Two very different places; Sihanoukville was fascinating as it was such a mess with more building work going on there than we could have ever thought possible! In comparison, Koh Rong Sanloem was a blissful tropical island retreat, with crystal clear waters ready to wash any stresses away.
We were excited to visit this town in the jungles of the Cardamom Mountains. The community led system here is one of the oldest in Cambodia, and has helped to get the locals to stop poaching in the forest and instead focus on tourism income. The reality did not live up to our expectations however…
We met up with Chris’s parents in Phnom Pehn and enjoyed exploring some of the city with them for a few days. Not a city we loved, but the main place to really understand the harrowing history here in the well done Killing Fields and S21 Prison museums.
Angkor Wat is not the only ancient temple complex in Cambodia! It is certainly the biggest and best preserved/most restored, but there are others which receive significantly less visitors and are worth a look. Banteay Chhmar was one of these, especially with the community tourism scheme operating here.
We started our time in Cambodia with it’s most famous attraction, Angkor Wat. Time for some temple exploration!
At the Southern tip of Laos the Mekong widens and becomes shallower and full of islands which range massively in size. Many are uninhabited but there are two which have beome a focus for tourists to visit and enjoy the river, with it’s rapids and waterfalls. We found this to be a super peaceful place that we didn’t to leave!