Cambodia: Phnom Penh

My time in Phnom Pehn was short and it was cut even shorter by a transport snafu leaving Kampot (a broken van, a new van filled with boxes of seafood as well as people and finally a van stuffed full of people that did eventually get us to the capital). Unfortunately, I had to cancel my Girl Moto Tour, which is on the top of my list for my next trip. My hotel was adorable and excellent value and I rested up for my one big full day of sightseeing there.

In this first, short trip to Cambodia, I only gave myself one full day in Phnom Penh. This is an ambitious amount of time to explore any major city and Phnom Penh is no exception. I woke up early, enjoyed the tea at my hotel’s breakfast and negotiated a tuk-tuk driver to take me to the three sites I had selected: The Royal Palace, The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Choeng Ek Genocidal Center. As the soft morning breeze moved over my skin on the ride to my first stop, I smiled at the city world around me. The Royal Palace was breathtaking and appropriately regal, as any palace should be. There are abundant gardens, stupas, statues, rooms and tourists taking pictures. 

Roof detail

The main draw for visitors is the Silver Pagoda within the compound, which houses many precious relics, including an Emerald Buddha. Giant sterling silver blocks make up the floor of this small pagoda. As I wiggled my toes on one of the cool silver tiles and gazed up at the luminescent green Buddha, I could feel the peace and reverence of the place. I wandered through the rest of the grounds and gathered courage for my next two stops, which would have a very different feel.

Royal Palace complex

Tuol Svay Prey High School was converted into a prison known as S-21 under the command of Pol Pot during the Khmer Rouge’s brutal regime lasting from 1975 to 1978. In this short time approximately one quarter of Cambodia’s population was murdered. More than 17,000 men, women and children were held and tortured at this one site (one of 200) before being taken to extermination camps. I have never visited the Nazi concentration camps, but the Khmer Rouge’s bloody years in power parallel much of what happened in Nazi Germany. As I walked through the prison cells, viewing the photos of victims and actual torture devices and listening to the stories, I got constant chills. Many visitors stepped out to “take a break” from the audio tour guide, tears rolling down their cheeks. The stairwells radiated a visceral sensation of pure evil.

S-21 Prison

Courtyard at S-21

Map of S-21

Monument of remembrance to S-21's victims

The last stop was the the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, more commonly known as the Killing Fields. It is essentially a mass grave about 15 kilometers outside of town. It is estimated that about 20,000 men, women, children and babies were killed here during the Khmer Rouge Regime. Like the previous stop, it is an extremely well-organized and both sides are educational opportunities with audio guides and stops explaining what happened. 

Map of the Killing Fields

Seeing the mounds of earth with bones sticking out and the Killing Tree is a heavy experience, but what calls the most attention is the glass pagoda filled with skulls and bones that have surfaced, and where visitors now pay respects to the victims with flowers, incense and prayers.

Memorial Pagoda for the victims

It was a heavy day, but after reading about this time period in Loung Ung’s memoir and traveling the country for almost two weeks, it is an imperative time in history to learn about. I recommend that you include these stops in your tour of Cambodia. 

Instead of checking out Phnom Penh's pub street and night life, I opted for a quiet evening in my hotel, working on my yoga homework.

Where I stayed: The Teahouse Hotel is absolutely adorable and it would be an awesome spot to hang out if you wanted to take a rest day.

My darling room

Of course tea is their theme!

Restaurant leading out to the pool

What I ate: There are also many great options in this city, but I wasn't here long enough to sample all of them! One favorite was Dosa Corner, extremely affordable and delicious South Indian food.

Dosa and condiments

Cambodia, this is your last post (from 2017), but you blew me away and I can't wait to come back!

Spring Break 2015: Taiwan!

Okay, okay, it's fair to say that I don't update my blog quite as often as many bloggers. I do take it seriously, though! I would like to do more frequent posts but many linger way too long in draft form as my perfectionist tendencies obstruct me from pushing that orange "publish" button (thanks, Dad!)... or the slow Myanmar internet makes uploading photos painful... or, real life: more traveling(!), work, friends or a combination of all of the above gets in the way. 

So here's an old story... but still a good one! Listen:

For spring break last year, which falls on Thingyan (Burmese New Year), I decided to venture to Taiwan. I had been curious about this country ever since I had a loooong layover there in 2012 on the way to Bali to get my yoga teacher certification. 

To start the red eye flight out of Yangon wasn't really long enough to get good sleep on and the layover in Hong Kong broke up the night. I was very grateful that my school's Chinese teacher was on the same flight and her friend had offered to pick us up at the airport. We zoomed in to Taipei on super modern roads and it occurred to me that I hadn't been in a developed country like this one since I'd left the US nine months earlier. My colleague's friend insisted on treating us to a multi-course seafood lunch and then they helped me get my pass to ride public transport. 

My dear Leslie had connected me with Rachael and her friends, who are teachers in Taiwan, so not only did I have a sweet place to stay in Taichung, but I also had the inside scoop on the country. With just over a week, I didn't want to run all over the island trying to see everything, so I know there are other great spots for another trip. However, I did see Taipei, Taichung, Sun Moon Lake and I found a lot of time to wander, discover art, make my way through tiny alleyways and just soak up the sun on walks (and do homework... remember this time last year I was working away on my teaching certification). A less planned and non-hectic travel pace is definitely what I was looking for on this trip.

I started my tour in Taipei, where I walked the city streets day and night, had some amazing coffees, visited lots of shops and markets and took in some of the sites. Rachael even joined me for the weekend, so I had a friend to go around with!

Street near my hostel in Taipei

Busy Taipei night scene

Taipei Temple

Dragon details on temple

Does the sky look gray to you? Taipei reminded me of the Pacific Northwest. It was rainy and gray while I was there. It's a modern city and I thought about my time in Seattle and Portland a lot while visiting.  

Me at the temple

Temple offerings

After a long weekend of shopping, walking, catching up with Rachael and only seeing a bit of Taipei (so much to see and do!), Rachael and I headed south to Taichung. We were both enrolled in Teach Now's certification program and we had Sunday evening virtual classes to log into! Rachael's roommates were waiting for us with homemade chili and her dogs greeted us with tail wags and kisses. 

After class and a sleep, I was ready to explore Taichung! The city is modern, but it has done an excellent job of integrating art and green space into its urban city spaces. 

Taichung has a lot of green space built in to the city. Love that color!

Coffee was in order and Rachael recommended the grooviest spot!

One of the coolest coffee shops I've visited - second floor made of glass.

I had homework for my course, but I also had lots of time to explore the city. I spent most of my time walking and wandering. In the evenings, I caught up with the teachers, enjoyed great vegetarian food (thank you all again for your hospitality!) and got tips for the next day. This was definitely the most challenging country that I have visited in terms of language barrier and being able to eat (I'm allergic to gluten, dairy and eggs and I don't eat meat).

Twisty tree branches in Taichung

I can't read what it says, but it is pretty!

Night market shopping

Night market food -not vegetarian friendly!

Nepalese food after exploring the Taichung night market.

One day I took a trip out to Sun Moon lake. This pretty spot has different ferry stops which allow you to take in the views, look at the temples, hike, take a gondola and just take in the ambience. 

First ferry ride of the day, coffee in hand!

the lake

View from one of my walks

Gondola ride selfie!

Path to the temple

Lots of steps to get to the top...

Entrance to the temple, elephants for dad!

A turtle picture for my sister

The view was worth the climb. :)

After a long day of exploring, I was ready to head back to my home away from home. Who wouldn't love returning to these two?

A ball of Lola

Vivi, ever hopeful, in the kitchen

Dog park near my "home" for the week

My last weekend was spent in Taipei. I visited the hills just outside the city, taking another gondola up to sample tea, walk and take in more views.

I decided to experiment with a new type of hostel: the cube. Basically you rent a sleeping cube in a room full of lots of cubes. You get a locker for your stuff, clean sheets, a shared bathroom and a place to lay your head. It was okay, but I don't know if I'd do it again...

My cube for a night

Last rainy night shot of Taipei

I hope to return to Taiwan someday and see more!

This Thingyan break is longer, just the way the holiday falls, so I have a full two weeks off of school. I'm headed to Vietnam to continue my explorations of Southeast Asia and to get some more practice trekking (Camino de Santiago, I am coming your way this June!).

In other travel news, I just purchased flights to Spain and will be there for most of June and July. Details of my trip are still coming into focus, but I am beyond excited to be returning - I don't think I have been back to visit since 2009.

These are two upcoming trips and teasers for future posts! :)

What I'm reading:

• Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Siddhartha - Herman Hesse
• Human Dark with Sugar - Brenda Shaughnessy (poetry fix, thanks Y!)

Just finished:

• We Should All Be Feminists - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (re-reading and re-watching this one. If you haven't seen it, go here as soon as you can)
• Haunted - Chuck Palahniuk (not my favorite of his and not for the faint of heart or stomach...)