coast. V had lived here for a while so they knew the town pretty well. There also appeared to be a little expat community here.

king sihanouk’s seaside palace #

On one of the final days in Kampot, we decided to visit an abandoned villa by the sea in Kep. This was a building owned by the elite back the 60s, and its interesting to poke around. It was a little spooky to enter as we had to jump the fence and there were a few aggressive dogs around the entrance, but it all worked out.

inside central building — Inside the central building.

A side building that had a dining table setup inside.

under cliffside building — Underneath the cliffside building.

After this, we returned back to Phnom Penh and I said goodbye to V at the airport. I spent one more day in Phnom Penh before deciding to catch a bus back to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.