Day 119-125, Cambodia.

Phnom Penh 

Day 1

We landed in Phnom Penh quite late so we decided to get something easy for dinner. We wandered out, aiming for a pizza spot we found on google maps. Our first impression was not the greatest, there was a wet market just outside the hotel, most of the street lamps didn't work and there was an odd smell. We have definitely seen worse on our travels, but as we are in our last week of travel we don't have the strength to grin and bear it like we previously did… We found the pizza spot and it was actually really tasty, so we took the win and called it a night. 

Day 2

We had a tour booked again this morning, we were very lucky this time as it ended up just being the pair of us and our guide so we had a private tour. It began as a nearby shrine, which is where the capital gets its name, it is the highest religious building in the city. We also saw a tree that was full of massive bats making a racket. It was a cool sight. 

We then moved on to the royal palace and silver pagoda which were very impressive and reminded us of the royal palace in Bangkok. We wandered around as our guide gave us the history of the site. It was particularly interesting how the site was half preserved and half taken apart to fund the Khmer Rouge. 

We drove around the city and saw a few other statues and monuments, it was here we started to see some parts of the censorship that exist in the country as the driver would call the a member of the royal family that had carried out some unfavourable acts a “disgraced politician” rather than using the royal moniker. 

We then went out to visit the killing fields, which was harrowing to say the least. We  started with a quick video explanation and then our guide walked us around and gave us some detail. At the centre there was a tall monolith which contained the catalogued remains of some of the victims. It was an uncomfortable experience for sure, but an important one to have regardless. 

We then visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, which is an old high school where they used to keep prisoners, some as young as 3 or 4. It was quite upsetting again, but these things need to be understood and accepted to avoid them happening again. 

We finished the tour at the central market which was in a cool 70s era building then headed back to the hotel. We weren't feeling brave with the cambodian food so ordered a couple of sandwiches to be delivered and called it a night as we had a couple days of tomb raiding to prepare for. 

Angkor Wat 

Day 1 

We woke up in Phnom Penh and went to the newly constructed airport which was absolutely dead. The whole terminal was used for a singular flight, which was eerie. Other than that, the trip was uneventful. We arrived at the hotel which we picked up at an absolute bargain rate which included a free massage every day. So we got settled and went for our first massage which was ace. We had dinner in the hotel and called it a night as we were up especially early the next day.

Day 2 

Today we were up before the sun to catch the sunrise over Angkor Wat, an ancient temple/burial site which is over 800 years old and in remarkably good condition. The other tourists in our group were fannying about which meant we caught a bit of the sunrise but not as much as we would have liked. It was stunning regardless and we wandered around imagining what it would have looked like previously. We went to the top of the structure which involved going up some super steep stairs  which were a death trap, we had no idea how people did it back in the day before bannisters and safer steps were installed! 

Our next stop was Beyon temple which is a beautiful temple covered with faces of Budha, it was truly truly impressive! We wandered around the small corridors and alleys around the temple and managed to get a little lost before we found our way back to the group. We also visited the north gate to the complex which was really stunning and had angels and demons on each side holding up a serpent. 

Our next stop was the “tomb raider” temple, Ta Prohm. Famous for having been the site where a tomb raider was filmed and for the fact that the temple has been overrun in many places by large serpent like trees which leave the place looking super cool and unexplored (minus all the tourists).

We finished off the tour by visiting a few smaller temples which were much quieter which made you feel like you were uncovering them for the first time, which was really fun. We made it back to the hotel in time for some pizza, a nap and a massage which was well deserved after a morning of uncovering ruins. 

We chilled for the rest of the day and ordered some food. We weren't massively enticed by the local options so made the rogue call to get some eastern european which was actually super tasty, but we ordered far too much! 

Day 3 

We were up at a much more reasonable time on day 3 and the focus was on smaller temples and sights which were super quiet so allowed for a more unique and intimate experience. The tour guide today was also really good and answered all of cams 1 million questions, even explaining how events in China led to the fall of Angkor Wat. Super interesting, although he was relieved whenever Cam didn't raise his hand to ask a follow up question. 

All of the temples were incredible and even older than Angkor Wat which meant that they were more ruined. In addition, we found out that the reason that Angkor Wat is so well preserved is due to the fact that the moat never ran dry, which kept the foundations wet and hence more secure and stable. The temples we visited all had their moats dried out so were more dilapidated. They also hadn't had any restoration so they were pretty much as they were found 200 years ago. 

We finished the day off with a temple right at the highest point of the complex and watched the beginning of the sunset over Angkor wat. The temple is the oldest in the complex that we visited (over 1200 years old) and the views were absolutely stunning. It was quite busy and the sun was hiding behind the clouds so we opted  to grab a tuk tuk to get dinner at a Cambodian restaurant. The food was good, but to be honest Cambodian cuisine was probably the least enticing out of all the countries that we visited on this trip. Then it was bed time. 

Day 4

Our last day of the trip and we were feeling it so we just chilled by the pool in the morning and had some complimentary wine whilst reading out books. We had heard of a silk farm where the silk was made out of Lotus silk, so we asked the hotel to arrange transport… This turned out to be a bit of a mistake as we ended up going to a regular silk farm, which we have seen a couple of times before already. We also got stuck in a monsoon on the way there so the poor driver got soaked. 

On the way back the driver took us to a “museum” which was effectively just a field filled with old military vehicles and weapons, some of which looked like they might still be active. So we didn't hang about long. 

We went into town and had some drinks on the main strip where we chatted and reminisced about what an incredible trip we had before venturing to get some food. It was a relaxing night exploring a part of the world which was new so it was a really nice way to spend our last night.

And just like that the globe trotting portion of the Lloyd adventures comes to an end. There is too much to summarise other than to say if it was a trip of a lifetime shared between two soulmates and we couldn't have asked for more. Whilst we are ready to get back into real life and a good routine, the trip was unforgettable and we wouldn't change a thing. Now it is with great excitement that we arrive in Australia to begin our new life. We may well continue the blog updates, but until then this is the Lloyds signing off. Thanks for keeping up with our adventures.