Vichhay’s Top Picks from Travelling in Cambodia
by Vichhay (Chai)
Founder at TravelED Asia
From Battambang to the coastal Kep, take a glimpse at the top picks from Vichhay’s Cambodian travel bucket list.
I love traveling and do my best to save for the trip to different places. 2020 has been a devastating year for everyone around the globe. As a tourist town, Siem Reap used to host millions and millions of visitors each year before turning into a ghost town. Many people are out of their jobs, businesses have closed or were put on hold, including TravelED Asia. Luckily, Cambodia hasn’t had many Covid-19 cases, so traveling around the country in 2020 was still possible and safe. Since there is not much to do, I’ve taken advantage of this time to visit my own backyard, crossing destinations off from my domestic travel bucket list.
I’d like to start with a small town of Chhlong in the Kratie province, nestled along the Mekong River in Northeastern Cambodia. There is not much happening or extraordinary to see here, but the chilling atmosphere of the town was everything we wanted. Many people visit this province to see the Irrawaddy Dolphins. We decided not to do this activity because we didn’t want to disturb this endangered species. Instead, while cycling around the town and hunting for old traditional wooden houses, it reminded me of the village where I grew up in. Chhlong retained it’s old architecture while my hometown had its unique architecture pulled down and replaced with concrete houses. This was the best memory trip I’ve ever done, it felt like my childhood was brought back to life. I’m sure this is what Cambodia was like 100 years ago.
Kampot, the layback river town has an ambience of the old-world. The compact central district is a joy to stroll around and full of exciting shophouse architecture, some of which has been painstakingly restored. Kampot’s charm lies in its exceedingly chilled-out atmosphere. I found myself staying here longer than expected. For the more active, though, Kampot is also an excellent base for exploring the outlandish and abandoned places, such as the remnants of old architecture scattered around the Bokor Hill National Park.
No more than 25km away from Kampot, the smallest province in Cambodia is Kep. Under French rule, it was developing into Cambodia’s most prestigious beach town and it was a thriving resort town for the French and Cambodian elites until the early 1970s. Kep’s crab, the most delicious of all crabs I’ve ever tasted, is a local specialty and is available in abundance to anyone visiting this lazy seaside town. To try it, you just need to ask anyone about a market that specializes in selling and preparing the crab, called.. Yes, the Crab Market. In fact, should anyone have trouble finding it, there are some obvious tell-tale signs that you are very close.
Battambang, is a rather sleepy city compared to the buzz of the capital, its the central district adorned with well preserved colonial buildings. The countryside of rice fields in tiny villages surrounding the northwest city of Battambang holds some of the most tranquil rural scenery in Cambodia. Phare Ponleu Selpak – The Cambodian Circus and the Bamboo Train ride are both highly recommended attractions. The Bat Caves of Phnom Sampov are really worth exploring. Finally, Battambang’s old airport is not to be missed. In fact, it’s the hipster thing to do and you can have a picnic on the tarmac or try out your new ride.
All these places are accessible all year round, the access roads are good, even during the rainy season. Having travelled there in both the hot and the rainy season I personally like to travel in the latter because of fewer tourists, and the unique countryside landscape that blooms into intense and healthy hues of green. There are so many places that I still haven’t got a chance to visit, but once I’m there I’ll make sure to share them with you 🙂
Stay tuned!
CAMBODIA
+855 175 66 393
vichhay@traveled.asia
Taphul Village, Sangkat Svay Dangkum
Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia
+855 175 66 393
vichhay@traveled.asia
Taphul Village, Sangkat Svay Dangkum
Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia