KAMPONG CHAM PICTURES

  

KAMPONG CHAM

Kampong Cham is only a small city, roughly 3 hours north east of Phnom Penh and boasts a beautiful downtown riverside (Cambodia really knows how to utilize their river frontage) and a handful of tourist attractions to keep you busy for 2 or 3 days.  

The highlight being the worlds longest bamboo bridge that stretches across the Mekong to Koh Pen.  

"It is the longest bamboo bridge in the world, and is rebuilt every year once the rainy season passes and the Mekong subsides to reveal the sandy banks below. Almost a kilometre long and made entirely of blonde bamboo poles, the bridge remains until it is submerged and washed away again every year when the Mekong, flush with snows from the Himalayas, surges again."

taken from travelfish.org

Simply riding around the area or strolling the riverside soaking in the relaxed vibe is more than worth the trip though. 

I stayed 2 nights at Moon River Guesthouse for $17au a night and found it satisfactory, very helpful staff, bikes for rent, a beautiful view straight over the river and a restaurant serving up cheap delicious meals, far superior to the 2 very poor meals I had at the well known Mekong Crossing.  I can't comment on their accommodation but the food I tried was poor. 

I definitely recommend the fresh spring rolls and the steak & cheese baguette at Moon River and would gladly stay there again, as I certainly see myself returning to Kampong Cham - a fantastic little getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.

I visited pretty much all of the touristy sites, and highly recommend taking a bike ride north out to Prasat Han Chey.  While there is nothing special about the place, just a cheesy hilltop temple really, the ride and the views once there are definitely worth the trip!  

Of course no trip to Kampong Cham is complete without venturing across the bamboo bridge and exploring the villages of Koh Pen, either by scooter, bicycle or on foot.

The bus trip from Phnom Penh was $6us and takes around 3 hours, with obligatory stop for food on the way!  What are you waiting for?




The bridge to Koh Pen.
Didn't actually get any pics from the island village as I feel like i'm imposing on them, like their daily life is some sort of tourist attraction.

PHNOM PENH 

So after a long stint of working in Thailand, I decided to throw the shackles aside and quit my job to get back on the road again, and oh how i'd missed it!

The plan was to, well there really was no plan, I just needed to get out of Thailand for a while, so headed off to Cambodia at short notice with some friends.  First stop - Phnom Penh for a few days, enjoying time with mates before they headed off back to their home countries again, and catching up with other ones who reside in the Cambodian capital.

Not much to report from Phnom Penh, just some good old fashioned bar hopping and feasting on the great value, delicious western cuisine available there. Street food in Cambodia hasn't really progressed as well as Thailand and I generally find myself gorging on the vast selection of international cuisine on offer.

A friend and I stayed at the Royal Mekong Boutique Hotel for the first 3 nights, a little overpriced and I certainly don't see myself staying there again.  Location was poor and there were just too many smaller issues that put me off going back there.

I switched to the Pickled Parrot on for another couple of nights as the other guys were staying there, also another I probably wouldn't return to, but suitable for the budget traveler.  

The boys headed off after a few days and I made my way to Kampong Cham, the first destination on my journey East to parts of Cambodia I hadn't yet visited.

   

Few pics from around Phnom Penh