Beat the heat: Things to do indoors in Kampot

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Sydney

Even though Kampot is a river town and some of the best things to do are outdoors, sometimes it’s just too hot — or too rainy — and it’s best to just stay inside. Luckily, whether the weather is drizzling or roasting, you can find plenty of indoor activities to do in Kampot. Here are a few of my favorites.

Things to do indoors in Kampot

Kampot Art Gallery

With free entry and regularly changing exhibitions, Kampot Art Gallery is the perfect spot get out of the sun.

Kampot Art Gallery

Offering an artistic respite from the heat, Kampot Art Gallery exhibits work by Cambodian artists from around the country. Entry is free and exhibits change monthly so it’s worth swinging by regularly to support the Kampot art scene. The upstairs gallery is a traditional white-walled, silent gallery, exhibiting surprisingly pricey works, while the middle floor is the “aquarium” with an installation exhibit of fish swimming in the sea. Downstairs, there are high quality art supplies for sale, including brushes and oil paints, as well as an assortment of souvenirs by Kampot artists. Continue reading →

Koh Sdach island, Koh Kong’s diving gateway

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Pete Ford

You need time to travel to Koh Sdach, a small island in the Gulf of Thailand in Cambodia’s Koh Kong Province. An appetite for adventure also helps, as simply getting to the island is a bit more challenging than reaching better-known destinations such as Siem Reap or Kampot. But if you are after something a little different, crave immersion into local life, and fancy some fantastic snorkeling and scuba diving, then the trip is worth both the time and the energy.

pier at Koh Sdach Cambodia

Koh Sdach is only a short boat ride from the mainland.

First, catch a mini-van or shared taxi from Koh Kong, Sihanoukville, or Phnom Penh to Kiri Sakor commune, which consists of a small collection of shacks at the end of a rutted track. The drive takes about six hours from Phnom Penh, but the roads are fairly smooth throughout. When you arrive, you can jump in a boat that can take you out to Koh Sdach, visible across the narrow strait. A seat on a small speedboat is a modest 5,000 riel ($1.25) for a cruise that takes all of five minutes to reach the island, home to some 3,000 residents who are mostly engaged in fishing. At the harbor, boats of all sizes and waterfront homes on stilts line the docks, while mountains of polystyrene boxes keep the catches destined for Phnom Penh and Vietnam on ice.

You’ll notice right away just how far off the main foreign-tourist trail the island is. The small market, barbers, salons, and shops that line much of Koh Sdach’s main strip, all of two motorbikes wide, are clearly aimed at local families and fishers on shore leave. This is precisely what makes Koh Sdach such an appealing destination, especially for Phnom Penh residents looking to enjoy the coast without the noise and frenzy of tourist crowds. Continue reading →

Is there any chance for an eco-friendly Cambodia?

Posted on May 12, 2019 by MTC guest author

Natalja Rodionova and the team from GoGreen Cambodia are the experts in living an eco-friendly lifestyle in Cambodia. They’ve written this blog post to give Move to Cambodia readers some ideas for how they can living a more ecologically responsible lifestyle in Cambodia.

bamboo straws Cambodia

Many cafes in Cambodia have replaced single-use plastic straws with reusable ones made of bamboo.

If you believe in being eco-friendly, the piles of trash all over Cambodia and the mountains of plastic and styrofoam used daily in the Kingdom of Wonder will make your heart bleed. According to recent research from the ACRA Foundation, around 10 million plastic bags are used in Phnom Penh every day. That is 3,650,000,000 bags a year! But all is not lost. In recent years Cambodia has made enormous progress in improving its environmental impact. Despite the many challenges, we’re now seeing positive change happening step by step. Continue reading →

Siem Reap’s LGBTQ+ Pride Weekend 2019

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Lina Goldberg

For the second year, Siem Reap will be hosting its own sensational pride line-up of events and festivities, kicking off the 10-day Cambodia Gay Pride 2019. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to visit Siem Reap, this is it.

Gay pride Siem Reap

Cambodia pride comes to Temple Town for 2018!

Friday, May 10th – Siem Reap

6 p.m.

To kick off Cambodia Pride 2019, Miss Wong is hosting a cocktail party from 6 to 8 p.m., and 15% of profits will be going towards A Place To Be Yourself, an organization that provides support to Khmer LGBTIQ+ individuals. You can find more info on the official Facebook event page.

8 p.m. until late

This year’s opening party is at Barcode Siem Reap, and wigs are strongly encouraged! There will be free vodka caramel shots to everyone wearing a wig, as well as a presentation by A Place To Be Yourself. Here’s the official event. Continue reading →

Yoga in Siem Reap

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Zanny Merullo

For those seeking to casually attend yoga classes or continue with a practice, there are lots of yoga options in Siem Reap that are accessible to a wide range of abilities and skill levels whether you just want to a drop-in class or something more regular. Most classes offer adjustments in order to augment or lessen the degree of difficulty, and many studios let you sample different styles of yoga to find what works best for you. Each of these studios provide all the equipment you need for your yoga practice. Here are a few of our favorites yoga places in Siem Reap.

siem reap yoga

Our all-time favorite yoga teacher Kate shows how it’s done.

Yoga Space

After trying out various yoga classes in Siem Reap, I decided to join Yoga Space. This studio is conveniently located in the Made in Cambodia Market outside of Sugar Spa, and consists of an outdoor patio that looks out onto the market below. Not only are the staff extremely friendly, but the place has a wonderful atmosphere, positive community, and a wide variety of classes ranging from NIA (a mindfulness and conditioning practice that features a combination of dance, martial arts, and yoga and is full of free movement), Vinyasa, Body Fusion (a yoga-pilates mix), Restorative Yoga with aromatherapy, Kriya, Ayurvadic Balancing flow, Happy Hour flow, Hatha, and many more. Continue reading →

Battambang’s best vegetarian and vegan restaurants

Posted on April 15, 2019 by Megan Brake

The hardest thing about being a vegetarian in Cambodia is fielding the question “How do you do it? It must be so hard!” every day. Thankfully, it’s not hard at all to be a vegetarian in Battambang, and almost every tourist restaurant has vegetarian options on the menu. In this post, I’ll cover the best vegetarian restaurants in Battambang that cater specifically to vegetarians and vegans, and a few runner-ups that I’m including because of their super special vegetarian menu.

Battambang vegetarian restaurants

There are lots of vegetarian and vegan eating options in Battambang! (Here, Monorom Garden)

Continue reading →

Happy Khmer New Year!

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Lina Goldberg

Look around and you’ll see Khmer New Year, Chol Chhnam Thmei, being celebrated around the country. The holiday is Cambodia’s most important, bringing the country to a near standstill as city residents head home to the provinces to spend time with their families, have parties and visit their local pagoda.

Khmer New Year in Siem Reap

Khmer New Year “stars” being sold along the side of the road in Siem Reap. Most families get one to hang outside of their home.

The holiday celebrates the end of the harvest season and marks the start of a new year (and also the start of the truly hot hot season). Although the holiday is officially only three or four days long—in 2019 it’s April 14, 15, 16—it can extend onto one or both adjoining weekends, and often even a few days before that. In the days leading up to Khmer New Year, prices, especially for transportation, can go much higher than usual. Continue reading →

Review: Giant Ibis night bus, Phnom Penh-Siem Reap

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Lina Goldberg

Giant Ibis night bus at a glance…

Over the years, I’ve taken more Giant Ibis night bus journeys than I care to admit. When I first moved to Cambodia, I vowed I would never take a night bus in Cambodia.  Since then, I’ve made an exception for Giant Ibis because of their safety record and precautions. I’m now a regular on the Giant Ibis night bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. In this post, I’ll share some details about the company and the trip from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (and vice-versa).

Giant Ibis night bus Cambodia

The Giant Ibis night bus looks great in the morning, too.

Night buses in Cambodia are notoriously unsafe. Giant Ibis, on the other hand, makes safety a priority. Their  buses go slowly, with a maximum speed of 60km (37 miles) per hour. They enforce this by transmitting the speed via GPS to the Giant Ibis office so that management knows if a driver breaks the rules and go faster. Going slowly is not only safer, but allows for a better night’s sleep, because even at at these speeds the bus usually arrives in six or seven hours. Another safety precaution Giant Ibis takes is to always have two drivers on each bus, and they switch half-way through the journey. If one driver feels fatigued he can switch out and take a nap. Continue reading →