Phnom Penh and Rabbit Island (Cambodia): motorbikes, culture and beaches

9 November - 17 November 2010











I came to Cambodia 3 years ago with my sister but we only went to Siem Riep, to see Angkor Wat, in the North of Cambodia. This time, I wanted to visit Phnom Penh and go to the Southern Coast. I arrived in Phnom Penh after (again) a long trip. In total, it took me 13 hours with the boat, bus, border checks and re-bus. When I arrived it was already dark and late and I was very tired, so I decided to stay in a "nice hotel", sometimes you have to enjoy good things. 10 euros a night, my most expensive accommodation since I traveled. But it felt really good to be in a nice, clean room with hot water and no insects.

Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, is a big city where the traffic is terrible with hundreds of motorbikes all day long in the streets. You have to be very careful when you cross the streets, nobody will stop for you. I almost died 10 times in 2 days time...

I visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. The site is a former high school which was used as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge communist regime. Prisoners were tortured and killed in that prison. The whole museum was terrible but very interesting.

In Phnom Penh, it was really hot but I liked the city. It was just very delightful to walk along the riverside, having an iced lemon tea on a terrace of a cafe and doing some shopping. Well, I could not buy much because of the weight of my backpack but still I managed to buy some clothes. So good to do some shopping from time to time.











After Phnom Penh, I wanted to relax on a quiet island, the Rabbit Island. Named like that not because there are a lot of rabbits on the island but because it has the shape of a rabbit, seen from the sky. It's 4 hours by bus from Phnom Penh and then 40 minutes by boat to get to this little paradise. And it was really a paradise on earth. Not a lot of tourists, sunny beaches and hammocks all over the island. During 3 days I stayed in the sun, just moving from my long chair for lunch and dinner. And to get a massage on the beach. In total, I think I walked 300 meters during my stay. But I didn't feel guilty at all, it felt so good to rest and relax. My bungalow was just in front of the beach, with a hammock on my small terrace. Well, it was a basic bungalow with some mosquitoes and geckos but it was very comfortable. There was electricity only from 6 to 10 PM at night on the whole island so after 10 PM, there was nothing to do besides sleeping.

When I came back to Phnom Penh, I was really shocked when I saw myself in the mirror. I have never been so dark in my entire life. Now I really look like a local...

I spent one more day in Phnom Penh before heading to Vietnam.

Next stops: Ho Chi Minh City and Dalat, Vietnam