Cambodia - Travel With A Butterfly

My first impression of Bali – I’m in a taxi (taksi) and there’s another taxi with no driver blocking our path. My driver gets out and single handedly pushes the car away.

This is going to be an interesting place.

Within 10 minutes, I knew I was going to come back here – I had a good feeling about this place. Twice have I ever felt this feeling – once in Las Vegas, then here. And both times I’ve been extremely mesmerized.

While on the taxi ride to our villa, Bali reminded me of Cambodia a little bit, but a much more developed version of Cambodia. You can also tell there were tourists left and right. In fact, there was traffic even at 9:30pm – 10:00pm ish on a Thursday. Even Hong Kong and Los Angeles doesn’t have this type of traffic at these time intervals.

In a way, it also reminded me of Phuket. All the villas and stuff… but there were much nicer stores everywhere. It felt much more urban and international. You keep coming across Japanese and Chinese restaurants and the roads are very nice and not bumpy at all, very smooth (unlike Johannesburg and Cambodia). Continue reading Amazing Bali

Cambodia

Surviving the Cambodian Heat – Siem Reap

ByRyan Lee

While Phnom Penh may be the capital of Cambodia, the true tourist gems are in Siem Reap. If you had a limited time and had to choose Phnom Penh or Siem Reap to visit, choose the latter. Angkor Wat is a UNESCO World Heritage Centre for a reason.

In fact, because Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia, you should be able to get even cheaper rates of Tuk Tuk in Siem Reap. Visit Vithei Charles De Gaulle and the road has a lot of nice resorts there.

This post will focus on Siem Reap (Days 2 and 3). For information on Phnom Penh and general tips about Cambodia, please visit: https://travelwithabutterfly.com/surviving-the-cambodian-heat-phnom-penh/ Continue reading Surviving the Cambodian Heat – Siem Reap

Cambodia

Surviving the Cambodian Heat – Phnom Penh

ByRyan Lee

It’s amazing how two countries separated by a 2 hour flight can contrast so differently, and yet this is what I experienced during my trip to Cambodia.

Unlike the skyscrapers and luxurious cars in Hong Kong, Cambodia was about the dust and the beating sun. We were at both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, with the former being extremely dusty. The weather was extremely hot, but without the humidity, I personally found it more accommodating than the insufferable humidity that is in Hong Kong.

One thing I particularly noticed was the number of different international influences the country has. The streets have prominent French figures named after them. There are numerous US company brands everywhere, not to mention the numerous Chinese companies that also exist in this developing country. When you witness this many different country influences, you know the country’s been through some turmoil. Continue reading Surviving the Cambodian Heat – Phnom Penh