I heard a quote whilst I was travelling that rung true upon first entering Cambodia.
You can can compare the state of a country’s roads to the corruptness of their government.
Cambodia’s roads are almost non-existent.
After a long and tiring bus journey, and extremely confusing border crossing in which I just handed over $25 and my passport and stood in a room for 45 minutes, I made it to Phnom Penh and explored the night markets with some girls from the hostel. Phnom Penh is the capital city, but it’s in no way the most exciting place in the country.
The bus ride, the next day, through the country and northwards to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat was beautiful and endearing. It gave me time to reflect on my travels, the luxury bus I had taken was worth paying the $13 for (instead of $9) as we had movies, water, an English speaking guide and WiFi on board - I had heard a few vague horror stories from previous travellers taking the $9 bus. The threats of typhoons coming in from the Philippines had made a few people back home worried and the idea of being stuck in Vietnam with bad weather put me off staying so I was glad to be enjoying the good weather in Cambodia.
A lot of the journey to get to Siem Reap had dirt and mud roads, both of which were considered to be main thoroughfares. Where the roads had been so worn down they were naturally widening and widening as trucks and buses tried to avoid the large potholes, sometimes going over into each others lanes with near head on collisions.
I made a plan to spend two days in the temples and wanted to see the sunrise with two friends I had made in the hostel, which meant hiring a bike and getting up at 4am. Leaving that early in a country with poor roads and no street lights was exciting - following the glow of the tuk-tuk drivers and the beam from my flash-light through pitch black darkness and a starry canopy.
We leave the bikes chained to a railing and follow the crowds of people into the jungle for sunrise at the temple.
The temple complex is massive, and Angkor Wat is but the iconic tip of the iceberg. I made the most of my second day by cycling on my bike through the tropical rain to Tah Prohm, where they filmed Tomb Raider amongst other films, and temples that you could climb for spectacular views over Angkor. Tah Promh was incredible, left in a state of preserved decay (meaning they keep it in the same condition as when how it was found) with trees growing out the sides of crumbling, deity faced walls.
Siem Reap was amazing. I loved my time here, I met some amazing people and enjoyed the cool vibe at the hostel - The Siem Reap Hostel. They’re one of the first places in Cambodia to offer maternity leave and provide a lot of jobs and funding to local communities - they’re doing a great job.
After leaving Siem Reap I returned to Phnom Penh and visited the infamous Killing Fields and S21 prison, a heavy last day in Cambodia that needed a beer or two afterwards - good job they’re only a dollar.
Photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/14859193@N07/sets/72157637924835544/