Review: Monkey Maya, Ream National Park

Posted on October 4, 2017 by Cassie Wilkins

2019 update – Monkey Maya is now CLOSED

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Ream National Park on Cambodia’s southern coastline, Monkey Maya is surrounded by beautiful beaches and lush jungle. The secluded guesthouse offers a variety of accommodation options, lots of activities, and a big, comfortable restaurant and bar. Here’s our rundown of everything you need to know.

Monkey Maya at Cambodia’s Ream National Park offers a scenic getaway

Accessible by a road that goes through the heart of Ream National Park, Monkey Maya provides a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle of Sihanoukville. The journey takes about an hour, and is an experience in itself, with gorgeous scenery for most of the trip. Monkey Maya’s tuk tuk makes daily pick-ups from their sister guesthouse, Monkey Republic, in Sihanoukville ($5 one way) and Otres Beach ($4 one way), and can also pick up and drop off bus passengers at Ream Junction next to Sihanoukville airport. Continue reading →

How to get from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville (and vice-versa)

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Lina Goldberg

It’s unfortunate that two of Cambodia’s top tourist destinations are on opposite sides of the country. Siem Reap and Sihanoukville are less than 200 miles apart if you fly, but can be a long 350 miles by road. We cover all of the ways you can get from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap and vice-versa, including plane, bus, mini-bus and taxi.

Cambodia Angkor Air flies ATR72s for the one-hour trip between Sihanoukville and Siem Reap.

Plane

Traveling by plane is by far the easiest way to travel between Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, and unsurprisingly, the most expensive. Tickets are ridiculously expensive for a flight that’s less than an hour, but if you’re pressed for time the cost of the flights may well be worth it to avoid traveling 10 to 14 hours by car or bus. There are three airlines that do this route in high season.

Continue reading →

Review: Sara Ethiopian Restaurant, Phnom Penh

Posted on September 19, 2017 by Jen Green

Even the most well-traveled palates can find little fault with the Model UN-esque breadth of cuisines available in Phnom Penh. From Iraqi to Russian, Taiwanese, Lebanese, Nepalese and Mexican, it is difficult to think of a part of the world that Phnom Penh does not have a great restaurant for… except African. But now, for the first time, Phnom Penh has an Ethiopian restaurant. And it is delicious.

Ethiopian food has come to Phnom Penh!

Ethiopian food is best known for injera, a sour-ish spongy bread the thickness of American pancakes and made from fermented teff flour, and for a variety of curries based around either turmeric and ginger or the characteristically dark red berbere spice mix, which features paprika, chili, garlic, fenugreek and a handful of other spices. It’s food you eat with your hands, and made for sharing. Continue reading →

How to get from Phnom Penh to HCMC (and vice-versa)

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Jen Green

Whether you decide to travel overland or by plane, it couldn’t be easier to get from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City, the city formerly known as Saigon. Just be aware before you go that you may need to get a visa for Vietnam in advance, depending on where you are from (but Cambodia visas are available on arrival for most nationalities). Here’s a run-down of the best ways to get from Phnom Penh to HCMC.

Heading from Phnom Penh to Saigon (or he other way around)? Hop a bus!

Bus

Buses between Vietnam and Cambodia are relatively quick, comfortable and cheap. Taking the bus from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City (or vice-versa) is straightforward: the buses leave from and arrive in the center of each city, the border crossing is fairly painless, surprisingly scam-free, and usually you will not be required to change buses. Many of the buses have wifi (whether it will be working for the journey in question is another story) and provide water in addition to a meal stop. Continue reading →

What’s happening on Koh Rong

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Lina Goldberg

After a few short years of tropical island paradise, followed by a year or two of debauchery, Koh Rong is an island in flux, as it adjusts to the massive increase in tourism and resulting environmental strain without losing the chilled out character that made it so popular in the first place.

Don’t worry, Koh Toch Beach is still beautiful.

So what’s been happening on Koh Rong lately?

Good things! First, there’s been a push for environmental conservation, beach cleanup, and wastewater management. None of these things seemed like a big deal with there were only 20 tourists landing on the island each day, but now during high season there can 1,000 or more people landing on Koh Toch, and it’s put a massive strain on the island’s resources. But now the businesses are banding together to push for sustainable practices and products—you’ll now find bamboo straws and re-usable drinking bottles at the more tuned-in businesses. Continue reading →

Somlor Kakor Cooking Class, Siem Reap

Posted on August 2, 2017 by Lina Goldberg

I’m often asked to recommend a cooking class in Siem Reap and I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve never actually taken one in temple town. I’ve looked at a few but they all seem painfully tourist-oriented, and the menus are always the same: spring rolls, green mango salad, and amok. You’ll learn as much about Cambodian cuisine from these classes as you’ll learn about local culture by hanging out on Pub Street.

But when I heard that one of my favorite restaurateurs in town had decided to offer a daytime cooking class, I was eager to try it out. Sela has a open-air restaurant on the outskirts of Siem Reap that’s frequented almost exclusively by locals. On the property he has a small organic garden and a few chickens and dogs wander around the place. To my eyes, it’s the perfect spot for a cooking class.

We made this! Young banana tree salad with fish marinated in lime juice.

So when I had family visiting, I took the opportunity to try it out. The name of the class is Somlor Kakor Cooking Class, which I took as a good sign. Somlor kakor is a quintessentially Cambodian dish, and one that you’ll never find on the menu at restaurants aimed at foreigners. Continue reading →

Review: JC Airlines flight Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

Posted on July 4, 2017 by Lina Goldberg

Gone are the days of limited domestic flights in Cambodia. Now, there are any number of options for domestic flights in Cambodia: between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and Siem Reap and Sihanoukville. JC Airlines is the latest addition to the market, and are offering cheap flights on both of these routes.

JC International Airlines aren’t skimping on the plane size, even between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

JC Airlines are operating two full-size A320 planes — these are not the nerve-wracking propeller planes flown by some of the other airlines in Cambodia. The hard product is pretty basic, with cheap but not uncomfortable seats. If you’ve flown budget airlines like Ryanair you’ll have an idea of what I’m talking about. Continue reading →

Kampot Sunday roasts

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Kat Koepnick

The Sunday roast, an English staple, has found a home away from home here with the many expats in Kampot. Not one, not two, but three different restaurants fire up their ovens to bring that warm, comforting goodness every weekend. If you’re tempted by the thought of a Sunday roast in Kampot, Bokor Mountain Lodge, Brass Monkey, and Rusty Keyhole Two each offer a slightly different menu with tasty sides and mouth-watering mains.

The Rusty 2 Sunday roast offers the choice of lamb, pork, or beef. (This is a lamb mini-roast)