We had read a lot about the Elephant Valley Project, an Eco-Tourism Project by E.L.I.E (Elephant Livelihood Initiative Environment) in Sen Monorom, Mondulkiri, and um’d and ah’d whether to do it or not. At US$60 per person per day (US$30 if you volunteer – half day with elephants, half day building, or gardening etc.), this wasn’t cheap for us and tricky to justify and fit into our tight budget. We did a lot of online research and found only great reviews on Jack Highwood’s Elephant Valley Project. We had heard and read a lot about the mistreatment of elephants in Thailand and other countries, so it was a relief to…
-
-
Kep, The Sleepy Colonial Ghost Town
We spent a few days in the sleepy Kep and explored some of its charm. The best way to do that is by riding around and exploring. That is exactly what we did. There are heaps of broad and empty streets and back streets to explore. A lot of the ghost town feeling comes form the many half finished and run down French colonial villas. These are tucked away behind jungle in the most beautiful spots. The one below had an incredible view and we sat on the roof for a while. Some are being renovated and others are doomed to collapse in the future. We were told that land…
-
Salt Fields Kampot. Another Little Gem In The South Of Cambodia.
On our search out to find secret lake in Kampot, we ended up stopping by at the salt fields Kampot. This is what I love most about Cambodia. There are so many things to see here. With the freedom of a motorbike it is very easy to explore these hidden secrets of Cambodia. The Salt Fields Kampot As you might expect, there is not a big surprise at this sight! We drove up the little dirt road, already covered in the road dust from the day. Once we made it over the little hill, the salt fields revealed themselves. The best part was the serenity of the scene. We rode…
-
Kampot Pepper Farm, World Famous Pepper Grown In Cambodia
When we drove out in an attempt to find the secret lake near Kampot, we decided to stop by the pepper farms on the way. There are a few Kampot Pepper Farms that you can visit. We certainly learned a few things about pepper that neither of us knew before. For example, how do the different colours of pepper grow? Sothy’s Eco Kampot Pepper Farm We rode out past Kep through the pepper plantations and turned in at Sothy’s Eco pepper farm. It was inspiring to see how much pride they take in their pepper here. You can learn a bit more on Sothy’s website. There was no one else and…
-
Koh Rong – 7km Beach
Day 3 was finally Beach Day! Along with Seb & Evelyn, we got up early (ish for us!), and left before 9am to beat the midday heat. It was a 1.5-2hr walk to the other side of the island and to the mythical ‘7km White Beach’ following Beast’s instructions; – walk along the beach for about 15 minutes – when you see the white chair & table, walk towards it – walk along the jungle – turn left when you hit the big, wide, red, dirt track – walk for a long time – turn right at the Khmer house – walk for a long time – turn left at…
-
Killing Fields & S-21 – A Bleak Reminder from the Khmer Regime
Today was a heavy and emotional, but historically interesting day. We got a Tuk Tuk driver organised through our Guest House, Fancy Guest House in Phnom Penh. First he drove us out to the Killing Fields (Choeung Ek) through the insane morning rush hour traffic, complete with VIP convoy passing where police frantically moved all the traffic to the side and stopped all intersections. At the Killing fields there is a monument to remember the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge in the 70’s. When we entered we paid the admission fee of US$5 and received the audio guide, which will guide us through the small area, which is the…
-
War Museum – Siem Reap
Rode our free guesthouse bikes to the War Museum that other day. It’s just out of town, and probably a 30 minute ride along the main highway towards the airport. It was over 35 degrees C and I struggled with the heat, the dust, and riding on the (wrong) RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE ROAD. Definitely foreign to me, and so many times I got confused by turning left from the right lane, that I stopped mid-way through the intersection waiting for tuk-tuks, motorbikes, and trucks that were riding head on towards me. A lot of times they took pity on the panic-stricken tourist riding a single speed bike that…
-
Visiting Angkor Whaaaat?! With 1.5 Million Tourists
RISE AND SHINE, Tomb Raider! On Saturday we woke at 4am to get to Angkor Wat by sunrise and somehow felt special, like we would be the only people getting up so early to see a pile of rocks in the morning sun. Well, not exactly. Our Tuk Tuk driver took us to the entrance of the temple’s archeological park where we were met by tour buses, minivans, a thousand Tuk Tuks and a few poor souls who had the romantic idea to “do the temples by bicycles” in peace and solitude. Then there was the sea of tourists fluttering to get their tickets. US$20 dollars per person per day.…
-
Trang Caves (Khoa Kob Cave), Waterfalls, Monkeys & A Monk
The day before we had arranged to meet Tah, and her son (who we had met on the snorkeling tour) early so that we could drive up to Khoa Kob Cave together. We drove out on a scooter, following Tah’s hired motorbike, for about 40 minutes out of the Trang city centre. We had read about this cave whilst in Penang and was our main reason for coming to Trang – a small town with hardly any tourists (they mostly head up to Krabi). The boat costs 300 Baht which we shared with Tah, her son, and another traveler thus saving us quite a bit. There’s a river that runs…
-
Kuala Lumpur
We stayed in a wonderful place, swam on the rooftop pool during a storm, walked the city, commuted on the painful public transport and visited the Batu Caves.
