My Cambodia Adventure
This past November, I celebrated the anniversary of my birth on a month-long solo trip to Cambodia. It was one of the most incredible journeys! I went on a vegan yoga retreat, biked through the countryside, explored ancient temples, took a cooking class and learned how to make fish amok, visited my family in Phnom Penh, had the most amazing crabs in Kep, toured a pepper plantation, traveled to the top of the Bokor Mountain in Kampot, drove through fields of sugar cane and rice paddies on the back of a motorbike, ate my favorite Cambodian noodle soup and rice porridge just about everyday, drank watermelon juice at least once a day, glamped on the Mekong River, saw the most beautiful sunsets, went on several boat cruises, got the best massages, traveled through the roughs seas to get to the beautiful Koh Rong Island where they filmed Survivor, and rode a horse for the first time ever.
I did a lot! And I’m so happy that I did it all. I had been planning to return to Cambodia ever since I had started my cookbook passion project, but I didn’t know exactly when that trip was going to happen or what it was going to look like until two months before I actually embarked on the trip. I had already finished creating almost 60 recipes and I finally felt ready to return to the country that inspired my passion project. Even though I was excited, I also felt nervous and a little scared. Nervous about traveling solo again. Nervous that I might feel lonely. Nervous that I might not enjoy the trip. Nervous that my trip would feel too long and that I would get bored. In the end, I loved everything about this trip and I am so grateful that I was able to make it all happen.
My first day in Cambodia started with a 5 day yoga retreat at Hariharalaya in a traditional Cambodian farming village outside Siem Reap. Our phones were taken away from us and locked up, we were put on a vegan and gluten free diet with no alcohol or caffeine all week, and we were even assigned a day of silence. At first, I thought this was going to be really tough (and it was! Lol), but this was exactly what my body needed after a crazy busy last month. I took on a new fashion client and two new brand partnerships during the one month leading up to my trip. I worked nonstop including every weekend and then my body broke down and I got sick just before my flight out. At Hariharalaya, I was nursed back to health and forced to be still after being on the constant go for basically all of October. I meditated and practiced yoga daily, read books, journal-ed every night, rode bikes through the countryside, napped for hours in a hammock, hula-hooped (I’m not bad!), played ping pong (so fun!), practiced ukelele (I’m pretty bad! Ha!), and woke up to the sounds of roosters or monks chanting in the distance. My body leaned into the opportunity to be still for a moment in order to reset and recharge and it felt so good!
In addition to yoga, we were blessed by monks that visited the retreat, got to speak with a former monk about his journey and transition, had a Cambodian band from the local village play for us, and we learned traditional Cambodian dancing. While I loved my experience at the retreat, I had two favorite moments: 1.) The day the monks walked into our retreat holding a smart phone out, blasting music upon their arrival and departure. This happened on our day of silence, after we had been deprived of our phones all week! The monks had smart phones and we didn’t! This made me smile. 2.) On the last day of our retreat, which also happened to be my birthday, we had one last yoga and meditation session. As the session was coming to a close, we were told to stand up. All of the sudden a song by Lauryn Hill started playing and we were instructed to dance. And so we danced. And we laughed…a lot. After a week of challenging our bodies, our stomachs, and our minds, who knew that dancing would be exactly what we needed. It was such a fun and silly way to end the retreat and begin my birthday celebration.
In the last few years, it has become an annual tradition for me to go on a yoga retreat—mostly because I was feeling lost or because I needed to escape. This time was different. I’m so happy and grateful that I got to celebrate my birthday in Cambodia. The yoga retreat was only the beginning of my adventure in Cambodia and was such a wonderful transition into my new year of life. If you haven’t been on a solo-trip before (this is my 4th), I highly recommend it. It is the best way to learn about yourself as well as challenge yourself, self-reflect, nourish your soul, and push your boundaries.
My birthday celebration continued in Siem Reap. I took a cooking class in town and stayed at Templation (part of the Maads Hotel group), where I stayed at the most beautiful private villa. I had breakfast served to me in my pool! Staying here felt like I was staying in my own private oasis in the jungle. The service was amazing. I had the opportunity to meet their award-winning Cambodian Chef Tim Pheak. The staff was so friendly and accommodating. They even surprised me with a delicious birthday cake and sang to me! And a special person back home had wine delivered to my room with a sweet note.
After being deprived of some indulgences the week prior during the yoga retreat, I felt a little gluttonous, sitting in my luxurious hotel bed, eating leftover birthday cake and drinking wine. But I was happy and completely content because I had such a good birthday. It was probably the best birthday ever. Is it possible to enjoy yourself that much alone? Yes, it is. Even though I had the opportunity to celebrate with some new friends from the yoga retreat at Pub Street, I chose to stay in. My birthday started with yoga and dancing, continued with a cooking class, and ended with wine and cake in bed. It was perfect.
The next day, I woke up early to visit the ancient temples in Siem Reap. I have visited several times before, but it never gets old for me. Each time I visit, I am in awe of the beauty and the history. This time, I wanted to make sure I captured that beauty. Many people hire photographers for engagements, weddings, babies, and family photos. As far as I know, I am not getting married or having a baby anytime soon and I also don’t know what the future holds for me. So I decided, why not celebrate single me? Plus, it’s hard to take photos of yourself when you’re traveling solo. I splurged and hired local Khmer photographer Josepp to take some shots of me at the temples. It was fun to pretend to be a model for a couple of hours.
After Siem Reap, I flew down to Phnom Penh to spend some time with my family, eat local food, shop at the souvenir markets, and relax. Tourism has really grown in Cambodia and there are so many options to choose from for accommodations. I stayed at a few different hotels that are also part of the Maads Hotel group. I first stayed at The Penh House: Jungle Addition. This hotel is centrally located in the bustling city with beautiful rooftops views, yet you still feel like you’re in nature in the charming Jungle Addition. I also got a chance to stay at their sister location down the street, The Pavilion, which offers large, spacious suites and 2 hotel pools. A complimentary sunset boat cruise, a massage, and a few other perks are included with your stay here. I was so impressed with all of the accommodations and the attentive and friendly service provided at all of the Maads Hotel locations.
However, my most memorable stay was at the The Floatation, an eco-friendly glamping site that floats on the Mekong River and is only accessible by boat. The Floatation is also part of the Maads Hotel group. It’s connected to a restaurant bar with a small staff that caters solely to you. It’s definitely very romantic and even though I stayed here alone, I really enjoyed the entire experience—the boat ride, watching the sunset from my private patio, and my delicious Khmer dinner. If you’re interested in this experience, you should book this place fast because there is only 1 room available!
Next, I took a 5 hour bus ride to Kep on the coast of Cambodia. I had been to Kep before and I just had to come back for the crabs at Kimly Restaurant. They make the most delicious fried crabs with fresh green Kampot peppers on the sprig. It had been 7 years since I last had them and I had to have them again! The beach in Kep was beautiful as well but I mostly came for the crabs :P Since I had been to Kep before and visited Rabbit Island, I only spent one night here before leaving the next day for Kampot.
Kampot is a sleepy riverside town in the mountains about a 45 minute ride from Kep. I had never been before and it had been on my list for awhile. I visited the Bokor Mountain, which is part of a national park and home to pagodas, an abandoned palace, and a waterfall. The swirling clouds, elevation, and history all made this visit so magical.
From Kampot, I also visited La Plantation, which is a pepper plantation. Kampot is known for their pepper, which make tasty seafood dishes such as the crabs I had in Kep. I didn’t realize that most of the pepper plantations were closer to Kep. Had I known, I probably would have taken the time to visit more than one because I enjoyed it so much! The drive alone on the back of a motor bike through fields of sugar cane and rice paddies was beautiful! On the way to La Plantation are breathtaking views of Secret Lake in the middle of the countryside with the mountain backdrop. It was so interesting learning about the different types of peppercorn—green, red, dark red, white, and black. My favorite is the fresh green peppercorn but you can only take it home dried, otherwise it will spoil.
I really enjoyed the tour of the Bokor Mountain and the pepper plantation, but I was exhausted! It was a long day of activities! I needed some down time relax at my hotel, Sabay Beach Resort. The resort is a little bit away from the main town, but that was exactly what I liked about it. It’s right on the riverfront with beautiful views of the sunset behind the mountains. I spent a day at the Nibi Spa, a spa on the riverfront that involves you getting picked up by a small private boat. I had never been picked up by boat for a spa day before! I had an amazing massage there that put me right to sleep. It was just what I had needed after a busy day of touristy activities.
From Kampot, I took a 4-hour bus ride to Sihanoukville to catch a 1-hour ferry ride to Koh Rong Island, where a season of Survivor had been filmed. Another long day of travel. The boat ride there was really rough and I was a little scared, but I think the most beautiful islands are sometimes the ones that are a little harder to get to. I stayed at Sok San Beach resort, which is away from the party area of the island. It was so nice to have only 1 mission during my stay: relax on the white sand beaches, bathe in the warm blue sea, and drink cocktails. But I did take a break from relaxing to ride a horse for the first time ever! Koh Rong Island was a very different experience from the rest of my trip but it was also such a nice complement to my adventure.
Instead of taking another long bus ride, I decided to fly back to Phnom Penh for my last 3 days in Cambodia. I stayed at The Aquarius Hotel, an urban and hipster hotel with an incredible rooftop infinity pool and view. Something about the style of this hotel resonated with me and reminded me of home. I loved the industrial decor, the raw light-bulb lighting, the bespoke art, and the upbeat messages with Khmer translation that hung on tapestries in the rooms.
Traveling is always rough on my body, but it was all worth it. I got over 70 mosquito bites (so itchy), at least 50 sand fly bites, 4 allergy attacks, and 2 bloody noses after healing from a sore throat and cold when I arrived in Cambodia. Even still, I try to find my comforts wherever I go to help w the transition. This includes taking time out to rest at my hotel and not feeling guilty about it, eating comfort foods that sooth my belly and soul (for me, that's noodle soup and bolognese. You can find decent versions of bolognese on any western menu almost anywhere in the world lol), drinking fresh fruit and green juices, getting massages, using face-mask sheets to hydrate my dry skin, napping, meditating with my Insight Timer app, and sometimes taking melanin when I have trouble sleeping.
Even though I left Cambodia, the adventure is not over. There’s so much more to see and I will definitely be coming back. This time, I’m not going to let so many years pass by again before I do.
P.S. Thank you for reading this lengthy post! I did so much during this trip and I didn’t want to leave anything out. I have so many pictures and I wish I could share them all with you! I will have to dedicate my next blog post to just the food that I ate in Cambodia. Stay tuned…