| Days traveling: | |
| Average per day: | |
|
excluding
and
Flights
:
Luxury activities
|
Today was a grim day, as I visited the prison and torture center, and later the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge, the dictatorship that ruled and terrorized Cambodia for 4 years. "Never will we forget the crimes committed during the Democratic Kampuchea Regime" reads the message at the memorial of the genocide that took place between 1975 and 1979. These visits triggered a lot of emotions, but a constant thought lingered: why had I never learned about this?
|
Groceries
|
Snacks |
$2.29
$2.29
|
|
Tourist attractions
|
Half-day minivan tour |
$7.00
$7.00
|
|
Tourist attractions
|
Entrance fee to "Toul Sleng Genocide Museum" |
$8.00
$8.00
|
|
Tourist attractions
|
Entrance fee to "Choeung Ek Killing Fields" |
$6.00
$6.00
|
|
Food
|
Lunch |
$4.50
$4.50
|
|
Food
|
Savory snacks at "Central Market" |
៛2,000.00
$0.50
|
|
Food
|
Dinner at "Phnom Penh Night Market" |
៛6,000.00
$1.50
|
|
Urban transport
|
Tuk tuk to hostel (shared) |
៛1,000.00
$0.25
|
|
Alcohol
|
Beer |
$1.00
$1.00
|
|
Accomodation
|
Billabong Hostel |
$4.00
$4.00
|
| TOTAL | ៛9,000.00 + $32.79 |
| TOTAL (USD) | $35.04 |
I recently learned basic counting in Khmer (1 to 10, 100, 1000). It's crazy how that tiny effort can completely change your interactions with the locals. They love it! Asking prices and bargaining went from being a struggle to a lot of laughs (mostly from their side). Today I walked around Phnom Penh, exploring the busy Central Market and the majestic Royal Palace.
|
Food
|
Breakfast |
$4.79
$4.79
|
|
Food
|
Sweets at "Central Market" |
៛4,000.00
$1.00
|
|
Tourist attractions
|
Entrance fee to "Wat Phnom" |
$1.00
$1.00
|
|
Gifts and souvenirs
|
Stamps for postcards |
៛6,000.00
$1.50
|
|
Tourist attractions
|
Entrance fee to "Royal Palace" |
$10.00
$10.00
|
|
Food
|
Savory snacks at "Central Market" |
៛7,000.00
$1.75
|
|
Accomodation
|
Billabong Hostel |
$3.75
$3.75
|
| TOTAL | ៛17,000.00 + $19.54 |
| TOTAL (USD) | $23.79 |
The main activity of the day was to explore the floating village with a rental rowboat. It was such a surreal experience. The face of surprise in the locals faces each time we docked in their shop or business was priceless. I was sad to leave the village and our beautiful host family.
|
Food
|
Breakfast at "Seng Lis Homestay" |
៛5,000.00
$1.25
|
|
Tourist attractions
|
Rowboat rental (shared) |
$2.50
$2.50
|
|
Groceries
|
Cold drink |
៛2,000.00
$0.50
|
|
Groceries
|
Bottled water |
៛2,000.00
$0.50
|
|
Groceries
|
Pastry |
៛1,200.00
$0.30
|
|
Urban transport
|
Boat back to pier |
$2.50
$2.50
|
|
Urban transport
|
Tuk tuk to Krakor (shared) |
$2.00
$2.00
|
|
Intercity transport
|
Bus to Phnom Pehn |
$5.00
$5.00
|
|
Urban transport
|
Tuk tuk to hostel (shared) |
$2.00
$2.00
|
|
Food
|
Dinner |
$2.09
$2.09
|
|
Accomodation
|
Billabong Hostel |
$3.75
$3.75
|
| TOTAL | ៛10,200.00 + $19.84 |
| TOTAL (USD) | $22.39 |
I stopped midway between Battambang and Phnon Penh, to spend the night at the floating village of Kampong Luong. I had found very little info about it online, so it was really going on an adventure. Kampong Luong is one of the few floating villages left in Cambodia, that moves its location in the Tonle Sap lake based on the season. This village with less than 10,000 inhabitants receives very few tourism, so it was by far one of my most authentic experiences on this trip.
|
Food
|
Breakfast at "Psar Nat Market" |
$1.00
$1.00
|
|
Intercity transport
|
Bus to Krakor |
៛25,000.00
$6.25
|
|
Groceries
|
Snacks |
៛3,000.00
$0.75
|
|
Urban transport
|
Tuk tuk to pier (shared) |
$2.00
$2.00
|
|
Food
|
Lunch at the pier |
$1.00
$1.00
|
|
Urban transport
|
Boat to Kampong Luong Floating Village |
$2.50
$2.50
|
|
Groceries
|
Fresh fruit |
៛1,500.00
$0.38
|
|
Food
|
Dinner at "Seng Lis Homestay" |
៛7,000.00
$1.75
|
|
Alcohol
|
Beers |
៛6,000.00
$1.50
|
|
Accomodation
|
Seng Lis Homestay |
$3.00
$3.00
|
| TOTAL | ៛42,500.00 + $9.50 |
| TOTAL (USD) | $20.12 |
The bamboo train is one of Battambang's main tourist attractions. It consists of a bamboo flatbed over wheels powered by a small engine. It uses the old Cambodian rail network, currently abandoned. The trip on this very improvised vehicle was quite thrilling, and I got to see some of Battambang's beautiful countryside.
|
Others
|
Laundry |
$1.00
$1.00
|
|
Food
|
Sweets at "Psar Nat Market" |
៛1,500.00
$0.38
|
|
Food
|
Breakfast at "Psar Nat Market" |
$1.00
$1.00
|
|
Food
|
Iced coffee |
៛2,000.00
$0.50
|
|
Urban transport
|
Tuk tuk to "Bamboo train" (shared) |
$2.00
$2.00
|
|
Tourist attractions
|
Bamboo train ticket |
$5.00
$5.00
|
|
Gifts and souvenirs
|
Stamps for postcards |
$3.00
$3.00
|
|
Groceries
|
Fruit at "Battambang Night Market" |
$1.00
$1.00
|
|
Food
|
Dinner at "Battambang Night Market" |
៛11,500.00
$2.88
|
|
Alcohol
|
Beer |
$1.00
$1.00
|
|
Accomodation
|
Here Be Dragons Hostel |
$4.00
$4.00
|
| TOTAL | ៛15,000.00 + $18.00 |
| TOTAL (USD) | $21.75 |
Every day, around 6.5 million bats leave the Phnon Sampov caves at sunset to start their night's hunt. We sat in front of the cave, cold beer in one hand and our cameras in the other, looking at the endless streams of flying bats 🦇.
|
Groceries
|
Water refill |
៛1,000.00
$0.25
|
|
Food
|
Sweets at "Psar Nat Market" |
៛2,000.00
$0.50
|
|
Food
|
Lunch at "Psar Nat Market" |
៛6,000.00
$1.50
|
|
Food
|
Coffee at "Kinyei Cafe" |
$1.50
$1.50
|
|
Groceries
|
Fruit at "Psar Nat Market" |
៛4,000.00
$1.00
|
|
Tourist attractions
|
Tuk tuk to "Phnom Sampov Caves" (round-trip) |
$4.00
$4.00
|
|
Tourist attractions
|
Entrance fee to "Phnom Sampov Caves" |
$2.00
$2.00
|
|
Food
|
Dinner at "Battambang Night Market" |
$2.00
$2.00
|
|
Alcohol
|
Beers |
$3.00
$3.00
|
|
Accomodation
|
Here Be Dragons Hostel |
$4.00
$4.00
|
| TOTAL | ៛13,000.00 + $16.50 |
| TOTAL (USD) | $19.75 |
Today I arrived to Battambang. Hard to believe this is Cambodia's 2nd biggest city. Way less touristy than Siem Reap and full of beautiful colonial buildings, Battambang is a very charming city, luring me to stay longer. As you might have already noticed, I have a sweet tooth. I love trying the local sweets of each city I visit, and today was no exception.
|
Food
|
Breakfast at "Psar Chas Market" |
$2.00
$2.00
|
|
Food
|
Sweets at "Psar Chas Market" |
៛1,000.00
$0.25
|
|
Intercity transport
|
Bus to Battambang |
$5.00
$5.00
|
|
Food
|
Lunch |
$2.00
$2.00
|
|
Urban transport
|
Tuk tuk to hostel |
$1.00
$1.00
|
|
Food
|
Sweets at "Psar Nat Market" |
៛4,000.00
$1.00
|
|
Food
|
Coffee at "Lonely Tree Cafe" |
$1.50
$1.50
|
|
Groceries
|
Toiletry restock |
៛3,000.00
$0.75
|
|
Groceries
|
Water refill |
៛1,000.00
$0.25
|
|
Alcohol
|
Beer |
$1.00
$1.00
|
|
Accomodation
|
Here Be Dragons Hostel |
$4.00
$4.00
|
| TOTAL | ៛9,000.00 + $16.50 |
| TOTAL (USD) | $18.75 |
