Cambodia for Kids

I have been asked to answer a few questions for the kids that are following this blog. Who knows, maybe the adults will like it also. These are just my observations and the information I received when I asked adults in Cambodia.

How do you get money?
In 2013, it is very simple to do all our transactions through ATM's, just like at home. The only difference is the money comes out in their currency. So, you have to be good at math to remember how much you are spending. Otherwise, it can seem like you are playing with Monopoly money and before you know it....all your money is spent and you have to go back to the ATM.

In Cambodia, they use the American dollar or the Cambodian Riel. The ATM gave only US dollars.  Cambodians do not have the US coins. So, you would get some change in US dollar bills and the coins in the Cambodian Riel. The exchange rate for US $1 = 4000 Riel. So, if something cost $5.50 and you gave them $10 your change would be 2000 Riel and $4 in US money. See, you will need to be good at math if you want to travel.

Here is a picture of the Cambodian Riel. You will see they have pictures of famous sites on their money. It is more colorful than the US dollar and smaller too. We also noticed the different amounts were different sizes.

Cambodian Riel

How do I get where I want to go?
Cambodia travel was easy because I arranged my bus travel at the hotels. They were very helpful and ask about your plans and will arrange a bus to pick you up at the hotel. I have also been able to arrange for the hotel to pick me up at the bus station if it is too far to walk. Bus tickets in Cambodia are cheap. The 6 hour trip from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap cost $10 and a 15 hour trip from Siem Reap to Saigon, Vietnam cost $25. It was a long bus trip but at least it was a sleeping bus. Some buses have seats that lie flat so you can sleep.

Tuk-tuk driver sleeping in a hammock.

Cambodians travel by motor scooter, cars or tuk-tuks. What is a tuk-tuk? It is a motor scooter with cart attached which can haul 4-6 passengers. We hired a driver for a day to go to the temples for $15.

Anywhere else I want to go I walk. You see people walking or riding bikes all over the country.

  

What about the bathrooms?

Bathrooms are always an experience when you travel. In Cambodia, the bathrooms in hotels and restaurants are just like the ones in your house. The only difference is there typically is not a shower curtain or tub. The bathrooms are covered in tile and you just shower and let the water go... wherever it goes. Your mom can not complain you are making a mess because it just flows to the drain. The only thing you have to be careful about is that the toilet paper does not get wet! That could be really bad!

When you travel to tourist sights or across the country by bus, the toilets are the same as you have at home but they do not have running water. So, when you walk in to the bathroom, you will see the toilet and a bucket of water or a huge trough of water with a large scoop. After you use the toilet, you scoop water into the toilet to make it flush. Away goes the dirty water and now you have clean water left. It isn't bad or stinky. I find they are cleaner than the porta-potties in the USA. 

There is usually a woman that sits outside the toilet to make sure they stay clean and the bucket is full of water.

How much is a hotel room? Is it nice?
Cambodia is just like any other country. There are really expensive hotel rooms ($300-500/night), hostels which are cheaper options with dorm style bunk beds and shared bathrooms ($5/night) or budget hotels that have private rooms and bathrooms which is what I have chosen. My hotels rooms have cost $10-15/night for each person. We have had two beds and a nice bathroom. The only pet I have found was a gecko that got in when we left the window open. At least they don't bite you!

How do you do laundry?
Laundry was really easy. The hotel we stayed at arranged for our laundry to be sent out and returned the next day. It is the greatest! You put all your stinky clothes in a bag and the next day they give it back to you. It is clean, ironed and folded in a nice little bag. The hotel weighs your clothes and charges by the kilo. It typically costs $1-2/kilo. Then, you just put it back in your backpack and you are ready to go again.

All my belongings are in my backpacks.

Can I get McDonald's?

No, I can tell you we have not seen any McDonald's in Cambodia. KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is the only western food chain that we saw in Cambodia. But, we were not looking for western food. So, we may have missed it. The food available is delicious and in cities with lots of tourists, you can find something that is better than McDonald's. Many restaurants in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap had menus that included pizza, hamburgers and sandwiches. You would not starve to death. But you really should try the food when you travel. You may find something new that you like.

You will also notice that the variety of snack foods and sweets are not available like they are in your grocery store. You will see a few options such as chips, Ritz crackers, Kit-Kat and Mentos. We have limited sweets when we eat because they are expensive. We stopped for ice cream one day and it cost the same as our food for lunch and dinner together! Most of the desserts are fruit based.

Dragon fruit (left) and mango sticky rice (right). Very yummy!

What is life like for a child in Cambodia?
Children in Cambodia can go to government school unless a family has the money to send them to private school. The children start school at 8 am and go home for lunch at 11:30 am. Then they return at 1:30PM and stay until 5PM. We did not see any school buses. The children walked or rode their bikes to school. We saw a few children on motorbikes with their mom's or dad's. All of the children wear uniforms (white shirt and blue pants for boys or blue skirt for girls). Some children do not go to school. They work with their families because they need the money. We have seen small children selling postcards, books and key chains to tourists. It is sad they do not get to go to school. Many of the children told me they were working so they could afford to go to school someday. There is a huge push to get tourists to stop buying from the children. We saw posters that said "Parents Earn, Children Learn". It is hard to say no to the children but they should be in school. It makes you realize the choices you make as a tourist effect a generation of children and the country even after you have gone home.

This little girl was playing quietly as here mother worked cleaning the temple area. See all the holes in the rock? Those once had diamonds. Some people came and stole the diamonds.

I was amazed at the knowledge the children had about America. They always ask "Where are you from?" When you tell them the USA then, they will spout off all of the facts they know about America. They could tell me the Presidents name, the capital of the USA, the state capitals, largest and smallest state. I was amazed at the knowledge they had of my country and the lack of knowledge I had of their country. Do you know the capital and leader of Cambodia? They all spoke really well and enjoyed practicing their English with us. Most spoke at least 2-3 languages.

What animals have you seen?
I have seen elephants, monkeys, snakes and crocodiles! The snake scared me the most but I was ok. Only because there were 3 people in front of me it could bite! Yikes! The monkeys were playing at a temple. It was fun to watch the babies...they fight like little kids. You have to be careful of the monkeys because they like to steal things from your bag. Naughty little monkeys!
The elephants are used for rides around the temples of Angkor Wat. It is expensive and the line is long. But, if you really want to do it then save your money.

Elephant ride in Angkor Wat

Monkeys playing at Angkor Wat

What games do the children play? Do they have tv?
I have seen a lot of children playing volleyball, soccer and jumping rope. They race each other on their bikes and sometimes give rides to their friends or siblings on the back of their bikes. We saw several swimming in lakes and ponds to cool off in the afternoon.
Yes, they have tv in their homes and watch cartoons too. As we were riding in the bus, we could see into the homes in the rural areas.

I hope this has answered some of the questions you have. Travel is a great learning experience and I am happy to share what I am learning as I go. Please contact me if you have any other questions. Do not hesitate to ask. Goodnight and peace and love to you all!



From Cambodia with Love

Things that made me smile in Cambodia:
Happy hour that starts in morning and ends at midnight.

My morning workout in Siem Reap. Every person in the park stopped me and asked "Where you from?" When I replied USA, they all knew someone that was living in USA.

My Cambodian workout dog in Siem Reap. I named him Scrappy. He loved running in the park with me. I would chase him in circles to get my heart rate up. He would bark at me while I did push ups and planks...not much fun for him.

Three little boys that were monks. Stop and stared at me while I drank my coffee.

Showering by candlelight (alone you sickos!)

Motorbike with 3 sedated hogs on the back. (wish I had a photo of that one!)

This little piggy went to market.

Women riding motorbikes side saddle. Now that is a lady!

A 15 year old boy selling books asked where I was from. I replied "USA" and he responded with facts about the USA. He knew the capital, president, Alaska was the largest state and the book he was selling was written by a woman from Cambodia that now lived in the Ohio. He made me laugh and I bought a book titled "First They Killed My Father" by Loung Ung.

The little boy that smelled Fara and kissed my arms.

Crazy bus rides with Cambodian high school love tragedies and cow crossings.

Fish amok- so yummy!

The Blue Pumpkin - the coolest Cool Lounge with great internet service. They provide all leftover food to the local orphanages.

The Cambodian Police officer that offered to sell his badge to me for $5. Not sure why I would need that....yet.

A 6 year old girl named Dao that was selling postcards at Angkor Wat. A little boy walked up and wanted to sell us postcards also. So, I asked her about her life and if he was her brother. She said "No." I asked "Is he your boyfriend?" She wrinkled up her nose at him and laughed hysterically. "No, he is just a boy. I have work to do. Wanna buy postcard?" She was so adorable and happy. I bought the pack of postcards for a dollar.

Khmer Cooking Class

On our last day in Siem Reap, we signed up for a Khmer cooking class. We wanted to learn how to make some of the delicious Khmer food we had been enjoying the last few days. We decided to go to the Le Tigre de Papier Restaurants class. For $13 we could each pick a starter, main course and dessert. Hmm...the choices were also so delicious. We both decided on an appetizer of fresh shrimp spring rolls and mango sticky rice for dessert. Then Fara made the fish amok and I chose the Khmer Cannelloni. The restaurant had prepared all of the vegetables on plates. The teacher explained how to prepare each of the dishes. We stared with chopping all of the veggies for the fresh spring rolls.

We steamed the vegetables and prepared the shrimp before rolling the spring rolls.  Next step was to make a fresh peanut sauce. Mmmm. So delicious!

Shrimp Spring Rolls.

The next step was to chop more vegetables for the Fish amok and Khmer curry. I enjoyed chopping all the veggies and making a homemade curry. Then, Fara got busy pounding it into a paste. After three hours of cooking it was time to sit down and enjoy a wonderful meal. We ended it with one of my favorite desserts Mango Sticky Rice!

We all passed the class and received certificates. Cheers to a wonderful meal with other travelers.

Cambodia- Phnom Penh and Siem Reap

We arrived in Phnom Penh and were lucky to meet a taxi driver with an extensive history of Cambodia. As we talked to him, we decided he could teach us about the Khmer people and  drive us to the killing fields. It was hot and we decided the cost was reasonable for an entire day. So, we dropped our luggage at the hotel and we asked for a restaurant where we could have khmer food. His suggestion was fabulous! We had a lunch of fresh spring rolls and fish amok. My friend Christy had raved about the fish amok and it was as delicious and beautiful as she had described. Fish amok is a coconut curry steamed in banana leaves and considered by many to be the national dish of Cambodia.

Yummy! Fish Amok and steamed vegetables.

It was so flavorful and delicious that we have decided to take a cooking class to learn how to make it. After we finished lunch, Mr Sowana returned to pick us up and drive us 30 minutes through the capital to the killing fields.

Walking in to the killing fields, I was ignorant about the history of Cambodia.  We listened to the audio tour as we walked the site. In 1975, Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot forced the urban populations to the rural areas to work in agriculture labor camps. Members of the upper, middle and educated classes were all victims of the genocide. Three million people were executed by the Khmer Rouge in 3 years, 8 months and 20 days.  Crimes punishable by death included not working hard enough, complaining about living conditions, stealing food for personal consumption, wearing jewelry, grieving over the loss of relatives or friends and expressing religious sentiments. He killed men, women and children to ensure an entire family was executed and the children could not come back for revenge. It is difficult to describe the Killing Fields because it is difficult to understand how anyone could have committed the atrocities that occurred in Cambodia. We toured the killing fields and listened to the stories of survivors. It was an emotional day and broke my heart. The most difficult sight was where babies and children were killed. It brought tears to my eyes.

Friendship bracelets at the site where children were killed

As you walk into the sight it is quiet and serene. The land is pocked with pits where bodies were buried. If people were not dead they sprayed them with DDT or buried them alive. As I wandered the site, I saw scraps of clothing, pieces of bone and teeth in the dirt. We walked the path around the lake and observed that life went on for the Khmer people. There are families fishing in the lake and children playing. It is a healing place for the Cambodians. In the center is the memorial where the bones and skulls found at the sight are housed.  It is a touching memorial to those that were killed and a reminder to never allow this to happen again.

The memorial surrounded by the killing fields. The land is sunken where bodies were buried.

From there, we returned to Phnom Penh and toured the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum where the people were held and tortured at the S-21 Prison before being taken to the killing fields. It was originally a school with laughing and happy children. It was very sad that the school had been converted to the S-21 prison and the sight of so many horrendous acts. The museum displays the photos of the individuals that were tortured here. Only 7 people survived the S-21 prison. One of the survivors was present to answer questions. It was a sad visit but necessary to understand the history of this nation. The Khmer people have persevered and rebuilt their country. Today I am in awe of the beauty, hospitality, kindness and respectful people I have met on my journey.  My heart holds a special place for the people of Cambodia.

We went back to town, bought our bus tickets for Siem Reap the following day and then went for a walk around town. We had a light meal at a café and then back to our hotel to cool off, shower and go to bed.

King's Palace in Phnom Penh

The following morning we had planned to go to the King’s Palace and see the Silver Pagoda but the King was home and it was closed. We wandered the city and toured the Pagoda then we caught the bus to Siem Reap. We were happy to have seats on the bus after all, it was a 6 hour journey. We were on the top level behind the steps. We noticed the windshield was cracked and covered with packaging tape. Really? Hmm, I wondered why. Then, nightfall came and the bus trip got a little more eventful. We felt the driver stomp on the brakes. Fara and I flew forward towards the bar separating us from the steps. The horn was honking. A cow decided to walk in front of the bus! Luckily we stopped before we hit it. No wonder why the windshield was broken. We were fine but a little shaken up. The journey continued and a half hour later the honking started again. A tuk-tuk was in the rode and the bus driver was not stopping for it. Another close call but everyone was safe. We continued another 30 minutes before honking and screeching of brakes. Fara and I grabbed each other’s hand. We flew forward again as we saw another cow standing in front of the bus. I was waiting to fly face first over the edge and onto the stairs and people sitting on the stairs. It was going to hurt! Luckily we dodged the second cow and were fine. I wanted a seatbelt! Anything to keep me from flying out of my seat and through the bus.  I decided then that all future seats will be a few rows back so I will have a seat to stop me from flying through the air. We finally arrived in Seim Reap and found our tuk-tuk driver the guesthouse sent to pick us up. We arrived at the charming Rosy’s Guesthouse lit in candlelight. We knew what that meant…no electricity. We checked in and were given candles for our room. It was pretty but very hot and sticky. Luckily, the electricity was on by 11:30pm so we had a good nights sleep.

The next morning, we awoke and left at 5:30 AM for sunrise at Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat...breathtaking!

Angkor is the earthly representation of Mt Meru, the Mt Olympus of the Hindu faith and the abode of ancient gods. It is believed to be the world’s largest religious building.  We grabbed a coffee at the entrance and walked in with the hundreds of other tourists and awaited the morning sun. The lily pads opened as the sun came over the temple. It was surreal being here. Angkor Wat has been on my bucketlist for years. To be sitting here with my best friend and hundreds of tourists was surreal. Everyone was awaiting the morning light to shine down on the temples.
After sunrise, Fara and I went to explore the area. We wandered through the temples and down quiet hallways. Stopped and lit a candle. It was amazing that we were free to wander the area freely. We climbed the steps of a temple and found a quiet spot to reflect and watch the other tourists. We watched as monkeys entertained tourists. I grabbed my camera and walked towards the monkeys and was quickly approached by a little one that thought I was going to feed it. I have encountered monkeys in the wild before, I know they cant be trusted. This is an old photo from that experience.

2001 at Gibraltar, my first surprise monkey encounter. Yikes!

 I did not know this guys was going to climb up my back and I was a little terrified of his big teeth...and the thought of rabies!! So, I was careful with the monkeys. Cute, yes. But, I didn't want to be a monkey jungle gym! I decided it was time to back off. Let these little guys entertain the tourists.




We were astonished at the beauty of the old temples. But we moved on as we were quickly asked by each of the locals to “buy from my shop” or “eat at my restaurant.”  We quickly decided to move on to Bayon, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm temples.  Each was different but had some similarities. The following day, we spent the morning exploring the lesser known temples of Preah Khan, Prasat Prei, Prasat Krol Ko, Ta Som, Mebon Oriental and Pre Rup. After 2 days we were "templed out" and needed to relax in town. 

King faces on the bridge entering Angkor Thom

Elephant gate in Angkor Thom

Fara and Mik - Tomb Raiders...just like Lara Croft. Same same but better!

 The afternoon sun burned down on us and we were wet pools of sweat, it was time for happy hour and food. Then a walk around the charming town of Seim Reap and a nap back at the guesthouse. Luckily we stopped to talk to the girls at the guesthouse about the bus schedule to Saigon. We have had such a great time we lost track of days! We thought we were in Siem Reap until Thursday. Unfortunately, we are checking out tomorrow. We have rescheduled our cooking class to Wednesday and made bus arrangements for Wednesday night. I have loved my trip to Cambodia and highly recommend anyone to put this on your bucket list. It has been a highlight of my trip.

Peace and love to you all! Goodnight from Cambodia.