Gag99 Motivation

‘I remember stealing my first potato. I was 11. I put it in my top pocket. I thought everyone could see it. I felt like it was burning a hole through my shirt.” Our guide, Mr Lee, takes off his glasses and rubs the bridge of his nose. He is small and smiley. Even in the midday heat, a crisp crease runs down his khaki trousers.

We are standing at the exit to Choeung Ek, the most famous of the Killing Fields, south of Phnom Penh after our official tour. “The Khmer Rouge had moved us to our final village,” says Lee. We ate watery rice in the evening. They pretended they ate the same, but we knew they had food after dark. Hunger took up all your day. It was all you could think of. Everything became edible.”

It is a legacy that lives on, perhaps, in Cambodia’s cuisine, where seemingly few things are off the menu. As a food enthusiast, I have come with an open mind and an empty stomach, keen to get to grips with the country’s unusual fare. My journey starts with me joining the intriguingly named Ducky and Mr Smiley (an animated Australian ex-pat and a toothy tuk-tuk driver) from Urban Forage for a food tour of the night markets of the capital.

In a fug of alien noise and smells we pass neat pyramids of tiny glistening brains, huge papillated curly tongues and duck-egg foetuses (pong tia koon). The latter, boiled and eaten with pepper and lime juice, supposedly give strength to the consumer. Holding the smooth white eggs up to the stall’s strip lighting reveals a fluffy silhouette curled inside, beak and feet tucked in tightly. It’s a bit too “out there” for me but some locals seem to be enjoying it.

I spend too long inspecting a spiky green rugby ball, which I find out is a jackfruit. The stall-keeper smiles, takes the knife she has been decapitating prawns with, and scoops out a bright yellow section. It tastes of bubblegum. And, of course, prawns.

Sleepy children sit atop piles of shiny vegetables while mopeds carve non-existent routes between tightly packed stalls. Trays of deep-fried grasshoppers are frozen in tableaux mid-leap. A man inspects a basket of black “thousand-year” eggs: duck eggs that have been stored in ash and salt until the shells blacken, the whites turn to a brown fetid jelly and the yolks to a gentle green slime. Nearby, a purple-edged crab scutters past my toes as it escapes from a bucket and makes a bid for freedom, only to find itself square in a moped’s path.

Ducky encourages us to try the offerings from the stalls surrounding the market. We start with kaw sach tru, wobbly pork belly oozing over hot coals, followed by muscular frogs’ legs dipped in lime, salt and pepper – both surprisingly delicious. We drink sharp pomelo juice from a plastic bag with straws and round off our Cambodian canapés with a handful of rambutans: delicately perfumed fruits encased in hairy, scrotum-like packaging.

The next morning we join a cookery class run by Frizz restaurant (half-day course £10, full-day course £14). Together with a dozen other inept barang (foreigners), we are coaxed through the basics of making fish amok: coconut fish curry steamed in a boat of banana leaves. Pummelling spices in a huge wooden pestle and mortar takes its toll on three American ladies, who opt instead for a seat and a cold Angkor beer. A small serious-faced Cambodian boy quietly takes over, swiftly producing perfect curry paste for each of them. In a nod to bushcraft specialist Ray Mears, we are encouraged to make a vessel for the steaming curry using only a banana leaf and two toothpicks. My husband tests his banana boat by filling it with curry and holding it over my head.

That evening we have dinner at Romdeng, a training restaurant for former street children housed in a handsome colonial villa. Our waiter’s trousers are two inches too long for him and he introduces himself timidly. His face beams when we order the deep-fried tarantula. “Scary, but very tasty, yes?”

When they arrive, the arachnids have been arranged as if they are chasing each other around the plate. Their legs crunch like hairy Twiglets; their abdomens are full of nondescript bitter brown sludge. I can’t imagine developing a taste for them.

The next morning we board the bus to Siem Reap where we are welcomed by a rotund lady with goody bags containing a plain baguette and a bottle of water. She informs us over the PA that we are “about to travel a very bumbly road” and advises that seatbelts must be worn at all time. She subsequently unfolds a battered red deckchair and sits in the middle of the aisle, eating crisps and watching Spiderman on the DVD player.

We spend our days exploring the incredible sights of Angkor Wat and our evenings exploring the vast choice of local restaurants. On our last night, we treat ourselves to the six-course tasting menu at Cuisine Wat Damnak. We sit in a cool, quiet courtyard drinking dry French wine. Heavy cutlery clinks politely and impeccably observant waiters anticipate our needs. But even here, in the most renowned of the city’s restaurants, there is still no ingredient that is out of bounds. The menu includes crispy beef tongue, stir-fried frog meat, and a salad of lotus: lotus roots, lotus stem and fresh lotus seeds.

The cooking may be fancy but the flavours are strong, proud and true. We are a world away from a stolen potato, but even here, in the long shadow of the regime, food serves as a reminder that everything is precious and nothing should be taken for granted.

Part of Ream national park, which is a favourite with twitchers due its 150 different kinds of birds, Koh Thmei island is a 50-minute boat ride (often accompanied by dolphin sightings) from Koh Kchhang fishing village. It feels world's away from the rampant development of Sihanoukville on the mainland. The basic wooden bungalows are not far from the water's edge, ensuring there's little to get in the way of you and the panoramic sea views – aside from the visiting birds. There are just seven bungalows and little noise, except for the sound of the sea, so it can feel fairly isolated. If you can drag yourself out of your hammock, activities include snorkelling, kayaking, wildlife-spotting (not hard), and long leisurely walks around the island.

Only a red dirt road and a lush paddock, dotted with horses and cows, separates this French-owned hostel and chilled-out lounge bar (with Rabbit Island views) from the sea. The basic accommodation, in a whitewashed house with green shutters, includes dorms and private rooms with mosquito nets, fans and bathrooms, and perhaps a table and chairs on a balcony or terrace. Although the location is serene, things can get noisy when there's a full sociable house. Most guests spend their time on nearby Kep Beach or swinging in a hammock in the treehouse-style lounge, then, come sunset, testing new cocktails at the bar or shooting pool with new friends. The friendly owner can organise bikes and activities.

Most visitors to the tropical paradise of Koh Tonsay (Rabbit Island) come on a day trip from Kep for the swimming (there's little else to do). But if you're up for some serious down time, it's worth spending a night or three in the simple bamboo bungalows, owned by Khmer families, which dot the palm-fringed waterfront. While the $20 return ferry ride (20 minutes) from Kep might stretch the budget of some backpackers, you'll spend little money while on the island. There are no shops – or roads or infrastructure of any sort; electricity is only on from 5-10pm each day – but you can eat fresh seafood with your toes in the sand at a few beachside restaurants (around £3 a meal) or join locals for a crab barbecue.
• Bungalows (from £3 a night) can be booked on arrival, but try calling ahead on +855 1 233 0132

Low-key, casuarina-lined Otres is the most laid-back and bohemian of Sihanoukville's increasingly busy beaches, and rustic Castaways is a real charmer. Owned by a friendly Khmer family, the sea-grass huts and green timber beach shacks have thatched roofs, grass walls, and shutters that let in sea breezes. There's little else other than timber-slatted beds with mosquito nets, table fans, and basic bathrooms with hot water. This is not the place to stay if you're not a friend of insects, lizards and other little creatures. Step out of your bungalow – within splashing distance of the sea – and you're on the sand, where hammocks, cane chairs, loungers and sea-grass umbrellas are strewn about to welcome you for a busy day of swims, cheap massages, scrumptious home-cooked Cambodian food, and fruit cocktails from the Castaways Bar.

The first of its kind in Sihanoukville, this chic new beachfront boutique hotel is ideal for those looking for something in between basic bungalows and bland resorts. Rooms are minimalist, with polished concrete floors, retro-inspired furniture, and day beds on terraces overlooking the turquoise lap pool. There's a bar and restaurant on the sand, strewn with more stylish furniture and serving a crowd-pleasing menu of sandwiches, salads, appetisers, and seafood mains. There are plenty of loungers and mattresses, and when you're done with doing nothing, you can snorkel, kayak, kitesurf or take day trips to the islands.
• +855 1525 8340, tamucambodia.com, doubles from £45 B&B

A favourite with backpackers young and old, this is one of only a few properties with bungalows slap bang on the beach at this serene end of Otres (most other accommodation is across the road) and takes advantage of it with a beach bar and plenty of loungers and cushioned cane chairs on the sand. Holidaying families love being able to watch their kids swim with a drink in hand. The sparsely furnished wooden bungalows, owned by two older couples, may be basic (no air-con or cold showers) but they have small private verandas and some sea views. Music is kept low and the bar shuts early. Swimming, fishing, cooking classes, boat trips, backgammon, and the nearby night market keep guests entertained. If you want air-con and hot showers, try the nearby Secret Garden (secretgardenotres.com), which feels like an upmarket version.
• +855 96 253 813, sea-garden.se, bungalows from £3

Not to be confused with the older OC Hotel behind, the OC Boutique Hotel is the first stylish boutique accommodation at Sihanoukville's Ochheuteal Beach, just two blocks from the sea. The sleek, white, compact building has light-filled, minimalist rooms overlooking a swimming pool lined with vibrant red recliners and shaded day beds with billowing curtains. While the hotel's Umbrella restaurant is more in keeping with the style of the older building, the happening OC's Beach Club, right on the beachfront, is in chic new style, with lots of sofas and loungers as well as mixologists showing off their cocktail skills, movie nights on the beach, DJs and live bands.
• +855 12 239 333, ochotel.asia, doubles from £42 B&B

Palm Beach Bungalow Resort, Koh Rong

Swimming, snorkelling, kayaking, slow strolls to a nearby fishing village, exquisite sunsets and seafood barbecues have most visitors here wishing they'd stayed longer. The unspoiled island of Koh Rong is the most stunning in Cambodia, if not south-east Asia, with squeaky white-sand beaches, skirted by palm trees and crystal-clear turquoise water. As a result it's been earmarked for future development, but fortunately the idea is to follow the example of small, barefoot-luxury properties, such as Song Saa Resort, just off the island, rather than the big, ugly resorts defacing the Sihanoukville's coastline. There are 20 or so places to stay on the island; Palm Beach has beachfront timber bungalows on stilts, big balconies, plus proper toilets and showers, striking the best balance when it comes to comfort, quality and price. A continual complaint of travellers is that Koh Rong's bungalows are comparatively more expensive than those elsewhere – that's the price of fame, sadly.
• +855 81 500 632, palm-beach-koh-rong.com, bungalows from £18

Nomads Land, Koh Totang

Idyllically set on serene little Koh Totang – a virtually deserted, undeveloped piece of paradise that's part of a 12-island archipelago in Koh Kong province – a stay at this eco-friendly guesthouse is strictly for travellers looking for a Robinson Crusoe-like experience. Pack your electronic devices away: internet isn't guaranteed and there is no electricity or running water. Solar panels provide energy, while the cold water for showers comes from rain tanks. There are also no flushing toilets – these guys take their environmental practices seriously so expect dry compost toilets, a spade, and sawdust. Plastic water bottles are forbidden, a flourishing organic garden grows fresh produce for the restaurant, and free-range chickens run around the place. Each of the five beachfront bungalows has a private balcony with brilliant views, floor mattresses and mosquito nets. Three have private bathrooms. There's a one-off $2 charge for filtered water throughout your stay and the rate includes one boat transfer.
• +855 1191 6171, nomadslandcambodia.com, bungalows from £20, including full board and one transfer, excluding alcohol/drinks

Knai Bang Chatt, Kep

The lovely coast of Kep and its luxuriant hinterland were hugely popular during Cambodia's Golden Age, in the 1950s and 1960s, when wealthy Khmer locals had beachfront and hillside retreats designed by the hot architects of the time, including their beloved Vann Molyvann. Most fell into disrepair after being abandoned in the 1970s, when the Khmer Rouge regime marched their owners off to work the rice fields. The 18 stylish, understated rooms at intimate Knai Bang Chatt, one of Cambodia's most beautiful boutique resorts, are spread across three large restored modernist villas built from 1962-65 by protégés of Molyvann, and two newer villas. There's a striking infinity pool by the sea; fishing, meditation and yoga classes on offer; and excursions to the surrounding area, including colonial Kampot. It's also possible to visit some of the spooky old villas. Dinner on the waterfront at the laidback Sailing Club is a must.
• +855 78 888 557, knaibangchatt.com, doubles from £110, B&B

www.merlkomsan.com

The island is quite large, and covered with interesting opportunities for visitors, including coral reefs that can be visited by even the most novice snorkellers and diving with a new diving outfit that has recently set up shop. Run by James Mostert, who was previously a dive instructor for Marine Conservation Cambodia on the island, Angkor Dive Cambodia (T: (016) 337 488) is a conservation-focused dive shop that offers fun dives and PADI courses. Although Koh Rong Saloem is the most well-known of the Sihanoukville islands, it's still an excellent choice for a relaxed weekend.

Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple-mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early Dravidian architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas inHindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.

The modern name, Angkor Wat, means "Temple City" or "City of Temples" in Khmer; Angkor, meaning "city" or "capital city", is a vernacular form of the word nokor (នគរ), which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara (नगर).^[2] Wat is the Khmer word for "temple grounds" (Sanskrit: वाट vāṭa ""enclosure").^[3]