Cambodia: Ream National Park (aka: The Beach)

After too few days in Siem Reap it was already time to pack up my bags and make my way to my next spot... So, what about my luggage? My bags were bulkier than I prefer. But, with hiking boots, a raincoat and fleece for cooler spots and laptop for yoga homework I had a lot to be prepared for! And it still all fit in a tuk-tuk. 

On the way to the airport.

Window seat for my one hour flight.

I flew from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville and it was an easy trip. It’s a small airport and a little beach town; you absolutely have the feeling that you are going somewhere special. I actually didn’t spend any time in Sihanoukville, though I hear it has some good nightlife, especially for the backpacking adventurer type. It’s also a jumping off point for Cambodia’s islands, which I only heard amazing things about, but I did not get to experience on this trip. I'll save those for next time!

Not an island, but I was very happy here.

Where I stayed:
A tip from a friend in Yangon pushed me on to Ream National Park. This is a gorgeous, and as of now, undeveloped area. I stayed at Monkey Maya, the only option around. Accommodation is quite basic (dorms and a few private rooms, no wifi, electricity only a few hours in the evenings), but the charm of this place is it’s chilled-out vibe and proximity to nature. The jungle is nearby for hikes, the terrace is wide for taking in the view and the beach is long and sandy. My favorite part was the bioluminescent algae. The beach was downright magical at night and swimming with these glowing beings was a trip highlight.

My basic bungalow

Million dollar view.

Looking up at my spot.

My new friend. :) Hey, I said it was in the jungle!

What I ate:

Where I stayed and where I ate was the same! There is only one option here! Monkey Maya - there was no reason to leave this paradise at all. The restaurant offers many options, both Western and Asian, caters to gluten-free and gluten-loving eaters and vegans or carnivores. Lots of drinks and a daily happy hour as well.

My favorite meal - gluten free pancakes with peanut butter and maple syrup and an iced coffee.

What I read:

As I mentioned, the lure to this place lies in its remote location. I walked on the beach, swam, worked on my yoga sequence and essays, stared at the sea and read. I decided to read a book about Cambodia and settled on the memoir: First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung. This is a well-written story and an incredible firsthand account of a young girl’s life under the Khmer Rouge takeover and regime. I highly recommend it.

Netflix is going to release the film version of this story in September. The author wrote the screenplay and it's directed by Angelina Jolie. Here's the trailer. 

Ah.

Cambodia: Siem Reap

Cambodia. I already want to return! While I say this about most places that I visit, Cambodia surprised me. Cambodia had been on my Southeast Asia bucket list ever since I moved to Myanmar and I knew that I needed to make a visit happen before my journey took me off the continent.

I spent 12 days in Cambodia and visited four towns/cities. Cambodia is a small country, but even so, this is a fast trip! It was the time I had and I’m so glad I did it. I was amazed everyday by this beautiful country and met with smiles and help from its friendly people. The downsides of this pace are: I wanted to stay longer everywhere I went, I didn’t have flexibility to explore other spots and I had to spend a little more money to make transit happen faster.

Night Market

Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

Some folks visit Cambodia and only see Siem Reap. It’s a happening little town, but the real draw here is Angkor Wat, the ancient remains of the Khmer civilization with numerous temples of Hindu and Buddhist origin. One traveler told me that in her book of one hundred places to see before you die that Angkor was number one. I’ve visited a lot of ruins and temples in the Americas and Asia and Angkor absolutely blew me away. I’ll share a few pictures here, but the cliché phrase “they don’t do it justice” has never been truer.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat.

The stone engravings' details are incredible.

Faces in the stone at Angkor Thom

One thing to keep in mind is that the entry to this historical zone is expensive and you will probably want to arrange transit as well. It’s hot and you will be walking and climbing at all the sites, so I recommend a tuk-tuk to whisk you around. A big decision that I wasn’t prepared for at five in the morning was whether to buy a one-day, three-day or seven-day pass. I settled on the three-day and was happy that I did as my second day revealed even more marvels than the first. As I said above, I definitely could have spent more time here!

I love the way the lichen and stone colors blend together.

Mother nature takes over.

Trying to capture the expanse of it all in a photo...

My days visiting Angkor involved a four in the morning alarm clock with a departure a half hour later in order to see the sunrise. Then I explored, wandered and wondered at the marvel of it all! I would arrive back to my hotel about eleven, just as the heat was really picking up, swim, nap and eat before heading back out to take in more. Check out the videos of my transport below!

Where I ate:

Great gluten free and vegan options are available in Cambodia! I was delighted to discover that this was a pretty easy country to find food that worked for me. I did stick to more foreigner-friendly eating establishments, but there are lots of healthy options, some local dishes do work and there was a lot of great international cuisines as well.

There are a plethora of options for all tastes and budgets. One highlight was gluten free Italian at La Pasta. This restaurant is READY for customers with dietary limitations, they offer gluten free pasta and vegan cheeses and the servers are knowledgeable of ingredients and cross-contamination.

It's not often that I get to eat Italian food at a real Italian restaurant.

I tasted a Khmer Coconut Curry at Navutu Dreams. Navutu is a swanky resort, but a friend who used to live in Siem Reap gave me the tip that if you go for yoga class, then you can stay and enjoy the THREE pools and gardens all day. After a few days of exploring temples and hiking around, this was a relaxing and revitalizing pause. 

Yoga space at Navutu

Khmer coconut curry... served in a coconut!

Perfect for a dip after yoga.

Not pictured (proabably because I gobbled up my food so quickly): Tasty dosas and South Indian cuisine at The Indian and coffee with homemade nut milks at ARTillery Cafe.

Phare, the Cambodian Circus:

In my opinion, it would be an absolute shame to visit Siem Reap and miss Phare. This circus provides opportunities for Cambodian Youth and the performers put on a sensational show with circus arts, live visual art, dance, music and a look at Cambodian history. A must do.

Where I stayed: 

One of the benefits of visiting Cambodia is that it is less touristy than some other SE Asia destinations. It's not exactly off the beaten track, but I did find great value. Remember, June is "green season" (monsoon), so visiting at an off time also helps the budget.

I had a lovely room at Frangipani Villa Hotel. It's about a 10 minute walk from the busy center so it's a quiet spot. The pool and patios are gorgeous and the buffet breakfast has lots of options! 

Relaxing between Angkor visits.

Feeling like a princess in my room.

I know it's been a minute between blog posts... Stay tuned for more Cambodia stories and then follow me into Europe...

The Mysterious Mrauk U

Mrauk U. This spot has been on my Myanmar Bucket List for quite some time. Say it kinda like "M-i-ah-oo." Mrauk U is a town and living archeological, historical and religious site in Rakhine State (northwestern Myanmar). Part of its allure is that it is not an easy spot to get to, so the trip requires more than a long weekend. Spring Break, or Thingyan (Burmese New Year), finally provided some time to make the journey.

My colleague, friend and travel buddy, B, and I began the trip on a Thursday morning. It was the first day of Thingyan, the Myanmar New Year celebration, which involves the whole country slowing waaaay down, stages constructed in every neighborhood, water fights, music and general partying all over. There is a spiritual aspect to the celebration as well, but it seems to be getting lost as the country develops. I was excited to experience the holiday myself as the last two years I have traveled during the entire break (Taiwan and Vietnam). I managed to secure a taxi driver who was working and he picked us up and safely drove us to the airport. Things didn't look too crazy yet; in fact, there was no traffic which is a rarity for Yangon!

It was a travel day; we had coffee, I ate vegetarian fried rice and we hung out at the airport. We were the only foreigners on our small plane to Sittwe and the just-over-an-hour flight flew by. Sittwe's airport is tiny and after checking in with immigration (this happens even for domestic travel in Myanmar for foreigners), we found a taxi driver who took us to the Shwe Thazin Hotel. We enjoyed watching the water festival revellers from the safety of the car, checked in to our room and relaxed at the hotel. The hotel restaurant serves great food and its roof deck offers excellent views. We worked to confirm our travel plans for the next day.

Sunset over a pagoda in Sittwe

We wanted to leave early for Mrauk U since Sittwe was basically a pit-stop, but our boat driver was out partying, so we were told we couldn't leave until 10am on Friday (hey, at least they were honest). B took advantage of the late start to go for a run and I slept in and did some reading. Another taxi ride later (and I did get splashed by a young boy on my way from the hotel to the cab parked just outside) and we were aboard and headed up river!

B enjoys the ride

It's about a 5 hour journey upstream from Sittwe to Mrauk U. Our boat was basic, but we napped, read and took pictures as we motored along. It was hot, despite the soft breeze and I would definitely recommend leaving earlier in the morning, especially if you make this trip in summer (like we did).

Approaching Mrauk U

View from the pier

We arrived late afternoon to a very quiet pier in the town of Mrauk U. Our boat driver called someone and we ended up on a tuk-tuk ride to our second Shwe Thazin Hotel. We didn't expect to stay dry and we didn't. As we drove through town, we were splashed with water by the celebrating locals. We felt like quite the spectacle. Technology was secure in waterproof cases and everything else dries, so it was all good.

Below is a video of one of the Thingyan floats. This one is playing traditional music, but it's not uncommon to hear heavy metal, pop or hip hop blasting as young people ride by crowded onto trucks.

The Shwe Thazin

After checking in, having snacks and renting bicycles at a shop nearby (1,000MMK for the evening, less than one dollar), we were off to explore some of the temples in the northern group. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the first evening.

First sunset in Mrauk U

Hallway to enter

And a peek inside

Our first full day in Mrauk U was Saturday and we had arranged for a car and driver for the day. Mrauk U is spread over miles of jungle and rural areas, so I'd recommend you do this, too. We scheduled a 5:30am pick-up and requested a sunrise view. Our driver parked below a small monastery on a hill and as we climbed past, I saw monks waking up and beginning their daily routine. There was a golden pagoda and we enjoyed the surrounding views as the light of day came over the area.

Magical? Yes.

Watching the morning come in

After breakfast back at the hotel, we set off again. Our morning consisted of exploring temples, wandering through monasteries and taking in the local life that is going on all around the historical sites. We started at Koe Thaung, probably one of the most photographed temples in Mrauk U.

Entering Koe Thaung

Koe Thaung in the distance

Our driver didn't speak much English, but he was cheerful and told us the names of each spot that we visited. We stayed mostly dry, as the water fights don't tend to be near the religious structures. 

I'm here!

The sound system at one monastery. Many monasteries broadcast services and chants.

We also got to observe more celebrations. It was a lot of fun to see everyone out and about, relaxed, smiling and celebrating. It's a challenge to capture, but I got a few pictures.

Most of the time Thingyan festivities looked like this...

Kids throwing water at our passing car.

We took an early lunch and a long afternoon nap to skip out on some of the heat. I think our young driver was happy to have a chunk of time off, too. He returned late afternoon to continue showing us around and we again asked for a place with a view for the sunset. It was a pretty amazing day!

B capturing the moment

Peek-a-boo

Temple dog

View looking back at the old castle's walls

The next day we were on our own so we rented bikes and set out to explore some more! There is something so adventurous and magical about going around and discovering these special spots. 

A steep climb to a small pagoda

Nature is working to re-claim this one

Action shot captured by B!

Celebrating Thingyan (water festival)

Sunset - photo credit to B

We had booked our boat back for Monday, but due to Cyclone Maruutha and storm warnings our travel agent cancelled the boat ride and set up a car instead. It took about three hours to drive from Mrauk U back to Sittwe. It was the last day of the new year celebrations and we enjoyed watching the festivities as we passed through many small towns on the way back to the airport.

The rest of my break was spent resting and relaxing in Yangon. I'm glad that I finally got to Mrauk U and that I was lucky enough to experience Myanmar New Year; both are truly memorable experiences.

What I'm Listening to:
I first "met" Tycho at Laneway. You can stream their album, Dive, but I recommend you buy it, too.

Just Finished Eating:
I've been a fan of Forks Over Knives for a long time. Today I tried their Crispy Baked Falafels. I don't have arrowroot powder, so I subbed tapioca starch. I also threw in some turmeric, smoky Spanish paprika and a little apple cider vinegar. The "dough" is pretty dry and it was hard to form the balls, so adding a little liquid helped.

This West African Peanut Soup is creamy, without cream! Give the combo of greens, peanut butter and tomato a chance. I used bok choy (instead of collard greens) and a red curry paste (instead of the sriracha) and it turned out great! I recommend serving it over brown rice.

Just Finished Reading:
This one is actually a re-read. I don't read a lot of books more than once, but Melissa Bank is a special exception. I strongly recommend The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing. This collection of inter-connected stories will have you smiling, cringing and finally cheering. You can read the beginning of the book's first story here.