On 28th April 2019, I wanted to try something new so I flew to Cambodia on a wellness retreat. I spent my 27th birthday there, it was different and also a memorable trip. It was not only my first solo trip but it’s also my first time to Cambodia.
When I decided to do this trip, I got 2 different reactions from people around me:
1. Cambodia it’s so dangerous! Do not go there alone!
2. I’ve been there! Absolutely loved it, I hope you will enjoy it!
Same place but completely different feedback, interesting right? Not gonna lie, ‘dangerous’ has always been the first impression when I hear Cambodia. Somehow I have been told it’s unsafe, easily get robbed, etc. But on the other side, I also heard a lot of good things about this city. And therefore, I’ve decided to visit this mistery city on my own! Let’s go, shall we?
First stop: Night market!
When I first arrived in Cambodia, I was surprised how dusty it was, I had to use my scarf as a face mask and put on my sunglasses even in the evening when I was in a Tuk Tuk ( cab in Cambodia/ Thailand). But besides that, this city reminded me of Vietnam, and it’s much more beautiful at night!
I took an 8 minutes Tuk Tuk from where I stay to the market every night, it was so much to see. The night market was busy every night and you won’t feel boring at all.
Fish Spa [10 minutes for USD$1]
Crocodiles burger selling
Hmm… I wasn’t interested in Crocodiles either but if anyone interested, feel free to try out when you in Cambodia night market and let me know how it tastes!
You will see lots of thin material clothing selling in Cambodia, as you may not know, Cambodia has no summer. And it can get to 35 degrees in the day time that’s why everyone is wearing as thin as they can. If you are interested in Buddhists, you will find some real vintage sculptures in the market at a really good price!
Tip: Don’t forget to bargain a little for the price when you shops in Cambodia night market, it’s a fun game!
A super cool bar in the market – Angkor What Bar, did I mention happy hour in the night market is only USD 1?
Cambodia is also a city of art, you will be impressed by how talented people are! Artists oil paints their masterpieces in the market and they usually low key focusing on their painting in their shops. They are also very generous for you taking pictures and share their art through social media. One thing I’ll never bargain the price on is people’s talent, I highly recommend anyone to support them by buying even a small painting!
Milkshake for USD 1
I’m always a fan of milkshake, Cambodia is a city full of fruits! Their Fruit Shake is a must-have! Not gonna lie I was mentally prepared to get diarrhea after, but I didn’t have a problem at all! I went there to get one avocado milkshake every night, it’s only $1!!!
You will find some food stands where they sell cooked food or drinks on the streets ( you can also call it street food!), I’ve got a dish of vegetables and this fried egg noodle for USD 1 each! Yes, their food is cheap and it tasted GOOD!
A side story to share: It was dark and I almost got robbed…
One story I need to mention and I want everyone (especially those who never been to Cambodia) to know. On a night I was coming back from the night market to the hotel, I had to show the driver the map of the hotel I’m staying in and hope for the best we don’t get lost or anything bad happens.
It’s around 8 minutes ride from my hotel to night market, and the guy who was driving me he went to a super dark area (yes, can’t even see the fingers dark) and kept driving for 10 mins. My nerves telling me something could be wrong so I asked the driver if he knows where he was going, and we had a communication problem as he doesn’t speak much English. Not being dramatic but in my mind, but when I see those abandoned factories we drove by, I was having different scenes what I should do to protect myself.
2 minutes later we arrived at my hotel, safely (You had no idea how released I was when I see my hotel’s door)! I had a chat with the driver, he was apologizing he went on a wrong way and I found out he speaks perfect mandarin! He told me he was self-taught online so he can learn how to communicate with tourists.
I was so impressed by how much effort he willing to put into himself, in the meantime, I also felt guilty that I thought I was getting robbed…
Next stop: Green Leaf Boutique Hotel!
The reason I wanted to go for this trip was I needed a wellness retreat, to give myself a break from city also to clear my mind.
I did a lot of research on finding the best retreat center before I go. I found this place called Green Leaf Boutique Hotel with a swimming pool right outside my room, and surrounding with lots of greens! The most attractive thing is the Green Leaf Boutique Hotel collabs with Tavoos yoga cafe & wellness hub created lots of activities on schedule. They aren’t just a normal yoga retreat, but they also combined some interesting classes such as wine and painting, cooking class and NIA dance!
First-day breakfast – Noodle
I need to make sure everyone knows this – Their food is INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS! I didn’t expect that at all (another thing I’ve been told was Cambodia food is mostly potatoes and beans?!), but ALL OF THE MEALS I had in this hotel was all VEGAN and super yum! I’m giving 5 stars here!
This is the room I stayed for 5 days. Full of art and they are all hand-painted!
It came with a double bed with a pair of towel swans to welcoming! Who else only sleep on one side even you can sleep in the middle?
I do like their Bamboo design and separated shower to left, toilet at the right.
They provide 3 meals per day with all Vegan and super delicious healthy food!
This retreat has 2 cats – Oscar and Ginger! One of them was asking to come in and sleep in (with a meow and walked into my room), how can you resist this adorable sleeping beauty?
Temple:
Visiting temple was one of the activities from the retreat center, they got the ride ready and take you there for a welcoming blessing.
Blessing session
I’m more Christian in the heart (technically not religious), but if you are in the country you might as well to get cultured and accept their blessing! Unless you are religious!
Cooking class:
The other day I was here for a cooking class, which is literally GREEN HEAVEN!
It’s run by a local family which made an absolutely highlight to my trip! The environment makes you relieve you from the city stress and I enjoyed every little detail in the garden.
When I was in Cambodia, I saw kids playing by the river with dirty water, sitting on the ground with flies near them. But they were so happy and innocent, they don’t need fancy clothes or you won’t see them holding an iPad watching Peppa Pig. (Except for this kid, he got his mom’s phone to entertain while his family is working.)
The family who taught me cooking!
Traveling from a modern city to a simple country like Cambodia make us realize how lucky we are. We have more than enough clothes to choose from while people here probably don’t have 10 clothes to wear in a year.
We can decide if we want Japanese for lunch or Italian for dinner while people are working hard to feed their children.
We got smartphones and laptops to Netflix while children are still playing with stones and branches. We should be grateful for what we have.
This is my cooking – Lemongrass fish! It was absolutely delicious (not only because I’m the one who made it!), lemongrass makes everything better and it’s also a popular ingredient in South East Asia.
You can get natural lighting and wind, fresh air here! I did enjoy every single minute being on this tree bed, just swinging.
Yoga class:
I’ve done 2 yoga classes per day for 5 days, one in the early morning (6 am) and one in the evening (7 pm). Instructors are great and professional, and one benefit of traveling solo is, you also get to know some new people!
My yoga instructor – Tammy. She’s a Canadian who’ve been working her whole life 9-5. And she and her husband decided to quit their job and flew to Cambodia to explore life.
Sounds like something you’ve been wanting to do? She’s an inspiration, if she can do it, we can too!
I’ve also met a guy who was here for volunteer work (teaching English) with ABCs and Rice, an organization who assists over 200 students and their families, through food and education. Spreads love and help to change families, or even a child’s life when we can.
These people are all very inspiring, they don’t always need a fancy lifestyle to live. Instead, they chose to give more than taking. They’ve also proved that if you want it, you can do it.
Wine and Painting:
A quiet night and a glass of wine are all you needed to paint. One thing I love about painting is, everything is freestyle, your sky can be gold, you can create your own unicorn. No one should be judging you and it’s almost like bonding with your spirit.
They have also hired a professional painter as an instructor to help us with color control and contrast etc, without his help my painting probably looks like some other creature instead of an elephant!
Little surprise:
I didn’t tell anyone it was my birthday trip but the staff and people there gave me a surprise on my birthday. It was the biggest surprise and definitely nothing that I expected.
I almost cried when they came to sing me a birthday song and prepared this cake for me, they didn’t need to do that at all but they did because they were genuinely lovely. It was definitely the BEST CAKE I’ve ever had, not only by how delicious it was but mostly how ‘sweet’ it is.
I definitely had a great time in Cambodia and I can tell everyone, Cambodia is not as scary as people say (especially people who never been). People I met are genuinely nice and pure. Yes, it could be some communication problem but people are really willing to help. Now if people ask me ‘Is it safe to travel Cambodia?’, my answer will be ‘YES! I l enjoyed it and I’m sure you will too’.
But please do keep in mind, whenever you go you should always have your alert on especially when you travel alone.
And lastly, I was absolutely enjoyed my stay at the Green Leaf Boutique Hotel, swimming and sun-bathing every day by the pool was absolutely what I came for!
Oh one more thing, as a massage addict, I can confirm Cambodian massage is NOT IDEAL. I’ve tried a few (hotels, markets, and even spa) and they all quite disappointed. They don’t really know where are the muscles should be press on nor how to make your body relaxed. If you like massage as I do, I’ll gather some good massage place and share next time!
See you in my next one!
Love,
B.xx