Cambodia is a place where history is palpable. The wounds of the past still ooze into today and pain is written on every surface. The faces of the people who lived it are inscrutable and those of their children grimace at inherited memory. It struck me immediately as we arrived in Phnom Penh and stayed with me throughout the trip. We had taken the sleeper bus from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and crossed the border at the Mộc Bài into Bavet. Our first experience of the country was a free lunch at a small restaurant at the bus depot in Bavet. I wasn’t hungry and the food wasn’t particularly appetizing, but I did not wish to be rude and so I ate. It quickly transpired that the lunch was in fact not free and I needn’t have eaten. My four dollars paid. We continued to the capital city.

Arriving at the Central Bus Station in Phnom Penh was a very straightforward process and shortly after arrival we were in a tuktuk headed towards our hostel along the river. Our driver was a fellow named Bhuti who got a great kick out of the fact that his name means brother in Zulu. He was an older man who waxed on about his life and how he had escaped from Phnom Penh during the terrors that occurred. He had returned as a grown man and planned to live out his days on the very streets that raised him. The city is an eclectic mix of all kinds of shops, stalls, restaurants, stands, and stores. It is a busy city but far flatter and less built up than many other places in Southeast Asia. Parts of the city are quiet and green, while others embody the hustle and bustle of the region. Our hostel was on the waterfront of the Mekong River which runs through the city. The river is wide and boats of all kinds burn up and down, delivering goods, or ferrying passengers back and forth.

We were with a group of friends, and we ate Khmer Amok for dinner, a Cambodian style curry that was  lovely. We then hit the bar street. It is a bit on the seedy side, and we were denied entrance to several bars which had blacked out windows and VIP areas upstairs. Still, we had good fun and sampled a cross section of local beers before turning in. The next day we explored the city and took photos everywhere. We visited the central market and paraded up and down the river. It is a charming city, and Cambodian people are warm and welcoming. The following day we had a much more sombre agenda, and we caught a tuktuk out to the Cheung-Ek Killing Fields.

I have seldom visited a more harrowing place. The fields surround a central spire of a pagoda which is completely full of human skulls representing a fraction of the victims put to death there. We took the audio guide through, and it highlights areas of various atrocities too numerous and dreadful to go into real detail over. Often the real voices of both victim and perpetrator are heard. They play the very music that inspired the bloodlust of massacre after massacre of teachers, academics, friends, and neighbours. The rise of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia is frankly one of the most grievous aspects of modern history. The way Pol Pot turned the citizenry on themselves with such viciousness’ is just tragic beyond reason. Once we had finished the tour in absolute silence, we went over to the central prison that had been used in the same period.

In a travesty that is emblematic of the ideology of Pol Pot and his goons the prison is a converted school. Used for the imprisonment of vast masses of Khmer people and their funnelling to various execution sites including Cheung-Ek, it is another bracing place. The horrors layered over the innocence of a schoolyard that would have once echoed with laughter, is a difficult image to reconcile. Yet somehow the Cambodian people have recovered and while that pain is clearly still a large part of communal memory, they have made great strides towards making the country a far better place. We spent much of our time in Phnom Penh grappling with this history and sitting with the discomfort that comes with it. It is such an important aspect of travel for us, that we understand context and learn as much as we can about the places we visit. While places like the killing fields are difficult to see it is so important that we do not simply turn our heads away and ignore the aspects of the past that make us feel deeply.

After another evening gazing out over the width of the Mekong, we headed out, the next day, to the smaller town of Siem Reap. The atmosphere here was much more jovial and the place alive with activity. It is a vibrant place with loud music and bright lights flooding the centre of town and the expanse of market which seeps outwards. That first night we strolled the markets and food stalls, and I ate some typical Cambodian fare including a tarantula, a snake, and a scorpion. I have to say that the snake was rather tough and chewy. The seasoning was great, but it was a long way back from the twenty-minute chew time to get a single piece down. Definitely not my favourite. I must admit though, that the spider and the scorpion went down an absolute treat. The spider was quite fibrous due to the hairs, but it was crunchy and seasoned in all the right ways. The scorpion was the absolute highlight of the trio for me but before I tucked in I asked the lady who sold it to me if it was safe to eat the entire thing. Her eyes widened and she quickly snapped off the tip of the tail before giving me the all clear.

The next day we visited the temple complex of Angkor, beginning at the world-famous spires of Angor Wat for the sunrise. There are some places in the world that have been overhyped by an excess of tourism and a multitude of influencer content. The Angkor complex is certainly not one of them. Nothing can prepare you for the majesty of those high walls and their spires. To watch the dawn sun, creep up and hit the walls before spilling over the treetops and illuminating the sight ahead is an experience that will stay with me forever. Absolutely worth the 3am wake up and not at all spoiled by the hubris of an American woman asking us to “just take your picture and move out of my way.”

The complex is also so much more than Angor Wat. It is massive and would take months to explore every inch of it. In a day jam packed with as many different sites as we could possibly accommodate, we managed to see an ancient university, the set of Tomb Raider, and the colliding of Buddhism, Hinduism, Cham and Khmer cultures in a parade of the most incredible and intricate buildings and sites. It is simply the most incredible place and exceeded even my highest expectations. It impressed upon me the sheer wonders that humans have achieved long before modernity and the foresight they must have embodied to create such a complex. We climbed high staircases and looked out over the jungle as parakeets screeched past while we admired the most unbelievable workmanship that has truly stood the test of time. We wrapped up the day in the same spot that we started it, this time staring in the opposite direction as the sun slowly dipped behind the outer walls.

The following day we woke up bright and early and rented some motorbikes, if you can, call the Zoomer X a motorbike. Cambodia allows you to drive anything under 125cc without a licence. Thus, geared up we left the Seam Reap behind us and headed out to the banks of the biggest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, Tonlé Sap. As we left town we were waved down by the cops and my heart jumped into my throat even though everything was perfectly above board. They pulled me over and then kindly pointed out that we had missed the turn if we were heading to the lake. With our course duly corrected we set off again, our destination was the floating village of Kampong Phluk. The fact that it was deep into the dry season had rendered it more of a standing village. All the buildings from houses to schools  and even temples towered above us on tall stilts with long staircases leading down to the level of the road. The residents ride motorbikes for half of the year and then when the rains come, they switch to boats. We ended up at the waters edge where we were mobbed by some local kids. I had my work bag and so had loads of stickers which they loved and placed on every available surface.

After a wonderful day exploring the town and the water’s edge, we raced back up the rutted dirt track heading back for Siem Reap while taking in the beautiful open landscapes around us. Beached boats were everywhere just waiting for the water level to rise. The road was rather hectic is spots and somehow, I managed to shear the mudflap off the rear wheel on my poor little Zoomer X. I had a horrible vision of a bike rental shop owner surveying this damage with dollar signs in their eyes and as they held my passport as collateral, I was not going to take any chances. As we rejoined the main road back towards town my eyes were peeled for a bike mechanic. Approximately five minutes later I found one and pulled over. He analysed the damage before reporting that he could fix it without issue. The classic dance ensued where the mechanic cooks up a quote with the customer standing around anxiously. Eventually he had the mudflap reattached after having put in a supplemental bolt hole and bolt. “Two dollars,” he said with a smile. I was so relieved I think I paid him triple. We arrived back at the shop and the examination failed to turn up the hasty roadside repairs and so my passport was returned without issue much to my relief.

That night we took a night bus clear across the country from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville on the coast. I have never been so glad of my below average height as I was when I saw the bed box allocated for the journey. My wife and I fit very comfortably while some of the taller members of our group did not. One friend had the added discomfort of squeezing into the diminutive space with a complete stranger. The bus set off and I slept very comfortably as we ripped towards the coast. The driver must have seriously had the pedal to the metal as we arrived a good few hours early and made our way down to the dock just as the sun was rising. It was a beautiful morning and the crystal-clear azure waters lapped gently against the jetty as we waited patiently for our ferry. Eventually it arrived and we set off for the little island of Koh Rong Samloem.

The island is breathtaking. It is quiet and peaceful mainly because there are no cars or bikes whatsoever and you must walk everywhere. This is fantastic once you’re settled but requires a fairly gruelling walk from the ferry. Fortunately, our hostel was close to the jetty and so the march across the soft sand was painless. We dumped our things and then set off to hike across the island to the other side where we found a bar and some seating that looked out over the sea. We stayed for sunset and it was one for the ages. The golden light slowly fading over the gently lapping water was straight out of a dream. An ice-cold beer alongside just about brought a tear to my eye.

The next day was Valentines Day and so my wife and I left the group to spend the day together. After a delightful Mediterranean breakfast, we hiked up further North on the island where we found an absolute paradise tucked into a secluded bay. Lazy beach featured a bar and a bunch of loungers spread over the sand. It looked out onto the most serene vista complete with a woman doing yoga on a SUP in the middle of the ocean. We settled in for a quick break before deciding that the ocean was too tempting. We took a kayak out and paddled out across the bay and up to the rocky peninsula. The sea was as clear as anything and we leashed up to the kayak and dropped in for a snorkel. Below us was the most incredible rocky bottom teeming with life. We surfaced and went out further until suddenly the water went jet black with no warning. Confused and a little nervous, I put on a mask and had a look. As my face broke the surface, I saw the most enormous school of fish I have ever come across. So dense as to appear as one solid black mass. I immediately dropped in and descended with the black cloud parting around me. I reached the rocky bottom and looked up into the sheer darkness, completely unable to see the surface.

We returned to shore and then hiked back towards our hostel. We arrived just in time to join two of our friends on a bioluminescence mission. Hopping into a boat we set off out into the middle of the bay. It was pitch black by the time we arrived at the spot and were given the all clear to jump into the water. Feint blue plumes blossomed everywhere we disturbed the water. We frolicked in the bluish water captivated by this small miracle of biology. It was fascinating. As we were returning to shore hunting fish owls of some kind whipped overhead. We hit the beach and walked up it in time to join with the larger group as a pub quiz started. We were a fine collection of intelligent minds, and the competition had no chance. We won the day and collected the cash prize only to immediately reinvest it in a parade of beers.

The next morning, we rather blearily collected ourselves and caught the ferry back to the mainland. The ferry was late and we watched several boats approach only to turn off at the last moment, our anticipation ebbing and flowing with the swell. At last, it arrived and as fortune would have it the bus back to Phnom Penh was equally late and so it all balanced out. After a long day of travel, we arrived back at the same rooftop where we had commenced the trip. Sipping on a couple of Angkor Lagers we looked out over the Mekong River and marvelled at the time we had had. It was a trip that delivered everything. Sprawling cities, and tiny villages, breathtaking beaches, and ancient structures. A painful history in contact with a bright future. It is a place that will stay with me forever.