I don’t generally like crowds. I understand that some things – like the Pyramids of Giza, Ankor Wat, the Taj Mahal, etc. – are always going to be packed because those are amazing sights. But outside of that, I don’t usually enjoy places that are crammed with hoardes of people.

Apparently everyone in Cambodia had the same brilliant idea as me to head to the beach for Chinese New Year. When I arrived in Sihanoukville, on the southern coast of Cambodia, I was not prepared for the sheer amount of people that I would find there. I stood on the beach, shocked, with my jaw gaping. It was crazy. I don’t recall ever being on a beach that was that busy. Here’s what I saw:

Not quite the quiet beach time I was craving. I couldn’t even hear the sounds of the waves over the screaming of the children. *shudder*

Luckily, there were options. About 4km south of the main beach, there’s another beach called Otres Beach. It’s just far enough away that the locals can’t be bothered to go. So everyday, I would get on my bicycle and take a ride out to find my own slice of paradise. I just had to work a little harder for it.

Sunset from my beach chair.

I’ve had some good luck with timing along my travels. I wanted to go to the abandoned French hill station of Bokor while in Kampot in Southern Cambodia, and chose the first day of the Chinese New Year to do so. Normally the main road is closed due to construction, and anyone who wants to visit the hill must start the day out with a serious 3 hour hike just to get to the top. But because it was the holiday, construction had ceased for a couple days, which allowed us to drive all the way to the top, and even get in a scenic jungle trek just for the hell of it. Lucky!

The area was abandoned in 1972 and has remained uninhabited ever since. There’s a Catholic church and an old post office but the highlight of the trip is what is left of Bokor Palace. It’s a four-storey building that housed a ballroom and casino and is now in ruins and covered with a creepy orange lichen. The fog increased as the afternoon passed and was literally rolling in through the windows, creating a super-eerie ambiance. There’s a local tale that exists which claims that people would sometimes lose all their money gambling at the casino and, seeing no other solution, would throw themselves off the cliff behind the building. Stories like this only helped to add to the spooky vibe.

Sadly, there is major development happening up in the hill station. Our guide proudly showed us where the foundation for a major five-star resort has been laid. Rumors for a golf course exist. Considering that the allure of the hill station is the fact that it’s deserted and atmospheric, I’m afraid that the addition of a resort will definitely take away from all that and make it less desirable to visit. But, in Cambodia, money talks.

The abandoned church.

What is left of Bokor Palace.

Orange lichen growing over many of the surfaces.

There’s a bridge which crosses Prek Kampong Bay and connects the two parts of Kampot, Southern Cambodia. It was destroyed during the Khmer Rouge period, and was repaired in three distinct styles. It’s quite strange looking – almost like they couldn’t agree on a common architectural style so each took a section.

I had heard that there were caves to be found in the limestone cliffs outside the city of Kampot. I hired a moto driver for the afternoon and we took off in search of them. I knew it was going to be an interesting afternoon when within 5 minutes we had sprung a leak in the back tire (he stopped at a friend’s house and “borrowed” another motorbike).

After a half-hour drive, the driver dropped me off next to a row of dried-up rice paddies (apparently they only harvest one rice crop per year, in the rainy season), and pointed off in the distance. “You go over there”, was his only instruction.

I started to zig zag my way through the fields when two young Cambodian boys joined me. One was 9 years old and one was 12. They insisted they didn’t want anything, only to practice their English. I was happy to have them along for the company.

I could tell you about the fantastic views after climbing to the cave entrance, or the beautiful and well-preserved 7^th century brick temple dedicated to Shiva found inside, but the highlight of my afternoon was climbing through the caves, getting dirty and sweaty as we took “the hard route” to get out. They hammered me with questions about my life while we clamoured over boulders, squeezed through passageways and hopscotched over the cave pools. I asked them about their families and school (one came from a family of 9 children, the other from a “small” family of 5 kids).  I emerged from the cave absolutely filthy and soaked but totally happy about the new friends that I had made along the way.

Walking through the dried-up rice paddies and farmland to the caves.

My new friends and I at the cave entrance. Doesn't that formation look like an elephant?

The view from the caves.

I’ve had my fair share of massages; I consider myself a sort of expert on the subject.  If I were to give out awards for the massages I’ve received, it would look something like this:

Best Massage

Tie: Mui Ne beach massage and Sihanoukville (Cambodia) beach massage

-       note the theme of beaches in both of these. The emphasis was less on “adjustments”, and more on oil and rubbing. The smell of the salt air, the warmth of the sun and the sounds of the waves crashing mere feet from the massage table didn’t hurt either.

Most Painful Massage

Lotus Flower, Bui Vien

-       this was our “go-to” massage parlour in Saigon. I think the woman had a bee in her bonnet this particular day and she took it out on me. I was much too polite and let her continue with the “strong massage”. It was a series of chiropractic adjustments and painful physiotherapy-like moves. I was sore for 3 days afterwards.

Most Awkward Massage

Our Hotel Room, Cat Ba Island, Halong Bay

-       this story sounds bad, but it’s not – trust me. Jen and I were eating dinner in a restaurant on Cat Ba Island. A man approached and started rubbing my neck to demonstrate his massaging prowess. I said I wasn’t interested right then but “maybe tomorrow”. He asked what guesthouse we were staying at, and I told him (a common question). I let him know that I would find him at the restaurant around 8pm the next night for a massage.

At 7pm, he showed up at our room (we were the only ones in the whole guesthouse so not hard to track down). Him and his friend (also a man) then proceeded to give Jen and I massages in our room, on our beds. It sounds scandalous, but it’s not. No happy ending, but definitely super awkward.

Most Unconventional Massage

Seeing Hands Massage, Kampot (Cambodia)

-       while in Kampot, I heard that there was a massage parlour that only employed blind people to do the massages. Intrigued, I decided to give it a shot. The result was a great massage – that knot under my shoulder blade which would have been glossed over by the average masseuse was immediately discovered by my guy and worked out. He felt his way around the table with no assistance, and even climbed up on top for the standard adjustments. A really cool experience!

Anyone who has travelled with me knows that I’m not a big fan of monkeys. But sometimes they are just so damn cute I can’t help myself.

These photos are from Wat Phnom, a Buddhist shrine set on the top of a hill in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

I’ve been quiet these past few weeks, and it’s not without good reason. I’ve taken the dough I made teaching English in Saigon and have been slowly backpacking my way west. Normally I would update as I went on the things I’ve experienced, but I chose some locations where internet was simply not an option. Sometimes there was a cafe available but the town itself was without electricity. Makes things difficult when trying to stay connected with the rest of the world, but I wouldn’t have traded a second of it.

I consider it “JetSetZero with a twist”. I was able to make a substantial amount of money in a short period of time, and instead of continuing to work, I’m gonna blow it. It may seem a bit irresponsible, but that’s life. You have to grab the opportunities as they come, and finding myself in Asia with a wad of dong and some amazing places at my doorstep, I couldn’t resist. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting stories of my adventures.

Sunset over Boeng Kak, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

As soon as I left the big city of Saigon to start exploring the rest of Vietnam just over a month ago, it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Suddenly I could breathe again. The rut I had been experiencing seemed like ancient history. I was back to doing what I enjoyed most: travelling. I am a fairly restless person – not always this way, mind you – and for better or worse, this characteristic has coloured many of my decisions over the past 10 years.

And now that I’ve seen Vietnam from top to bottom, the thought of returning to Saigon and working causes a bit of a twitch to develop. So I’m not.

Instead, I’m heading off on my own. The next month will see me backpacking through Southern Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma). I will be posting updates and stories from the road, assuming I can find an internet connection in some of the places I have on the agenda. I’m planning on continuing until there’s no dong left in my pocket.

Hope you’re up for the journey.

After spending a few days in Siem Reap we headed to Phnom Penh, Cambodia where we visited the Choeung Ek Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng Museum.  The Tuol Sleng Museum was formerly a prison during the Pol Pot regime where prisoners were kept and tortured and eventually taken to the Choeung Ek killing fields where they were executed.  Rarely was it a quick and painless bullet to the head as bullets were precious.  Prisoners were often beat to death.  When we entered the killing fields we saw a giant Buddhist stupa filled with over 5000 human skulls and a ridiculous number of mass graves.

This is without a doubt one of the saddest places I have ever been….

Beds that prisoners were tied down to and tortured.

Prisoners of Tuol Sleng

Tiny prison cells

The Flooded Forest of Kompong Phhluk is by far one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. It was a 45 minute tuk tuk ride from Siem Reap, another 45 minute boat ride before we made it to a little fishing village, and from there we had to swap to a paddle boat in order to navigate the dense flooded forest. After we left the flooded forest, we got back onto the bigger boat which took us out to a lake where we saw the raddest sunset ever. Once again, the video cannot do the the flooded forest justice, you’ll need to go check it out for yourself!