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Things to do in Cambodia | 50 Adventures in the Kingdom of Wonder

Angkor Wat at Sunrise a stop on the Cambodia Itinerary

If you’re looking for the best things to do on your trip to Cambodia you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post we break down the best 50 things to do in Cambodia and essential additions to any Cambodia Itinerary! From visiting the temples of Angkor Wat to kayaking remote backwaters and acquainting yourself with the country’s fascinating history, the monster list provides all the know how you need for your Cambodian adventure!

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What are the best things to do in Siem Reap?

No Cambodia itinerary is complete without a stop in Siem Reap. Conveniently located near the iconic Angkor Archaeological Park, this once sleepy town has come alive in recent years, in some ways for the better and in others for the worse, depending on who you ask.

Bayon Temple in Siem Reap

1. Explore the temples of Angkor

No matter your travel experience, age or interest, it is absolutely impossible not to be completely floored by the scale of the majestic temples of Angkor . Witness the sun rise at Angkor Wat or bask in the pre-dawn light as you explore the many levels and courtyards of the world’s largest religious building. Explore the walled city of Angkor Thom by gazing into the 216 faces of Bayon or climb the seemingly endless tiers of the Baphoun. Feel the force of mother nature as giant trees grow from the ancient ruins of Ta Prohm or venture a little further out to the (relative) isolation of Preah Khan’s corridors. With more and more tourists coming every year, the Angkor Archeological Park is a hard place to find much solitude. That said, it’s popular for good reason and finds the top ranking position on any list of things to do in Cambodia. Make sure to check out our comprehensive guide to Angkor to help you plan your time here.

2. Find the “Secret Temples” of Angkor

If the crowds of the Angkor Archaeological Park have you squirming for solitude, fear not! The vastness of the great Khmer empire left many magnificent ruins throughout the country that have (yet) to become cluttered with tuk-tuk drivers and tourists seeking their ultimate sunrise ‘gram.  Venture out to Beng Mealea or Banteay Ampil to experience your very own version of Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones, or other bad-ass archaeologist film. Tread lightly though, as just like any good adventure film, there may be a snake or two around. If you want more details, check out this guide we wrote on finding hidden temples.

3. See Phare, The Cambodian Circus

Don’t worry friends, no elephants, tigers, or animals of any kind were harmed in the making of this production! Phare is Cirque Du Soleil meets Cambodian storytelling (historical, folk and modern). Better yet, all of its artists and performers are graduates of a vocational training centre responsible for providing education to poor and at-risk Cambodian youth. Phare, the Cambodian Circus, offers these students and graduates somewhere to hone their skills and a place to earn a wage that will break the cycle of poverty. So go ahead, run away to this circus on your trip to Cambodia!

4. Nourish your stomach and your soul at one of Siem Reap's training restaurants

If you love eating out, Siem Reap may be one of the best places to indulge in Cambodia. Haven, Marum, and Spoons are great options to sample incredible Khmer and international fair. Better yet, every restaurant provides vocational training to all of their staff, allowing them to build the practical and leadership skills to graduate and help shape a bright future for Cambodia. If you want to learn about a few more feel good restaurants, check out this post.

5. Experience the chaos of Siem Reap's Pub Street

The first time we ventured to Siem Reap over a decade ago, Pub Street had already started its evolution into a true backpacker ghetto like Thailand’s infamous Khao San Road or Ho Chi Minh City’s Pham Ngu Lao. For better or for worse, the evolution is now complete.  Beer company tank tops are sold on every corner, fast food carts and touts overwhelm the street, and endless throngs of sweaty backpackers stumble around on post-temple pub crawls. If you’re not into the Pub Street party mayhem, it’s still a worthwhile spot to find a table with a view and a cold beer to take in the spectacle. 

6. Brunch like a champion

If you’re exhausted from all of the days of temple-ing, or if a night on Pub Street ran you down, brunch may be your best solution. Siem Reap has a few incredible options to brunch to your heart’s content. Enjoy a sunshine smoothie bowl and a flat white at one of our favourite little haunts: Little Red Fox. Take the time to enjoy one of their awesome art sessions that feature local Cambodian artists, musicians, and culture creators. If the night before was rough, or if you just love awesome waffles or waffles meet burgers, head to Missing Socks Laundry Cafe and grab their “signature waffle burger”. They’re also no slouch in the coffee department.

7. Buy local at Angkor Handicraft Association

You can buy “Cambodian” souvenirs all over Siem Reap. Unfortunately the majority of these are manufactured in Thailand, Vietnam or China and do nothing to improve local employment opportunities. Enter Angkor Handicraft Association’s fair trade market, a blissfully relaxed shopping experience where all of the products are certified Cambodian-made. From scarves to clothes to bags, pottery, sculptures and paintings, you’re sure to find your perfect souvenir, all while helping make a difference!

8. Dirt bike Siem Reap’s countryside

If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, you can go out on a dirt biking trip on the backroads of Siem Reap province. This is a sure way to find completely hidden temples and experience the beautiful rural side of this temple town. 

Whatever you do, DON'T FORGET this

When you’re riding motorbikes, taking Tuk-Tuks, or experiencing any of the adventures on this list medical emergencies can happen and you need to be prepared! We had a friend who was medevaced to Bangkok from Cambodia and spent several weeks in the hospital there to the tune of $750,000. Fortunately, she had travel insurance. 

If you don’t already have travel insurance, check out World Nomads* . Their coverage includes medical emergencies, luggage & gear and trip cancellation.  Hopefully, you never need to make a claim, but if you do you’ll be beyond happy you were prepared!

*We receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.

9. Visit Road 60

Road 60 is the local answer to Pub Street. This road, located just outside of Siem Reap town, turns into a lively spot every night as mats are rolled out onto the pavement, games and rides appear, and there are food stalls galore. If you’re looking to experience a typical Khmer night, this is your spot.

10. Visit Phnom Kulen

Beautiful Kulen mountain is located about two hours from Siem Reap town and it’s a favourite place for Khmer families to take a day trip to on the weekends for a picnic. With incredible waterfalls to see and a cooler climate, this might be just the place to take a breath of fresh and cool air after days of temple exploration.

11. Angkor National Museum

If you’re exhausted from the Cambodian heat, but thirst for more information and artifacts left behind by the Khmer Empire, venture to Siem Reap’s Angkor National Museum. This museum has been at the centre of some controversy, given its for-profit motivation, Thai-ownership, and limited link between many of the buddhas shown and the Angkor-era. That said, you may learn a thing or two and the air conditioning provides much needed reprieve from the Cambodian inferno.  

12. Visit the Cambodia Landmine Museum

Cambodia remains one of the most heavily impacted countries by landmines and unexploded ordnance. Recently reopened, the Cambodia Landmine Museum was founded by Aki Ra, a former Khmer Rouge child soldier who has since deactivated thousands of landmines. Your small admission fee supports your own education on the danger of landmines and the education of at-risk and landmine affected youth in neighbouring communities. 

13. Get your yoga fix at Peace Cafe

If you’re feeling your legs after all of the temple climbing at Angkor Wat, you might just need to get a good stretch in. Head to Peace Cafe located along the river in Siem Reap for one of their yoga classes. They also offer Khmer language classes. 

What are the best things to do in Phnom Penh?

Markets in Phnom Penh

14. Learn about the genocide at Tuol Sleng

Tuol Sleng, otherwise known as Security Prison 21, is a former school that was turned into a security prison during the reign of the Khmer Rouge from 1975-1979. More than 14,000 people were tortured, imprisoned, and ultimately killed in these halls. Only 7 people who walked in here walked out alive. One of these survivors sits at the entry point as you enter S-21. As you navigate past the faces of all those who were lost, it’s a particularly potent reminder of humanity’s dark side. It’s a harrowing place that can’t be missed on a trip to Cambodia to truly understand the country’s history.

15. Travel to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields

Located just 40 minutes outside of Phnom Penh, Choeung Ek was the largest of the Khmer Rouge killing fields. This is the location where those imprisoned and tortured at S-21 were sent to be executed. Today this is a place dedicated to educating both Cambodians and international visitors about the Khmer Rouge genocide in an attempt to prevent this tragedy from ever happening again.

16. Visit the Central, Kandal or BKK Markets

Phnom Penh is bursting with amazing markets to explore, from the famous architecture and fake goods of the Central Market to the souvenir haven of the Russian Market. For really authentic experiences though, visit Kandal or BKK markets when they open at 7am. Watch as shopkeepers lay out vegetables and meat to sell for the day and get lost in the corridors selling the widest range of items. These are the markets not catered to tourists in any capacity and they’re great places to get a sense of Phnom Penh’s daily bustling life.

17. Take a self-guided walking tour from the Royal Palace to the Central Market

After loading up on breakfast (we would suggest nearby ARTillery Cafe), head to the Royal Palace to begin your journey through Phnom Penh’s big sites. Walk past the National Museum, up towards the Central Market and back along the riverside. This map may give you some ideas on how to plan your route.

18. Cycle on Koh Dach (Silk Island)

If Phnom Penh’s concrete jungle tires you out, take a quick local ferry over to Koh Dach (Silk Island). Once you arrive, you can rent a bicycle and leisurely peddle the quiet roads snaking around the island. You can stop and see how silk is made along the way, but the real delight of Koh Dach is its peace and quiet compared to the city next door.

19. Have a drink at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC)

Located on the Mekong river, FCC was the gathering place for journalists and aid workers during Cambodia’s civil war and its walls are covered with photographs and stories from these former days. You can feel the history here and it’s a beautiful place to take in the view and relax after a day in the heat.

20. Take a boat trip on the Mekong

Sometimes there’s no nicer way to see a city than from the water, and from a seat. Jump on one of the many boats that head out onto Phnom Penh’s Mekong at sunset to cruise down the waters and enjoy an undisturbed view of the city.

21. Try a Khmer massage, for good

Somewhat lighter than a Thai massage, Khmer massages involve a lot of stretching and kneading. No oil is involved here and you’re given a pajama like outfit to wear. While you can get pretty amazing massages all over Cambodia and often for much cheaper, if you’re in Phnom Penh don’t miss out on One Day Spa. Their training centre provides Cambodian women with the opportunity to develop skills in business management and the hair and beauty industry. Their dark corridors, curtains and warm lighting are reminiscent of stepping into the set of Beauty and the Beast.

22. Go to a free Khmer language class

Looking to learn some of the local language? Head to the Khmer Study Group’s free language meetups held every week in Phnom Penh to pick up a few words, try some delicious food, and maybe meet some new friends.

23. Join in aerobics by the Mekong

Head down to Phnom Penh’s riverside and you’ll be sure to see an outdoor aerobics session in session at some point. Join in to work off some of the Angkor beers you indulged in on Pub Street in Siem Reap. It’s an entertaining experience to say the least.

24. Jump on a trampoline or sip on a coffee at an old factory

 Factory is one of the hippest places to be in Cambodia (or anywhere for that matter). It’s an old factory that’s been converted into a massive multi-purpose creative hub. There’s a trampoline park called Fly, a trendy coworking space, and some pretty stellar coffee.

25. See the Royal Palace

Still the official royal residence, Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace is nothing short of a grand vision. It’s one of the most popular places to visit in the city, and while it’s worth the trip, what may be nicer is actually sitting on the grass across from the palace where locals gather to feed countless pigeons and snack on their picnics.

26. Take in a rooftop sunset at Juniper Gin Bar

A newcomer to Phnom Penh, the rooftop of Juniper Gin Bar is pretty spectacular. It’s a great way to see the Mekong at night (or watch any celebrations if you happen to be in Cambodia over a holiday – of which there are plenty). The drinks here are also pretty great.

What are the best things to do in Battambang?

Battambang Boat

27. Take the slow boat from Siem Reap to Battambang

Sure you could make this trip in one third of the time by bus, but isn’t travel about the journey, not the destination? When the water is low, the boat frequently gets stuck so this can be an extra long journey. While it may be long, it’s far from a boring trip. Passing by villages floating on stilts, local fishermen at work on their boats, and children playing on the riverbanks, this is the way to observe everyday Khmer life at its finest.

28. Learn to cook Khmer style

There is no better place than the sleepy town of Battambang to try your luck at cooking Khmer style. Head over to Nary Kitchen where you’ll scour the local market for ingredients, then return to make multiple dishes you didn’t realize you were capable of creating. A cooking lesson, a delicious meal (we promise Nary’s instructions are foolproof), and a free recipe book thrown in – it is hard to find better value for $10! 

What are the best things to do in Kampot

Kayaking in Kampot

29. Kayak through the Green Cathedral

Picture a Disneyland-style boat ride through the jungle but in real life and you have kayaking the Green Cathedral near Kampot. Rent a kayak at GreenHouse, Champa Lodge or Meraki and explore the beautiful backwaters here that are covered by tree cathedrals. It’s reminiscent of the Mekong Delta and you’ll often have the water completely to yourself. You can also rent a SUP board and test out your balance on the river water.

30. Motorbike up Bokor Hill Station to escape the heat

If you thought cold weather wasn’t possible to find in Cambodia, you need to visit Bokor. A beautiful (and well paved) road winds its way up the mountain into misty air and tree-covered slopes.You’ll be met at the top of the road with waterfalls, buddhas, casinos (old and new), and an old church to explore. It’s chilly on the mountain so you’ll definitely need to bring a sweater.

31. Take a tour of a pepper farm

Even if you’re not a self-professed pepper person, a visit to Kampot’s incredible pepper farms is not one to be missed. Head out to the beautiful La Plantation for a free tour of the farm, how pepper is made, and a tasting of all different types of pepper. Kampot pepper is famous internationally and it was actually the first Cambodian agricultural product to be granted protected geographical indication status.

32. Cycle past the salt fields

Less famous than its pepper, the salt fields surrounding Kampot are no less beautiful to see. Hop on a bicycle and head out of town to take a leisurely cycle past the white fields. It’s a beautiful way to see the Khmer countryside.

Check out our guide 20 Incredible Things To Do In Kampot for more ideas for your trip to Kampot!!

What are the best things to do in Kep?

Kep - Sunset at the Sailing Club

33. Take in a sunset at Kep’s Sailing Club

Kep’s swanky Sailing Club on the beach is a great place to grab a sunset drink and take in the incredible view over the ocean. It’s not cheap, but it’s also not as expensive as you might think when you first see its location. Their fresh fish is delicious if you’re looking to extend your restaurant stay.

34. Sea kayak or paddleboard in Kep

From Kep’s Sailing Club you can rent sea kayaks and paddleboards to explore the waters around. It’s a great way to get some great exercise and see Kep’s beautiful coastline from the water.

35. Pull out your hiking shoes in Kep National Park

Kep National Park is one of the only places where you can hike without a guide in Cambodia, as the area has been completely cleared of landmines and unexploded ordnance. A trail system snakes around the park and it’s a great place to take a two hour stroll or peddle a mountain bike through. You’re sure to see an animal (or ten) here. The Led Zep Cafe makes for a nice spot to rest your feet and quench your thirst in the park.

36. Fulfill your Castaway dreams on Rabbit Island

Koh Tonsay (or Rabbit Island) is a blissful little patch of sand less than an hour by boat from Kep. It’s certainly rustic and if you’re looking for a Castaway experience, you can settle into one of the little bungalows on the beach here to stay the night.

What are the best things things to do in Cambodia’s mountains

37. Go on an ethical elephant encounter

Cambodia’s wild eastern province of Mondulkiri is home to a range of opportunities to see elephants. Emphasis on seeing, not riding. Be sure to read this thoughtful article to make an informed decision about which elephant sanctuary you visit. They aren’t all created equally and it’s important to choose a place that doesn’t add any additional stress to these animals lives.

38. Go trekking in Mondulkiri or Ratanakiri

Cambodia’s wild east is full of unexplored territory to be found. To get a feel for this, take a multi-day jungle trek through Mondulkiri or Ratanakiri provinces. In the rainy season you may just find a waterfall or two to explore.

P.S. Check out our guide on what to do in Mondulkiri.

39. Visit Heaven Cliff in the Cardamom mountains

Located in Cambodia’s Cardamom mountains, Kirirom National Park is an oasis of forests, waterfalls and, you guessed it, cliffs. Jutting out like Pride Rock over a valley of trees, Heaven Cliff offers incredible views over the Cardamoms. It’s an easy hike in to access the cliff and it’s worth the small bit of exercise to see this incredible view.

What are the best things things to do on Cambodia’s islands

Cambodia's Islands

40. Bask in the sun on sleepy Koh Ta Kiev

Koh Ta Kiev is still reminiscent of Cambodia’s islands a decade ago. A quick ferry ride from Sihanoukville takes you to this sleepy place where you can hang out in the sun, take advantage of the perks of solar power and curl up in Kactus’ treehouses.

41. Explore underwater

Cambodia’s islands are home to several great dive sites. Koh Rong, Koh Rong Sanloem, Koh Kong and Koh Tang all offer incredible underwater sights  from seahorses to barracuda to incredible coral.

42. Join the party on Koh Rong

Gone are the days when Koh Rong was still a whisper on backpackers’ itineraries through Southeast Asia. It’s now a well-trodden party spot (depending on the part of the island you visit). It may not be on par with Koh Phangan’s many different moon parties, but it’s still the spot to go if you’re looking to liven things up in Cambodia.

43. See the bioluminescent plankton light up at night

If you’ve watched The Beach, you’ve probably already dreamt of swimming in an ocean lit up by plankton sometime in your life. While swimming in the ocean waters at night may not be the safest choice, you can take a boat out to see this phenomenon when you visit Cambodia’s islands. Head out at night into the water and get lost in the blue light as the bioluminescent plankton comes to life with your movements.

A few more amazing things to do in Cambodia

Backpacker in Cambodia

44. Try a tarantula or cricket

Cambodia is famously known for its roadside tarantula and cricket snacks. You often find these offered at local markets across the country and if you aren’t too scared to give them a try, you may just find them to be your new favourite snack.

45. Kayak to see the dolphins in Kratie

Cambodia’s rare Irrawaddy dolphins are found in the river near the dusty town of Kratie. The unique, short beaked creatures draw quite a crowd. The best way to see them is through a kayaking trip that takes you past riverside villages and ideally the dolphins, without disrupting them by taking a motorboat.

46. Try out meditation for a day or ten… at Wat Langka or a Vipassana course

Phnom Penh’s centrally located Wat Langka offers one-hour free meditation sessions multiple times a week. If you’re looking for a taste of meditation this may be for you. If you’re a veteran and looking to take it to the next level, try one of the international Vipassana ten day silent retreats in Cambodia to take your mind to the next level.

47. Visit the ever-political Preah Vihear

The views here are almost as impressive as the temple itself. Perched on top of a 525m mountain, Preah Vihear has been the source of tension between Cambodia and Thailand over the years, as both vie for its ownership. It’s located 200km from Siem Reap so you’ll definitely need more than a day to get here and fully explore the temple’s four levels and courtyards, but this is a place more than worth the detour.

48. Go to an Apsara dance show

Apsara is Cambodia’s most popular form of classical dance, dating back to the 7th century. The hand movements in Apsara are nothing short of incredible. A number of shows are held at different venues around the country, but the most famous is held at the National Museum in Phnom Penh every night by Cambodian Living Arts.

49. Try Cambodia’s favourite snack

As soon as you make your first Khmer friend, you’re sure to be offered this snack: green mango with prahok (fermented fish paste) or chili dip. In Cambodia eating sour green fruits, especially green mango, with prahok or chilis is very common. It has a different taste but quickly grows on you.

50. Visit one of Cambodia’s community-based tourism initiatives

Offering a great way to experience traditional Cambodian life and benefit community development, ecotourism and community-based tourism are ever-growing in Cambodia. One of the most famous places for this is Chambok, located near Kirirom National Park. This site was set up in 2002 under the support of a local NGO to provide alternative livelihoods to community members and protect the surrounding areas from deforestation. Stay in a homestay here and experience incredible trekking and swimming in the waterfall nearby.

More Posts on Cambodia

Anika

Anika

Anika manages social impact and partnership work at Banana Backpacks. She spends her days connecting with the Banana Backpacks global community and making sure our gear has a positive impact on the world. When she's not working, you'll find her taking the world's longest walks or setting off to try living in a new location across the world. Presently, she's trying life in Cambodia.
Anika

Anika

Anika manages social impact and partnership work at Banana Backpacks. She spends her days connecting with the Banana Backpacks global community and making sure our gear has a positive impact on the world. When she's not working, you'll find her taking the world's longest walks or setting off to try living in a new location across the world. Presently, she's trying life in Cambodia.
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Collecting stories of fashion – 3,500 km of walking across Southeast Asia with Megan

Collecting stories of fashion - 3,500km of walking across Southeast Asia with Megan.

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Anika

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“I read this article about a man who had walked 13,000 km around the world in the 1960s to promote nuclear disarmament. He’d gone to all the nuclear capitals of the world and tried to meet with the leaders to persuade them to disarm. He did it without money and basically on the kindness of strangers. I was blown away by that. So I thought, well I can walk! Why don’t I do something like that for a cause I care about? And sustainable fashion is my thing I guess, so the project evolved from there.” – Megan O’Malley

Stories steal our hearts. They encourage us to dream. And the best kind of stories drive us to act. It was this kind of story that first inspired Megan O’Malley and her friend Gab Murphy to walk 3,500 km across Southeast Asia with a goal of their own: to collect the inspiring stories of the humans who make our clothes and to share with the world exactly why our own clothing choices matter so much.

Chapter One: Cruise ships, Bollywood dancing and fast fashion 

Megan’s own story began a few years before she first read about Satish Kumar’s journey to advocate for nuclear disarmament. Her passion for sustainable fashion was sparked in unexpected places during her time working as a dancer on a cruise ship and as a Bollywood dancer in India. These experiences gave her new insight into both her privilege and the exploitation occurring in different industries across the world.

“You’re not allowed to form unions [on the cruise ship] and you’re not allowed to do all of these other things. Basically you have no rights. I just couldn’t deal with that anymore. I got off. I went to India to be a Bollywood dancer and I was supposed to be there for 6 months but I only lasted a month because I got a taste of what it’s like to be exploited… and I didn’t really like that. Again, I was privileged enough to be like I can leave, I’m not sticking around for this. They would tell us to do things and I would say no. I was 26 at the time, but they had 17 and 18 year old girls there who wouldn’t say no, didn’t know how to say no.

I had those experiences and at the same time I was a crazy shopaholic. When I was on the ships we would stop at ports and I would get off and go to all of the terrible shops and buy lots of fast fashion and my suitcases would be full to bursting. My fellow cast members would have to sit on the suitcases to get them closed.

I realized this exploitation in the cruise ship industry and the bit that I experienced in India, this is happening on a huge scale, a much bigger scale in the fashion industry. And by going to these stores I was kind of a part of it. That’s where I started to really research it. And I’m a total nerd, so I got really into it and bought textbooks and then went back to uni and started studying. I focused a lot of my work on sustainable fashion and it just kept going from there.

If you’re aware and you have your eyes open, it can totally shift the way that you think. I’m still angry at myself that I was brainwashed by the massive marketing machine that is fast fashion. I thought I was a person that really cared about the environment and people, and you just get so sucked into that machine of buy this and you’ll be cool, or you need a new outfit every day, or you need a new outfit for Friday night. You get brainwashed by it. I think once you’re aware and you’ve recognized what’s going on in the world, it’s kind of too hard to turn back.”

Chapter Two: Translating vision into a walking reality

Armed with awareness of the exploitation taking place in the fashion industry and inspiration from Satish Kumar to walk for a cause, Megan conceptualized a plan to undertake her own walking journey where she would meet with, interview, and learn from the people who make our clothes around the world. The only question remaining was how to bring her vision to life.

“I had never really done long distance hiking. The most I’d hiked was a day. So I realized I needed someone to help keep me alive that maybe had a little bit more experience, and that’s why I roped Gab in. But she didn’t know that I hadn’t had more than a day’s hike until a little bit into the project when she was creating a blog post of our favorite hikes. She asked me, ‘do you have any overnight hikes that you’ve done?’ and I told her, ‘I’ve never done any’. I think she was a little bit terrified by that.

Then we just researched and contacted as many people as we could. Originally we wanted to start in India and finish in China but there’s a whole lot of Bangladesh in between and it just wasn’t going to be safe. So we eventually came up with the route: starting in Ho Chi Minh, going through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and ending in Hanoi. [The trip] was actually only 10 and a half months. We stopped in places for a month or so, or a couple of weeks. So it wasn’t always walking. It was always a little bit hard to get back into it after we’d stopped in a city after interviewing everyone.”

Chapter Three: Sharing stories of the humans who make our clothes

Setting off on their adventure, Megan and Gab walked up to a maximum of 38 km a day to reach incredible people across Southeast Asia who design, dye, weave and sew the clothes most of us put on every day, but rarely stop to think about.

“We talked to over 50 or 60 different brands, individuals and organizations. I feel like I may be editing videos for the rest of my life. A lot of these places don’t have a huge internet presence so it was finding the ones that did and then getting them to pass on details of who else we should be visiting. One of the difficulties we did have was that we were restricted by language. A lot of time we couldn’t interview in the language of the people that were there, so we were interviewing a lot of expats or English speaking locals or getting them to translate, so that was a bit difficult.

There are a lot of businesses out there trying to do it differently. Which I think is really admirable in places where it is so easy to do it the wrong way. We have regulations to stop us from doing it the wrong way here, but in a lot of the countries we visited those regulations don’t exist so much or they’re not followed. So I was completely inspired by how people were really committed to doing things the right way for people and planet.

It’s this world where we have only limited time, so we take little bits. Most interviews were an hour long and are condensed into 2-3 minutes. So there is so much more to learn. When you’re there and you see the whole picture, it definitely has a huge impact on you.

We don’t value the things that we have. We don’t really understand how much work goes into creating them so we take them for granted. The whole time on the trip we kept saying, we wish we could have brought everyone along with us because of what we were seeing. I mean I thought I knew how clothes were made before I left on this trip and I couldn’t have been more wrong, I had no idea. Watching the skills and the love and how a lot of these crafts are connected to culture, it just goes so much deeper than a piece of clothing. I think if people learned to value their things more, there wouldn’t be this huge waste issue that’s going on now.”

Want to Plan Your Own Legendary Journey?

Download the Explorer’s Guide. Incredible Adventure tips from all OF the BANANA BACKPACKS explorers.



Chapter Four: Everyone is so scared of each other

The incredible impact of the inspiring stories that Megan heard wasn’t the only mark this journey left on her.

“The biggest lesson I learned was how incredible humans can be. A lot of people thought we were going to die on this trip. A lot of people thought we were going to get raped or murdered or kidnapped. They had high expectations for our demise. My dad wouldn’t talk to me for I think the first 6 to 8 months we were planning this project. He was like, “you’re going to die, I’m not having any part of it”. What we experienced couldn’t have been further from that.

We had to learn how to say walking in each of the languages of the countries we were in because people would stop on the side of the road and say, ‘Get in the car. Free, free! Please get in the car!’. And we had to be like, ‘No, we want to walk’. I guess that’s such a privileged kind of thing to have really. It’s very privileged for us to be able to walk through places. But people did not understand. So there would be some days where, I think I counted 16 times that people stopped on the side of the road, it was in Cambodia actually, and were like ‘Get in the car, please get in the car!’.

I have so many stories like that of people just being so amazing. Everyone is so scared of each other and I really think this trip gave me the opportunity to connect with people that I would otherwise never connect with. Because you go past on a bus and you wouldn’t see half the places you would when you were walking. I guess that was my biggest lesson. I don’t know how I will ever travel again in the same ways that I used to, because slow travel is amazing. We would watch the tourist buses go past and think about what they were missing out on and what they weren’t seeing. We’re definitely very focused on getting there rather than the journey in between.”

Megan’s own journey hasn’t yet ended, as she continues to share the interviews her and Gab captured along their 3,500 km walk. You can check out the stories of the inspiring humans they met on Walk Sew Good’s website, Instagram and Facebook page.

Banana Peels with Megan

 

Worst hotel room?

“It was green. The whole place was green from mold. Oh gosh, I could send you some very terrible pictures. We have a collection. Gab started rating places 5 toilets out of 5. There was one place where the roof was falling in. But this mold was ghostbuster green. It was somewhere in Vietnam and the whole room smelt like smoke and it was filthy and disgusting. You kind of had to put your blinkers on.”

Scariest experience on the trip?

“There were two. Walking along the highways in Thailand when trucks were coming towards you, that wasn’t super fun. And then in Laos it was a little bit terrifying because we were camping in the school grounds and people would come and shine lights in our tent and that was a bit scary, but it didn’t happen very often. I think people were just curious.”

One item you won’t travel without?

“After being there I really had an appreciation for toilet paper and knives. But i didn’t travel really with those. I did come back for a great appreciation for those things. And cheese. I guess my phone – ugh – because it helped us navigate the way and we didn’t get lost. That was handy.”

Advice for someone who wants to go on a change-making adventure but is nervous to set off?

“Oh my gosh, I had so many fears! Just acknowledge them, acknowledge that they’re there. I’m a person with high anxiety I was scared of being eaten alive by a tiger and I was scared of not being able to find food and I was scared of toilets and there were so many possibilities. Not people, which was weird, but all of the other things that could possibly happen. But I think just do it. Lots of people have good crazy ideas but never act on them. But what’s stopping you? You just do it. You fail, that’s really the worst that could happen.”

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Romanticism, recklessness and finding humanity: From Somalia to North Korea with Alastair

Imagine taking your first solo trip at the age of seven to East Africa and contracting malaria. Try to fathom being drugged and waking up in a different city in the Philippines. Then envision yourself feeding a hyena off your back in Ethiopia, taking a bus into Somalia by yourself, and dancing in North Korea’s most famous square.

This is not a wild dream, but in fact the odyssey of Alastair McCready. With a tireless desire for the reckless and romantic, this 28-year-old journalist has travelled to some of the most misunderstood places around our globe. And it has unquestionably shaped his inspiring perspective on what makes us all human.

An introduction to human struggle in Tanzania

Born in China the year after the Tiananmen Square protests, Alastair’s experiences abroad began at birth. His parents had spent years working in some of the most far-flung parts of our globe, filling his childhood with stories of monkeys in the backyard of their home in Sudan and romanticized visions of what it meant to live in remote places. Even once the family moved back to their native England when he was two years old, their encouragement of exploration continued. While most of us start our solo adventures and learnings abroad well into our teens, Alastair is certainly not most of us.

“My first big trip was Tanzania when I was seven. We’d traveled a bit [as a family] before that but Tanzania was the first big one by myself, with my brother. My mum, because she works in development, had a friend in Dar es Salaam. Our parents sent us out there, God knows why. It might have been because they were getting a divorce at the time and wanted us out of the house. I’m pretty sure in hindsight that was the reason. So we spent 6 weeks there.

We were staying in a lovely apartment which was right next to one of the biggest slums in East Africa. One of my earliest memories actually is walking through that slum. We had a Tanzanian woman looking after us and she asked us if we wanted to walk through the slum one day with her. So of course we said yes. I just remember it being a different world. I had never seen poverty like that in all my life. I had never seen homes made out of wood and tin roofs. It was very striking for me as a seven year old to look at. It was an interesting experience, and I think it was quite a formative experience in terms of seeing how people live and realizing a lot of the world is extremely poor.”

This understanding of the struggle many people face around the globe was further heightened when sickness struck.

“After three weeks, I was already quite homesick – I mean I was seven years old – I was very homesick. And then I got malaria. I started to feel extremely feverish and couldn’t sleep at night. It was hot. It was overwhelmingly hot and sweaty and I couldn’t eat, I don’t think for a week or something. I lost so much weight.”

Instead of being utterly turned off of exploration by these challenges, this young explorer’s romanticized view of the world persisted. With small trips in between, his next significant step abroad came when he turned 21 and moved to the Philippines for half a year.

Experiencing human error in the Philippines

Working for a peacebuilding non-governmental organization and playing soccer in the Filipino Premier League, Alastair lived in the capital city of Manila. Caught in the rain one day, two women approached him with an umbrella and an offer to take him to the fruit market he was searching for. Finding out they had previously lived in a similar area of London to him, he immediately found connection. “I dropped my guard completely, and back then I was very open to going along with things, I didn’t want to be rude. So they said to me, “do you want to come back to our house and have some food and a drink?”. I was so naive and was like, “yeah, let’s do that”. So we went back to their house, got in this tuk-tuk through the backstreets of nowhere Manila, and I didn’t have a clue where I was. We went into their house and they had some karaoke playing. They gave me some skewers of meat and I remember eating [them] and thinking, this tastes really weird. Because I was looking out for the drink, but then I ate the skewers and they were almost powdery. I was thinking, this tastes like chemicals, what is this? The last thing I remember is singing ‘Hey Jude’ by The Beatles and I woke up the next day in a different city across the country. I was in Manila and I woke up on the opposite side of the country in Mindanao in an apartment in the pitch black.” This trip for work had been previously booked, but Alastair had no recollection of getting to the airport or getting on the flight. His work colleagues had been oblivious that anything was wrong with him. “Turns out what I was given was a drug that allows you to function relatively normally in a semi-zombie-like state, in which you’re very easily led. You’ll just do what people say. So they’d given me this drug, I had essentially passed out, and was then taken to cash machines around Manila and withdrew money. […] I must have gone through passport control on drugs and no one looked at me. That’s how powerful this drug was. I just felt violated waking up in this other city and not remembering a thing. And my mood was all over the place because this drug messes with your head.” Always introspective, Alastair viewed this experience as a character shaping one, recognizing that as humans we are always vulnerable to making mistakes and equally acknowledging the different challenges faced based on the demographic group a person identifies with. “It made me less naive. I was too eager not to offend. I was way too eager to be liked. I was so agreeable. It absolutely made me more cautious. I’m not closed to experiences, but I’m absolutely not naive and I always have a way of getting out of a situation if I need to. I appreciate so much as a man that I can feel relatively safe in most places in the world, within reason, in terms of being able to look after myself. So even though I felt violated, it felt within my control. I made a mistake, I know where I went wrong and I know what I could do in the future. It’s not like I was physically overpowered, which might happen to women. I made mistakes and I know that I can avoid them in the future. I felt shaken by it for a bit and then I learned from it.”

Finding a sense of belonging in reckless places

“To be honest I’m quite a reckless person in many ways, I enjoy doing shit that’s not necessarily very advisable. I get a bit of a thrill out of it. I get a bit of a buzz.” Aware of his capacity to make mistakes, but still looking for that buzz gained through recklessness, he set off on his next adventure. This time it was back to Africa, starting in Ethiopia. “I flew into Ethiopia and then I got a bus to the east, which was a town called Dire Dowa, and another bus this time to Harar. It’s this incredible, old walled city which just looks like it’s out of a film or something. And it’s most famous for feeding hyenas. It’s an ancient tradition they have of feeding them so they don’t kill their livestock. So the wild hyenas come to the edge of the city on the walls. I just found a guy who said he would take me and I ended up feeding a hyena off my back. It climbed up on my back and ate meat from next to my face. There was maybe one or two tourists but it wasn’t like a show. It was just some bloke feeding hyenas and he was like, do you want to feed them too?” Ethiopia, and its hyenas, however, was just the starting point of this adventure. “Harar is about 50 miles from the border with Somalia, so I got on this bus. There were no foreigners on it. It was a 15-seater bus with 40 people on it, live chickens and stuff and everyone was just looking at me. The word for foreigner there is the same, “barang”, so I heard everyone [saying], “barang, barang, barang, barang”. We got this bus to the Somali border and I walked across into Somaliland, which is a breakaway region at the top of Somalia. The rest of Somalia is completely wartorn and quite lawless and Somaliland broke off in, I think, 1991, to preserve their culture and society. They see themselves as a different clan and to protect themselves from the lawlessness and the war ravaging the rest of Somalia they made their own state, but no one recognizes it. I ended up spending my Friday night watching Crystal Palace beat Man United with all these Somali guys who love Man United. And it’s the kind of thing if someone said to you, what the hell are you doing in Somalia? What is there to do there? For me, that’s the point. There’s not a tourist attraction, there’s not anything to do. For me, the great satisfaction is just going somewhere and being in the local culture. It’s about feeling in control of what I’m doing, what I’m seeing. There’s a sense of warmth you get and a sense of appreciation you get from people when you aren’t somewhere that’s necessary very touristy. There’s a warmth that they give you when this is unusual, this is strange. They want to show you their culture, they want to welcome you in. I want to feel, in a slightly narcissistic way, warm and wanted. It’s hard to admit sometimes that you’re maybe doing things for less than altruistic reasons or less than cool reasons, but absolutely, I think people go off the beaten path because they want to feel a bit unique, they want to feel a bit different. They want that slight shock factor. My recklessness is definitely in part to do with feeling a bit more alive.”

Shattering dehumanization in North Korea

This sense of recklessness and a fascination with political systems led Alastair on another unconventional journey later that same year. This time it was to North Korea for five days. As all visits to North Korea are strictly controlled by the government, what travellers are able to see is limited. And while the novelty of being told what to do quickly wore off for this reckless solo traveller, there was one experience Alastair had that broke all preconceived notions about the country and its people.

“It was 2015, the 70th anniversary of North Korea’s liberation from Japan in World War II. So they organized this mass dance in Kim Il-sung square, which is the main square in Pyongyang. They took us down during the night and we thought we’d sit in the stands and watch this propaganda event. To our surprise, all of these women in these bright, colourful dresses and these men in scraggly suits that were all matching came out. They got in their poses, ballroom dance style, and then these songs came on. They all knew exactly the same dance to do to the different songs. One song would come on and it would be a slightly faster dance, and they would all do it together in perfect unison. Maybe ten thousand people were all doing it in perfect unison.

And then to our huge surprise they said to us, “don’t you want to go down into the crowd and dance with them”? It was the only time they ever let us by ourselves. It was incredible being that close to that many North Korean people when we’d been kept at quite a distance from them the whole time. For me the big thing was, just being that close to them, seeing how human they are. They would give you a little smile and it’s the kind of behaviour you’d see anywhere in the world, where people are interacting with tourists by giving you a little smile or a little wink or something like that. It was just the most human experience. These people who are so dehumanized in the press and so they don’t seem real. I don’t know if you feel the same, but they don’t feel real when you read about them. It seems like a robotic fun fair of a country. And so to see them was just the most incredible thing, to dance with the North Korean women was just incredible. The music was mesmerizing and fireworks went off. It was a complete out of body experience.

That was the most incredible thing I have ever seen in my life.

I have a complicated view of North Korea. Of course there’s rampant human rights abuses and it’s an extremely unethical government. I think I can see why their society is so oppressive. I’m not saying it’s right, but I can see why they are so oppressive. I use the analogy that if the UK was the last country in the world that was capitalist, and every single country in the world around it was communist, it would be just as secretive, just as oppressive and just as violent. For me, I don’t think that justifies it. But it makes you understand why they are the way they are.”

Looking inside and out

After all of these journeys and discoveries about humanity, where is this explorer now in his search for recklessness, romanticism, and an understanding of humanity? Since his trip to North Korea, he’s lived in Liberia, Thailand and Cambodia, and his inspiring curiosity doesn’t seem to have a foreseeable end date. Yet, as he so eloquently puts it, the most significant exploration we have to do as humans is always within ourselves.

“When you walk across the Ethiopian/Somali border it certainly doesn’t feel dangerous really to be many places in the world. That first experience definitely changed me, but maybe it’s the opposite, you want it to change you more than it does. You want it to make you feel more alive and content with life, and you realize after that you’re still the same person. You’re seeking growth and change and profound enlightenment from going off the beaten path and going to these unusual places and trying these unusual things. But actually you’re looking for something external to change you internally and I think it just doesn’t work like that.”

You can follow Alastair’s adventures and film photography (featured in this post) on his Instagram @alimacphotos_ 

Anika

Anika

Anika manages social impact and partnership work at Banana Backpacks. She spends her days connecting with the Banana Backpacks global community and making sure our gear has a positive impact on the world. When she's not working, you'll find her taking the world's longest walks or setting off to try living in a new location across the world. Presently, she's trying life in Cambodia.
Anika

Anika

Anika manages social impact and partnership work at Banana Backpacks. She spends her days connecting with the Banana Backpacks global community and making sure our gear has a positive impact on the world. When she's not working, you'll find her taking the world's longest walks or setting off to try living in a new location across the world. Presently, she's trying life in Cambodia.