Ascham Cambodia Trip 2017

Today was out last day of the trip and of Phom phen. It was an incredibly enjoyable and also sad day. The day began with the usual brekkie at the hotel. It was then on the bus ready for our cycling tour. We arrived and had our bikes and helmets fitted, a quick practice ride and an introduction to our three "Grasshopper" cycling tour guides.

Then without further delay we were on our bikes and off on a ferry to begin our island cycling adventure. The tour was around 25 KM travelling around not only Phnom Penh but also to two other islands. During our tour we saw many unique sites, such as a silk farm, temples, Cambodian animals, schools and many small Cambodian villages. This ride although tiring for some was incredibly rewarding. 25km riding and three ferry rides later we were at the end of our amazing adventure with plenty of memories to laugh at, talk about and ponder.

Tired and hungry we all very much enjoyed another traditional Cambodian lunch with a special favourite being the fried chicken.

After lunch we delved into the darker history of Cambodia as we headed to the killing fields and S21 prison.

The killing fields were located on the outskirts of the city. These were the sites where the Khmer Rouge took the victims to be executed and buried in mass graves. The site today include the structures of he graves as well as remains of victims such as bones and clothes. This trip was a confronting experience and provoked serious thought about the mistreatment of previous Cambodians under the Khmer Rouge regime.

Our next stop was the S21 torture prison. This is where in victims were taken for interrogation and torture before being transported to the killing fields. This was particularly heart wrenching as there were confronting photos of the victims as well as many of the original torture materials which were used.

Moods were brightened as we headed to our final dinner at the ‘Friends’ restaurant. This restaurant is part of a community project that trains disadvantage Cambodian youth with hospitality skills which broaden their future employment options. Here we not only enjoyed amazing food but also shared our favourite memories of the trip. Mixed emotions arose as we reflected on our amazing experiences and enjoyed our final Cambodian meal (as well as lots of laughs.)

Nazzie and Molly .

Today we went to a Khmer cooking class in Siem Reap. When we arrived our head chef took us to the local markets so we could see where the fresh produce we were using came from. The market sold fresh fruit and vegetables along with an array of very fresh seafoods.

After going to the market we got straight into our cooking class. We all made a delicious 3 course meal that consisted of fresh prawn rice paper rolls with Cambodian herbs, Khmer fish amok curry and fried bananas. At the start of each course we would watch a demonstration from the head chef. Each person had their own individual station with a wok and stove along with a chopping board. At the end of the cooking class we were all given the recipes of all three dishes so that we can cook them back in Sydney.

After the cooking class we hopped on the bus and made our way to a lake that was a 45 minute bus drive away. We then boarded a boat and visited the floating villages to see how the fishing people live. We where even lucky enough to see live crocodiles! The floating villages were a great way to end the trip and the whole group enjoyed them. 

We are now off to our last dinner before our long journey home tomorrow.

Amber and Zara

P.S. sorry we can’t add photos - the wifi is a bit slow here!

We woke up from our first night in Phnom Penh at approximately 7:15am and headed downstairs to the restaurant for a yummy breakfast.
Equipped with our money belts, hats and sun cream, we hopped onto the bus ready for the daily adventures.

Our first stop was at the markets where we were able to enjoy sampling many of the local foods including; Pho noodles, deep fried banana, Cambodian donuts, waffles, pastries, chargrill bananas and coffees. We walked around the Phnom Penh streets with our tour guide. We then took the bus to a lovely temple where we learnt lots about Buddhism. We then made our way to the central markets where we sent a busy hour shopping. We bartered our hardest and bought lots of fake clothing and accessories as well as traditional Cambodian bowls.

After a quick hour and a half of shopping, we drove to an Italian restaurant which was a very special treat. We were served pizza, pasta, cheese sticks, bread, soup, salad and ice-cream. The restaurant was looking of the Tonle Sap where on a speed boat takes you 5 hours left to Siem Reap and 5 hours right to Vietnam.

We then made our way to the palace where the king and queen live. We explored the huge palace for an hour or so. The palace was incredible and beautiful to look at. It had detailed paintings and lovely architecture.

Since one and a half hours wasn't nearly enough time to allow everyone to explore the whole market, we convinced the teachers to let in a tiny bit more time. After a negotiation to give us one more hour at the markets and not go back to the hotel before dinner, everyone quickly ran out of the bus and sprinted to their chosen stalls. After what felt like 15 minutes, we then hopped back on the bus with multiple shopping bags in hands and drove straight to the restaurant for dinner.

The restaurant was absolutely breathtaking as it looked out over the river and was decorated with fairy lights and an amazing view. We were served traditional Cambodian food including steamed rice, fish amok, fish skewers and steamed vegetables. Once we had all finished our dinner and made our way back to the bus, we had a karaoke battle which was another special treat of the day.

After debriefing at the hotel, all going around the circle saying the funniest thing that has happened to us this trip, it is safe to say that it has been an incredibly eventful, hilarious and amazing trip so far.

Jess Brooke and Charlotte Glen

Today was our first full day in Siem Reap. We began the day with an early ‪4:20am‬ wake up, experiencing a windy and cold tuk tuk ride to the largest religious monument in the world, Angkor Wat. We enjoyed watching the sun rise at Angkor Wat and took many photos. After watching the sun rise we toured Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat was built in the 12th century and was originally constructed as a Hindu temple of the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire. When the capitol of Cambodia was moved from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, Angkor Wat was taken care of by the Buddhist monks and was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple. We all enjoyed exploring the complex and and some of us were lucky enough to be blessed by a monk.

Next we visited Angkor Thom. The entrance of Angkor Thom is guarded by a row of 54 stone figures on each side with gods on one side and demons on the other. We were amazed by the details of the engravings on the sandstone walls. We also took many photos, especially against the archways and columns.

After that we headed for lunch at a nearby restaurant, Khmer Cooking Empire. We had fresh spring rolls, chicken satay skewers, fish soup, sweet and sour pork as well as a plate of fruit to finish off.

After lunch, we went to the last temple which is known as the Jungle Temple - Ta Prohm. This temple was built in the 12th century and the majority of the complex was kept in the same condition as it was found. We were amazed at the many trees growing out of the ruins.

In the afternoon, we all spent some time relaxing. Some went for massages and a swim in the pool, whilst others enjoyed a short walk and a fun game of cards.

For dinner we went to Neary Restaurant and dined on traditional Khmer food. After dinner, the Teachers surprised us with a trip to the night market. Everybody enjoyed looking around and we are keen to return tomorrow.

Michelle and Jess P

Our time in Mondulkiri sadly ended today as our team rose at 5:45 am with prepacked bags to have breakfast at the ‘Hangout Café’ at 6:00am. Here we indulged in our usual breakfast feast. This included a selection of fruit: watermelon, pineapple, banana and mango along with fried eggs and baguettes.

After our breakfast and for some an off and on game of pool we hit the road. We squeezed into two mini vans rather than our previous luxury 45 person bus. The soon to be six hours in the bus and early morning encouraged most to sleep.

The sides of the road on the trip were scattered with street food, cheap clothes and individual town delicacies. Behind these stores many observed that the vegetation looked relatively similar to the Australian country side but with far more sticky red dirt and the occasional clump of bamboo.

After about and hour and a half we also drove past the impressive friendship monument showing the friendship between Cambodia and Vietnam. At this stage we were only about 15km from Vietnam but unfortunately we cannot claim to have entered the country. We carried on stopping at multiple Tela service stations for bathroom breaks before stopping for lunch at 11 for a fruit and baguettes before re-embarking on the buses to Phnom Penh.

On the trip to Phnom Penh there was far more traffic than going to Mondulkiri from Siem Reap. On the road we saw many overloaded motor bikes with giant tree trunks the length of a car and about a 40cm radius strapped onto the back of the bike, two motor bikes had fully grown dead pigs going to the butcher and others were overloaded with package food. It was quite a sight to see. Our guide explained to us that in Cambodia there is no age limit for riding a motor bike, hence we saw children as young as seven riding motorbikes themselves on the road.

Finally we arrived in Phnom Penh at 2:30pm (a shorter bus ride than that from Siem Reap – thankfully).

Some chose to spend the afternoon relaxing in the hotel in preparation for the jam packed days ahead. A small group of eager shoppers went with Miss O’Brien to the Russian markets - around 2.5km walk from the hotel.

Dinner tonight was at ‘La Rose’ where we enjoyed a fancy Khmer dinner topped off with fried banana sticky rice porridge for dessert.

Clara Freeman and Gabi Richmond