postcard from Cambodia
my first attempt at travel blogging in ten years
pre flight plane thoughts
I’m on my first trip for the year and it already feels like it’s going to be my favourite. I’m about to be one of the first travellers on Intrepid Travel’s newly launched Women’s Expedition in Cambodia, an 8-day trip from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. This trip is designed by women for women, with a female tour leader, all female travellers and a focus on supporting local women-owned businesses. It’s actually my second Women’s Expedition, after travelling to India in 2023, so I know that I’m in good hands. I skim through our itinerary while getting comfortable with my headphones and eye mask in seat 18E. I’m always torn between researching everything for a trip ahead of time so I know exactly what to expect and letting the surprise of what’s to come each day delight me. As a type b traveller, having every day planned out, transport options booked in and activities on a schedule I didn’t have to plan, is my dream. Now I just have to wonder whether I packed the insect repellant and enough outfits that convey who I am back home but also give me that air of yes, they’re on vacation. My most worn item on this trip turned out to be these Uniqlo culottes I almost didn’t buy. They’re the perfect travel pants for Cambodia; lightweight, stylish and covering the knees for temple visits.
I ❤️ Khmer cuisine
Ideally I’d like to have a hearty, filling breakfast every morning, so I’m stoked to see noodle soup on every breakfast menu. After the 12 hour flight, a bad night’s sleep and mild jet lag, this bowl of Kuy Teav is exactly what my body needs.
Over the next week we eat everything our tour guide Anna recommends. She takes us to a spot she’d go to for an after school snack in Siem Reap (delicious meat skewers I can’t get enough of) and introduces us to Brown Coffee, Cambodia’s most aesthetic and addictive coffee chain. Supporting women owned businesses is at the heart of every Women’s Expedition so we head to Sombok in Phnom Penh. The set menu is perfect and I’m still thinking about the coconut sour soup. Cambodian cuisine is fresh, aromatic, not too spicy and often features coconut which I absolutely love. I made a mental note to look for Cambodian restaurants in Melbourne.
bring back sleepovers tbh
We’re at a homestay in Sambor Prei Kuk for the night. The mosquito net above my bed always makes me feel like a princess a bit. Our lodgings are simple but comfortable, four foam mattresses on the second floor of a local family’s home. I warn my fellow travellers of my snoring and sleep talking when we drop off our luggage and head out for a bike ride with our host. We ride through fields, past schools and homes and kids playing outside. We stop by a small business where a family makes the rice noodles we’ll have for breakfast the next day. We cycle to a lake to watch the sunset, fishermen in the distance, cows grazing nearby. At the end of the day I’m so happy and exhausted - I fall asleep quickly and deeply, the sounds of the village a welcome substitute to the white noise playlist I’ve usually got to play to fall asleep. I feel like I need more sleepovers in my life.
Water hyacinth dolls
We’re on a boat in the floating village of Kampong Khleang, gliding along Cambodia’s largest freshwater lake. Homes sit on stilts and we go past a school with a floating sports yard. There’s only one other group of tourists on a boat and it feels like we’re seeing a part of Cambodia people sadly miss. We head out onto the lake until it’s hard to tell where the water ends and the sky begins. Water hyacinths grow along the banks of the lake, green and lovely. Anna shows us how to turn the stem of the flower into a doll and it reminds me of the stories my mum would tell me about the dolls made of a spark of inspiration and whatever she could find in her family’s garden. Girls all over the world are connected by the way they play and dream and make believe.
I’ll be thinking about Angkor Wat for a very long time
When I was a younger traveller, I turned my nose up at people visiting popular, touristy landmarks when travelling. Mainly because I’d been disappointed by overhyped sights and didn’t think the crowds were worth it. But when it comes to Angkor Wat - it really is that impressive. We arrived early in the morning, the winter sun gentle, the grounds not yet too busy. The moat around the temple complex immediately invoked a sense of calm in me. As we made our way across the bridge, Anna explained that it took 34 years to build the temple that depicts the stairway to heaven.
We laid flowers at Buddah’s feet and received a water blessing fromby a monk. He tied yellow bracelets around our wrists while chanting over us, and in that moment I did feel a little spiritual, maybe even a little emotional. One thing’s for sure- I’ll be thinking about this place and this trip for a very long time.
