A Leap Of Faith-My Experience in Cambodia
(16 Reviews)
100% Recommended
Monique Bonds
Townsend, DE
Cancun Travel Agent Expert
Getaway to Mexico and stay forever. That is how it goes right? The Yucatan Peninsula and Riverira Maya is an incomparable stretch of paradise. The Margaritas and authentic tacos are the finishing touch. I have spent time in this area, with Tulum a...
Getaway to Mexico and stay forever. That is how it goes right? The Yucatan Peninsula and Riverira Maya is an incomparable stretch of paradise. The Margaritas and authentic tacos are the finishing touch. I have spent time in this area, with Tulum as a favorite. All-inclusive resorts are plentiful and the perfect touch to let you relax, even with kids, or work while away from home and still feel the stress melt away. The beaches are warm and shallow for a generous distance providing the perfect opportunity for snorkeling or enjoying the ocean. Eco adventures are the highlight of excursions and theme parks like Xcaret, or Xel-Ha are must do’s on your visit, ATV riding, ziplining, and more. Cenotes, natural sinkholes are located all over that provide snorkeling, swimming, and cave adventures that will appear to be out of a fairytale. The history of Mexico is abundant, and visits to wonders such as Chichen itza or Tulum Ruins are breathtaking.Want to get your social media on? Swings over water, Joshua trees, and art will find you to no avail beyond your beach photos. Let me book the perfect trip where it is not just five o clock somewhere, but you are where happiness, fun and relaxation is 24 hours.
Can Be Reached At
1-302-373-9617
Sharing a funny joke at the Lotus Farm
Of all my travels, Cambodia will forever hold the number one spot of my most spontaneous solo endeavor. I booked this trip one month prior to departure, after I gambled between here, Sri Lanka, Bali, and Amsterdam just simply seeking to go somewhere I had never been. I was also on a spiritual and mental health note, seeking to heal and reset. 2017 was a year for me and when I discovered that I needed to accept that I had a travel bug in me, stemming way back from vacations as a child. Then traveling out of the country in 2012 for the first time, I realized it made it easy for me to get up and go to South Africa for months. However, let's stick to the story-Cambodia!
Somewhere in my search that February I came across the temples of Angkor Wat and was immediately captivated. I then decided that maybe I would like a private guide and my first contact , Darith Touch, became a forever friend that I would 1000x recommend for their private tours.It was a long journey unmistakably from the US to Siem Reap. I flew from IAD to Doha, from Doha to Bangkok with an overnight layover, and then a morning arrival in Cambodia. I traveled at the end of March into early April, and it was no doubt their dry season.
I traveled with extra passport photos and had cash to receive my Visa on arrival.I then arrived at my private Villa via TukTuk sent from the hotel to fetch me, and was met with breakfast and given a cell phone to use in the country. This was a gem as it allowed me to call the hotel, my tour guide, or tuk tuk driver from the hotel whenever I was ready if I went out.
I stayed at De Sarann Villa and had a fabulous stay! They accommodated beautiful decor to celebrate my birthday, breakfast was served on my rooftop pool daily, the bathroom was super spacious with a stunning tub and shower plus, the toilet bidet was heaven, and I was given a luxurious in room massage that I fell asleep halfway through on. I did tip extra and it was well worth it. It was quiet and I had no complaints. It’s Asia so there were mosquitoes, but only really when I used the pool did I get bit. I would treat clothing with Permethrin and bring Picaridin in general for your vacation. You will be outside a great deal as well when exploring!
My first night was full of amazement in venturing out to Pub Street, the life of the town! I saw rolling bars, rolling ice cream carts, hair being dyed on the side of the street, massages for $5, Henna, shopping, street food, good music being played, lots of restaurants and bars, plus I enjoyed a dinner and Apsara dancing show at the Temple Restaurant.I stayed out a little late and woke up super early to meet Darith to get our week started. I can’t begin to write everything down about this week, but it was eye opening,liberating, relaxing, cultural, overall more than I could have imagined in my leap of faith of booking. I almost came back Buddhist, I learned so much!
I experienced:
- Every temple in Angkor Wat
- Visited the Tomb Raider filming location, Phnom PenhMade the Sunrise over Angkor Wat
- Spent time in the local musuems
- Had a Buddhist Blessing
- Visited Beng Mealea, Banteay Srei, and many temples hours away from Angkor
- Kulen Mountain and the families that lived there. I swam in the holy waters and collected some to bring home.
- Toured a Buddhist Monastery
- Artbox( Darith and I acted like kids for hours in this 3D optical illusion Museum LOL)
- Visited a lotus flower farm, rice fields,floating villages, and saw a sunset on a farm
- Became a part of the BIGGEST water fight in my entire life for the start of the Khmer New Year. This was Epic in that I went out for a souvenir at night, and came back drenched from head to toe. Then the next day on my layover in Thailand on returning to the US, I endured another round. The cultures are closely connected. The water pouches and toys I saw being sold on the side of the road were not for the waterfalls as I thought, but for this. It was beautiful seeing all generations participate and not caring if you were local or tourist. Everyone was in good spirits!
- Toured around the local version of Pub Street
- Tasted in the markets
My days started at 6am to get it all in, but it was well worth it!I do recommend that if you can swing it, opt for 10 days to 2 weeks at minimum when going that distance. I am a fast paced person, but even I could have benefited from having a couple down days with the heat and time zone change.The dry season was so hot that some of my shirts were permanently stretched out from being drenched with sweat. I didn’t know that could happen, but they became pajamas when I got home LOL.
One last thing I want to note is being black, I was a bit of a phenomenal when I landed, but in a respectful way. Throughout my trip, I saw one other on a bike, but it was never a problem. The locals and some Chinese tourist loved me and thought I was beautiful, adored my hair WITHOUT touching it! They loved me there anywhere I went, so if you are of color, don’t be discouraged to visit here.