It took us around five hours to get from Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh by bus. Upon arrival, one thing I noticed is how organized the land use planning of the city is. We saw a lot of Lexus cars and we found out that it’s easy to buy them here because it’s also easy to get a loan. The locals constantly complain of the traffic jam but it’s nothing compared to EDSA traffic in Manila.
We got to go the main tourist attractions, the Royal Palace and the National Museum. We also went to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former high school used as a concentration camp. A sad reminder of the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge nevertheless an important way of keeping us vigilant to never allow such thing to happen again.
From Phnom Penh, we traveled to Sihanoukville to attend a reunion for a youth program I joined five years ago. We then headed to Siem Reap via Phnom Penh to explore their famous temples – the Angkor Wat, the Bayon, and Angkor Thom (also known as Tomb Raider, thanks to Angelina Jolie’s movie with the same name). It’s amazing how these structures stood the test of time. Though overcrowded with tourists taking a gazillion of photos, your visit to Cambodia wouldn’t be complete without going to these sites.
Going around Cambodia is very convenient with its tourist-friendly transport. You can choose to ride their sleeper bus or van that has regular trips. They even have Uber for tuk-tuk called PassApp Taxi.
Payment is also not a hassle as they use US dollars alongside the Cambodian riel. There are no coins. The Cambodian currency is usually meant for anything less than a dollar. It can be confusing and amusing how you pay in one currency and get the change in another but you get used to it eventually.
St. Augustine said that the world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. I’m quite fortunate to have the privilege of reading more than just one page. I consider myself a passive traveler. Usually someone else would organize all the logistics of a trip and I simply tag along. The destination is secondary to me. I mostly go on these trips to enjoy the company of friends, meet people, get immersed in a different culture, and learn and experience something new.
Looking forward to the next chapter of the book!
Green Minded Me 